Make Your Herb Garden Attractive

A lot of people think that a herb garden is 'only' useful but not pretty. I think that this is very wrong. You can make a container herb garden attractive and colourful. A herb garden on a patio can be a nice relaxing place that stimulates all your senses.

Different herb plants have a variety of textures and foliage colours and some of them of course have the added bonus of flowers. Yes...sometimes you have to take a closer look. The beauty is often in the detail and more subtle. After all herbs are not like Petunias or Geraniums that shout at you from the distance desperately looking for attention.

The art is to play with different combinations of plants, containers and accessories. You can get very creative when it comes to this. For example an old chair that you picked up ages ago at a garage sale can be painted in a nice colour and used as a plant stand.

There are loads of great looking containers available today. My favourites would be terracotta or wooden pots.

Lots of things can be turned into unusual plant containers like old watering cans, baskets or wooden boxes. Just make sure that they have drainage. If necessary drill some holes into the bottom.

Things like that add uniqueness and character to your herb garden.

 

Add some colour with flowers...

Edible flowers like Nasturtiums or Calendula can add dots of colour to your herb garden.

Some commonly used container flowers like Petunias or Geraniums are 'too loud' for combining them with herbs. Also their needs for care and feeding make them not a good choice as herb companions. You want plants that have similar needs. Alpines like Campanulas, Thrift, Dianthus, Bellis or Aubretia fall into this category.

My favourite choices for flowers that combine well with a culinary herb garden are Lavender, Violas, Alyssum, Pansies, Primroses, Echinacea, Coreopsis and Peruvian Lilies. You can have them in separate pots or plant up combinations.

Here are some herb and flower combinations for you to try:

For a 60 cm Window Box:

• 2 pots of Chives
• 2 Calendula Plants
• 4 small Alyssum Plants
• 2 Viola Plants

For 60 cm Round Pot

• 1 Rosemary plant (should be a good sized specimen)
• 2 Pansies
• 3 Alyssum
• 2 Alpine Strawberries

Put the Rosemary in the centre of the pot and arrange the other plants around it. You can also do the same with a Sage or Bay Leaf.

For a 60 cm Hanging Basket

• 1 Lemon Thyme
• 1 Regular Thyme
• 1 Alpine Strawberry
• 1 Alyssum
• 1 Viola

Arrange the Thyme more to the centre of the basket and the other plants around the edges.

For a 90 cm Trough 30-40cm deep

• 1 Sage (try a purple or tricolor one)
• 1 Prostrate Rosemary (Rosmarinus prostratus)
• 1 Oregano
• 2 Thyme
• 2 Aubretia
• 2 Bellis
• 2 Campanula (try either 'Blue Clips' or C. garganica)

Arrange the Sage in the centre and the Rosemary and Oregano on the ends. Fill the gaps with the Thyme and the flowers.