Many gardeners think that herbs are something that only the elect should grow.
They find old herbals and new books on planning knot gardens equally delightful reading, and they dream of having a real herb garden sometime when they have both the necessary knowledge and the proper location. Still, they never progress beyond this dream stage.
Reading and dreaming are good foundations for any type of gardening, but sometimes achievement is possible only by bending dreams to meet the conditions under which the gardener finds he has to work.
A sunny spot devoted to lovely gray and green herbs grown in orderly beds, perhaps in beds of intricate design, may be his dream but one which he lacks the space, skill, or time to achieve.
This is no reason for being denied the pleasure of growing herbs. One with the temerity to attempt to grow them without a real herb garden will find that many kinds will accommodate themselves to various situations and associate happily with other types of plants.
Our garden has a boundary marked with shrubs; we have planted herbs in the space between the shrubs and the lawn.
First, there was an experimental plant or two, and gradually, others were added until now, a line of herbs ran the full length of the shrub border.
They face east and get sun for a large part of the day. The soil is dry and sandy, and it was necessary to enrich it for the shrubs, but the herbs like its natural state.
The shrubs tend to crowd the herbs, but, on the other hand, the hardy forms of herbs are inclined to be crowders on their account, so with a little extra attention to shrub pruning, we can maintain both.
Herbs and Their Culinary Uses
Seen from the house across a stretch of lawn, the herbs in their varying grays and greens make a very pleasing picture against the background of shrubs, and at close range, they are a never-failing source of interest.
Even bored visitors who make a tour of the garden just as a matter of politeness are entertained when we come to this section and offer them snips of four or five kinds of green, each with a different fragrance and taste.
If they are gourmets, they begin at once to reminisce of salads they have known! In such cases, we can cease being mere horticulturists and add our reminiscences of sauces, soups, and stews, for this border serves many culinary uses even though it isn’t a true herb garden.
Herb Selection
The first herb that came to live at the foot of the shrubs was a gift of sage, hastily planted there because there seemed to be no appropriate place to put it at the moment.
Later, we added some artemisias, the fragrant “old manî of grandmothers’ gardens” and another commonly called “silver king,” used for Winter bouquets.
Then came a long list of various herbs, mints, sweet cicely, sweet marjoram, chives, thyme, pennyroyal, savory, old-fashioned spice pink, and others.
All have been hardy, and none has asked for much attention beyond the occasional adjudication of a dispute over space.
The mints, in particular, are greedy and must be restrained from over-running their neighbors.
In summer, we set out on this border the pots of rosemary that have spent the winter in the house, as the sweet geraniums, rose peppermint, and cinnamon.
Lavender
Formerly, we grew lavender on the border in front of the shrubs, but we have found a situation for it now which it likes better.
It is planted against the low coping around a cellar window embrasure on the warm side of the house, where its gray leaves are beautiful all winter when not covered by snow.
They are easily accessible for an occasional winter bouquet. Sometimes, a large plant indeed succumbs to a combination of old age and severe winter, but lavender propagates readily from cuttings, and we start a few new ones every summer to be prepared for such losses.
Rosemary and some smaller artemisias, such as the variety frigida, have been tried in this warm, dry spot, too.
Still, the rosemary never lived over more than one winter, and no herb has seemed as contented there as the lavender.
Sweet Woodruff
The herb, which is associated with making May wine, grows abundantly in the garden in partial shade.
It is an accommodating plant that would grow in the sun, too, but since sunny spots are needed for things that demand it, we are glad to have this pleasant little ground cover take over shady areas.
Parsley and sweet basil grow in the tiny vegetable garden, the parsley as an edging and the annual sweet basil in a row next to the tomatoes, with which, ultimately, it will be served.
Someday, we may have an herb garden, but meanwhile, we derive great satisfaction from just growing herbs.
44659 by Deette B. Jacobs