Herb garden designs have been around for centuries. During the Middle Ages, the lady of the manor always kept a fully stocked herb garden, both for seasoning and preserving foods, as well as medicinal plants. The medicinal plants were provided to anyone in the surrounding township in need of a remedy. These women were highly skilled and knowledgeable about the use of these medicinal plants and keeping them in plentiful supply was a matter of honor. There’s just something wonderfully romantic in keeping an herb garden. Then, as now, herb garden designs are planned in both formal and informal layouts.
Formal herb garden designs can be incredibly elaborate, with paving stones forming a surround and pathways between beds. This type can consume a considerable amount of space, which few of us have in our own gardens. However, there are several ways to make an attractive herb garden design, on a smaller, but no less beautiful, scale. Even if all you have is a small, sunny spot on a balcony, you can still have an herb garden.
If your space is limited, decide on the purpose of your herb garden. Do you want to grow herbs from which you can make fresh herb teas? Do you want a selection of fresh herbs to use in cooking? Maybe you’d like to try growing some of the medicinal herbs. You can also choose fragrant herbs, some of which are also medicinal. Of course, if you have plenty of room, you might try planting several herb gardens, each with a different design.
The traditional formal herb garden designs are typically either circular or of geometric design. Exposure for the plants must be carefully considered, as some herbs thrive in full sun, while others need a shadier location. When you’re planning your herb garden, take the height of each plant into account so that you can arrange the taller subjects towards the back, or center, depending on your design.
Unless you have a great deal of room, or become so fascinated with growing herbs that you’re willing to pull out the flower beds, an informal herb garden design works best. This style makes it much easier to situate ‘like minded’ herbs together. This also allows for having a mix of in ground, planter box, raised bed and strawberry jar collections. Some herbs, such as any of the mints, are quite aggressive and can take over your prized flower bed in a few weeks, so these are best in pots.
Your herb garden can be integrated into your overall garden design as well. For example, creeping thyme is lovely along a pathway with stepping stones. This is a well behaved, tidy, plant that fills in around the stones without obscuring them. It’s also soft underfoot, gives off a delightful fragrance and can take a little traffic, none the worse for wear.
Making your own custom herb garden design is a fun and manageable project. Most herbs are fairly small, but packed with a great deal of flavor for teas and seasoning. As for the medicinal types, lavender is a great addition to the herb garden. Next time you feel a headache coming on, inhale a healthy dose of lavender flowers. Your headache is gone before you know it. Herbs are wonderful!