Aug
Herb Garden Design
Since ancient times, large gardens have been used for growing vegetables, flowers, fruits & medicines. There is more. These gardens are called herb gardens. Some common plants grown are rosemary, parsley, sage, marjoram, thyme, mint, rue, angelica, bay & basil. Herb garden designs can be very useful or ornamental depending on the kind of plants grown in them.
Herb garden designs of medieval & Renaissance Europe period are a big influence for herb gardeners today. Practical as well as ornamental, formal herb gardens laid out in simple beds date back to medieval Europe & continue to be popular today. It’s very easy & inexpensive to maintain a herb garden. By practice the herb gardener can be an expert. Keeping in mind the modern times, herbs used can be differentiated as:
? Culinary herbs
? Medicinal herbs
? Ornamental herbs.
Culinary herbs are the most popular herbs like rosemary, parsley that are very easily grown & contains both annual & perennial varieties. You can also grow medicinal herbs but extracting the medicines from them is not an easy procedure. Ornamental herbs are the otherwise useless herbs, which have shown to have no medicinal value, but because of their beauty or just to add soft foliage to the garden they’re still grown.
Traditional herb garden designs do not always suit our modern needs. Some of the preferred designs today are as follows:
? Herb container gardening
For beginners, container herb gardening is the best bet. They are very easy to manage & are flexible enough to be changed often. Pots or containers of different color, pattern & texture add a character to an otherwise dull & green garden. Some herbs like rosemary, which are better to keep indoors during winters, can be brought in without any fuss. Containers are easy & fun to use & soil mixtures can be adjusted without much hard work to suit specific plant needs.
? Raised bed herb gardens
Somewhat related to container herb gardens, raised bed gardens are a great herb garden design technique which allows us to amend the soil, since many herbs require more drainage than what the soil can allow. Plants like mint or weed can prove troublesome if planted loosely without planning, & this is where raised bed herb garden designs help.
? Parterre
This design gives the garden a formal & elegant look. You have to simply segment your garden into different areas for different herbs you plan to grow & hedge them in. The most popular plant used for hedging is the dwarf English boxwood. Large boxwoods can be often used at the corners & junctions to add height & visual interest & a sculpture or sundial would give a nice finishing touch. Planting of herbs in threes & fives allows the eye to register ® the plant & move over to other groups without troubling our vision. This is a common technique used in most herb garden designs.
? Roses
Roses are one of the earliest & original inhabitants of the herb gardens. There is more. They prefer drier & sunny conditions & the foliage of the herbs gives a perfect foil for the rose blossoms. Rosa rugosa is a great rose for the herb garden both historically & aesthetically.
Herb garden designs are not too hard to maintain & can be done even by a beginner who would acquire the skills in the process. All level of skilled gardeners can attempt their hand in herb gardening & enjoy its simple yet effective results.
Gardening & landscaping are one of life’s simple joys. Learn more about Herb Garden Designs by visiting our Garden Facts web site.
