ALL ABOUT HERBS 



Right now is a good time to 

 snuggle in witii the new garden 

 catalogs and herb books and plan 

 our herb gardens. Keeping control 

 is most difficult, knowing we cannot 

 plant everything in one small gar- 

 den plot. Even when putting it on 

 paper, enthusiasm can carry us 

 away. But unforeseen obstacles be- 

 come reality when the balmy days 

 of spring draw eager gardeners out- 

 of-doors. Often the plan must be 

 revised, but basic planning proves 

 worthwhile and you might want to 

 advise your customers to start that 

 plan today. 



Factors to consider are: type, 

 size and shape, formal versus infor- 

 mal Location, location, location. 

 Take a mental walk around your 

 property before you chose a spot. 

 Consider that most herbs prefer full 

 sun in a well-drained area. Some fil- 

 tered shade in the afternoon is 

 good, but the dense shade from a 

 building or lots of trees is not a 

 good place for an herb garden. A 

 background or enclosure — stone 

 wall, weathered wooden fence, 

 hedge, or the side of the house — 

 gives the garden a more intimate 

 feeling. If you locate it next to a 

 building, the south side is best. 



The edges of the beds and the 

 pathways make the skeleton of the 

 design. Good bones, we say. Gar- 

 den paths should be wide enough 

 to allow a wheelbarrow through and, 

 for many people, raised beds sim- 

 plify weeding and watering. 



A stone or brick edging is lovely 

 with cascades of thyme, lavender, 

 and savory draping over it. A formal 

 design usually has a focal point 

 such as a piece of statuary. 



Many herb gardens are very for- 

 mal, set out in squares, rectangles, 

 and diamonds separated by path- 

 ways of grass, gravel, or brick — or 

 even crushed clam shells, as in 

 early colonial gardens. "Knot gar- 

 dens" usually employ only a few va- 

 rieties of herbs, the design itself 



Jy$ 



ight now 



is a good tir 



le in witli tlie 



new garden catalogs 



and herb bool<s and pian 



our herb gardens. Often the 



plan must be revised, 



but basic planning proves 



worthwhile and you might 



want to advise your 



customers to start that plan 



today. Factors to consider 



are: type, size and shape, 



formal versus informal. 



being the element emphasized. But 

 a "yarb patch" can be just as ap- 

 pealing, although more difficult to 

 care for. 



Traditionally, herb gardens have 

 been designed, providing opportu- 

 nity for creative expression similar 

 to that of an artist on canvas. For 

 the plant material is "painted." 

 Color and texture and size of each 

 plant is taken into consideration. 

 Taller plants would be used at the 

 back or to accent the center; me- 



dium-sized plants flesh out the gar- 

 den design and pull it together; small 

 plants form edges and borders. 



There are hundreds of plants to 

 design with and many things to con- 

 sider. Is the plant invasive? Does it 

 need frequent division, deadhead- 

 ing, or staking? Choose plants that 

 are easily available, but enjoy the 

 challenge of searching out the new 

 and unusual as well. Many herb 

 businesses have excellent herb gar- 

 den displays. Rickety Place in Ma- 

 son, New Hampshire, and Heritage 

 Herbs in Canterbury are two that 

 come to mind. Wild Iris Herb Gar- 

 dens in York, Maine, is another. 

 Strawbery Banke and the Urban For- 

 estry Center, both in Portsmouth, 

 have lovely herb gardens. Stur- 

 bridge Village in Massachusetts has 

 a huge herb garden with everything 

 well-labelled, as well as smaller gar- 

 dens in colonial style throughout 

 the village. Shaker Village in Can- 

 terbury and Lower Shaker Village in 

 Enfield are both good places to get 

 to know the plants. Many nurseries 

 have display gardens and seeing 

 these will help in the design pro- 

 cess too. 



And books! Books and magazines 

 featuring herb gardens abound to- 

 day. I suggest a simple book called 

 Success with Herbs, by Gertrude Fos- 

 ter and Rosemary Louden, for be- 

 ginners. Landscaping with Herbs by 

 James Adams covers everything 

 from the knot garden to incorporat- 

 ing herbs into your entire land- 

 scape. And the "coffee table" herb 

 books by Tolley and Mead delight 

 the senses with colorful pictures in 

 which we can study individual 

 plants, learn what we might do with 

 our harvest, and enjoy the artistry 

 of herbal culinary concoctions. 



Before we know it, spring will be 

 here and we will all be bringing our 

 garden designs to life. 



Tanya ]ackson, well-known area kerbalist, 

 can be reached at 603-431-6774. 



THE PLANTSMAN 



