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Herbs Care Guide
Herbs
ROSEMARY Rosmarinus officinalis, Mint family, Herbal flavor, Tender
perennial shrub. Well-drained, evenly moist soil. Full sun to partial
shade.
Grow rosemary in full sun or partial shade in alkaline, well-drained,
evenly moist soil.
Rosemary is native to the rocky coasts of France and Spain, but is now
cultivated as a culinary herb throughout the world. It is an excellent
plant to include in seaside gardens.
Rosemary is a tender perennial shrub that can grow three to six feet
tall. Hardy only to zone 7-8, it is grown as an annual in many areas of
the country. It is evergreen with needle like leaves. In warm climates
it makes a very attractive low hedge.
The pale blue flowers (occasionally white-rose, pale lavender or dark
blue) appear in mid to late spring, and sometimes again in summer. The
flowers have a flavor reminiscent of the leaves, but much less pungent.
Rosemary is happily cultivated as a container plant. It can easily be
trained as topiary, commonly in a tree form, a rounded form or a
circular wreath form.
GARLIC CHIVES Allium tuberosum, Onion flavor, Perennial, self-seeding.
Well-drained soil, full sun.
Garlic chives are a perennial, hardy to zone 4. The long, flat, marrow,
gray-green leaves grow about twelve inches tall. The leaves are grass
like in appearance, but solid enough to be upright. The edible leaves
have a strong garlic flavor.
Besides its use as an edible herb, this is an attractive plant in the
perennial border. The flowers are bright, showing up well against a dark
background.
The flower stems reach eighteen to thirty inches high, topped with a
flat-headed cluster of white flowers in summer. Each individual flower
has a piquant garlic-onion flavor with a slight crunch.
Garlic chives grow best in full sun. Plant mid-spring through summer.
Allow twelve inches between plants.
Garlic chives can be aggressive. Plants can be divided and thinned
whenever necessary. It also self seeds. Keep picking the flower heads as
they mature and before they drop seeds.
If the plant starts getting too woody looking, trim the foliage back to
within an inch of the ground. As traumatic as it may seem, it will
benefit from such a severe pruning.
These pretty little flowers pack a lot of flavor. Use individual florets
for garnish, not the entire flower cluster.
CHOCOLATE MINT
Mints grow best in rich, moist, well-drained soil. Although they prefer
partial shade, a sunny location will do. There are not many growing
conditions that deter mint. Allow at least twelve to eighteen inches
between plants. If mint starts crowding the garden, simply pull up
stems, you can always replant them elsewhere, but be aware that the stem
is usually attached to an under ground runner, so it will continue to
flourish.
Mints are very aggressive in the garden, spreading by underground
runners. Once established in a garden they can be difficult to keep
within bounds. One way to control them is to grow them in containers
rather than in the ground. Be careful where you place the container.
After several years, a container of mint can root into the ground and
spread.
LEMON THYME, CARAWAY THYME.
Thyme thrives in poor, rocky, alkaline soil. Although it can grow in a
range of soils, it is ironic that the richer the soil, the less
flavorful the thyme. Thyme must have, above all, full sun and good
drainage. Allow fifteen inches between plants. Because of its low,
creeping habit, thyme is perfect planted between flagstones in a
pathway, at the edge of a garden or in a rock garden
LAVENDER
Lavandula, a member of the mint family (Labiate or Lamiaceae), is native
to the Mediterranean region but is cultivated in many other parts of the
world.
Full sun is a prerequisite for the most productive lavender cultivation,
although there are reports of lavender growing successfully with as
little as four hours of sun a day.
A neutral to slightly alkaline soil is optimal. Lavenders are more
particular about soil acidity than many other herbs, but they grow well
in soils of pH 6.4 to 8.2. If you suspect that your soil is very acidic,
have a soil test done and add lime as necessary.
Excellent drainage is crucial. Adding humus in the form of peat moss,
manure, or compost will improve the drainage of both sticky clay and
sandy soil. Raised beds or mounds will keep root systems out of soggy
soil. Lavenders are good candidates for rock gardens.
Good air circulation around the plants will minimize the fungus diseases
that attach lavender in humid climates. Space the plants 2 to 3 feet
apart and avoid jamming them close to other perennials or structures.
Avoid dark mulches, particularly in hot and humid climates. Wood chips
and sawdust tend to harbor fungus diseases. Arthur O. Tucker, a research
professor at Delaware State College, places 1 to 2 inches of sterile
white sand atop the soil to reflect light and heat back into the
interior of the plant where fungus diseases start; he has found that the
sand mulch substantially boosts flower production.
Sufficient water is particularly important in the first season after
planting. Once established lavenders are generally fairly
drought-tolerant, but inadequate water may discourage the new growth
necessary for a second flowering in recurrent-blooming varieties. The
optimum amount of water is 33 inches a year, but lavenders can survive
with as little as 12 inches a year.
Prune old wood hard in spring to stimulate new growth; snip back unruly
branches during the summer to keep it shapely. Pruning late in summer
cold climates is likely to stimulate new growth that will winter-kill.
If a plant becomes woody and untidy with age, consider replacing it with
a young plant.
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