A design for a new Herb Garden
The Brief
• To provide herbs for culinary use specified by the client including the following perennial
herbs - chives, fennel, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, and biennials such as Chervil.
• Potentially include some more unusual herbs
• Include different cultivars of the same herbs both for added interest and this may also
provide different maturing times to help to keep the herb garden productive
• Focal point for each bed
• Evergreen structure provided by herbs
• Ornamental & aesthetically pleasing when viewed from rest of garden
• Herbs which will flourish in full sun or partial shade
• Herbs which flourish in loamy/sandy soil
• Pollinator/wildlife friendly
Planting description
A Herb Garden designed for both culinary and ornamental purposes, providing herbs for
culinary use as well as adding ornamental interest, particularly as the Herb Garden is viewed
from much of the rest of the garden. The new herb garden beds were formerly vegetable
beds - the new planting still contributes to the kitchen table but is far less labour intensive.
The Garden comprises 2 rectangular beds with each bed including a bay tree as a focal
point with herbs arranged symmetrically in beds around each tree. This follows the approach
of traditional monastery gardens. The design of each bed mirrors the other.
The planting comprises mainly perennial herbs with evergreen herbs such as dwarf
Lavandula, rosemaries including Salvia rosmarinus ‘Green Ginger’ and Miss Jekyll ‘Upright’,
thymes such as Thymus ‘Silver Queen’, sages including Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurascens’ and
Winter Savory (Satureja montana) providing structure. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) with its
feathery foliage and Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata) with its ferny leaves add a contrast in
texture. Other herbs include for example, French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus), Chervil
(Anthriscus cerefolium), and Garlic chives (Allium tuberosum). Calendula officinalis, an
annual, add pops of orange in summer, contrasting against the purple leaved sage and
Borage officinalis (another annual) adds beautiful vivid blue flowers.
After reluctantly deciding that I was no longer going to grow vegetables I had no idea what to
do with my two redundant vegetable plots on one side of our garden. It was, therefore, a
brilliant idea of Rebecca's to convert them into herb gardens. Her suggestion was to produce
a year-round, low maintenance feature which would be both ornamental and still contribute
to the kitchen table. I am so pleased with the result which offers interest of colour, shapes,
textures, scents and flavours as well as being a real point of interest in the garden for me
and many pollinators. I put the success down to Rebecca's ability to listen to a client’s
needs, her attention to fine detail, her plant knowledge, and her skill in artistic design. She
really does know how to combine colour and texture to great effect and, what is more, is a
real pleasure to work with.