Growing Herb Rock Gardens
One of my first herb gardens was in the middle of a clay field and it was not simple to get plants to grow right. Soil and sun are probably the biggest considerations when growing herb plants. Without the right amounts of both light and water, your garden won’t grow. If you can get two or 3 of these factors right, you are all set.
Rather than trying to fix the earth issues, I changed my garden plan and learned about rock gardening, which uses rocks and only a thin layer of good dirt.
If you have got a similar situation, you can raise your own rock garden. Some herb plants truly love the rocky craggy soil that you have in areas like this all over the world. If you do not have the rocky soil and want the aesthetic of a rock garden, be sure you have got room for roots to grow and also some good drainage.
When planning your herb garden, be sure that you are choosing plants that can stay compact, because with limited room you don’t want anything taking over. Check your reference books for the right herbs for rock gardens. A good rule of thumb are those with silver or gray leaves. It’s not a hard-and-fast rule, but it should assist in making good choices.
- Hen-and-Chicks: {I can’t imagine cutting open a hen or chick and rubbing it on a wart, but this perennial succulent herb, which is also known as St. Patrick’s cabbage, has a long history of healing them.} The leaves of this plant store water for periods of drought. Each one can grow to four inches across and each “hen” can grow many off-shoots or “chicks.” You will enjoy the reddish-pink blooms that can appear atop a 9 inch spike that shoots straight up from the center of each hen in the summer. Before you know it, you will have a colony of plants.
- Wild Oregano: Even though this perennial hails from the warm climate of the Mediterranean Sea, it should grow to about 30 inches tall in your herb garden. You can cook with its green oval leaves and be sure to take full, deep breaths of its delightful scent. You’ll also like the purple blossoms, which should come out in August. Although you certainly may eat this variety of oregano, it won’t quite be the same as the Greek oregano you are familiar with from Italian meals.
- Marjoram: You can cook with marjoram, but you can use it to landscape your rock garden. It’s a perennial that has a delicate scent with oval gray-green leaves and tiny white flowers. For marjoram to retain its shape and form, keep it clipped back (use the clippings in your Italian dishes) so that it will keep growing well—full sun and the good drainage in your rock garden can help too.
- Thyme: Because there are so many varieties of thyme, you will want to be sure you are getting the right variety for your rock garden—below a foot high. Use those with shiny, little leaves that are huddled along the woody stems. As an added benefit, they usually have white or pink flowers. It loves the sandy soils that provide well-drainage and full sunlight. Thyme has a tendency to grow wild, so keep it snipped back to maintain its compact shape.
The contrast between the rocks and the herb plants will dazzle the eyes, without losing any of the other sensations, including aroma and flavor.
Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.
Here is more information on Herb Garden Designs. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.
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