Herbs – simple projects for the weekend gardener

This month's tip comes from Herbs – simple projects for the weekend gardener by George Carter, Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winner.

Gardening with herbs is far more interesting than simply the cultivation of the twenty or so standard culinary herbs that are so popular. Growing herbs also has a historical fascination because a vast number of these plants were grown in the 16th and 17th centuries for both culinary and medicinal uses. Browsing through the early books on herbs, known as herbals, uncovers an exciting and unusual range of plants with the added interest of association and symbolism. Planting herbs is in fact rather like planting a map of the world because the early herbalists and traders scoured the known world for new species.

Contrary to popular belief, herbs are often vividly coloured or with boldly architectural foliage. The projects in this book use a wide variety of herb types, from beautiful Mediterranean herbs in muted colour schemes to more recent introductions with strong colours and foliage variegation.

These herb garden designs range in scale from the very small to the fairly large, but all are possible in an average urban plot, and many are even suitable for a backyard, balcony or window sill.

A raised scented box

This raised window box is best placed below a window, from where the scent and fragrance of the lavender, rosemary and thyme can drift into the room. You can adjust the height of your stand to suit the position of your window. Choose a window that enjoys a sunny position and keep the plants well watered, particularly in summer.

To see this project in full just click here. There are 2 pages to this project to see page 2 simply click on the image of the window that opens.

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