Herbs In The Garden
When setting out a garden today many people add different features and these may range from designer garden furniture and ornamental ponds and water features to the ever popular vegetable patches and herb gardens.
There are more and more people in the 21st century growing their own vegetables and herbs in the garden, this is not a new concept for centuries people have grown herbs in their gardens and for many different reasons such as culinary, cosmetic even aromas and of course their medicinal and healing properties.
Many gardeners today still have a small herb section in their gardens mixed in with the flower beds or vegetable patch. Most people grow herbs for cooking purposes and there is no substitute for fresh aromatic herbs, many of the herbs fit well into a modern garden and can also add colour and texture to the garden. It is a good idea especially at first to keep herbs together or close by to each other and possibly leave the name stakes with them until you are familiar with what they look and smell like.
Most herbs can be grown in most types of gardens, rosemary, sage, tarragon, dill, bay, thyme, mint and basil just to name some are very popular and can easily be grown. Not all herbs however should be grown together. Some such as mint grow very quickly and can soon swamp other plants in the same bed or area, to control mint growth you must limit the sideways growth of the roots, you can do this by sinking a large pot with no bottom in the garden and plant the mint in the pot. Mint is a popular and aromatic herb and as long as you control it, it deserves a place in your garden. Some herbs need a lot more care than others and may need to be grown in a container and brought inside on rainy and cold days to help them survive, basil is a fine example of this type of herb. No matter what herbs you choose to grow you will find that they not only add to your cooking aids but the colour, look and aroma of your garden.
A Sunny Garden
The garden is a great place to relax once it has been tended, the lawn is mowed, the hedges trimmed and the garden furniture arranged correctly and cleaned ready for use. The overall look and aroma of the garden is down to the choice of plants, shrubs, trees, flowers and fruits, picking the ones that are more colourful and will flower longer and which give off the scents you will like will create the atmosphere you want, this is the problem you may face when first planting in your garden, creating the design and arranging the beds and borders sets the look of the garden and may do for years to come.
The placements of beds and borders may be determined by you or the location of your garden. If your beds are in a sunny area there is plenty of scope for you to plant bright sun loving flowers that will make the garden look stunning. There are many perennials that love the sun and they are the mainstay of most beds and borders, you must choose the right ones that will thrive in the sun and they will need to be watered to survive.
Perennials will flower year after year and can be left in the borders and beds unlike many bulbs and summer bedding plants that will need to be removed. Many perennials especially the most popular ones can thrive in the sun and there are some lovely colours ranging from oranges through scarlet, gold and yellow allowing you to create a display of spectacular colours and shapes from early spring into late autumn.
To keep a bed looking good all through the year choose plants that can thrive in different seasons, this means you will always have some colour no matter what time of year. There are certain shrubs that will flower in spring and produce colourful berries in the autumn, some if you have shaded areas you will need to choose different type of plants for these areas that will love the shade and although they may not be as bright and colourful as the sun lovers you can still find some great plants that will add their own greens, blues and purples to the show. The right combination can make an amazing difference to how the garden looks and when you decide it is time just to sit out there and enjoy it you will see the benefit from the time you have taken choosing the right plants.
