Lendle

Herbs are undemanding plants, easy to grow and to look after on a small scale. Since they are not fussy as to soil, neither deep digging nor special treatment is essential, although as with all living things, the more care and attention they receive the better they flourish. In the past it was customary for the woman of the household to look after the herb garden, and it was she who decided which herbs were to be grown and where to plant them. She weeded the beds and harvested the herbs; she added herbs to her cooking, and made wines, cordials and simple medicines. She dried the herbs for pot-pourris and perfume sachets to keep the house smelling sweet. Since most of her work was done in the kitchen, the herb bed was invariably sited as near to it as possible.There are several important factors to be considered when deciding where it is best to grow herbs. Most herbs need the maximum amount of sunshine during the growing season. Many of them have their origins in the warmer climates of the world. In order to produce the full flavour and fragrance, you need to reproduce as nearly as you can the conditions of the natural habitat.Where instructions state that a herb should be planted in a sunny position, they imply that ideally the plant should get about 7 hours of sunshine a day. A plant requiring partial shade needs up to 4 hours of sunshine a day. There are few plants which need to grow in total shade. Even the woodland herbs such as woodruff, wood betony and wood violet need filtered sunshine in the middle of the day and will grow in the herb garden under the shadow of the larger plants.Herbs need protection from cold winds, which often do more damage to a plant than low temperatures. A wall, hedge or natural slope can provide good shelter, but if these are not available then a fence of some kind should be erected when the herb garden is first planted. Once the garden is established the larger herbs will provide partial protection, but a background or screen will ensure good sturdy growth.When planning to grow your own herbs it is essential to work out how much space you can allocate to the plants. No herb garden need be very large, for a surprising number of plants can be grown in a relatively small plot. You may wish to create a small separate herb garden or to combine herbs with other plants in the herbaceous border or rock garden. Whatever you decide upon, remember that accessibility is important.You do not want to go far to collect a few herb leaves, neither do you want to walk through wet grass or cross a bed of earth to get to the herbs. Stepping stones or a narrow path could solve that problem. Once you have decided which plants you wish to grow, a small herb bed on its own is easy to plan and to prepare.