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Creating Your Own Herb Rock Garden
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When I was a kid, I lived out in a rural area and we only had clay sod once you dug about 6 or 12 inches down. Soil and sun are probably the most important considerations when raising herb plants. Without the right amounts of both light and water, your garden won’t grow. With the right combination of water, earth and natural light, you can cultivate just about anything.
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 earth.
A rock garden is about the positive features that you might have in your yard already or those that you want to add. Usually this type of garden is found in dry, rocky areas that have poor earth. If you don’t have the rocky earth and want the aesthetic of a rock garden, make sure you’ve got room for roots to grow and also some good drainage.
Rock gardens work toward keeping the herb compact and controlled. Look at your reference books for the right herbs for rock gardens. A good rule of thumb are those with silver or gray leaves. This is a big tip-off that these herbs will do well in that type of environment.
- 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 doing just that. The foliage of this herb store water for periods of drought. Your hen can get up to 4 inches across before you know it. Soon small off-shoots, or chicks, will sprout up from the edges of your hen. In the summer, a nine inch spike will arise from the center of each mature cabbage to display pinkish-red blooms. The plant can continue to add chicks and grow into a colony of hens-and chicks.
- Wild Oregano: This perennial from the Mediterranean region will grow energetically up to 30 inches tall with its oval leaves and purple blossoms that bloom late in the summer. This isn’t the same variety of oregano that you find in Italian dishes, but you can eat it.
- Marjoram: Not only can you cook with marjoram, but you can use it in your rock garden. Its oval gray-green leaves have a delicate scent that can remind you of your favorite pasta sauce and its tiny white flowers will bring a smile to your face. For marjoram to retain its shape and form, keep it trimmer back (use the clippings in your Italian dinners) so that it can keep growing well—full sun and the good drainage in your rock garden can help too.
- Thyme: Because there are a lot of varieties of thyme, you’ll want to be sure you’re getting the correct kind for your rock garden—below a foot high. Try those with shiny, small leaves that are huddled along the woody stems. As an added benefit, they usually have white or pink flowers. It likes the sandy soils that provide well-drainage and full sun. Thyme has a tendency to grow wild, so keep it trimmer back to maintain its compact shape.
Part of the wonder of rock gardens is the contrast of the hard rocks and the soft herbs. The difference in colors also helps in achieving a sense of the beautiful. You can even use aromatic and culinary herbs in your rock garden, which will provide you with all the benefits of a regular herb garden.
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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