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Growing Herb Rock Gardens

When I was a kid, I lived out in a rural area and we only had clay soil once you dug about 6 or 12 inches down. When you are planning your garden, you’ve got to put light and sod quality at the top of the list of things to consider. You need the right balance of both as well as the necessary water. If you can get 2 or three of these factors right, you are all set.

To solve my clay dirt problems, I turned to rock gardening, which focuses on adding lots of rocks to your landscape and focusing on herbs that only need a few inches of good soil.

If you’ve got a similar situation, you can grow your own rock garden. Usually this kind of garden is found in arid, rocky areas that have poor sod. With good drainage, adequate natural light and all the nooks and crannies around the rocks where roots can dig in, rock gardens may be just the thing for you to try your hand at.

Rock gardens focus on keeping the plant compact and controlled. Another tip is to seek out herb plants with silver or gray leaves. It is not a hard-and-fast rule, but it should assist in making good decisions.

• Hen-and-Chicks: {I cannot 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 leaves of this herb store water for periods of drought. Your hen can get up to four inches across before you know it. Soon small off-shoots, or chicks, can sprout up from the edges of your hen. You will enjoy the reddish-pink blooms that can appear atop a nine inch spike that shoots straight up from the center of each cabbage in the summer. The plant can continue to add chicks and grow into a colony of herbs.

• Wild Oregano: Even though this perennial comes from the warm climate of the Mediterranean Sea, it should grow to about 30 inches high in your herb garden. You can cook with its green oval leaves and be sure to take full, deep breaths of its wonderful aroma. You will also enjoy the purple flowers, which should bloom in August. This isn’t the same type 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 sweet scent that can remind you of your favorite pasta sauce and its tiny white flowers will bring a smile to your face. Keep it pinched back so that it will stay lovely and full and do not forget that it appreciates full sun and good drainage.

• Thyme: The shiny, little leaves of the thyme plant are clustered along woody stems that are adorned with numerous white or pink flowers and grows to a height of up to 12 inches. It loves the sandy soils that provide well-drainage and full sunshine. You’ll want to keep this one trimmed back to maintain its shape and to help it remain hearty.

The contrast between the rocks and the herb plants will amaze the eyes, without losing any of the other sensations, including smell and taste.

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.