Potted herbs

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Most herbs we enjoy in the US are from the Mediterranean region where the soil is sandy and the summers dry.  For this reason, herbs are great candidates for growing in pots.

Herbs come in many different colors and forms.  Pair upright with prostate or cascading forms.  

Upright herbs that do well in pots are rosemary, sage, oregano, dill, and basil.  Sage comes in green, purple, yellow and green, and tricolor of cream, green and purple.  Basil comes in different shades of green and in a dark maroon, called purple or red basil.  Christmas basil has showy purple flowers and a full habit.  Upright oregano has pretty purple flowers and rosemary’s flowers are a pale blue.  

Finissimo verde a palla basil

Finissimo Verde a Palla basil forms a cute, round ball.  It is fun to put in a pot all by itself.  It is very sculptural.

Cascading herbs include creeping thyme, amethyst falls oregano, curly parsley, and prostrate rosemary.

You can add fillers like chives, tarragon or mint and flowers like trailing nasturtiums or upright lavender.

Herbs do well in pots and you can place them next to the kitchen door for easy access to fresh herbs for cooking.

In the winter, you can put in a protected area outdoors or bring indoors.