Growing our own plants to harvest and consume uniquely ties us to the cycles of life and makes us more aware of the seasons. The constraints of time and space, however, may cause us to relegate such an idea to the realm of dreams rather than reality. But it may not be an impossible dream. Container gardens are less demanding than traditional gardens — they are easy to plant, easily changed, and relatively simple to care for. Potted plants can also be placed in locations where it would not be feasible to create a garden bed.
Many herbs can be grown successfully in containers. In areas with heavy clay soil, herbs that require good drainage, such as thyme (Thymus spp.), lavender (Lavandula officinalis syn. L. angustifolia), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), and sage (Salvia officinalis), would actually be much better off in a light potting mix. Planted in pots, tender perennials that would not survive our winters, such as lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla), scented geraniums (Pelargonium spp.), and bay (Laurus nobilis), can be carried indoors at the end of the season. Mint (Mentha spp.), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), catnip (Nepeta cataria), comfrey (Symphytum officinale), and bronze fennel (Foeniculum vulgare‘Rubrum’) require a large berth in a garden plot, so keeping them contained makes it possible to keep them in bounds.
Consider that larger containers need to be watered less frequently than smaller ones, keeping maintenance to a minimum. Large containers also allow plants more room to grow. If a plant’s roots can reach and stretch, its foliage will flourish as well. Basil (Ocimum basilicum), bay, lemon verbena and pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) are most productive in pots when planted alone, but most other herbs will be perfectly comfortable potted up with companions that have similar requirements for moisture, soil type, and sun exposure.
An herb garden is not just useful, but beautiful. It is an oasis for the senses. Its visual interest lies not in exuberant flowers, but in a soothing interplay of textures and hues. Whether planted singly or in small groupings, container plantings are like a garden in miniature. Imagine the large, coarse, ovate leaves of sage in matte shades of gray, purple, or cream; the slender, forest-green needles of rosemary; mounds of tiny thyme leaves; the silver-gray, downy digits of lavender; sweet basil’s wide, glossy green leaves; the round, delicately scalloped leaves of nutmeg-scented geranium — each holding a promise of fragrance, flavor, and healing. Varying leaf shapes and textures intrigue the eye and draw our focus, inviting closer examination.
Not all herbs are demure in their flowering habits, however. Pineapple sage boasts brilliant scarlet flowers atop three-foot foliage from midsummer to frost, and nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) bloom all summer with wide, edible, trumpet-shaped flowers in vibrant shades of orange, red, and gold. The daisy-like flowers of pot marigolds (Calendula officinalis) are also edible and bloom in the same sunny range of colors as common marigolds (Tagetes spp.).
If flamboyant flowers make your heart sing, herbs can offer foliar accents for your container plantings. Silver thyme, with its white and green variegated leaves, has a cascading effect when planted at the edge of a pot. Sage is available with purplish leaves (S. officinalis‘Purpurescens’); gold and green variegated leaves (S. officinalis‘Aurea’); white, pink, and purple-splashed leaves (S. officinalis‘Tricolor’) and in a shorter, more compact form (S. officinalis‘Berggarten’). Chives (Allium shchoenoprasum) or garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) can add a vertical element. Fernleaf dill (Anethum graveolens) can fill in for an asparagus fern; it reaches only eighteen inches in height, unlike the species that grows three to five feet tall. Bronze fennel can provide a dramatic backdrop for bright blossoms with its darkly arching feathery plumes.
The temporary nature of container plantings facilitates a playful approach to plant selection and design. Once planted, they offer the opportunity to experiment spontaneously with the plants all summer long. Does the scent of lavender relax you? Are you revived by burying your nose in peppermint leaves? Does either plant take the edge off of your headache? What might you do with chocolate mint or orange thyme?
When fresh herbs are within reach, mint leaves can be chewed to freshen the breath or plucked to float in iced tea. Use lemon verbena or lemon basil leaves to garnish cocktails sipped in lawn chairs. Gather fragrant bouquets of herbs to grace the dinner table. Living with herbs takes on a new dimension when the herbs are living and growing with us. It is one of summer’s pure pleasures.
DISCLAIMER: Choosing a holistic approach to medicine means choosing personal responsibility for your health care. Herbs for Health offers a doorway through which to enter the realm of herbal healing, an invitation to further investigation on the part of the reader. It is in no way intended as a substitute for advice from a health care practitioner.