Container Gardening Complete

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 92 5/24/17 11:08 AM
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 93 5/24/17 11:08 AM

92 chapter 2

Herbs

Herbs are plants grown for their flavor, fragrance,

or medicinal properties. Some herbs are frost-

sensitive annuals, while others are perennials that

return year after year. There are even a few herbs

that are shrub-like in nature. And some even

grow into small trees, if they’re grown in the right

climate or the plants are overwintered indoors.

Culinary herbs are ideal candidates for

container gardens. Most are quite content to

grow in a pot either by themselves or in a mixed

design. Depending on their structure and growth

habit, herbs can serve as thrillers, fillers, or

spillers in any given container. The portion of

the plant used in the kitchen can be the foliage,

flowers, stems, or seeds.

Almost any herb is suitable for container

gardening, but there are some bred specifically

to thrive in container conditions. The following

chart features fifteen favorite culinary herbs

ideal for container gardening. Most require full

sun conditions to perform their best. Many herbs

perform double duty in a container garden—

they’re useful in the kitchen, but they also attract

pollinators and other beneficial insects when

they’re in flower.

Regularly harvest your herbs to encourage

more growth and to keep them from going to

flower (flowering sometimes alters the flavor).

Use a sharp pair of scissors or pruners to remove

tender new herb shoots or leaves for drying. If

you harvest whole shoots, tie them into small

bundles and hang them up to dry in a cool, dry

room for several weeks. If you harvest individual

leaves, they can be dried in a food dehydrator for

1 to 3 hours. Or, if you’re harvesting chamomile,

harvest the small white and yellow flowers by

plucking them off with your fingers in a rake-like

This container is filled with a mixture of culinary herbs,

including a bay tree (Laurus nobilis), thyme, parsley

(Petroselinum crispum), and variegated sage.

fashion, then dry them by spreading them out on

a cloth and turning them over once a day for 10

to 20 days. Dried herbs are best stored in air-tight

plastic or glass containers and kept away from

direct sunlight.

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Designing and Planting Your Containers 93

Recommended Herbs

COMMON NAME BOTANICAL NAME PLANT TYPE EDIBLE

PORTION

HEIGHT COMMENTS

Italian oregano Origanum vulgare

v a r. hirtum

Perennial Leaves 1 to 2 ft. Small pink flowers are attractive to bees

and other beneficial insects.

Cilantro coriander Coriandrum

sativum

Annual Leaves for

cilantro;

seeds for

coriander

10 to 18 in. Cool-season herb best grown in the spring

and fall; white flower clusters; look for

slow-bolting varieties for heat tolerance.

Chives Allium

schoenoprasum

Perennial Leaves and

flowers

8 to 10 in. Slender, hollow, grass-like leaves have

mild onion flavor; round clusters of small,

pink, edible flowers occur in spring.

Sweet marjoram Origanum

majorana

Tender

perennial

Leaves 4 to 6 in. Unique flavor; small whitish-pink flowers;

trailing plant with sparse form.

Sweet basil Ocimum basilicum Annual Leaves 18 in. to

2 ft.

Classic, summery flavor; try dwarf, small-

leaved varieties such as ‘Spicy Globe’ and

‘Fino Verde’ for containers.

Parsley Petroselinum

crispum

Biennial

grown as

an annual

Leaves 6 to 12 in. Biennial that produces leaves the first

season and umbels of white flowers the

second; flat- and curly-leaved types both

do well in containers.

Lemongrass Cymbopogon

citratus

Tropical Base of

leaf stalks

2 to 4 ft. Large grass with distinct citrus flavor; to

harvest, snap off a leaf cluster at the base

of the plant and peel off outer leaves to

reveal the white interior flesh.

Dill Anethum

graveolens

Annual Leaves and

seeds

2 to 3 ft. Host plant for swallowtail butterflies;

yellow umbrella-shaped flower clusters;

delicate, ferny foliage.

Sage Salvia officinalis Perennial Leaves 8 to 12 in. Broad, gray-green leaves with strong

flavor; blue to purple flowers in mid- to

late-summer; variegated forms available.

Rosemary Rosemarinus

officinalis

Tender

perennial

Leaves 1 to 3 ft. Needle-like leaves on woody stems; can

grow into a shrub where winters don’t

freeze; perfumed flavor; flowers pink or

purple and borne tight against the stem.

Bay laurel Laurus nobilis Tender

perennial

Leaves Up to 20 ft. Can grow into a large tree where winters

don’t freeze; broad, glossy leaves are

harvested and dried.

Lemon verbena Aloysia triphylla Tender

perennial

Leaves 2 to 4 ft. Snappy lemon-flavored leaves are long and

tapered; can grow into a woody shrub if

overwintered properly; tiny, white flowers.

Mints Mentha spp. Perennial Leaves 1 to 2 ft. Highly invasive, perfect for containers;

many types—M. x piperita is peppermint;

M. spicata is spearmint; also try apple,

chocolate, and pineapple mints for more

subtle flavors.

Thyme Thymus vulgaris Perennial Leaves 2 to 6 in. Low-growing plant with tiny leaves and

small pink, purple, or white flowers;

flowers are attractive to pollinators.

Fennel Foeniculum vulgare Perennial Leaves and

seeds

4 to 6 ft. Large plant with licorice-flavored foliage;

yellow umbrella-shaped flower clusters

in summer; seeds are dried for cooking;

prolific self-sower.

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