My husband and I moved almost 2 years ago! It doesn’t seem like it’s been this long. We lived in the house I bought for 7 years before selling it. We were “homeless” for about 6 months in between selling our house and closing on the house we have now. In reality, we were able to stay in the house I grew up in for 6 months because my parents are great like that! The hardest part about that year and half span was not having a garden.
I caught the veggie gardening bug from the cucumber seeds I got in my Happy Meal from McDonald’s, of all places. I think I took my first garden project in 4H at age 11. I’ve consistently had some sort of veggie/ herb garden from 11 on (dear lord, that’s over 20 years). Putting in some raised beds for my veggie and herb gardens were literally the first thing we did after putting the grill out on the patio at the new house.
My herb garden became very important to me at my old house. I landscaped the front bed in various herbs. Many of the non-cold hardy herbs, like Rosemary, flourished like they were growing in the Mediterranean. It was because they were up against the foundation of the house so they had protection from the elements and lots of sun, but in reality it was probably because my house leaked heat like a sieve during the winter so survival was easy for them. It was nice to be able to go out nearly any time of year to get some sage for stuffing or rosemary for chicken. It was literally my dream garden. I’m slowly duplicating this at my current house.
People have asked me why I like growing herbs so much. First off, I prefer landscaping that is soft and unstructured. You could describe my taste as an English cottage style garden. Herbs are completely unstructured, have various textures and shapes, and unless you force them to stay in their place, they just love to reseed and spread. To some this may seem really high maintenance, but in my experience it isn’t. Yes, you have to control mint with a keen eye, but doubling the size of my Chamomile area doesn’t bother me. Since I strive to keep a loose soil, I can pull it quickly and easily if needed to stay in the “shape” I want it to. I am constantly looking at my gardens every day, or at least a few times a week. This allows me to be able to watch what the plants are doing and allows me to image where I want it to go in the future.
I’m not a flower person; I’ve never been one get excited about them. They are pretty, but they just don’t blow my socks off. Herbs are flowers for people who aren’t flower people! Herbs have such a variety of textures and shapes of leaves. There are many that have variegated leaves so you get the natural green and greenish colors. The herbs that flower (which is most) have such a variety of colors and shapes of the flowers that there’s always something new coming. AND if you get your mix right, you’ll have flowers the entire growing season.
Lastly, and my favorite reason for growing herbs, is that there is nothing like sprinkling some freshly chopped parsley/ oregano/ basil/ etc. on your meal! My favorite is to make pasta, add some olive oil and parmesan cheese, and then sprinkle any combination of fresh herbs on it. Thinking of it right now makes my mouth water and I just ate lunch. One of the details you need to think about before you move forward with any garden, but especially herbs, is what it’s purpose is for YOU. The Herbal Academy has some good pointers to keep in mind.
At the end of the day, plants make me happy. My plants indoors purify the air in the house and the plants outside welcome the beauty of the world. I have been told I have a green thumb, but I have had my disasters and continue to have them too. Gardening is like anything else, it takes practice and huge, gigantic does of patience (something I’m not very good at). It calms me at the end of a hectic day and I look forward to the moments after a rain shower when the colors of the plants are most vibrant and refreshed. It’s the visual part of the natural world that makes me smile and makes me feel at peace.
All The Space In-Between 