herbs that don't creep

[the.fee.fairy]

I've got a bit of garden that's about 2ft by 4ft. i want to make it into a herb bed - it's just by the front of the garden, so the smell should waft nicely.

What herbs smell nice but don't creep?

Any other ideas for it?

[Clara]

Not sure about specifics, but when I wanted to plant some yarrow as a companion in the legume patch my partner (who was a gardener) suggested I plant it in a sunken pot to restrict the roots. Can´t tell you how it worked because it has yet to emerge!

Perhaps you can do this with any herb?

As far as aromatics go, I can never resist running my hand through rosemary, thyme or lavender to get a whiff! They would be very good during dry spells and withstand low temperatures too. If you have any climbing space how about a jasmine (though most delightfully smelly in the wee small hours of the morning!)

I think your idea is a good one - a garden for the nose (and perhaps the kitchen too!)

Clara x.

[Millymollymandy]

Looking at how some of my herbs have spread over the two years they have been in place I'm lost to think of anything!

You could plant chives depending on whether you like the smell or not.

[wulf]

Don't worry about creep too much - just keep on cutting them back. Some you can use to cook, some for drying and scenting, some for giving away and some just for compost (when you have a real abundance). However, maintaining a herb bed doesn't feel like hard work because clipping and trimming always smells so nice!

Wulf

ps. you might want to retain some of the more vigourous ones like mint in buried pots though!

[contadino]

Sage, basil, lavender, and rosemary are all that spring to mind for me. I think thyme is pretty well behaved too. Oregano is also a good'un, cos you can cut it and dry it like crazy if it gets out of hand.

[pskipper]

Winter savory doesn't spread too much! Tastes fantastic too.

[Andy Hamilton]

Just stay away from mint!

Rosemary can be 'trained' so that it does not get out of control. I found this that might help you.

[contadino]

Ooh! I forgot some. Laurel or Bay. The flowers are pleasantly whiffy and of course, when 'snapped' the leaves are sublime.

Parsley doesn't invade, but doesn't smell of much either.

And, rather more dubiously, there's Jasmine. Not a herb as such, but edible and a lovely smell in the evening sun.

Citronella. Grows into a substantial bush, but smells good, can be eaten, and has the additional benefit of keeping flies/mozzies away.

[Shirley]

Had to laugh at rosemary being able to be trained.. here we are lucky if it survives the winter

I like mint.. and you can always sink a plantpot into the planter to stop it from spreading too much and overwhelming the herb garden... it smells so scrummy too, and you can make mint tea or something to enjoy after you've done the trimming ;)

You could always put in some sort of posts so that you can have trailing herbs that won't swamp your patch. A bay tree might be worth having too.

Which herbs do you like to eat??

[Millymollymandy]

In a 2' x 4' bed there's not much space for things like bay or rosemary as they are permanent and will take up all that space and a lot more after a few years.

My thyme and oregano have quadrupled in size in 2 years!

[Thomzo]

I have a herb patch about the same size. I do have both bay and rosemary in it and just keep cutting them back. I think the rosemary may have died over the winter though. The bay will probably grow too big over time but it will take a long while.

I also have lavender in mine. I snip away at it regularly and cut back hard after flowering to stop it getting leggy. I will probably have to replace it in a few years though.

[the.fee.fairy]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I've got plans for a large round bed in the middle of the garden. I want to make some kind of structure in the middle of it because i have a lovely jasmine plant that needs a new home, and would be perfect. I plan to put Lavender round the jasmine, and then chamomile and something else sweet smelling there too.

The herb bed i want to be edible and nice-smelling. So there's alike a sweet/savoury thing going on - and then in a small bed by the shed i'm going to plant sweet peas and freesias, so its perfumed as well.

I used to work in the sensory field, so to me, the 5 senses are all so intermingled that it seems silly to plant things that look/taste/smell nice not together. I've got the veg patch, so i've got taste sorted, i've got flowers, so look is sorted, i've got a pond that i'm going to get a small solar fountain for so that sound is sorted. I'm going for the herbs for a mix of smells (they're going to overlap with taste too).

So...i'm going to take all the ideas and see what i can come up with. i like the idea of rosemary, thyme and the woody herbs, and possible a small bay tree in the corner. I've got some herb troughs under the kitchen window, one is dedicated to mint so it can all intermingle, another is dedicated to sage, and the other has basil, parsley and chives in it. They're more for cutting and cooking using fresh leaves.

Anyone got any ideas for touch?

[Thomzo]

Touch:

Run your hand through your fountain on a hot day - delicious.
Grasses that tickle your hands.
Soft silky clematis seed heads.
Goldfish that come up and nibble your fingers in the pond.

[burek]

just wanted to pick up on something Shirlz mentioned, and maybe someone else will know - about planting mint. You mentioned sinking a plantpot in to a planter - is this a fairly reliable method of keeping mint 'under control'? Haven't planted yet but am planning to v soon. I want to grow enough to dry mint for tea through the winter but of course don't want the mint to go mad and take over. Any thoughts anyone?

[Wombat]

Hey Burek!

As far as I am aware the pot thing works well. We get very dry here and the mint carks it so it is not invasive for me, but from what i have heard it works very well!

Nev