 My grocery shopping is not all done at the store across the street. I do some of it in the parking lot on the way home. Sweet bay (not California bay) is a small or mid-sized tree that has been an ideal street tree for the parking lot. Rosemary is a tough ground cover that has been quite happy in the harsh exposure and compacted soil on the embankment behind the store. Both of these herbs can be purchased in the store, but are much cheaper outside.
Herbs are most commonly used as seasoning, and some are used for their fragrance, as home remedy medicine or simply as ornamentals. Both rosemary and sweet bay, as well as lavender, thyme and various geraniums, are useful for all these functions. Those that are not so ornamental or practical in refined landscapes can be grown in a separate "herb garden."
Most herbs I can think of like full sun exposure and well-drained soil, so would actually prefer to be in a separate garden away from the shade and frequent watering of a landscape. Basil, mint and parsley are three exceptions that prefer regular watering, but they are attractive enough to fit into the landscape anyway. Mint and thyme can be invasive, so are popularly grown in pots or window boxes, preferably just outside the kitchen. Because catnip is so appealing to cats, it is usually grown in hanging pots out of the cats' reach.
The herbs that are popular for landscaping can be found in nurseries in standard nursery cans or flats. For example, sweet bay is a relatively common tree in No. 5 or No. 15 cans (5 or 15 gallon) or larger boxes. The various lavenders are other examples that are common in No. 1 cans.
Other herbs can either be grown from seed or purchased in specialized herb pots that are usually about two or four inches wide. These smaller pots are used because many herbs are likely to succumb to root rot in larger volumes of growing media (potting soil). Annuals that are grown in profusion, such as basil, are most practically grown from seed. It is more practical to plant small plants of the shrubby or tough perennial herbs that are grown as individual plants or, like sage and thyme, expected to spread.
I have found that some of the local farmers' markets are a great source of herb plants. Herb vendors will always have a good selection of the old classics, as well as some interesting modern variations. They are also happy to offer advice on the selection and uses of herbs. Many also sell dried herbs.
Most herbs are shrubby or tough perennial members of the mint family (Labiatae), such as rosemary, sage, oregano, tarragon, basil, thyme, and—of course—the various mints. Cilantro, dill and parsley (of the family Umbelliferae), as well as chives and garlic (types of onion), are tough annuals or perennials.
Lower stems of oregano, rosemary, sage and lavender often root where they lay on the soil. These rooted stems may be separated, trimmed and grown into new plants. Thyme and mint spread so well by stolons (subterranean stems) and root so easily that clumps of rooted stems likewise may be divided and pulled out of the soil to be planted elsewhere. Clumps of chive are equally easy to divide.
Incidentally, California bay can be used like sweet bay, but has a very different and stronger flavor. In fact, some people do not like it at all. It grows wild in many gardens around the Santa Cruz Mountains, but potentially gets too large and too awkward to be practical for compact urban gardens.
Flower of the Week: Balfour's touch-me-not
Whether considered a delightfully wild-looking annual or a weed, Balfour's touch-me-not, Impatiens balfourii, is perhaps too easy to grow. Although it may be rare in nurseries, this type of impatiens can easily naturalize and become too common in shady, well-watered areas of the garden.
Seed is so profuse and so efficiently dispersed that it easily migrates into, or from, neighboring gardens. Ripe seed capsules explode when touched even very lightly, throwing the seed into the fur of dogs, cats or squirrels as they frolic in the garden. The seed then falls out of the fur randomly wherever the animals go. Mature plants may get as tall as 1 1/2 feet. Leaves are about four inches long. The inch-wide flowers are white with pale pink or lavender.
Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be
contacted at 408.358.2574 or at LGHORTICULTURE@aol.com.
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