How to Use Herbs As Edging

Finding enough space for a selection of your favorite herbs in your garden maybe challenging, however the benefits make the extra work worth the effort. While herbs are ideal for growing, individually or combined, in a range of containers, why not try growing a non-traditional herb garden among an ornamental path or as border edgings or in gaps between paving slabs. Using herbs as edging may not seem like the best choice because most people think of herbs as fragile, but with a few tips and the proper herbs selections you can plant and interesting and useful edging.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Path or flowerbed
• Herbs
• Hand trowel

1. Determine the garden and path edges. If possible, position herbs close to the house so that they are easily accessible for harvesting. Most herbs create a neat as well as useful edging next to a path or lawn. Here their aromatic qualities come into their own when brushed against or crushed.

2. Choose from herbs that can withstand high traffic areas. Select those that keep a compact form or are easily cut back if they outgrow their position. The best edible ones to choose are chives, sage, thyme and parsley.

3. Choose herbs that you use regularly and avoid invasive plants, such as mint, and large or woody ones, such as bay and rosemary.

4. Herb edgings can be planted with just one type of herb but are more useful and often more attractive, with two different ones. Chives and variegated sage look wonderful together, and neither will outgrow its position too quickly. Choose carefully because more than two with uneven heights and shapes may look scruffy.

5. Plant the herbs at the suggested spacing and not too near the edge of the border.

6. Trim off dead or dying foliage and water in the herbs well. Keep them watered and fed throughout the growing season.

Tips & Warnings

• Plant lavender near windows that you tend to keep open.
• Don't plant herbs that produce oils near walk ways.