An herb garden is usually the first thing I plant at a new home. This is the perfect time of year to plant cuttings because the weather will stay mild for several more months. Their root systems should be fairly well-established by summertime, so they should be fairly self-sufficient. What looks like an empty, barren part of the front yard is actually a patch of garden when you look closer.
I planted our new herb garden using cuttings from established herbs nearby, so I didn’t spend a dime. To get cuttings, just gently dig out along the edges of the plant little sections or sprigs of herb. Be careful to get a good root attached to the spring.
The cuttings I planted were thyme, sage, chives and oregano, now in a sad little patch in our front yard. There is a great, robust rosemary and lavender already at our front steps. Adding to that with more herbs will look great year-round and is close to the kitchen when we need them.
After initial planting, I poured some diluted rooting hormone on the herb garden. I’ve had the stuff it for years from a past project and wanted to just use it up. It will help the plants with establishing new roots, but it is not necessary.
I’m so excited to see these weany little plants turn into a lush patch in a few months. I used the same method of planting cuttings, without any rooting hormone, at my mom’s house a few years back. It’s a gorgeous part of her backyard now that she never has to maintain.
How many herb gardens is this for me now… Of the places I have lived, I would guess this makes number eight or nine? On the bright side I think it makes me an expert of sorts on small spaces and portable gardens, but it sure does make me miss our homestead in Portland.
Herbs are so resilient, they will take off quickly. My mistake is sometimes planting too close, then it’s a crazy herb bed with things trying too outcompete each other. My current garden is my sixth!