If your garden doesn’t have much space for growing herbs, a container garden might be the answer. I recommend a new book on this topic by western Washington writer, Sue Goetz.
I approached her “Complete Container Herb Gardening” in two ways. First, it is a very basic but detailed guide to using pots to host a significant part of your garden, or even the whole thing. “Growing in any type of container affords the opportunity to plant a garden almost anywhere.” This includes inside a home, on a balcony, or in a small corner of a yard devoted mostly to boisterous activities by children and pets. Hanging baskets or vertical planting walls provide other options.
The second focus of my reading was on the herb plants she recommends. Defining herbs broadly, she include all plants with essential oils and other parts for use in cooking, cleaning, body care, and many treatments for well-being.
Goetz is a teacher at heart, and her lesson plan for this book is well thought out. In addition to how to choose a container, she provides detailed projects that teach how to design, combine, and maintain your plantings. By using various herbs, these plant combinations have benefits beyond their beauty. Even if your goal was only for pretty flowers, you may realize that these primarily foliage plants are also very ornamental, and suddenly you, too, are an herb gardener.
Excerpted from the Spring 2021 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin