When choosing which culinary herbs to grow in a container it is important to consider the potential size of the herb, and their natural habit. TALL CULINARY HERBS
Large, sweet leaf basil
can grow to 60cm or more. It bushes out slightly. Smaller types grow to 20cm.
basil-pot
Dill
can grow up to 90cm. It tends to branch out (30cm), rather than form a dense bush like basil.
rosemary-shrub
Rosemary
develops into a small woody shrub. It can grow up to 90 or 150 cm – but is best kept trimmed. It forms a dense bush and can spread out about as wide as it is high.
MEDIUM CULINARY HERBS
Chives
grow between 20-30cm. The leaves form a dense clump, about as wide as they are high. The flowers stick up another 10cm above the leaves.
chive-flower
Oregano
grows 30-60cm and often has a trailing habit, so is good at the edge of the container.
Parsley
grows 30cm or more. It is best to cut the tall flowering stems down, so that the plant continues to produce green leaves. Parsley bushes out as wide as it is tall
parsley-for-cutting
Sage
grows 30-60cm. It tends to go woody and is best trimmed to below 60 cm. It does branch out as wide as it is tall.
sage-plant
SHORT CULINARY HERBS
Thyme
is short, only growing about 10-25cm high. It does have a trailing habit and will spread a good 30cm. It is good at the edge of a container because of its trailing habit.
thyme-sprig
When planting a selection of herbs:
Arrange tallest herbs in the centre and the low-growing herbs at the edge.
Trailing plants, such as oregano and thyme go well on the ends or edges of the window box and will drop over the sides.
herb-trough
TALL CULINARY HERBS
Large, sweet leaf basil
can grow to 60cm or more. It bushes out slightly. Smaller types grow to 20cm.
basil-pot
Dill
can grow up to 90cm. It tends to branch out (30cm), rather than form a dense bush like basil.
rosemary-shrub
Rosemary
develops into a small woody shrub. It can grow up to 90 or 150 cm – but is best kept trimmed. It forms a dense bush and can spread out about as wide as it is high.
MEDIUM CULINARY HERBS
Chives
grow between 20-30cm. The leaves form a dense clump, about as wide as they are high. The flowers stick up another 10cm above the leaves.
chive-flower
Oregano
grows 30-60cm and often has a trailing habit, so is good at the edge of the container.
Parsley
grows 30cm or more. It is best to cut the tall flowering stems down, so that the plant continues to produce green leaves. Parsley bushes out as wide as it is tall
parsley-for-cutting
Sage
grows 30-60cm. It tends to go woody and is best trimmed to below 60 cm. It does branch out as wide as it is tall.
sage-plant
SHORT CULINARY HERBS
Thyme
is short, only growing about 10-25cm high. It does have a trailing habit and will spread a good 30cm. It is good at the edge of a container because of its trailing habit.
thyme-sprig
When planting a selection of herbs:
Arrange tallest herbs in the centre and the low-growing herbs at the edge.
Trailing plants, such as oregano and thyme go well on the ends or edges of the window box and will drop over the sides.
More information on herbs can be found in the To buy the How To Grow Herbs For Cooking eBook.
To buy the How To Grow Herbs For Cooking eBook for yourself or as a gift for a friend or a family member please click the buy-now button:
The potential size of the herb needs to be considered before planting.
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