planning an herb garden

via my uncommon slice of suburbia | THE PLACE HOME

Seeking to not bite off more than I can chew with my gardening this season, I am currently focused on an herb garden. When thinking about an herb garden you basically have three types to choose from: a culinary or edible herb garden, a fragrant or potpurri herb garden or a medicinal herb garden. I am interested in a culinary one and have a medium size bed right next to the house that I think will work quite well.

The next decision to make is whether you want a formal or an informal herb garden. Formal gardens are usually geometric with a strong focal point and while beautiful, can require more upkeep. The garden bed that I am planning on using is an irregular shape which basically makes the decision for me - informal. Plus I like the more wild, organic designed garden beds anyways. 

Step three is deciding on the herbs that you actually want to plant and then figuring out if they will work in your garden - this is the most time intensive step. I am most interested in basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage, mint, dill and cilantro. I am after functionality and these are herbs I think we would enjoy cooking with the most. However, I know they might not all necessarily work well together. For example, lots of varieties of mint are very aggressive and thus do better in a container. 

With a little bit of research, I learned there are three types of culinary herbs: herbaceous, evergreen and annuals. It is recommended that you mix types although this requires some further studying as classification depends on particular hardiness zone. Herbaceous plants die back in the winter but return in the spring. In Saint Louis, which is zone 6, oregano is an example of the herbaceous variety. Evergreens such as sage and rosemary keep their foliage through winter where they are hardy. Rosemary is hardy in zones 7-10 and sage is hardy in zones 5-8. From some quick reading it seems rosemary can also successfully be grown as an evergreen in zone 6 depending on the given winter. Annuals are, of course, herbs that need to be replanted "annually" such as basil. I think of of my list of 9 herbs - oregano, thyme and mint are herbaceous, sage and rosemary (maybe) are evergreen and basil, parsley, dill and cilantro are annuals. 

Keeping in mind what type of culinary herb you are planting you then have to think how big and how tall a given plant will grow to be. In general, you want to keep the taller plants in the back so that you can more easily access your shorter herbs.

Another thing to consider is if you are going to mix in other plants into your herb garden.  In my garden bed, I have some well established hostas that I plan on keeping. I also like the idea of planting some edible flowers to add color.

Finally, the three most important factors to consider when planning an herb garden - sunlight, water and soil conditions.  Most herbs require full sun, consistent watering and well drained soils. In our case, I am fairly confident the given bed meets these criteria but its always an experiment. Since there are still a couple weeks before ideal planting time, I am going to continue to plan and research and have already given myself a head start by adding a nice layer of compost to enrich the soil.

Want to read more? Check out one or all of these related posts.

cool season vegetable planting
august 13, 2013

starting to plan our garden
march 26, 2014

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august 28, 2015

our landscaping master plan

So this post is about four months overdue but better late than never...Back in September, I wrote this post about the jungle that was our yard and my goals for fall clean up. I attempted to keep my expectations reasonable but in the end the work was just too much and our fall schedule was too busy to really make any sort of head way. So we hired the work out!

Back in October, we found a great landscaping crew on referral and they clean up the whole yard in a matter of two days. It took four guys each day but they cleared all the beds - front and back - and torn out/dug up all the bamboo. On the third and fourth days of work, they planted local grass seed, edged in new beds, dug out a sump discharge run, laid some flagstone pavers and did a little bit of transplanting. The transformation was/is incredible and the fact that it happened so quickly was really exciting. 

The decision to do the work/getting the work done happened really quickly as we were working up against the first frost deadline. The clean up required no planning but then what to after required me to rush to come up with a whole landscaping master plan. It was and is by no means complete but as I start to think about the coming of Spring, I am excited to start executing what we set in motion back in the fall.

Our lot is a 1/3 of an acre which is a lot for us to tend so like all our other projects, we are tackling it in pieces. I will call the work we did in the fall "Phase 1: Clean Out and Master Planning". 

The plan above is a mix of things already in place and things we plan on adding. Existing landscape elements include: flagstone patio closest to the house, concrete back door walkway, concrete patio behind the garage, driveway, sump discharge/runoff, backyard grass!, edged in beds and large trees. Things to be added include: fencing, edible garden, planting of all beds, adding bushes and trees, extension of flagstone patio by the house to hold our fire pit and grill, flagstone walkway at the end of the driveway leading to the backyard and about a thousand other things. 

I haven't quite gotten my head around what are the priorities as we think towards spring but I know at a minimum we need to line/fill our sump discharge with rock, maintain our garden beds by at least weeding, edging and mulching and re-seed the grass. I also would really like to start on getting our edible garden going even if this just means prepping the soil. There is really so much to think about/do it is a little overwhelming but I am also just so excited to be able to use our yard this year. Lots more to come and hopefully not so delayed....

Want to read more? Check out one or all of these related posts. 

black fences
march 28, 2014

our front yard
march 9, 2015

searching for gardening blogs
may 18, 2015

living room light update + copper sconces

About 3 weeks ago, I blogged about our need for a new living room light fixture. I had found 4 main contenders and was pretty unsure about which one to choose or even if I should keep looking. Well after some more thought and on somewhat of a whim I made a purchase....the Urban Outfitters 4040 Locust Metal Pipe Pendant Light!

4040 Locust Metal Pipe Pendant Light

It arrived last week and while, it hasn't been installed yet, I think its going to look great. Also, it was marked down even more to just $129!  In person, the copper isn't too shiny and isn't too pink - two of main concerns. And while the fixture is super cheap, it doesn't feel or appear so. 

Before having the electrician out to install it, I need to select a reading sconce to go along with it (don't want to pay for two trips out). I am thinking something with copper touches but not fully copper. Below are my top picks.

1. Industrial Light Electric's - Metal Shade Wall Sconce

metal shade wall sconce

If you read this post about lighting choices for our back hallway, then you know I am a fan of Industrial Light Electric's products. What I like most about this sconce is it's finish. Made of raw metal, the sconce isn't black nor is it copper. It falls nicely in the middle with its natural finish making it work well with other metals.

The price of this fixture starts at $109.

2. Cedar & Moss' Tilt Cone

tilt cone

Cedar & Moss is another company I have blogged about before. They make sleek, clean lined fixtures with the tilt sconce being a great example of their product styling. My favorite thing about this option is its shape. It's simple while still distinctly modern. This fixture is available in four finishes and three different arm lengths. If we went with this selection, I would choose the modern black and the 3" arm. 

Pricing starts at $189.

3. Schoolhouse Electric's Princeton Sophomore Sconce 

princeton sophomore sconce

This Schoolhouse Electric sconce is very similar in shape and styling to the Industrial Light Electric option. However, what sets the two apart is their finishes. This one is definitively more black and much more copper. It also is backordered which means its pretty much out of the running.

The price of this sconce starts at $159. 

I am fairly confident I know which one I want to order but I am going to run the options by Jeff and see what he thinks. Hurray for making progress!

Want to read more? Check out one or all of these related posts. 

hallway sconces
november 5, 2014

a flush mount light for the office
november 15, 2014

cedar & moss
may 29, 2015