Herbal garden designs

Beautiful Herb Garden Designs

Fresh ways to make your herb garden both functional and super-stylish

Written by Mike Irvine October 25, 2016

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&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class=”dek margin-24-tb padded-mobile”&gt; Fresh ways to make your herb garden both functional and super-stylish &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;

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1 of 10 Linda Lamb Peters

A world of color

Take advantage of the fact that not all herbs are green and leafy. Local nurseries have varieties in a wide array of colors, textures, and heights, as well as those that flower and bring bees into the garden. Here is a prime example of an explosion of color and varying heights: tall pineapple sage with red trumpet flowers and chartreuse leaves; the mid-sized flowering basils—African blue and Mountain magic—with spires of purple flowers; and a low-growing blue-green German thyme spilling over a rocky border. A feast for your eyes and also your nose!

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2 of 10 Linda Lamb Peters

Summer, contained

Of course, it wouldn’t be summer without a bushel of sweet basil growing in your garden. But the cluster of vibrant-flavored herbs shown here is just as perfect for the season. Some, like mint and cilantro, are familiar, while others—shiso, lemongrass, and Thai basil—are more exotic. But they all can be used to add bold Asian flavor to a variety of dishes. And thanks to their variety of heights, textures, and shades of green, they make for a winning combination in the garden, too.

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Think both in and outside the box

Don’t feel restricted to growing herbs in traditional in-ground or raised beds. Most herbs, including annual green basils, will grow happily in wooden crates, willow baskets, small pots, and other containers. All they need is good drainage, regular water, and at least 6 hours of sun. From thyme and sage to oregano and marjoram, there’s really no excuse not to spruce up your stoop, windowsill, or balcony with a favorite culinary herb.

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4 of 10 Linda Lamb Peters

A busy gardener’s saving grace

Perennial herbs are a great solution to any difficult spaces or sections in a landscape—they fill in nicely, overlap and play well with their companions, and don’t need much attention from the home gardener. If they start to get unwieldy or wild, a few quick cuts down to new points of growth will rein them in and leave you with a pretty harvest of herbs to hang and dry. What’s more, mild temperatures in areas such as coastal California allow for continuous harvests of tri-color sage, golden oregano, French thyme, and rosemary through the winter months.

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Herb wall

There’s no need to limit your herb selection to traditional low-lying mounds of thyme and oregano. Experiment with taller, more dramatic selections that will stun you with quick and vigorous growth. Here, the limey leaves of pineapple sage intermingle with licorice-tasting anise hyssop in full bloom—a solid wall of aromatic herbs that delight the senses and attract the busiest of hummingbirds.

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Bee magnets

A mix of three types of flowering basils grows at the base of each trellis. ‘African Blue’, ‘Magic Mountain’, and ‘Wild Magic’, are all grown specifically for their flowers, which, unlike traditional types, aren’t a sign of being at the end of their season. (All varieties of basil available by mail order from Morningsun Herb Farm.) The basils bloom all season and die come frost. They’re still edible (though more astringent than traditional Italian types) and ridiculously loved by the bees.

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Herbal essences

(All herbs available by mail order from Morningsun Herb Farm.) Herbs make fantastic border plants. Seen here: white-flowering lavender ‘Hidcote’, orange-flowered Agastache ‘Sunset’, intensely purple-flowered A. ‘Blue Boa’, lighter purple-flowered A. ‘Blue Fortune’, the green and yellow variegated leaves of ‘Variegated Berggarten’ sage, the chartreuse leaves of pineapple sage, and the green leaves of Thymbra spicata, spilling from the bed onto the path.

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Spilling is ok here

The simplest way to soften a straight edge: Plant a spilling herb. Along the sides of each of our Test Garden’s raised beds, Homestead Design Collective planted herbs that do just that. Not only do herb blossoms look beautiful and attract pollinators and beneficial insects, but they’re also edible. Most herb blossoms, including the French thyme seen here, taste milder than their leafy companions and are great additions to salads, soups, and egg dishes.

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Follow your nose

Your herb garden should not only look beautiful, but should fulfill your other senses as well. Just imagine the rush of aromas that would result in brushing past this bed of flowering herbs—a mild licorice and minty scent from both the flowering purple spires of anise hyssop and the cheery apricot blossoms of the agastache, a sweet perfume from the white lavender, and a hint of Mediterranean spice from the low-lying purple blossoms of the culinary herb za’atar. A garden should be a source of inspiration, and who wouldn’t want to run back into the house with a bouquet of these fragrant herbs to use in the kitchen?

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A perfect pairing

Never be afraid to mix your herbs with your vegetables. Here two chile de arbol peppers, bearing fruit that are fiery in both their bright fire-engine red color and their smoky flavor, are surrounded by a border of herbs, including blossoming thyme, marjoram, and wild magic basil. The herbs are allowed to spill over the bed’s rocky border, while they’re pruned and harvested away from the peppers–giving them necessary breathing room and space to grow. Meanwhile, the herbs also bring pollinators and beneficial insects to the garden–visitors that are essential to the health and production of all vegetables!

Herb Garden Design Ideas

12 November 2018, written by Benedict Vanheems

Every garden needs herbs! Herbs like rosemary are what bring meals to life, and you only need a few sprigs or leaves to contribute bags of flavor and turn the ordinary… into the extraordinary. Herb gardens may be designed to fit any style, size or shape. If you’re looking for ideas to fit more herbs into your garden, you’ve come to the right place!

Where to Grow Herbs

There are herbs for every situation, so whether you have just a compact corner to spare or an entire garden, you can use herbs to create a space that’s both useful and beautiful.

Grow herbs in among your vegetables, alongside flowering ornamentals, in a wildflower meadow, on the patio or within a dedicated herb garden – the choice is yours.

Growth Habit

When designing with herbs the first thing to consider after growing requirements is growth habit. Tall, statuesque herbs like angelica contribute vertical interest to the garden. They are generally planted towards the back of a bed so they don’t overshadow shorter plants but can also look great thrusting skywards among lower growing plants.

Herbs like lavender attract beneficial bugs

Medium-sized herbs, from about one to three foot, or 30cm to a meter in height, will form the bulk of your planting. Combine a variety of leaf shapes, colors and textures to break up blocks of planting. And, of course, most herbs will also draw in numerous beneficial bugs, most noticeably bees that will go on to help pollinate vegetables and fruits.

Lower-growing herbs like parsley or chives should be planted at the front of any scheme where they can form a neat edging or spill outwards.

Edging and Paving

Herbs for edging look simply stunning. Grown alongside a path they’ll release their aroma every time you brush past.

Creeping herbs like thyme, oregano and prostrate forms of rosemary are great for growing within paving, planted into cracks, opportunistically at the edges, between slabs or in other gaps. From here they’ll extend out to soften hard surfaces, while taking advantage of the radiated heat to waft their delicious fragrance even further.

Plant herbs like Thyme within paving

These types of herbs work well bursting out from any landscaped surface to create a more relaxed, informal feel. Or try planting them en masse to form a practical, yet highly attractive living mulch that also works to crowd out weeds.

Formal Herb Gardens

Formal herb gardens use straight lines and patterns for pleasing symmetry. Raised beds especially lend themselves to this type of setup, helping create a sense of ordered calm. Planting one type of herb per bed emphasizes the order, while making maintenance far simpler.

Formal needn’t be on a grand scale. A simple herb wheel is a great way to pack a handy selection of herbs into a space little wider than your average steering wheel. Selecting herbs that enjoy the same growing conditions makes ongoing care easier, while dividing up the space into individual planting pockets helps stop herbs growing into each other or one herb from dominating.

Container Herb Gardens

Herbs in pots provide a feature

Many gardeners can only afford space for a few pots of herbs. But that doesn’t mean you can’t design an effortlessly stylish herbal heaven! Cluster pots of herbs, salads and vegetables together to create a living tapestry of leafy loveliness. Use bold forms like rosemary to create a feature on your terrace, or mix them up in stone or metal troughs and herb towers to really pack your herbs in, while ensuring an eye-catching centerpiece to feed both body and soul.

Herbs can also be used to offer vertical interest by growing them in containers held up on posts, or secured onto walls and fences.

Design a Herb Garden

Designing your own herb garden is hugely satisfying, and our Garden Planner makes it easy. Play around with different layouts at your leisure. Drop in any number of containers, planters, troughs or raised beds from the Selection Bar, or design your own beds using the drawing tools. Once you’re done, select Herbs from the selection bar drop-down menu and begin planting. If you’re unsure which herbs are best for your garden, click on the information buttons for handy growing advice, plus details on how each herb may be used. You can also use the Custom Filter button to narrow down the selection to show, for example, only easy-to-grow plants, or plants that will grow in partial shade. Have fun trying out a few designs and perfecting a herb garden that’s unique to you.

Design your herb garden in our Garden Planner

Herbs bring so much to the garden – and us! Whether it’s a little something to liven up recipes or a profound sense of beauty. I hope we’ve given you a little inspiration to get started. If you have a herb garden please tell us about it in the comments section – is it formal, informal, separate from the rest of the garden or interspersed throughout? We’d love to know. And we’d love you to become a regular visitor to our channel too, so make sure you’re subscribed. I’ll catch you next time.

Plants Related to this Article

Chives Grow Guide

Parsley Grow Guide

Lavender Grow Guide

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Herb Garden Stairs in Landscape Design

Herb Step Garden Stairs blend seamlessly into any landscape style. They can be created from different materials, using natural and artificial grasses.

Garden stairs with steps made of lawn or meadow grass - the perfect solution for landscapes of absolutely any style. The presence of such stairs creates an integral perception of the site with a smooth flow of zones. The edges of the steps and risers can be either open or completely hidden under the grass. Here is a great example of a grass staircase with the structure completely hidden under the grass:

Partially exposed stairs are just as impressive. The edges of the steps create a certain contrast to the green background of the slope, emphasize the style of the site with the texture of the material, make it easier to climb and descend the stairs in rainy weather, when the grass becomes slippery. We advise you to use this option if the stairs are used on any day, and not just for walking on a clear day.

Grass ladders in different garden styles

We mentioned that grass steps are great for any landscape style. The main thing is to choose the right material of construction and the design of the slope on both sides of the stairs. For example, lush flowering bushes combined with rough stone steps will form the perfect staircase for a rustic or wild style garden.

In regular gardens and next to classical houses, strictly geometric steps look great, made of brick, stone slabs or concrete with porcelain stoneware cladding in a natural stone look. Such stairs are usually decorated with flowerpots with decorative flowers and sculptures.

Modern or minimalist landscapes do not require decorative slope and steps. Separate steps or small flights of stairs diz
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Iners usually tend to organically fit into the garden slope, as if fusing foreign material with grass.

It is worth noting that grass stairs are suitable for use not only in the depths of the garden, but also in the patio, near the play areas and even in the front yard. The material for the construction is chosen so that it is combined in texture and shade with retaining walls, paths, flooring of platforms and even the facade of the house, if the staircase is being built next to it.

Popular materials for natural grass stairs

Grass steps can be formed in two ways. In the first version - a structure like boxes filled with soil and planted herbs. The materials forming such cavities may be different. Most often - these are small products (artificial or natural stone, brick). From the selected material, the edges of the steps are laid out slightly above the level of the leveled tread areas. Then fertile soil is poured into the formed cavities and grasses are sown.

But such boxes can also be formed using steel troughs made to order according to the size of the steps. Metal boxes are installed on prepared sites, covered with soil and then herbs are planted. Below you see a charming example of such a staircase using two types of grass, with a long hanging grade along the edge completely hiding the risers.

The second method involves the use of massive blocks that are laid on the prepared base at a distance of about twice their width, forming separate steps or small spans. Then the soil is filled up so as to form the natural smooth lines of the hill, and the same grass is sown on it as that covers the rest of the slope. For this method, concrete blocks or monolithic spans in several steps are used.

If necessary, you can build stairs using wood, but we would recommend considering this material only as a cheap temporary option, because due to the natural need for regular watering of grass steps, the life of a wooden staircase will be drastically reduced.

Natural or artificial stair grass?

Artificial turf is now such a realistic imitation of natural that it makes sense to decide what is best for your grass stairs. The temptation to use artificial grass for stairs is great:

there is no need to adjust the width of the steps to the dimensions of the existing lawn mower or trimmer in order to cut the grass regularly;
generally there is no need for both cutting and watering the grass on the stairs;
coating in the rain is not as slippery as natural grass;
steps remain green all year round.

What's more, with the help of artificial turf, an existing garden staircase with rather wide steps can be converted into a grassy one. But with artificial grass, it is almost impossible to achieve the effect needed for wild landscape or abandoned garden styles, and even in a rustic style, the ideal surface will not look very natural.

The possibilities of creating garden stairs with grass steps are so diverse that any gardener and homeowner will be able to find the optimal combination of material, shape and grass cover for a particular area.

Stairs and steps in landscape design: where are they used

Home » Landscape design » How to use steps and stairs in landscape design?

The staircase is used both as a functional element and as a decorative element.

Plots can have different shapes: there are both areas with uplands and lowlands. To equip such areas in modern landscape design, stairs are often used, due to which you can completely transform the estate and improve the site.

History of stairs in garden design

Stairs have been widely used in gardens for thousands of years. Then the constructions were used to level the plots, they were used to decode the territory.

Today, garden stairs are an integral part of landscape design, so they are often found in both private and public gardens.

When are stairs needed and what are the requirements for stairs?

The staircase will become indispensable when the terrace is above ground level. In this case, you will need to add steps, both for lifting and for decorative purposes.

The main thing - in the construction of staircases, attention must be paid to their safety. The steps do not have to be perfectly smooth, as this would not be safe in damp and wet weather.

Garden structures are made more gentle, with deep steps. The most acceptable height for steps is 12-14 cm, depth - from 30 to 50 cm. There should be no more than 15 steps, and it is desirable that there are no dividing staircases between them. Particularly high stairs should be equipped with handrails.

Types of stairs in landscape design

There are two types of stairs: free and recessed.

Stairs used in gardens and plots can be divided into free and recessed. The peculiarity of the first version of the structures is that they are based on retaining walls. The second version of the stairs is arranged on uneven hilly areas with support on the base - the ground. The second version of the stairs is used more often.

Stairs can be divided into brick (concrete) or wood according to the type of material. Stone structures will fit well into landscape design with elements of facing stone. Wooden stairs will find application in landscape designs that are as close to natural as possible.

Grass stairs as a design option for modern design

Grass stairs are a great solution for landscape designs regardless of style and this is their main advantage. Grass stairs on the site will smooth out the boundaries of the zones on the territory. The edges of the steps of structures can be either open or closed.

Stairs with exposed structures are also popular with landscape designers. With the help of the edges of the steps, it will be possible to emphasize the texture of the material used on the site, to make the ascent to certain areas on the territory more comfortable and safe, including in rainy weather.

The main rule for the use of stair structures in different styles of landscape design is the correct selection of material with slope design on both sides of the structure. So, for example, flowering bushes in a country-style garden will go well with decorative stone.

Regular-style gardens will look good with structures with strict forms, made of concrete, brick, as well as natural stone. It would be appropriate to decorate the structures themselves with ornamental plants and sculptures.

In minimalist gardens, stairs and steps can be left undecorated. Here, on the contrary, it will be necessary to focus on compact structures with the same compact flights of stairs, organically built into the slopes of the site.

You can use the grass handicap of stair structures not only in the deep part of the garden, but also near play areas or recreation areas. A good option would be stairs in the front part of the courtyard.

How to make grass stairs

Grass stairs can be created in two ways: special soil and massive blocks.

Grass stairs can be formed in several ways. The first option is structures similar to boxes with soil from which grass grows. For the construction of such structures, you can use a variety of materials, ranging from stone and brick to steel troughs. The boxes are installed on pre-prepared sites, after which they are covered with soil from which grass will grow.

The second option is massive blocks laid on the base with the formation of compact spans. Soil is poured into such blocks in such a way that natural lines of hills are obtained. Containers are formed from concrete or wood (this option is only suitable for temporary structures).

Which herbs to choose for sowing natural steps?

In addition to natural grasses, artificial grasses are often used for arranging steps, resembling natural ones.