A Beginner’s Guide to Herb Gardening How to Grow Herb Gardens

The moment you hear the word “Herb” you visualize a soft stemmed plant,
which is normally used in cookery, as well as in alternative medicine. These
herbs used for millenniums have been an important part of our social
traditional and religious fabrics all over the world. No one, without an interest
in nature is not going to know more about Rosemary, sage, lavender, thyme,
hyssop, basil, and other herbs put into use down the centuries.

The awareness of the medical as well as the edible qualities of herbs, was
naturally gained in prehistoric days by happy and sad experience. When food
was nasty tasting or scarce, the pungent herbs made it more delicious and
acceptable to eat. Leafy herbs provided vegetables and salads. Soon people
began to find out that some herbs would also heal wounds and ease suffering.
So that means that even the herbs that we supposedly used for culinary
purposes could be used for healing purposes.
In 460 B.C. Greeks were writing about the curative powers of plants. In the
East, these herbs were used in alternative medicine, through medical books
and compendiums written more than 5000 years ago. In Europe, all medical treatment based on herbs was done, thanks to a book written by Dioscorides in
A.D. 60.

So apart from these herbs still available in the wilderness, this book is going to
tell you how to make an Herb gardening your own house. Thanks to the
revival of interest and appreciation of herbs in the 21st century to heal and to
cure and to beautify you, people with gardens are realizing the beauty of
herbal plants. They are also learning the added pleasure of growing them in
their garden, so that they can use these herbs freshly picked.

People living in flats are raising these herbs on windowsills by planting them
in window boxes. In town gardens, you can grow them in wooden tubs, boxes,
and even in large pots on balconies and in your backyards.

How to Lay Out a Herbal Garden

Measure your space first. Make a pan of what you need in your garden. This is
going to help you visualize your garden in relation to your house. Do not make
a very complex plan, by introducing a large number of features, just because
you want ornate ornamentation. Generally speaking, the center of your garden
should remain spacious and uncluttered.
However, if your area is enclosed by a fence or by high walls, it is much better
sense to make the plant beds towards the center. You can raise them about 1 ½
feet above the general level so that they can receive lots of sunshine. That is, if
you are growing your plants in an area which is surrounded by trees, and with
buildings, which prevents sunshine from soaking through the soil of your
garden.

Suitable Herbs for Your Garden
Here is a list of the herbs, which you can choose when you are thinking of
planting your garden.
Permanent shrubs are going to include – rose, Rosemary, and rue, lavender,
plants belonging to the thyme family, hyssop, Sage, Bay tree.

Hyssop

Culinary and Beauty Uses of Herbs

Apart from their medicinal value, herbs have been much in demand for
culinary purposes, as said before. Here is some interesting information on the
use of herbs in medieval times in Europe. In 1699, a herbalist spoke about the
yellow petals of Marigold flowers which were dried and kept throughout
“Dutch land” to be put into physical potions, broths and for diverse other
purposes “in such quantity that in some grocers or spice sellers are to be found
barrels filled with them. These are detailed by the penny or less insomuch that
no broths or foods are well-made without dried Marigold” Marigold water was used in Tudor times, to keep your skin fresh and glowing.
All you have to do to follow this time-tested recipes boil some Marigold
flowers in water, until the water is golden yellow. Use the petals in your
shower. Filter the water, and apply it liberally on your skin, to keep it healthy,
antiseptic, clean, and glowing.
This Marigold water was also used to tint the hair, especially in Elizabethan
times! This species is called Pot Marigold.

With this book, you have been introduced to making an Herb Garden. All you
need to do is look for seedlings for the plants you would like growing in your
backyard or in your window boxes.
Remember that natural products are definitely healthier, when compared with
artificial products, especially artificial colorings and preservatives. So once
you learn about herbs, and get easy access to them, you would want to use
them more often in your cookery. You can also use them to cure ailments,
depending on the health problem.
Herbs are here to stay, so use them extensively, live long and prosper.

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