Perennial Herb Garden Layout For Easy Picking All Season

Growing your own herbs makes enjoying fresh tea anytime easier! Choose a spot that gets 6-8 hours of direct sun daily and features loamy soil that dries quickly between watering sessions.

The checkerboard layout makes it easier to stock multiple varieties of your preferred herbs or experiment with new ones.

Chamomile

Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) blooms throughout summer and makes an excellent way to add sweet, relaxing flavors to tea. It requires full sun but can tolerate dry conditions well; seed or transplant seedlings grow easily, and self-sow easily as well. Harvest its flowers before they fade for use as fresh herbal tea; dry them for potpourris and pillows later.

As with any garden, a tea herb garden is constantly evolving. While certain herbs that were the stars at one point may need to be replaced by lesser performers in time, others will thrive and expand their bounty year after year.

When creating an herb garden, make sure the placement of each plant is deliberate and strategic. Rosemary, oregano and mint are strong spreaders which need regular pruning for control; other perennials like lemon balm or anise hyssop do best when planted individually in containers so as to remain contained and prevent spread.

Lemon Balm

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), often used in tea blends, is well known for its ability to promote relaxation, improve sleep quality and support mood. Furthermore, this herb repels insects while drawing pollinators such as hummingbirds to its nectar-rich blooms.

Crabgrass is a relatively straightforward plant to care for, though its underground runners can become unruly if left unmanaged. To keep the spread under control, prune back periodically during the season to avoid large clumps or any potential weeding issues.

Most herbs require full sun and well-draining soil in order to thrive, with regular irrigation when their top inch of soil feels dry to touch. Herbs also benefit from using general fertilizers with higher amounts of phosphorus and potassium than nitrogen for optimal results; specifically designed slow release products designed for flowers and herbs will boost harvests while decreasing risks for disease.

Mint

Mint thrives in many conditions and adds a cooling flavor to tea blends, while being an immensely popular medicinal herb with spasmolytic and carminative effects.

To keep mint under control, plant it in a container that you can bury or move around the garden. While it will still grow, its growth should be less invasive than when planted directly into the soil.

Add red clover to your tea herb garden: this perennial (or annual in cooler climates) flower supports pollinators populations while producing attractive pink buds which can be harvested fresh or dried for use in tea blends.

The herb wheel layout provides an intuitive way to accommodate different growing preferences in one cohesive bed and harvest them easily. Mediterranean herbs like thyme and rosemary thrive in the drier areas between pavers while leafier herbs such as basil can benefit from slightly richer soil in their squares. Furthermore, this arrangement limits spreading plants like stevia that should be grown in an enclosed pot to monitor them more easily.

Parsley

Herbs planted either indoors in pots or outdoors require rich, nutrient-rich soil for maximum success. For optimal results, fertilize frequently throughout the growing season using Miracle-Gro Performance Organics(r) Edibles Plant Nutrition to achieve the best results.

These herbs are all hardy enough for Zones 5-11 gardens and will return year after year for harvests of herbal tea. For an exotic twist, try pineapple mint or lemon verbena.

Though we usually think of parsley as an edible garnish, this herb offers much more to home gardeners. Try growing flat leaf parsley (Petroselinum crispum ‘French’), which has stronger, rounder flavors than curly varieties and is prized by chefs due to its ability to enhance other flavors.

Bergamot (Monarda didyma) has long been a favorite among colonial Americans since the Boston Tea Party. This perennial plant with bright pink to deep red flowers makes an attractive addition to any herb garden while also drawing pollinators into your yard.