GrowMoore
Full Member
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2015 11:25 pm
Location: USDA Zone 5 Illinois

Giving a Herb Garden as a Gift - Ideas of what to add please

Hello, A close friend of our daughter was just married this weekend. The new couple have purchased a home and will be moving in when they get back from their honeymoon. Our daughter suggested getting her some plants as the new bride would love to have a herb garden. I purchased 10 different plants and will be bringing them over in a week or so.

I would also like to include something helpful with these such as a Book, diagrams on how to plant the garden, what you can use them for -that sort of thing. Please give me your ideas of some other things I can include. Thank you.

P.S. I had thought of painting some flat rocks with the herb names as markers.
I bought 2 types of Basil, Chives, Marjoram, Silver Thyme, Chamomile, Purple Sage, Rosemary, Oregano and Lavender.
Am I missing anything?

User avatar
GardeningCook
Greener Thumb
Posts: 787
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 8:35 pm
Location: Upper Piedmont area of Virginia, Zone 7a

Back in NY I had my own herbal landscaping business back when herbs (think late '70's/early '80's) were starting to be the rage. Specialized in "theme" gardens - medicinal gardens, culinary gardens, ornamental gardens (white, grey, knot), biblical gardens, Shakespearean gardens, etc., etc.

Your plants point towards a lovely culinary garden - always the most popular - & any basic book on growing herbs should do the trick. They all should grow well together, although Basil, Chives, & Chamomile tend to like more moisture than the others, so perhaps they should be planted somewhat together.

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13992
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

What a wonderful idea.


This is one of my herb books. It is pretty good. It tells you how to grow different kinds of herbs and how they are used.
It also has pictures of most of the herbs.
https://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Book ... 0140238026

User avatar
GardeningCook
Greener Thumb
Posts: 787
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 8:35 pm
Location: Upper Piedmont area of Virginia, Zone 7a

Yes - that's a nice one that I also have in my library (I collect gardening books & cookbooks). Nice photographs & lots of basic information.

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13992
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

I think I have about 4 dedicated herb books. My friend always gets them for me when she goes to the Library book sales.

I found a couple of good ones on the bargain book table at the bookstore. Alas, most of the bookstores are gone. Everything is online now.

I have exotic tropical fruits of Hawaii, which also contains some herbs
Derek Fell's the Essential Gardener had a whole section on herbs and herb garden designs
Sunset has a basic herb book. How to grow herbs. With information on western herbs and some uses like in pots and pot designs. Like pocket pots and formal and informal herb garden designs. The photos in my book are black and white so you can't really see the colors of the flowers.
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Herbs
I really use Isabell Shipard's Herbs are Special site. So much information on herbs. How to grow and use them and she has information on herbs and spices from other countries which is relevant for me since gotu kola, cholesterol spinach, spiny coriander (ngo gai), patchouli, pandan, turmeric, Indian curry leaf, moringa, tagetes lucida (Mexican tarrragon), rau om are herbs that I have here but there are few sources about how to grow and use these exotic herbs. Best yet, its free.

https://www.herbsarespecial.com.au/free- ... ation.html

Susan W
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1858
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 2:46 pm
Location: Memphis, TN

What a thoughtful gift! Even if things don't work out totally, (and do they ever?) will give them a start. I suggest basils together, and they'll be the 1st to go south, about 40 degrees. They have time to work a bed, get a few things going, and regroup next season.

I have to admit, I try checking books, and though lots of good info, nothing like hands on, trial and error. (I'm good at both)

GrowMoore
Full Member
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2015 11:25 pm
Location: USDA Zone 5 Illinois

Thank you for the suggestions! I love to collect gardening books too! Cheers me up in the winter time.

I will let her know to put the Basils, Chives and Chamomile together. I believe that the oregano, sage, thyme and marjoram should come back? I know that the chives will. Maybe I'll tell her that she can dig up the lavender and rosemary and bring them inside in the fall.

I haven't seen the garden so don't have any info on how big it is or the location but 10 seemed like a good amount to get her started.

This was a fun gift to shop for as I love going to the nursery and browsing all the plants.

User avatar
GardeningCook
Greener Thumb
Posts: 787
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 8:35 pm
Location: Upper Piedmont area of Virginia, Zone 7a

GrowMoore wrote:
I will let her know to put the Basils, Chives and Chamomile together. I believe that the oregano, sage, thyme and marjoram should come back? I know that the chives will. Maybe I'll tell her that she can dig up the lavender and rosemary and bring them inside in the fall.
My experiences with the above (in NY & VA) have been that the Basils & Marjoram are annuals; the Oregano, Sage, Thyme, & Chives are perennial; the Chamomile can be either depending on the variety (Roman Chamomile is perennial; German is an annual); & Lavendars & Rosemarys are a crapshoot. Yes, they're supposed to be perennial, but I consider them "tender" perennials since they've always been very weather & environmentally sensitive for me.

GrowMoore
Full Member
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2015 11:25 pm
Location: USDA Zone 5 Illinois

I like the idea of giving her a link to this site. You all have been so kind and helpful to me. Thank you.



Return to “Herb Gardening Forum”