Among my main passions there are definitely gardening and cooking: having a nice garden tidy and lush and being able to cook with top quality ingredients are very pleasant sensations. And then I thought: why not combine useful and delightful? And here I created my first garden with aromatic plants! You can do it in a flowerbed or even on your balcony and gives many satisfactions both as colors and as perfumes. Moreover, having always available fresh rosemary, basil or sage guarantees an extra boost to your dishes. Do you think it’s complicated? Absolutely not! Aromatic plants are among the easiest to grow. Just follow a few small tricks and the result will be perfect! Let’s see together then how to create your own garden of aromatic plants.
Where to create your own aromatic garden
The first step to creating an aromatic garden is to choose the ideal place to create it. Look for a corner in your garden that receives sun for most of the day but is well protected from the wind: next to a high wall would be perfect! It is important that the soil is well drained because the main enemy of an aromatic garden is just the moisture of the soil that risks to rot the roots of your plants. Also, before placing the plants, I recommend you to hoe the soil up to a depth of about 30 cm: it will be easier so for shrubs to grow. You can choose to transplant the herbs from the pot to the soil or to plant the seeds and wait for the natural growth of the plant: it is only a matter of time. But what are the right plants for an aromatic garden?
Which aromatic plants to choose
There are no indications on which aromatic plants to choose for your garden and which are not. There are the most common and the most sought after, but all can be fully in your flowerbed! Among the most common, and most used in Italian recipes, there are sage, rosemary, oregano, thyme, marjoram, basil, parsley, chives and mint. If you want to give a special touch to your aromatic garden you can also add incense, laurel, dill, lemon balm, fennel and lavender for a touch of color more! As you can see, you can indulge in the choice of your aromatic plants.
How to place aromatic plants
Aromatic plants are easy to grow and do not require too much attention, but it is important to choose and dispose of them at best from the beginning. Each species has different needs and properties, which should be taken into account when planting the first buds. The aromatic plants, in fact, can be perennial, such as sage, rosemary and mint, biennial as parsley or annual as basil. Adjusting them taking into account these particularities allows you to easily replace the annual ones without disturbing the others. Another discriminating sign is the need for a greater or lesser quantity of water: it is good to place close to plants that have the same needs. For example, basil, parsley and chives need constant wetting, while rosemary, oregano, sage and marjoram prefer dry environments. Even the relationship with the sun and the shadow is not identical for all: dill, mint and lemon balm prefer to grow in a partially shaded ground. Just follow these small steps to have a beautiful aromatic garden!
How to build an aromatic garden on the balcony
If you do not own a large space but do not want to give up your aromatic garden, no problem! You can get enough space for your aromatic plants even on your balcony, taking advantage of the height instead of the width! Recycle old fruit boxes or wooden pallets to create vertical walls of aromatic plants. In this case it is better to evaluate the exposure of your balcony, how many hours of light and shade it has and if it is very windy, and choose the right aromatic plants. Having fresh raw materials always gives a lot of satisfaction and you don’t have to give it up just because you don’t have a garden!
Having an aromatic garden is easy!
In the garden or on the balcony building an aromatic garden is easy and fun, just follow a few initial rules and you can enjoy the pleasure of having fresh herbs to use in the kitchen. Simply choose the location and arrangement of the plants and provide water respecting the needs of each plant. And behold, your garden and your balcony will be filled with intoxicating scents!