Herbs beautiful — and practical

Of all the plants in our gardens, herbs are the most ennobled. No other group can claim such a combination of beauty and practicality, unique in their simultaneous appeal to sight, smell, touch and taste. Add to this their pedigree — herbs were among the first cultivated plants and have healing and magic associations — and it's almost as if you have plant royalty living in your garden.

The ancestors of your parsley knew the pharaohs on a first-name basis; your rosemary's family was chummy with Caesar; and your thyme's clan can easily recall the reign of Elizabeth — the first! Walk through any herb garden and you walk through history.

Despite these qualities, however, many people shy away from growing their own herbs, opting instead to buy expensive, very-soon-to-wilt greenery in grocery stores. When I ask otherwise-dedicated gardeners why they don't grow herbs, their objections have some merit. Gardeners with limited growing space don't feel they have sufficient room to dedicate to herbs and are often convinced that herbs in the general garden easily get out of control.

Such opinions are based on herbs like dill, cilantro and parsley, which are quick-growing annuals or biennials that can quickly degenerate into a spindly mess. And many people assume that herbs are fussy and difficult to grow. That's because a large number of common herbs — sage, thyme and oregano — originate from the mild, dry climate of the Mediterranean and demand free-draining soil.

The solution for cultivating herbs successfully anywhere: Grow your herbs in pots.

Growing herbs in containers allows you to free up garden space. Also, herbs that require repeated reseeding, deadheading or other care are much easier to control in pots — if a specimen becomes unruly, it can easily be swapped out for a more obliging cousin.

Finally, container growing eliminates many of the problems commonly encountered when raising herbs in the garden, such as insufficient fertilization, faulty drainage and winter protection. Potted herbs can be fertilized with little effort using a liquid additive; good drainage is easy to provide in containers, and any plant requiring warmth can be moved indoors.

With the exception of basil, which I grow in the vegetable garden for pesto, or ornamental specimens like angelica or comfrey, which are part of the perennial border, I grow almost all my herbs in pots placed outside my kitchen door. Not only is this attractive, but proximity to the kitchen means that fresh herbs are steps from the table in your garden.

Starting your own herbs