INTEGRATING HERBS INTO YOUR GARDEN

When some think of herb gardens, they picture potted herbs sitting neatly on the kitchen windowsill waiting to be used, while others imagine an area of a backyard garden dedicated solely to herbs. One overlooked method of herb gardening extends past utility and integrates herbs with other plantings.

Imagine experiencing your garden as you rediscover the herbal gems you’ve hidden throughout. When considering where to place herbs in your garden, first consider sun exposure, accessibility, watering needs, and type—such as perennial or annual, woody or herbaceous. Additionally, think about how to integrate your desired plants in a visually appealing way. What kind of plant do you need to fill an empty space? While keeping in mind shape, color, texture, scale, and form, you can figure out how this new addition will interact with existing plants. How will it direct the viewer’s eye? Does it have a similar texture or color, thus blending in? Or does it complement and standout, becoming a focal point?

Consider the top photo from the Herb Garden. There is a mix of ornamental plants (roses, king’s spear, blue spruce) and herbs (lavender, nasturtium, calendula). The design uses a mix of annual herbs and a perennial woody herb (lavender) amongst other ornamental perennials, trees, and shrubs. A combination of perennials and shrubs gives a constant structure to the design with the ability to change out a portion each season to try different annuals. This is a good example of using varying forms, textures, scales, and colors to create a balanced design. The conifers in the foreground tie in with the deciduous trees in the background by linking type and structure, moving

Top L: The Herb Garden, Top R: Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) Middle: Nasturtium (Nasturtium 'Phoenix') Bottom: Calendula (Calendula officinalis)

Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) Herbs come in many different types—annuals, herbaceous perennials, woody perennials, and even groundcovers. Many produce pollinator-loving, nectar-rich flowers such as borage (Borago officinalis) for bumblebees. Need a drought-tolerant groundcover for your garden path? Grab some thyme (Thymus). A Wings of Night lavender (Lavendula stoechas ‘Wings of Night’) or pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) will provide a growing season of beauty and amazing fragrance. Looking for an idea for an empty space? Curate an herbal tea garden with a rose, holy basil, lemon balm, chamomile, and a spruce, and change it up as you like. We’re getting some exciting herbs together for our spring fundraiser plant sale (including plants mentioned here), and we’d be delighted to point you in the right direction as you integrate herbs into your own garden.

Horticulturist Danielle Frohn currently manages the First Impressions Gardens that include the displays at the Garden’s entrance. She joined Red Butte Garden in 2017 and has a BS in Architecture from the University of Utah.