Everyone has space to grow herbs. They are fairly easy to grow, even in the smallest of spaces, and produce aromatic scents and striking foliage. Traditionally used for their kitchen and medicinal values, herbs are now being used to create playful forms in gardens whether they are geometric forms of circles and squares to much wilder plantings that are reminiscent of meadows or cottage gardens.

Alternatively, herbs can also be used as garden borders as their generally muted colors provide a stark contrast with surrounding vegetation. Additionally, herbs tend to fair well even in the poorest of soils and once established they need little to moderate water with occasional fertilizing.

Here is a small list of ways to use herbs in your garden and be mindful that they need an ample amount of light to grow.

	Oregano can be used as a good groundcover as it grows 8-12” tall and has a uniform appearance that fills in those blank spots in a planting bed. When trimmed it leaves a refreshing scent and the trimmings can be used in the kitchen.
	Sage (Salvia officinalis) is slightly taller than other herbs and has aromatic blue-green leaves and lavender-blue flower spikes that spruces up a border.
	Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) has an abundance of small leaves that gives off a blanket appearance. Its leaves are usually used to season poultry stuffing and soups.
	English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is botanically classified as a shrub, but many refer to it an aromatic herb. It attracts butterflies and it detracts ants making it a possible form of organic pest control! Its leaves are used for flavoring custards, salads, lemonades, and grilled meats while its flowers are often dried out to be used in potpourris.
	Wall Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) is grown ornamentally for its attractive, aromatic, evergreen foliage. Its leaves were formerly used in a variety of medicinal treatments and it is now commonly planted in old world knot and herbal gardens.

Some ideal locations for your herbs are near your home or outdoor kitchen and adjacent to pathways and transition points. Clip sprigs as needed, but do so lightly in the first year of growth in order to let the plant settle!

Growing your own vegetables is a satisfying and rewarding task. Especially today with store bought produce being littered with chemicals to get on store shelves as fast as possible to make a profit. When talking about growing your own vegetables: tomatoes, peppers, and squash are probably some that immediately come to  mind. While these are some delicious vegetables, they require long exposure sun light as do most vegetables. Don’t be discouraged if your garden does not get full sun as there are some vegetables that can be grown in partial shade.

To start your shade veggie garden you might want to try using easy crops such as lettuce, arugula, endive, spinach, kale and other leafy greens. They require little sun and minimal care. You can also experiment with veggies from the onion family such as green onions, chives and green garlic. Broccoli and cauliflower are other veggies you can grow, but are a little tricky to work with as they may flower prematurely.

Carrots, onions and potatoes which are root, bulb and tuber crops can grow in some shade, but will have delayed or reduced harvests with the latter being more common. On the upside you are left with petite veggies! Who is to say you can’t use baby carrots and onions, just look how much you pay for those ingredients at gourmet restaurants.

Beans and peas are two seasonal crops that fare well in their bush and dwarf varieties when grown in partial shade. Peas are a cool season crop while beans are a summer crop. That being said you can harvest veggies grown in shade from spring through fall, so don’t let shade in your garden devoid you from growing your own veggies!

There are also some fruit that prosper in shady environments: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries in their native environment grow as forest under-story plants where light shade is always present.

Planting vegetables and fruits in the shade will require some experimenting to figure out how much watering and fertilizing you need, so if you do not succeed your first time, try and try again, as long as you stick with it you are bound to succeed!

There is something alluring about walking on a path of stepping stones with a touch of vegetation in between the crevices. It could be the great visual qualities of the hard material’s texture and color contrasting with the softer and organic qualities of the planting material, but nevertheless achieving such looks requires research and preparation.

It is wise to choose a paver material that suits the style of architecture of your home which you can then select a groundcover that compliments the material you chose. Ideally you want to use a groundcover that is tight and low mounding that allows you to walk on the pavers and also one that is suitable to your garden’s environment.

Below is a small list of groundcovers you can use in between your stepping stones:

Blue Star Creeper (Pratia pedunculata) has tiny deep green leaves with light blue flowers that dot in spring. It is a stepable groundcover but be sure to let it get well established before giving it too much foot traffic.

Dymondia margaretae has spidery leaves that are blue-gray on top with a silvery sheen on the underside and a sweet yellow flower. It can withstand light foot traffic and once established it becomes a barrier for weeds.

Sedum rupestre ‘Blue Spruce’ forms a mat of blue-green leaves arranged around the stem like spruce needles.

Baby ’s Tears (Soleirolia soleirolii) is a unique moss-like groundcover with tender leaves that you don’t want to step on. Do be careful of where you plant this one because if planted near a lawn, it will spread and overtake the lawn area.

Carpet Bugle (Ajuga reptans) forms a low carpet of narrow leaves, brightly splashed with green, pink and cream. Short spikes of deep blue flowers appear in mid to late spring.

Herniaria glabra (Rupturewort, Green Carpet) is extremely drought tolerant and has attractive green foliage that turns bronzy red in winter.

Remember that there is maintenance required to achieve this look. You must pull the weeds that pop up from time to time and keep the groundcover in check with pruning! So if you decide this is too much maintenance, decorative gravel is always a suitable alternative.

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If your edible plants aren’t producing the harvest you would like, it could be lack of flower pollination.  Flowers that have not been pollinated will not seed, set or form fruit.

By adding flowering plants that produce lots of pollen and nectar, you will attract the best pollinators in the business, bees.   Luring bees to your garden will increase the likelihood your edible plants will get pollinated and you will get food.

Also important to attracting more bees is to leave area of bare soil for native bees to lay their eggs underground.  As little as one square foot will work.  Native bees are great pollinators too and they love our native plants!

I have collected some of the best bee attracting plants you can add to your garden:

Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis) Pollinating bees are attracted to the blooms of this easy to grow evergreen.  Blooms in early spring through the end of summer.  Likes full sun and hot and dry footing in well drained soil. Drought resistant.  Grows from 1’ to 6’ in height and 2’ to 4’ wide. Aromatic needles can be used as an herb in cooking.

Wall Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) This creeping evergreen grows 6 to 18 inches in height. Pink, purple, or lavender tubular shaped blooms appear in May.  Aromatic leaves resemble miniature oak leaves. Plant in well drained soil. Medium water, drought tolerant. Full sun.

Sonoma Sage (Salvia sonomensis) This California native is a mat forming sub-shrub that grows to 12 inches in height.  Lavender flowers rise 6 inches above foliage.  Thrives in light shade and well drained soil.  Will not tolerate regular water during summer months.

Point Reyes Ceanothus (Ceanothus gloriosus ‘Anchor Bay’) Lavender flowers appear from March to May on this mounding ground cover.  Leathery, glossy, holly shaped leaves.  This California native thrives in well drained soil and light shade.

Coffeberry (Rhamnus californica ‘Eve Case’) Smaller than the species, this adaptable California native shrub grows to 3’ wide by 3’ high making for a good informal screen or hedge.  Yellow flowers appear in the spring.  Plant in sun or partial shade in well drained soil.

If you have a citrus or stone fruit tree in your garden, you may be wondering what to do with the harvest that exceeds what you and your family can consume.

You could get to know your neighbors and start a fruit exchange or participate in an exchange that already exists.  Neighborhoodfruit.com is a website that allows you to “register” your tree and share the fruit that it produces.  You can also log in and click on the find fruit icon to locate public and private trees in your neighborhood.  (In a previous post I describe “neighborhood food sheds” as a local food production and distribution system.)

If you would like some assistance in starting your own homegrown fruit and produce exchange, sbfoodnotlawns.org has a section “Start Your Own Exchange” that offers helpful tips and suggestions.  While you are on the site, check out the local seasonal planting section to see what to plant in your garden based on the time of year.

For those who do not have a fruit tree, but would still like to participate, there are foraging groups. Using a system of community barter, foraging groups collect and redistribute fruit and other produce that would otherwise be wasted. (In California it is legal to harvest the fruit that is hanging above public property.  Good foraging etiquette is to always ask the homeowner first however.)  In Berkeley, North Berkeley Harvest  is a non-profit that picks fruit in the area and donates it to local charities.  San Jose based Village Harvest picks fruit from backyards and small orchards in the Bay Area and distributes it to local food agencies.

If you’d like to know more about where to forage locally, check online. In San Francisco, foragesf.com connects readers with the wild food around them by offering wild edible food walks as well as dinners and a market.

When you and your neighbors come together to exchange the surplus fruit and produce grown at home, it can become a fun, cost effective way to add variety to your diet and make some new friends.

Adding grasses to your garden can transform it from bland to grand.  Most grasses are easy to care for and need only small amounts of water.  There’s a wide variety of plants available to add year round color, shape and texture to any garden.   Also as a bonus, they sway in the wind and can create wonderful sounds in the landscape.

Here are some of my favorites:

Orange Libertia (Libertia peregrinans) With striking burnt orange and yellow foliage color, this plant is actually an iris from New Zealand.  Upright sword shaped leaves, produces small white flowers.  Does well in most soil conditions.

Blue Oat Grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens) Blue foliage ¼ inch in width, grows to 20-24 inches in height , full sun or light shade, moist soil , good drainage necessary, grows in wide range of soils, recommended spacing 18-36 inches depending upon your desired look.

Oriental Fountain grass (Pennisetum orientale) True to its name, this grass sends out a graceful spray of foliage in upward and 360 degree directions.  Will also send out super soft seed heads in white, pink or red (depending upon the variety) in late summer continuing through early fall.  Can grow up to 5’ in height, 1’ – 4’ in diameter.   Drought tolerant once established. Backlighting from sunrise or sunset makes for dramatic view.

Pheasant’s tail grass (Anemanthele lessoniana) Shades of copper, gold and bronze colors on soft arching foliage, grows to 3’ in most well drained soils. Thrives in sun or partial shade.  Offers great textural contrast to shrubs.

Common blue fescue (Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’) Grows between 6 and 10 inches in height and width.  Fine bluish greenish leaves in tuft formation. Versatile uses in the garden, as single accent or multiples to add a dose of color. Also used as ground cover. Keep plants tidy by clipping seed heads when they turn brown.

Deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens) Thin gray-green foliage with hints of silver grows in a clump 2’ to 4’ in height. Stems arch outward from center forming tuft effect.  Prefers sun but will tolerate some shade.  Needs well drained soil.

Growing your own plants for herbal tea is quite easy.  All of the plants mentioned below can be grown in pots or in the ground in a full or partially sunny location.  Plant in well drained soil and water regularly until established and you will be on your way to your own personal tea garden.

Bee balm (Monarda didyma) Aromatic leaves with pink, white or red flowers on top.  Blossoms have mild citrus like flavor.  Attracts bees and butterflies.    Plant in full sun as this plant may have mildew problems in shade.  Add a flower to top of cup or mug for colorful, flavorful finish.

Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) Grows to two feet in height, with small daisy like flowers in bloom from late spring through summer. Plant is full or partial sun.  For soothing cup of tea pour hot (not boiling) water over blossoms using a ratio of one cup water to 2-3 teaspoons of flowers.  Add honey and lemon.  Enjoy!

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Thumbelina Leigh’) Drought, heat and wind tolerant, Lavender likes full sun and good drainage.  Fragrant purple blooms are good for steeping.  After harvesting blooms, shear to induce compactness and repeat blooms. Regular water until established.

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citrates) Strongest flavors found at the base of long grass like leaves;  Can be grown in containers or in ground.  Needs full or partial sun.  Requires liquids to dispense its essential oils.  Considered annual in all but mildest climates.

Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) Strong flavor and very fragrant leaves. Grow in pots or in ground.  Can reach height of 6’ by 6’ in diameter in ground.  Trim tips and branches during growing season as needed to maintain size and shape. Does well in sun or part sun locations.

I Love Lemon Tea Recipe using herbs from your own garden:

Ingredients:  2 stalks fresh lemongrass; ½ cup each of fresh lemon verbena and lemon balm leaves; zest of 1 lemon.

Place all ingredients into a teapot; Pour in 2 cups of boiling water, steep for 20 minutes.

Strain the liquid; stir in 1tbsp. sugar; for iced tea, separate liquid into 2 tumblers, add ice cubes.  Top with ½ cup cooled brewed Irish breakfast tea.  Garnish with lemon verbena leaf.

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"Before" Julie Orr Design's Express Garden Service