Friday 30 November 2012

Hardy Herbs

It always amazes me just how hardy herbs are to survive the winter snows and hard frosts -
considering that they are mostly Mediterranean in origin  they do remarkably well. 


thyme
I don't bother to cloche them or give them any extra protection and the only ones that disappear over winter are the mints and chives. 


mint
 I always gather big bunches of mint when it is in full throttle and dry it so I have a plentiful supply over winter.
curly parsley
Parsley is another good survivor - the leaves do get a bit tough though -  I have loads of it in the garden as I leave it to seed itself, which it is pretty good at.


parsley - gone to seed

Last winter was too cold for my bay tree and it sadly died.  But I bought some tiny replacements which are now doing well.  If the weather forecasts a severe drop in temperature then I will take it into the greenhouse for protection.

bay
And last, but not least, is the Rosemary.  I have several bushes in the garden and have only ever lost one to the weather.

rosemary
   I do love to be able to grow my own herbs, and have far more than I would ever need, not that I care much, they are just a great addition to the garden, winter and summer alike.

19 comments:

  1. Rosemary is the one that I lost during the really bad winter but fortunately I had several.

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  2. Heard somwhere that rosemary only grows well in homes where the woman is in charge. I lost three plants a couple of years ago - got new plants ASAP, so far they're doing well, phew!

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    1. I always thought it was only parsley that grew well for the woman in charge. Needless to say my parsley never fails me.

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  3. I've often wondered, if I tried to dig up clumps of tender herbs, like chives, and put them in the greenhouse, would they survive?

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  4. Elaine they are beautiful photos and the herbs have their own sort of sacredness. I travelled through the fllods last week on the train etc and it was really strange seeing the fields covered with water shining in the sun. "The secret ministery of frost" !!

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  5. I grow Tarragon, Mint, Thyme, and Chives, in large pots especially for winter. The planted-out stuff always seems to survive. Two very large Bay trees were totally frosted last winter, but re-grew from the base. Our temperatures reach about minus 15 C..... are yours lower?

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    1. The temperatures certainly got down that low last winter

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  6. I used to have all my herbs in pots so I could easily transfer them to the greenhouse. However since I planted the rosemary in the garden it as romped away, I would hate to lose it now.

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  7. I've just come in from the garden as I wanted some early morning shots of frosty leaves and I was really pleased to see that my sage is still thriving in its large pot. The tarragon and thyme in the same large pot are not doing so well. Lovely photos Elaine.
    Patricia x

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    1. Tarragon does die back over winter but should reappear in spring

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  8. My own rosemary is looking decidedly unhealthy but all my others are quite quite happy.

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  9. Most of my herbs are now ensconced in a coldframe, but my Rosemary bushes are far too big to go in there now. They often suffer some damage from the Winter weather, but they bounce back in the Spring. I have tried growing some herbs indoors on windowsills, but they always go leggy and I don't think they are worthwhile. The only exception is Basil, which seems to do quite well indoors.

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  10. I grow a few herbs, such as rosemary and fennel, for decorative rather than culinary use and like you find that they're all good survivors. Flighty xx

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  11. Herbs are fabulous, though I really must get my rosemary into the ground, it is starting to yellow in its pot, poor thing.

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  12. We lost one rosemary over the last winter, but the one near the house wall and the sage and thyme survived well on our well-drained silt soil.
    But our huge bay tree against our garden wall and about 15ft high seemed completely dead after a few days on -16C last February. We didn't give up, we waited and left it, eventually in August we noticed a few green shoots near the base. We decided to leave the dead branches and dry foliage in place through this coming winter - it may protect the new growth enough to give it a head start next Spring, then we'll cut back the dead stuff.
    Celia

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  13. I've got a couple of herbs in my border, but this is the first year that I've grown a wider selection of them. They're in pots, but I'd hate to lose them now so I've moved them to the cold greenhouse. I hope they survive the winter.

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  14. Yes herbs are indeed a hardy bunch Elaine, which might be one of the reasons why these plants are passed along to friends and family so regularly. It's good to have useful as well as ornamental tough customers :)

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  15. Every year I intend to add more herbs to my plots. They are a useful addition to any garden or plot in many ways. I lost my Bay last Winter, to the frosts also, that one will definitely be replaced.

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