Learn to Create Gardens with Herbs
Find inspiration in the knowledge and experience that John Mason and his team have built up over decades, developing herb gardens and exploring herbs across different climates, regions and cultures around the world.
- Small and Large Gardens
- Formal or informal landscapes
- Container and Vertical Gardens
Sharpen your knowledge of herbs, deepen your landscape design and horticultural skills
Course Structure
LESSON 1 GROWING HERBS
Growing healthy herbs
Getting started
Propagation
Propagating plants from seed
LESSON 2 SOILS & POTTING MIXES
What herbs to grow in what soils
Composting
Worms
Composting - the aerobic method
LESSON 3 ORGANIC GARDENING WITH HERBS
Organic fertilisers
Other organic materials
Companion planting
Plants which improve the soil
How to make a no-dig garden
Natural gardening
LESSON 4 HERB CULTURE
Mulching
Feeding herbs
Planting
Watering herbs
Protection
Safe pest & disease control
Allowable organic inputs
Natural pest and disease control
LESSON 5 LANDSCAPING WITH HERBS
Using herbs with other plants
Plan your herb garden
What to plant where (planting design)
How many herbs do I grow?
Keeping herbs apart
Herbs to fill gaps and tricky spots in your garden
Ideas of how to plant your herbs
Topiary
Hedges
Principles of Landscaping Design
LESSON 6 HERBS FOR DIFFERENT GARDEN STYLES
Some types of herb gardens
Creating a formal herb garden
Simple formal gardens
Herbs for a rockery
How to build a rockery
Xeriscape
LESSON 7 COLOURFUL AND FRAGRANT HERB GARDENS
Lemon scented herb garden
Creating a sensory garden with herbs
Scented plants - Creating a scented garden
LESSON 8 CHOOSING HERBS FOR DIFFERENT SITUATIONS
Choosing Different Colours
Drought-Resistant Herbs
Very Drought-Resistant Herbs
Herbs Which Grow in Wet Soils
Groundcovers
Climbers
Narrow Leaves (Monocotyledons)
Trees
Herbs Which Grow in Tropical Conditions
Spicy Scented Herbs
Earthy Scented Herbs
Floral Scented Herbs
Herbs for Hedges
Herbs to Grow in Shade in Tropical Areas
Hardy Herbs for Different Situations
Fast-growing, Low Herbs
Herbs That Can Be Planted in Summer
Choosing colours
LESSON 9 GROWING HERBS IN CONTAINERS
Caring for herbs in containers
Choosing the right container
Choosing baskets
Choosing pots
Potting mixes
Maintenance
Herbs as indoor plants
How to make a garden in containers
LESSON 10 GREEN WALLS WITH HERBS
What is a vertical garden?
A vertical garden structure
Growing herbs for green walls in containers
Choosing the right herbs
FINAL ASSESSMENT
The Options are Endless and the Benefits Many
There are many different ways to use herbs in the garden. You can create a "pure" herb garden that is exclusively herbs, or one dominated by herbs or just mixing in herbs with other plants.
A separate "pure" herb garden is, of course, something special and potentially a stunning feature. However, herbs don’t have to be segregated from the rest of your plants. Most herbs are very hardy and adaptable plants which will grow well in containers or garden beds throughout the rest of the garden.
There are herbs to fit every garden situation including full sun or shade, wet or dry soil, and as trees, shrubs, climbers or groundcovers. The beauty of herbs is that they offer so much to an outdoor space by bringing fragrance to the garden and providing things which you can harvest and use.