Taste of the MED IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD

PERENNIAL herbs can last for years, unlike annual plants that don’t survive over winter, and range from trees such as the bay to herbaceous plants such as lovage and Mediterranean shrubs such as rosemary and sage. First, establish what your growing conditions are. If you have only a halflit windowsill, make best use of it with a succession of annual plants in small pots. But if you have a good-sized area that is sunny for most of the day, it will be ideal for Mediterranean herbs. Shrubby Mediterranean herbs all come from sun-baked, dry hillsides with mostly alkaline, poor soil that is very well-drained. Bay, rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano are examples and can be grown in the same bed or container. They need watering but hate sitting in wet soil. All Mediterranean herbs love chalk. Try to avoid any shade, and never add compost, manure or any kind of feed. These herbs grow best in subsoil that drains like a sieve.