Planting herbs makes good sense, scents

Fall is a good time to examine your garden and make changes to the landscape. The weather is good, plants are often on sale at the nursery and newly planted ornamentals take root quickly in warm soil. Why not take advantage of this time and landscape with herbs?

Drought-tolerant herbs make wonderful landscape plants. Rosemary can function as a shrub, low border or ground cover, depending on variety. Lemon grass makes a wonderful ornamental grass substitute. Thyme can be used as a ground cover or to soften hardscape like curbs, concrete or rock borders. Lavender makes a wonderful border plant.

Most herbs mix well with sun loving perennials. Combine pineapple sage, catmint and golden feverfew in a planting to make a bright statement. Looking for an herb tree? Consider sweet bay, Laurus nobilis. This is the plant that produces bay leaves commonly used in soups and stews. It can be trained as a hedge, small tree or a fancy topiary in a large container.

Landscaping with herbs makes good sense and scents. They are valuable pollinator-friendly plants. Deer shun most of them. And, of course, you can use them in the kitchen any time.

With only occasional water in the summer and some yearly shearing back, herbs are low maintenance. What herbs do need at planting time is loose, well-drained soil. Adding a bit of 4- 4- 4 natural fertilizer will get them off to a good start. Weekly watering is necessary until winter rains begin in earnest. Full sun, especially during the summer months, will give the best results.