Culinary Herb Plants

Helpful herb plant info

Create your own herb plant patch for fresh herbs on demand. Choose from all the familiar favourites and a few that are more unusual, such as lovage. Herbs are ideal for growing in containers and many are pretty enough for flower borders. Need help growing? Check out our expert herb growing tips plus advice on how to preserve and store herbs.

When to plant herbs

Herb plants are best planted as soon as the soil warms in late spring through until autumn.

How to grow herb plants

Make sure you get the right site for each herb. Mediterranean herbs, including rosemary, oregano, and sage, need a sunny position and well-drained soil. Parsley, chives and mint prefer cooler temperatures and will cope with light shade.

It’s important to harvest regularly to stop plants bolting or getting straggly.

What herbs to plant together

Group herbs according to their needs so a sunny bed would suit Mediterranean herbs. Avoid planting mint in an open bed as it will run unless you confine it by planting in an old bucket with the bottom removed. Rosemary can be grown as a hedge and chives make a good edging plant for vegetable beds.

Best culinary herbs

If you have room for only a few herbs, rosemary, parsley, thyme and sage are top picks.

For more helpful tips and advice read our how to grow herbs guide. Prefer to grow from seed? Browse our herb seeds selection.