Keep reading to learn more about building and gardening in a spiral herb garden. Adds structure and interest. 
Building an herb spiral is a simple project you can tackle any time of year! Ive also used composted leaves or partially broken down compost. You can skip this stepif you want. A spiral garden doesnt have to be reserved only for herbs. Continue to stack the building material along the central spiral pattern. For stability, it is important that the stones are placed with the smooth side down, and they are arranged staggered to avoid creating continuous joints. Place low creepers, like thyme and chamomile, on opposite path edges to complement each other. The design echoes a theme used by medieval monks for their apothecary gardens: a circle around a cross. 4. There are four main steps to building a spiral garden: site prep, marking out the design, building the bed, and adding the soil. It utilizes vertical space, which means you can grow more plants in small space. 
Most of these plants will flower at some point in the season, but there is plenty of variety with just the plant shapes and textures.
Does it really matter which way an herb spiral drains? You should be able to find most of the materials youll need for an herb spiral from a local landscape supply or home improvement store. Herbs likemintmust be planted with care. The color scheme is another unifying element that adds to the formality. If you leave bare soil in your garden it will be susceptible to compaction, erosion and weed growth. The outside wall of the spiral will be the lowest part of the garden and may only be one or two stones or bricks high, depending on your desired design. I wasnt sure exactly how many I needed, so I just bought about 80 bricks. I used some of the less shapely bricks on the bottom since I figured theyd be mostly hidden. You can see in the below photo I used leaves. There are new basils to try every year. You probably already know that growing up is an efficient way to fit more food in the same space in your garden. You dont need any special tools, talent, or know-how to build one in your own garden. 
You can buy triple-mix or garden soil, or take soil from another part of your property and mix it with compost or leaf mold. Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum), 5 to 7 Plants, 4. Plant a pole exactly at the center of that area and with the help of the measurement tape and rope, make a circle with astick and then mark it with limestone. I deliver down-to-earth, actionable advice that helps you get the most out of your garden. An herb spiral was one of the things that caught my eye in the book and I thought it would be a perfect way to add a softer and more organic shape to my front yard garden. Use a stake to mark the center of the bed. Try to use a different variety from Herb Bed One: Echoing Bed Two, this herb bed features a contrast of purples, yellows, and orange. If youve built your spiral in the spring you can start planting your herbs right away. NOTE: The number of plants suggested will vary depending on the size of the plants purchased, the mature size of the variety suggested and your patience in allowing the garden to fill in. How to choose which herbs to grow in your garden. If you stopped by my garden for a visit one day and I gave you a tour of the front yard youd likely stop, point and ask, Whats that?, And then youd start asking me how I built it. You have entered an incorrect email address! Thats why I recommend purchasing plants instead of seeds. I decided to build it when I was expanding my front yard garden and was worried that too many square and rectangular beds would make the garden feel too linear. This is the book that promptedme to build my front yard herb spiral. Mulch 
I imagine the back is north facing in the Northern Hemisphere and south facing in the Southern Hemisphere where the shadow would be cast from the height of the spiral. 2. I grow many types of basil in my garden (read more about that here) and recommend sticking to compact basils like Greek basil or Everleaf Genovese when planting in an herb spiral. 21 Fantastic Balcony Gardens of July 2022 From Instagram, 11 Best Flowers That Can Make You More Beautiful | Flowers For Skin Care, 16 Stunning Heat-Loving Plant Combos for Containers, One Secret to Grow Any Plant From a Cutting, How to Get Free Plants and Seeds | 13 Frugal Gardening Tricks. Also, will garlic work in the herb spiral, if so does it prefer sunny SW? Once the blooms fade, I cut the plants back hard to encourage plenty of new leaves. Growing Sweet Potatoes in Containers | How To Plant Sweet Potatoes in Pots. It tends to get absorbed quite well into the soil and the plants happily thrive. At the foot of the herb spiral you can even make a mini pond, which will retain the moisture in the lower area, or if you want, you can create a wetland where you can grow plants that love saturated soil.
Once youve established the spiral pattern on the site, begin to build the bed. If the existing soil is particularly infertile, you may wish to dig down so that you can fill the area with a high quality triple mix or garden soil. We also enjoy the purple flowers that emerge in late spring, adding the pretty petals to salads and sprinkling them over baked potatoes. This is one of the best blogs I have read on this topic. Make sure all the plants can be accessed, both for harvesting and maintenance, without walking into the beds. The garden plan for this design includes an illustrated version of the planted garden, a detailed layout diagram, a list of plants for the garden as shown, and complete instructions for installing the garden. Let's starting with talking about the top 5 mistakes most gardeners are making. Water drains naturally. Herb spiral has spirally upward walls that are made of natural stones or bricks. Most herbs grow fine in average garden soil so theres no need to add too much manure or organic materials. Hi Christine! Researching building an herb spiral for our garden in So. Oregano is a Mediterranean herb and should be planted in a site with full sun and well-draining soil. Limestone andlimestone rubble If you aren't able to find the exact cultivars listed above, substitute with others that have similar colors, shapes, and sizes. Next, there's the almost spiky needle-like foliage of the lavender plants and their straight, slender flower heads. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Circling the bird bath are two annual herbs that will be used throughout the season. Label your herbs or vegetables as you plant with simple bamboo markers that are both decorative and functional. Would you please comment on the weed problem? You didnt mention if you used any weed barrier. Lavender Bee Balm (Monarda),3 to 5 Plants, 2.
Hi! If you ordered a bulk delivery, use a shovel and wheelbarrow to fill your herb spiral with soil. Once done, your spiral herb garden is ready for planting. Sun and well-draining soil are all that you need to keep thyme happy. Herbs that grow very tall, spread or expand in width should not be planted in the spiral herb garden because as they may suffocate the other plants. I have to mention a few things in this article Best of luck! English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), 1 to 3 Plants, 12. This means that they arent going to be happy in wet conditions. In my garden it seems that every time I dig a hole I bring up a pile of stones and therefore theyre an inexpensive building material for projects like an herb spiral.
Calendula or Pot Marigold, English Marigold (Calendula officinalis), 18. Many gardeners like to put a garden ornament in the center of their herb gardens, like a birdbath, either as a bath or as a planter. If you want to create a pond or wetland at the foot of the spiral dig the soil more deeply at that point. Level ground is also helpful, especially when youre constructing the garden. The center of a formal herb garden is usually the focal point. This results in excellent drainage which is important for many types of herbs, particularly those that originate from the Mediterranean region. Make sure you have about 8 inches wide of planting space to give the plants room to grow. 'Cinnamon' or 'Mexican Spice' - Green foliage, purple flowers, with a spicy, cinnamon scent. Next, youll want to decide on the location and size of your spiral. This culinary herb is an attractive plant with fine-textured foliage and slender stems. Decide where on the ground youll make a herb spiral. This gives the herb garden its personality. A sunny spot is good, but if you live in tropics choose an area that receives shade in the afternoon. Tall plants should be further from the equator so that they do not block the sun from the shorter plants. Ive planted some mini versions of dill in my spiral. Since this is a formal garden, the paths can be paved or mulched to provide the axis for the garden. Because an herb spiral offers slightly different growing conditions, plant herbs that prefer sun and well-draining soil at the top of the spiral. Pick a flat spot in your yard or clear an area to make it level. To mark the perimeter of the bed, sprinkle a thin line of flour or powdered lime, or carve it lightly into the soil or mulch with a garden hoe. For an herb spiral that is six feet across and two to three feet tall youll need about a cubic yard of growing medium. Gabion walls look very attractive and are suitable for spiral herb gardens, too. An herb spiral is a raised garden bed that is both beautiful and functional. Working Tools: Spade, shovel, wheelbarrow, a stick, a rope and a measurement tape. The only herbs I plant by seed in my garden are cilantro and dill and I usually plant them in another garden bed since I like to grow large amount of of them. But to create a simple formal herb garden, all you really need to do is choose a geometric shape, like a circle or a square, divide it into sections of equal size and fill each section with similar or complementary plants. Well talk more about what to grow further along in the article. Many herb spirals are made from bricks or stones. Most of my garden beds are mulched with oat straw or hay mulch, but I like something a little special for my herb spiral. Since the parsley is a biennial, it may seem to over-winter. I hope this post proved to you that it doesnt take any special tools, talents, or know-how to easily create an awesome spiral. Basil and oregano are suited for full sun, while cilantro and parsley can grow in less light. This mix of microclimates means you can grow both sun-loving and shade-tolerant herbs in a single garden. After looking around for a while I was most interested in building one made out of bricks, so thats what I chose for my design inspiration. According to the plan 2, at the time of filling the soil in your spiralherb garden, bear in mind that this should be ideally divided into the four zones, each of which fades into the next without the continuity to give adifferent environment to your plants. Before you lay the stones to make the wall, cover the excavation for thefuture pond with pond liner and around the spiral and its path with geotextile to prevent the weeds. I keep it weeded and make sure to harvest the herbs on a regular basis. thanks. The top area of the spiral receives the full sun and has superior drainage, therefore, herbs that like exposure to thesun and good drainage are planted there. If you use annual herbs like parsley or basil youll have to purchase new plants each season. The raised shape of a spiral herb garden also means there are areas of the bed that receive full sun and areas that are a little more shaded. An herb spiral is a raised garden built in the shape of a spiral. They grow about the same as the rest of my garden. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. It could be a large herb plant, such as a sweet bay tree or large potted rosemary. Formal herb gardenswith their symmetry, knots and interweaving texturescan look intimidating. If its fall, simply mulch your spiral well to protect it over the winter and have fun dreaming about all of the fun things youre going to plant the following spring! Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. This is great for northern gardens like mine, which often see cooler nighttime temperatures. Sheryl earned her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication with an emphasis in advertising/public relations and journalism, as well as a minor in business administration from St. Ambrose University. Sheryl Geerts is an editor and author who has nearly three decades of writing and editing experience. Its not a good idea to leave bare soil in your garden because it will grow weeds and get eroded and compacted by rain and wind. Perhaps the easiest herb to grow, chives is a hardy, reliable perennial plant that thrives in sun or partial shade. The more precise the lines, the more any wayward plants will stick out like a sore thumb. You can grow pretty much any herb you want in your spiral. She then also earned a Master of Arts in Mass Communication with an emphasis in integrated marketing communications from Drake University. The top of the herb spiral is a dry spot, which is ideal for the Mediterranean herbs such as lavender, sage, rosemary, or thyme. If the garden is to be built on top of an existing lawn or if there are persistent weeds, either remove the turf first or lay down a layer of cardboard or a product like Sunbelt Weed Control. sativus), 9 Mint. Dill can fade quickly in the garden and you might want to start new plants from seed, periodically, to keep your harvest going. 3. Lemon balm (18), parsley (can not be close to chives), Bee balm (19) dill (20), garlic (21), chervil (22), chive (23), marshmallow (24), mint (25).
After filling, you should mulch the soil in your spiral with hay, leaves, straw, or grass clippings. Depending on where you live, most of the perennial herbs should come back each year so you wont have to replant. For more posts on growing herbs, be sure to check out the following articles: Are you thinking about an herb spiral for your garden? Bed two brings in the contrasting colors of orange, yellow and blue. I havent had any issue with weeds in my spiral. As you stack upwards you can add soil to the bed. Does it really matter which way an herb spiral drains? In my garden basil is an essential summer herb offering fragrance and flavor to my cooking, as well as flowers for the bees. Thank you so much for generously sharing your awesome tips! By clicking accept you give us permission to set cookies. If relatively flat they can be dry stacked or you can use mortar or cement to hold them together. Meadowsweet (26), veronica beccabunga (27), watercress (28). In the case of very large spirals, it could be difficult to collect herbs from the center without stepping on the bed so it is a good idea to lay the stones as footholds.