One of my first herb gardens was in the middle of a clay field and it was not simple to get anything to grow right. When you are planning your garden, you’ve got to put natural light and sod quality at the top of the list of things to consider. Without the right amounts of both sunshine and water, your garden will not grow. If you can get two or 3 of these factors right, you’re all set.

To solve my clay dirt problems, I turned to rock gardening, which focuses on adding lots of rocks to your landscape and focusing on plants that only need a few inches of good earth.

A rock garden is about the positive features that you might have in your garden already or those that you want to create. Some herb plants truly love the rocky craggy sod that you can find in areas like this all over the world. If you do not have the rocky dirt and want the aesthetic of a rock garden, make sure you’ve got room for roots to grow and also some nice drainage.

When planning your herb garden, be sure that you are choosing plants that will stay compact, because with limited space you do not want anything taking over. Another tip is to look for herb plants with silver or gray foliage. This is a big tip-off that these herbs will do well in this environment.

• Hen-and-Chicks: Also known as St. Patrick’s cabbage, Hen-and-Chicks is a succulent herb that was once thought to heal warts. {I can’t imagine cutting open a hen or chick and rubbing it on a wart, but this perennial succulent herb, which is also known as St. Patrick’s cabbage, has a long history of healing them.} Each leaf will hold enough water to make it through one day without water. Each one can grow to four inches across and each “hen” can have numerous off-shoots or “chicks.” In the summer, a nine inch spike arises from the center of each mature cabbage to display pinkish-red blooms. Before you know it, you will have a colony of plants.

• Wild Oregano: This perennial from the Mediterranean region will grow energetically up to 30 inches tall with its oval leaves and purple blossoms that bloom late in the summer. This isn’t the same type of oregano that you find in Italian dishes, but you can eat it.

• Marjoram: Not only can you cook with marjoram, but you can use it in your rock garden. It’s a perennial that has a delicate scent with oval gray-green leaves and tiny white flowers. Keep it cut back so that it can stay nice and full and don’t forget that it appreciates full sun and good drainage.

• Thyme: Because there are a lot of varieties of thyme, you’ll want to be sure you’re getting the right kind for your rock garden—below a foot high. Use those with shiny, little leaves that are huddled along the woody stems. As an added benefit, these usually have white or pink blossoms. Thyme grows best when the soil is sandy, well-drained and gets a whole lot of natural light. Thyme has a tendency to grow wild, so keep it pinched back to maintain its compact shape.

The contrast between the rocks and the herbs can dazzle the eyes, without losing any of the other sensations, including smell and flavor.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Herb Garden Designs. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.