CRACKS and CREVICES HERBSCAPE

Often these little-noticed herbs make all the difference and blend a garden together.  These plants can create a living tapestry in shades of green, gold, white and silver with a succession of blooms from pink and red to lilac and white and their natural perfume can stir up warm memories, invigorate the senses and soothe the soul.  When you brush against a wall or step on the stones planted with herbs, they release their scents.  Include some of these around your patio, in walkways, rock gardens and stone walls or as an alternative to lawns:

Catmint (Nepeta racemosa) – aromatic, compact with hray-green leaves and purple flower spikes

Corsican Mint (Mentha requienii) - ground hugging, fast spreading and a wonderful sage/minty scent.

Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) - an apple-like scented perennial with daisy-like blooms and fern-like foliage is especially great for a lawn substitute

Creeping Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys var. compactum) – glossy, deep green semi-evergreen foliage and lavender flowers

Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) – creeping heart-shaped leaves and unusual purplish brown flowers for shady locations

Houseleeks/Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum spps) – succulent perennials with unique rosettes that spread rapidly by offsets and add interest in rock gardens and stone walls

Creeping Oregano (Origanum vulgare humile) – grows into an dark green or variegated evergreen mat that smothers weeds

Creeping Golden Marjoram (Origanum vulgare aureum) – golden yellow-green foliage with delicate white flowers in spring

Prostrate Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’) - spreads along the edge of a landscaped area or over garden walls with pine-scented green aromatic branches.  

Coconut Scented Geraniums (Pelargonium spp.) – round scented leaves that cascade

Platinum Sage (Salvia daghestanica) – unusual herb with silvery leaves and blue flowers in spring

Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum) -  easily maintained ground hugging thyme great for between stepping stones including numerous cultivars with lavender, white, pink or purplish red blooms and different scents including the popular lemon

Wooly Thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginosus) – soft grey foliage growing tight to the ground 

Sweet violet (Viola odorata) – sweet scented shade lover with violet or white flowers for a nice spring display

Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum) – dense mats of whorled leaves that smell like fresh cut hay and small white flowers in spring that are best for shady locations

Wooly Yarrow (Achillea tomentosa) – fine, fern-like evergreen foliage with yellow flowers

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,

the world and all who live in it”
Psalm 24:1