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Helen Chesnut’s Garden Notes: Herbs on hill a feasible idea

Dear Helen: Near my patio I have created a small pool with a little fountain that flows over rocks from the top of a hill made of sandy soil from my garden. Now, I want to grow a herb garden on that hill. Is this a feasible idea? The site is sunny.
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Culinary sage comes in many variations that include plants with purple and golden foliage.

Dear Helen: Near my patio I have created a small pool with a little fountain that flows over rocks from the top of a hill made of sandy soil from my garden. Now, I want to grow a herb garden on that hill. Is this a feasible idea? The site is sunny. I’ve “coated” the sandy hill with purchased fish compost.

P.A.

Your proposed project is do-able. For the sun exposure of the location and your soil conditions, I’d choose from among the “Mediterranean” herbs — those that grow in the summer-dry, sandy soils around the Mediterranean Sea. These herbs are sage, thyme, rosemary, lavender and oregano. Sun, warmth, and a lean, dryish soil are the factors that concentrate in the plants’ foliage the aromatic oils that are responsible for the herbs’ distinct flavours and fragrances.

Soils that drain speedily of excess moisture also enhance hardiness in these perennial sub-shrubs, none of which do well in wet soils. Be aware, however, that even though the plants are drought-tolerant once established, they should be kept adequately watered for at least the first year. And to help them establish well, I’d cultivate a little more of the fish compost lightly into the soil before planting. Scratch in some lime as well. These plants prefer a slightly alkaline soil.

The most challenging area of the planting will be the top, or “dome” of the hill. If it were my herb garden, I would plant the most ground-hugging thyme I could find, for a tight cap of green over the hilltop. The lowest-growing thyme I know of is ‘Minus’ thyme (Thymus praecox articus ‘Minor’). It grows just two cm high. If you can’t find plants locally, Richters Herbs (richters.com) has them. They ship April to June.

Around the base of the hill, I’d arrange the tallest plants, the rosemary and lavender. Plant the lavender alongside the most used part of the path around the hill. Brushing by the plants will release the plants’ wonderful aroma. ‘Provence’ is a good lavender. ‘Arp’ is the toughest and hardiest lavender.

Note the spread of the plants, and place them far enough in from the path to prevent their intruding inconveniently onto it.

For the middle sections, I’d place culinary thymes below the low, creeping one on top, and oregano and sage above the rosemary-lavender base. English and French thymes are good. Among the regular oregano (Origanum vulgare) variations there is a dwarf form and one with gold leaves.

There are many forms of culinary sage (Salvia officinalis) including a compact German one called Berggarten Sage, a dwarf form, and golden-leaved, purple, and tricolour types.

For planting the middle sections, consider arranging a sort of minimal terracing by forming a slight shelf to receive the plants.

Garden events

View Royal meeting. The View Royal Garden Club will meet this evening at 7:30 in Wheeley Hall, 500 Admirals Rd. in Esquimalt. Speaker to be announced. The evening will include a judged mini show and a sale of plants. Visitors and new members are welcome.

Chrysanthemum sale. The Victoria Chrysanthemum Society will hold its annual sale of rooted cuttings on Saturday, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the St. Matthias Church Hall, 600 Richmond Ave. Parking and hall entrance are off Richardson Ave. For sale will be rooted cuttings of many florist mum varieties, both disbud and spray types.

Plant and seed sale. ALM Organic Farm, 3680 Otter Point Rd. in Sooke, is holding its annual Plant and Seed Sale on Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be a wide variety of annual and perennial vegetables, herbs and flowers as well as seed potatoes and Full Circle seeds. Cash or cheque only.

Cowichan plant sale. The Cowichan Valley Garden Club will host its annual Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Anglican Church, 486 Jubilee St. in Duncan. This popular sale, ongoing since the 1960s, includes interesting, unusual and hard to find specimens. Arrive early for the best selection.

HCP sale. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd. in Saanich, is holding a Spring Plant Sale on Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be many unique plants propagated from the HCP gardens. Admission is free, and master gardeners will be on site to answer questions.