NOTES from. the garden // flowering herbs

I now have access to the garden but through drought and then flood, most of my flowering herbs have either out-clumped their allotted spaces or are bolting for the sky. Time for a tidy up

Having only acquired access to the garden a few days ago, with a good portion still be used to store building materials or carry out related jobs such as sawing or cementing there’s still only so much I can out there. A girl can dream, however, and my billowing herb garden plans are taking shape in my head at least, not least inspired by the abundantly planted walled garden at Babington House (above).

The plants I managed to bring with me from my old garden, and those I introduced into pots in a moment of optimism back in late May, are all looking a bit ragged due to bouts of drought and then flood – the water of which strangely never seems to touch the surface of my beds or containers – so it’s time for a chop. Many herbs left to their own devices, have gone full bloom, for better (lavender) or worse (coriander), and now need cutting back too, in some cases to give them a last flush or leaves or flowers. So where to start?

Mint is an easy one as it’s so vigorous and can be cut right down to the ground after flowering. It should return quickly with a new crown of minty-fresh leaves.

I’m surprised my basil has survived so well, but it has indeed bolted for the blue. Cutting it down to two to three pairs of leaves actively encourages new, bushier growth, which is good to do throughout the season. You can use the cut off flowers as aromatic garnishes on soups or in cocktails.

My oregano and marjoram seem to be competing about who can flower the most and in ideal conditions I would have dealt with their race to reproduce as fast as their buds emerged – well almost, as the pink and white blooms are so pretty and hard to repress. Cutting these lovelies back doesn’t stem their culinary or medicinal powers, in fact they will be bouncing back with joy within the week.

Woody herbs such as rosemary and thyme do benefit from a light prune, to keep them in shape and stop them getting leggy. See if you can use any of the offcuts as semi-ripe cuttings to propagate more plants (or as stirrers for cocktails in the case of rosemary!). The end of summer is the perfect time for this kind of propagation.

Cutting back hardy English lavender such as ‘Hidcote’ or ‘Munstead’ can be done in late summer and spring but in both cases avoid cutting hard into the woody part of the stems. Cut back by about a third, just above side branches or leaf nodes within the green section of stem. Try and create a dome shape by leaving stems longer in the middle and going shorter around the edges. Obviously any flowering stems you cut off can be bundled together and used to fragrance the house. They won’t be as pungent as those harvested when buds are just opening but a little waft of relaxing scent is sometimes all you need.

Chives can be cut right back and should also bounce back again. Try collecting the seeds from the heads so that you can grow more plants. You can also use the flowers in salads and soups.

I like to leave my fennel so that the flowers turn into seeds that I can then collect ripe to eat fresh, dry to use as a spice, or for propagation of more plants. The flower- and seed-heads also create a lovely lacy display through early autumn, mirroring the low golden sun. Eventually I’ll cut it back and the stems and leaves will die back into the ground ready for new feathery fronds to emerge next spring.

Just make sure you leave enough hours to wonder over your herbs as you tidy, as these alluring plants have a habit of reeling you in with their sensory powers so you might just be there for a while. As a bonus, you can use many of the offcuts to nourish, heal, or style.