Herbs for Planters, Pots and Bowls

The range of plant containers available is truly very diverse and rich. It can include various shapes, materials and price ranges. Classic clay and terracotta pots remain the most popular choice. These are pots in warm colours, richly or simply decorated and in various shapes. They are highly recommended for woody plants and perennials, as these containers are primarily frost-resistant. Whether you choose a large deep pot or a shallow bowl, these brick-coloured pots will decorate your balcony or terrace for many years.

However, plastic pots are also becoming increasingly popular. They are cheap and above all lightweight, and are also manufactured as visually faithful imitations of terracotta and clay, and you can choose from countless colours and shapes. It is almost a rule now that you constantly see hanging containers and planters made of plastic all around you.

Aromatic and medicinal herbs have attracted great attention in the past not only for their healing effects, but also as a cosmetic ingredient or as a spice in the kitchen. This has resulted in many new and improved varieties. Whatever herb you choose, with a few exceptions, you will need a sunny to partially shaded location and loose soil enriched with compost.

Herbs Suitable for Planters, Pots and Bowls

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)

Chives are an excellent culinary herb, 20 to 30 cm tall and 5 cm wide with upright, tubular leaves in clumps and with a distinctive aroma, and we can harvest their fresh leaves from April to October. They require a sunny location and care is undemanding, but they have medium to high nutrient requirements. They also need plenty of watering and the seeds have a limited lifespan, so it is better to buy new ones every year.

Peppermint (Mentha x piperita)

Mint stands out for its diversity in both colour and the number of varieties and species, and has a pleasant distinctive aroma. It flowers red-violet from July to September and its height ranges around 30 to 60 cm and width is around half a metre. It likes partially shaded to sunny locations and its clump is upright and vigorously growing. It must be watered regularly, but must not be waterlogged, and young leaves are continuously harvested for tea, in autumn the whole plant is cut back.

Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum)

This aromatic herb has purple to white flowers and blooms from July to September, but its leaves can be continuously harvested from spring until flowering, as they then become bitter and tough. The leaves are used fresh and it is not recommended to cook them. It has many species, among the best-known varieties are green basil, red basil, small-leaved, curly, dwarf, balcony basil, and we also have basils with the taste and aroma of pepper, lemon or anise. It likes sunny locations, regular watering and high temperatures.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

The evergreen herb rosemary is aromatic with light purple whorls and blooms from May to June. It grows upright in a shrub-like manner and can reach a height of 100 to 150 cm and a width of about one meter. From spring onwards, its young tips are harvested, which have an intense fragrance and attract bees and butterflies. There are also trailing varieties that are suitable for hanging containers. It doesn't need much fertilizing and watering should also be moderate, but it requires a sunny and sheltered location. It is sensitive to frost, so it's advisable to move it in its pot to a warm room before the first frosts.

Garden Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)

Parsley doesn't have to be grown only in gardens, but we can also grow it comfortably at home on balconies or terraces, as well as on windowsills. This culinary herb with distinctly pinnate leaves comes in varieties that are either curly or the more aromatic smooth type, and is harvested from spring onwards with its fresh leaves usable either fresh or frozen. It has yellow-green flowers and grows to a height of about 20 cm. It has higher nutrient requirements and should be placed in a sunny to partially shaded location. It is grown as an annual, but in the second year it flowers and its leaves become inedible.

There are plenty of other herbs we can grow and their use will always find application not only in the kitchen. Among the most well-known and undemanding to grow are certainly:

• Oregano
• Tarragon
• Coriander
• Lavender
• Sage
• Thyme
• Lemon Balm
• Garden Cress
• Stevia