Quite a good job for this time of year is to tidy up herb plants. Strolling around your garden, you’ll notice old growth and new growth on several herb varieties – the old growth can be pruned back to allow new growth to flourish. Here are a few that you will be able to tidy up this weekend:
- Chives – you’ll see lots of old, dead spikes which can easily be pulled up by hand to leave the fresh green growth coming through.
- Marjoram & Oregano – if you haven’t yet cut back the old foliage and seed heads, then get the secateurs out and neatly snip it off at the base of the plant. You may well see some healthy new foliage coming through already. The seed heads will re-seed like crazy, so it’s a good idea to lay down a sheet to “catch” the seeds if you don’t want it spreading!
- Lavender – just a light trim to remove the old woody flowerhead will do the trick.
- Vietnamese Coriander – if yours has survived the winter thus far then the plants are likely to have old, leggy foliage and shorter, new foliage. It’ll look better and taste better if you cut back the old stems.
- Rosemary & Sage – You should have plenty of nice, green growth but look out for dead, woody stems and cut them back.