Here’s a post that I hope will give lots of people hope if they have a garden that doesn’t get much direct sunlight…
I have a flower bed that is north facing. It receives approximately 1 hour of morning sunshine and 1 hour evening sunshine during the summer months, and virtually no sunshine during autumn, winter and early spring.
Last year, I got fed up with it looking so weedy and miserable and so I decided to just “plant and hope” and I put a whole load of herb plants in. I planted them in June last year and they did surprisingly well. What is even more surprising is that they have all burst back into life this spring, in spite of the snow, frost, incessant rain and howling gales that we have had, and in spite of their shady location. In fact, they look fabulous and are doing really well, arguably better than the herbs I’m growing in pots in the sunshine.
So, hopefully this will inspire you to plant some herbs in your own back garden even if it doesn’t get much sun. The ones I’ve been growing successfully in the shade are:
- Thyme
- Lavender (!!)
- Vietnamese Coriander
- Parsley
- Mint
- Oregano
- Marjoram
- Chives
- Sage
I also think others would do just as well and I’m almost tempted to pop a rosemary in there to see how it fares. I’m definitely going to try coriander, and I may even put some salad leaves in there as well.