On Apr 3, 4:15*pm, "David E. Ross" wrote:
On 4/3/2009 12:20 PM, wrote:



Is there any reason not to plant herbs between roses? *It would be
convenient, since the Rose path is right outside the kitchen door.

I have checked several "complementary" sites and none of them seem to
object,
but wanted to get this NGs reaction.

Herbs a *Sage, Basil, Parsley, Oregano.

Note that an old Rosemary bush has been in the Rose path for years w/o
any
perceptible problems.

(I do hope the new *"from" address will placate my critics.)

Persephone

Be careful with oregano. *It can be as invasive as mint. *Grow it in a
12" flower pot instead of in the ground.

Basil is an annual, and parsley is a biennial. *Both have to be replanted.

Basil and sage attract snails, enough so that the herbs can be
destroyed. *I plant mine in flower pots with copper wire wound three
times around just under the pot's rim. *None of my other herbs seem to
have this problem.

Perennial herbs in my garden include peppermint (Mentha piperita),
tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus), golden thyme (Thymus vulgaris
'Aureus', currently in bloom), sage (Salvia officinalis), oregano
(Origanum vulgare), and bay (Laurus nobilis). When the weather permits,
there are also such annual herbs as basil (Ocimum basilicum) and dill
(Anethum graveolens). *All of these are growing in 12" flower pots in my
back yard.

Thank you! Very helpful. I will pot them up instead of the Rose
path idea.

In font, I have a rosemary bush (Rosmarinus officinalis) in the ground.
*It's about 30 years old. *It's taller than I am and is currently in
bloom. *It has beautiful branches, all twisted and gnarled; I prune it
to expose those branches.

I did a horrible pruning job on my Rosemary, which is over 30 years
old.
Have to wait until it recovers, and will keep in mind your idea of
exposing the branches.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: *California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary