In article ,
David Rance wrote:
On Wed, 14 Jul 2010, Periproct wrote:

Herbs come mainly from the Med area so want sun, good drainage and
not much fertilizer, I would not use any especially as the ground has
been fallow for some time.

This doesn't sound promising. My little selection of herbs are thriving
in the conservatory but I haven't enough shelf space for them to stay
there much longer.

Don't be put off. There are plenty of herbs which don't need a
mediterranean climate. It's spices which are more difficult. You'll have
no problem with mint, chives, rosemary, bay, etc.

Er, not quite. The rec.gardens.edible herb FAQ is very useful, and
is NOT USA-biassed.

Rosemary and bay are Mediterranean plants, and get very unhappy if
the conditions are TOO different - i.e. too cold, wet and dark.
But all of the Mediterranean herbs commonly grown in the UK can
handle most UK conditions, though perhaps not those of the Highlands
and Islands! Some of them actually do better in pots that are left
outside, because the drainage is better. I can't keep rosemary
alive for very long, for example, even though my soil is well-
drained - it doesn't like the winters much - though it is easy to
layer and start new plants. Sage and thyme can have the same problem,
but sage grows better from seed.

Mint, chives, angelica, sweet cicely, lovage, horseradish and a few
others are northern plants and often don't handle Mediterranean
conditions at all well - mint is a waterside plant and hates being
dry.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.