Make your herb garden look pretty.

Instead of planting flowers in your hanging baskets and window boxes, plant herbs for maximum beauty and usefulness.

Hi friends!

Today’s Small Food Idea is all about adding a touchpoint of beauty to something as simple as growing herbs.

You probably already know that growing your herbs in the summertime is economical compared to buying a small plastic container of sprigs that costs a zillion dollars (okay, close).

Growing herbs is pretty straightforward. All it takes is good soil, sunlight, water, a pot, and an herb plant. And off we go! Our porches, stoops, or decks suddenly become a cornucopia of greenery. Pots of all different sizes are gathered anywhere and everywhere.

Aren’t herbs beautiful?

Okay, you may be looking at this post and see the August date stamp. “The summer is already over,” you may say. Or maybe you’re thinking, “Shouldn’t you have written this post back in May? Or June? How is this helpful to me now?”

You’d be right!

However, I am sharing this now so I won’t forget to let you in on a little experiment.

Dennis and I look forward to amending our soil and potting all the beautiful annuals in window boxes and hanging baskets every springtime. Around late June or July, I am ALWAYS replacing my hanging basket by our front door. Oh! What a waste of money and time spent watering!

That hanging basket is often the bane of my existence.

Well, maybe not my entire existence! Ha! Yet it frustrates me when I finally decide to give in, dump the basket, and look for an alternative at the nursery. ANYTHING that remotely looks pretty and can handle the heat.

This summer, after the obligatory dump of my first failed hanging basket of the summer happened around the usual June period, I had an idea.

A better idea.

Instead of planting more flowers in my hanging basket… I planted herbs!

Instead of planting random flowers in my window box… I added herbs!

They are THRIVING! Experiment = passed!

Helpful tips for making your herb garden look pretty

Good soil is always a good idea.
Pay attention to those helpful “part sun/part shade” instructions.
Water consistently really does help.
Feed your herbs with a healthy fertilizer.
Mint is a gorgeous “filler “for a hanging pot because it grows tall and wide.
Oregano is stunning as a “spiller” for window boxes.
Basil is lovely as a “spike” for window boxes. It also pairs well with thyme.

I know this isn’t rocket science.

Adding a little touch of pretty and joy to your home is a friendly suggestion. And making your herb garden look pretty is a small way to add joy to the little things in life.

Eat well, my friends.

Lyndi