Can I plant things yet?

[msrisotto]

I'm getting excited because i've seen the sun (briefly, but it was definitely there!) and daffodils. I posted in January about creating a herb garden and got some amazing advice about what to plant and I had planned on doing it at the end of May but i'd like to bring it forward to the beginning of April. Is that a good time?

[tartancoat]

Are the culinary herbs you want to plant hardy? Non-hardy ones such as french tarragon and ones grown from seed such as basil, chervil and dill are better to plant as grown on seedlings later on after all danger of frost.

[msrisotto]

I'm aiming to plant hardy perennials. My plans are: Thyme, Chives, Sage
Rosemary, Oregano

[shovetheholly]

Where are you? In Cornwall, you'll probably be fine - in northern Scotland, you might want to wait another month. In both cases, you could probably get away with planting them now, but they're likely to thrive more in benign, warm spring conditions.

[MrsBertBibby]

Watch out with the sage, it can get a bit carried away. And if you're planting mint, keep it in a pot, or you will soon have nothing but a sea of mint.

Oregano isn't usually hardy, is it?

[shovetheholly]

Oregano is normally hardy, as is marjoram - it's hard to distinguish the two on looks! It also seeds all over the place (a nice problem to have, IMO, but I do absolutely adore the stuff).

Good advice on the mint - nobody should even think of putting that in the soil! (

[MrsBertBibby]

Really? Woohoo!

[msrisotto]

Ive already made that mistake with the Mint....not really sure what to do about that wild beast.

[msrisotto]

I'm in the midlands btw.

[Pestilentialone]

I have a whole layer of oregano and marjoram under my roses. All it needs is a quick haircut about now, last years stuff has died back and the new shoots are just getting going.
Sowed a tray of thyme yesterday, in conservatory.
Rosemary, do heel cuttings.

[MrsBertBibby]

I had to dig out my whole mint ocean. It had taken over a raised border that was at least 2m square. It was filled with large and luscious slugs, and right in the middle, an enormous toad, who was most unimpressed at my destruction of his aromatic slug-farm.

[greathat]

Might be worth looking at the different types of each herb. I have chocolate mint in my garden, a lot less invasive and smells like after eights...

[SeaRabbit]

I have variegated oregano for the same reason as greatthat - much less invasive.