| The Italian cuisine is among the most celebrated | | | | can spread quite quickly if the light, sun and soil |
| around the world. In fact, one of the secrets to | | | | condition is optimal for the herb. Similar to |
| Italian cooking is the use of fresh herbs. That's | | | | Rosemary, thyme loves the sun, well-drained soil |
| right - you can be a great Italian chef if you have | | | | and should be watered sparingly. |
| these herbs handy anytime, and what else is | | | | Parsley. Parsley has been extensively used by |
| easier if you have your very own Italian herb | | | | Italians through the ages. The herb is used as |
| garden? | | | | seasoning, garnish, and even to remove bad |
| Designing an Italian Herb Garden | | | | breath after a hearty meal. Parsley is a biennial |
| Before you start mimicking the gardens of | | | | plant but is mostly grown as a tender annual |
| Tuscany, you may want to consider the Italian | | | | because its taste would have been too strong |
| herbs that are most suitable for you. The | | | | after the first year. |
| following is a collection of favorite herbs in the | | | | Oregano. Another native in the Mediterranean, the |
| region: | | | | name Oregano means "Joy of the Mountain" in |
| Basil. Although Basil is originated from Central Asia | | | | Greek and indeed they can be found along the |
| and Africa, it has been used in Italian cuisine so | | | | mountainside of Greece. This fine herb has dark |
| much that it has become part of the | | | | green, oval-shaped leaves in opposite pairs with |
| Mediterranean herb family. As a versatile herb, | | | | beautiful flowers in white, pink or purple. Oregano |
| Basil is best used to pair up with tomato-based | | | | requires a fair amount of sun light, but the plant |
| cuisine, be it pasta, pizza, quiches or bread spread. | | | | cannot withstand full fun and should be planted in |
| Basil is sun-lover and prefers well-drained soil; but | | | | partial shade in hot climate. When designing your |
| unlike most herbs, it actually needs quite regular | | | | garden, you can consider using Oregano as edging |
| watering. Also, please note that Basil is an annual | | | | plant in your herb gardening. |
| plant so you may need to regrow the herbs | | | | Sage. Sage is another evergreen perennial that |
| every year, unless you are lucky enough to live in | | | | can be grown to 1-2 feet in height and 2-3 feet in |
| a tropical climate where Basil is able to reseed | | | | width. It has woolly, grayish foliage with blue or |
| itself. | | | | purple flowers, and interesting varieties such as |
| Rosemary. Rosemary is another favorite among | | | | the purple, golden and tricolor Sage have |
| Italian herb garden. The plant is an evergreen | | | | wonderful colors and are excellent choices as |
| perennial and can grow into a big shrub in a few | | | | edgers in herb gardening. Similar to most herbs, |
| years, with pretty purplish-blue flowers. Wild | | | | Sage likes warm sunny location. The plant is not |
| Rosemary can be found along the sea cliff of the | | | | particular to any soil type as long as it is |
| Mediterranean coast, and therefore, not | | | | well-drained. Please note that Sage should be |
| surprisingly the herb loves strong sun, well-drained | | | | pruned often or the plant will grow woody and |
| soil and an occasional breeze. The most important | | | | leggy, yielding less flavorful leaves. |
| consideration of good Rosemary care is not to | | | | Garlic. How can we forget about the Garlic? It is a |
| over-water, as this is the major cause of death | | | | must in almost every Italian cuisine. Garlic is easy |
| for this plant. This also implies that well-drained soil | | | | to grow by placing the starter cloves in moist soil |
| is very important and the herb should not be | | | | (just pick the biggest ones from the |
| planted where water tends to accumulate, such | | | | supermarket!), and the cloves should be |
| as areas around the sprinklers. Another tip: | | | | harvested after the leaves begin to wither. Garlic |
| Rosemary needs a fair amount of circulation and | | | | cloves can be easily dried and stored. |
| given it has the potential to grow into a big shrub, | | | | The list can go on and on... other herbs such as |
| you may want to allow more space for | | | | Fennel can be great choices as well. Finally, as you |
| Rosemary in your herb gardening. | | | | design you Italian herb garden, don't forget to |
| Thyme. Thyme is a wonderfully flavorful herb | | | | include the terraces and walkways, water and |
| that is often used in pork and lamb seasoning. | | | | statuary to make it the very special garden of |
| Most varieties are low-growing perennial and they | | | | your own! |