Garden of the Simple

Herbs and medicinal plants

In the current trend of rapprochement with the Earth and healthy products, zero kilometers, in both the culinary and herbal fields, it is difficult to resist the temptation of taking a bit of space and time to cultivate of the simple, ie of medicinal plants and aromatic plants, the latter now become essential ingredients of many dishes. By cultivating these plants is also possible to gather herbs at the right time, which does not always coincide for the different species, in order to recover the rhythm of the natural seasonality of ingredients in our dishes.

Originally ... Hortus simplicium

The Hortus Hortus medicus or simplicium (also called viridarium in the Middle Ages), was born in medieval monasteries and convents, they kept the herbs needed for medicines that could be simple, that is made from a single plant, or composed , produced by different plants combined.

The list of plants of this type, offered by nurserymen, is constantly enriched with new species, so it is pretty easy to have a range of rich and interesting species.

Lately, we re-evaluate alsothe ornamental aspect of many of these plants, for years regarded as of little aesthetic value and then to hide in a garden.

Spring is approaching and we need to start planning the interventions to be carried out if we have the idea of creating a small corner where to plant medicinal and aromatic herbs together, now we'll see how to do it. This garden will be practical and functional space, so if you have the availability cultivate one close to your kitchen.

Project of herb garden

To achieve this angle will be enough to have a plot of land in an area with good sun exposure, where the land has never been contaminated by pollutants of various kinds. The first important thing is to make sure you know the composition of the soil and the needs of the plants you will want to plant in it; generally none of these plants require special care, they are very easy to grow and equally generous and satisfying: very suitable for an inexperienced gardener.

The project listed below will provide you an excellent variety of fresh herbs to flavor dishes, even in quantities sufficient to prepare a reserve for the winter, of frozen or dried herbs. At first it is appropriate to calculate more than one plant per pot, although for the most as large as the wild fennel and rosemary may be only a single specimen. Some of them, such as coriander, have a very short life cycle and for this reason, it is necessary to sow two or three times a year to ensure a sufficient amount of leaves.

It is important that there are no large trees near the garden: These plants need sun and air, and if there is some essence that requires a little shadow, it will be good to combine it with plants bushy.

The garden suggests a simple classic rectangular shape, east-west, divided into four parts by paths, the center of which is a hot water central space for the collection of rainwater. This is not always feasible, since the grounds are different from each other and, the insertion of a rectangular area, could create some problems to the composition of the garden. The next project, assume, for this reason, a triangular shape, which is well suited to a corner of your garden.

Some varieties are perennials and others, annual: they will need to be planted every year.

For a simple corner of a plot of land just 5 square meters per side (total area of 25 sqm) are required:

3 Basil (Ocymum basilicum), 3 Borage (Borago officinalis), 1 Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), 6 Coriander (Coriandrum sativum), 4 Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus), 5 Chives (Allium schoenoprasum), 1 Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), 1 Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), 1 Peppermint (Mentha x piperita), 5 Oregano (Origanum vulgare), 4 Parsley (Petroselinum crispum), 1 Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), 1 Sage (Salvia officinalis), 3 Savory (Satureja hortensis) 4 Thyme (Thymus x citriodorus).

The project wants to be just one example, there are indeed infinite compositions to experiment, each with its aromatic and medicinal herbs which you like more. For example, there are very decorative plants such as echinacea, calendula, lavender, etc.. In addition, the Board also try to cultivate the natural sweetener Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana), which has now become part of the everyday table.
To that end, below is a short list of the species most used and the easiest to find.

Perennial herbs

Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus), Chives (Allium schoenoprasum), St. Peter's wort (Pyrethrum balsamita), Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Marjoram (Origanum majorana), Peppermint (Mentha x piperita), oregano (Origanum vulgaris), Rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis), sage (Salvia officinalis), Thyme (Thymus vulgaris).

Annual herbs

Anise (Pimpinella anisum), Basil (Ocymum basilicum), coriander (Coriandrum sativum), Chili Pepper (Capsicum frutescens), Parsley (Petroselinum sativum), savory (Satureja hortensis).

Medicinal plants