Growing Culinary Herbs in your Winter Garden

Many people think that growing culinary herbs in your winter garden is difficult, or time consuming. It isn’t, or it doesn’t need to be if you choose herbs which are both evergreen and hardy.

Keeping perennial herbs growing throughout the winter months so that you have fresh herbs for cooking and for brewing tisanes is satisfying. And as they’re fairly self-reliant if you choose the right herbs, I’m going to suggest some for you to try. You may discover that they’re already there, but you just didn’t know that you could have usable culinary herbs in your winter garden!

General points for Growing Herbs overwinter

Although evergreen herbs continue to grow over the winter months, they grow much more slowly.
This slowing down applies to both those herbs grown outdoors and those grown under protection.
The aromatic foliage of herbs derives its scent from the production of volatile oils. As growth slows, so too does this production.
Frosted leaves will lose some of their flavour. You may prefer to compost badly frosted foliage rather than use it in cooking.
Well-watered herbs are less likely to suffer from permanent frost damage. Although you shouldn’t overwater them, if you’re regularly picking evergreen herbs in the winter be sure they have enough to drink as you’re stimulating the growth hormone.
If you’ve transplanted the herb into a pot for winter or were growing it in a container to begin with, you may need to give the roots frost protection by wrapping the pot.
You may also want to place the pot in a sheltered spot. Combining a number of pots in a group not only looks better but gives the individuals some protection. They form their own little microclimate.
If growing herbs in your borders, be sure that the soil is free-draining. It is wet roots rather than cold which kills off many perennial evergreen herbs.

Which are the Culinary Herbs in your Winter Garden?

The easier perennial herbs to overwinter in your garden if you live in the UK are going to be:

Bay
Chives
Marjoram
Mint
Parsley
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
Winter Savory

However, just because these herbs overwinter doesn’t mean that they’re going to be growing above ground without some effort from you!

The following herbs will all grow in the ground in your borders. This could be in a kitchen garden, herb garden or mixed in with your ornamental plants. They will also grow in raised beds, containers and pots. Enabling you to have fresh herbs even if you only have small courtyard or balcony.

As I have previously written about overwintering some of these herbs, – Chives, Parsley and Rosemary – check the blog link below. I didn’t see the point in repeating myself. 😉 For the rest, read on.

Bay

Laurus nobilis is so often found as formal pair of lollipop trees in pots next to a front door that people forget that it is a culinary herb!

If you have a small garden, then you may want to keep your bay tree in a pot as they can grow to about 25 feet tall. Add bay leaves to casseroles, curries, sauces and milk puddings.

Marjoram, Oregano

Some varieties overwinter better than others and it does depend on how sheltered your garden is.

The more flavoursome plants seem to be the more tender, so have horticultural fleece at the ready for a heavy frost. Alternatively, pop a small cloche over the oregano; remember to water it though.

Mint

Takes more effort to keep it growing over winter as it naturally dies back. I keep a pot of Moroccan mint (best for mint tea) in the greenhouse. This is from a new root cutting or a young plant.
However, you may find that that patch of “garden mint” in a shady corner of the garden will keep producing green leaves all winter – result! Although coarser in texture, it will be fine with roast lamb, puy lentils etc.

Sage

There shouldn’t be any issues with picking sage leaves from your winter herb garden. If your garden is more exposed, you’ll find the green leaved sage is hardier than the more decorative varieties. But purple sage and tricolour sage will be hardy in most British gardens.

The varieties which will struggle will be the tender pineapple sage and tangerine sage. These definitely need greenhouse or conservatory protection.

Thyme

Thymus vulgaris, also called culinary or common thyme, is the hardiest and the best flavour for cooking. I find a thyme, lemon and honey tisane particularly soothing when I have a cold.

Creeping thymes are also fine to use in cooking, etc. Being low growing they often get natural frost protection from surrounding plants which can be an advantage. The citrus scented thymes are less hardy but can still stand a British winter.

Winter Savory

A herb some of you may not know, Satureja montana leaves have a flavour that combines thyme and sage. A pretty white flowered small shrub in the summer, it comes into its own in the winter herb garden.

Winter Savory also makes a decorative edging for borders in a kitchen. Smaller than lavender and Buxus, so it doesn’t encroach on the growing area when you have limited space.

Growing Culinary Herbs in your Winter Garden

There are more herbs which you can cultivate and use over winter. Many of these require protection and extra maintenance from you, or should have been sown in August, or are only reliable in southern Britain, so I haven’t included them.

Of course, once you get the gardening ‘bug’, growing culinary herbs in your winter garden will seem like a piece of (Christmas) cake. You’ll be trying out the tender herbs such as Lemon Verbena and pineapple sage.

If you’re interested to know more, do please get in touch, because I love creating herb gardens and helping others to learn how useful and decorative they can be. Gorgeous scents, pollinating insects and edible plants – what more can I say!