And in our latitudes, it is quite possible to create a charming corner with a Mediterranean design, building in it a rock garden, spiral or round flower beds with fragrant herbs. For the manufacture of the base, it is best to apply the principle of dry masonry. A vegetable garden or garden with herbs can be made in any shape, providing zones with perennials and annuals in it. Plants such as peppermint, lemon balm, oregano (wild marjoram) can be grown in one place for years. And at the same time use them fresh as an appetizing addition to food or as a condiment in the preparation of hot dishes. Cutting branches does not harm plants at all - on the contrary, it stimulates their development and lush growth.

These herbs are unpretentious, do not need special care They are hardy and undemanding. Their roots do not need too much space. Many in the wild spices grow in crevices between stones, and there is not much land there. Therefore, in the garden it is better to create conditions similar to natural conditions for herbs - spiral or round rocky flower beds, as well as alpine slides, are best suited for this.

building material for mediterranean rock garden, or if you like, a “design vegetable garden” can be found in your surroundings. Boulders or stones can be collected both along the outskirts of the fields and on your own site during earthworks. But you can use bricks, and blocks of granite, and cobblestones. Whatever material you choose, herbs will find their place among them.

Soil substrate for plants

Most herbs do not need any special soil substrate. Clay soils certainly require the addition of sand. In addition, compost will never interfere - it will not only help loosen the soil, but also enrich it with nutrients. Best Cast soil when creating a herb garden - garden soil, sand and compost in equal shares. In any case, you can simply buy a package of ready-made soil mixture in a specialized store.

Planting - when to plant?

Ideally, a herb garden should be planted in the spring. Then by the summer the plants form a magnificent crown.

Even in the most sophisticated ornamental garden such a herb garden will become a harmonious addition that invariably attracts attention. For laying a spicy flower bed, it is best to choose a sunny place closer to home, so that it is convenient to use while cooking in the kitchen. The soil substrate is used depending on the choice of plants and taking into account their needs.

PLANTS AND SEEDS FOR HERB SPIRAL BED (1)

• Parsley (1 pack of seeds)
• Nasturtium (3 plants)
• Arugula (1 pack of seeds)
• Peppermint (3 plants)
• Dill (1 pack of seeds)
• Lovage (1 plant)
• Melissa lemon (2 plants)
• Sage (2 plants)
• Savory mountain (1 plant)
• Chives (3 plants)
• Thyme (3 plants)
• Oregano (3 plants)
• (1 pack of seeds)
• Marjoram (1 pack of seeds)
• Fragrant savory (1 pack of seeds)
• Round flower bed with spicy herbs

A round flower bed with a diameter of 2 m is divided into segments. The passages between them are paved with bricks. Here, as if in a romantic garden in the Biedermeier style, a small column becomes the center of the composition.

On it rises a bush of rosemary in a pot, and the base is surrounded by fragrant lavender.

Read also:

PLANTS FOR A ROUND BED WITH SPICY HERBS (Number 2 in the picture)

• Melissa lemon (5 plants)
• Chervil (1 pack of seeds)
• Coriander (1 pack of seeds) (Read more about)
• Fragrant chives (1 pack of seeds)
• Green basil (1 pack of seeds)
• Basil red (1 pack of seeds)
• Tarragon (3 plants)
• Wild Walker (1 pack of seeds)
• Chives (1 pack of seeds)
• Oregano (5 plants)
• Dill (1 pack of seeds)
• Cucumber grass (1 pack of seeds)
• Lovage (3 plants)
• Marjoram (1 pack of seeds)
• Root parsley (1 pack of seeds)
• Sage (6 plants)
• Parsley (1 pack of seeds)
• Arugula (1 pack of seeds)
• Lavender (8 plants)
• Rosemary (1 plant)

The progress of work on a flower bed with spicy, culinary herbs - do-it-yourself device and planting

1. Laying a spicy vegetable garden in a spiral shape using limestone fragments.
2. Since the first row of stones forms a circle, it must be filled with good garden soil. You can still adjust the position of the stones.
3. Now proceed to the formation of the turns of the "snail". In this case, the width of the plots for plants is calculated based on the size of the spiral turns.
4. Angled stones require more space. So on small area only a relatively low structure can be obtained.
5. Begin landscaping immediately upon completion of the laying of the spiral flower bed. To do this, you can use already adult plants in pots, and seedlings, and seeds.
6. Herbaceous plants are quite unpretentious. And yet, for better rooting and survival, it is better to water them abundantly after transplantation.
7. In between shrubs, you can sow the seeds of annual plants - for example, nasturtiums,.

Photo for the article “Spicy rock garden with your own hands” (The numbers correspond to the numbers in the photo)

Overview of some aromatic plants- application, terms of growth, a place where it is better to plant:

On a note:

Exotic scented herbs quickly turn into very showy pot plants. Their flowers and leaves will not only give tea, main dishes and fruit salads a fresh aroma, but will also become good decoration for terrace or balcony.

For wintering they need a frost-free place!

1. Gregg's sage (Salvia greggii) 'Hot Lips' is covered with red-white flowers all summer.

2. Sage graceful (Salvia elegans) "Honey Melon" exudes the aroma of ripe melon. In summer, it pleases us with bright red flowers.

3. Coahuil sage (Salvia coahuilensis) from spring to autumn is dressed in a beautiful outfit of blue-violet flowers.

Why do we love the smell of aromatic herbs?

Aroma substances go directly to the limbic system - the part of the brain that is responsible for feelings. So fragrances immediately evoke emotions in us.

The most typical notes for spicy herbs.

In addition to spicy notes, like fragrant myrrh, rosemary and thyme, citrus aromas of lemon verbena, citronella or lemon-scented thyme are common.

How are aromas released?

Smells are incorporated in flowers or leaves. At the same time, the first ones smell even without touching. Plants with fragrant leaves emit a scent when rubbed.

Fragrance goals.

The aromas are based on essential oils, which serve to protect plants from “enemies”, such as insects or goats.

Where is the best place to plant herbs and should they be fertilized?

In sunny places and on poor soils, Mediterranean herbs exude the most intense aroma, so they should be fertilized very sparingly. The only exception is basil.

Not only beautiful, but also delicious...Double benefits of flowers and plants

Bright edible flowers of plants will wonderfully decorate salads, soups and desserts, and will also have a beneficial effect on the body.

colorful flowers various plants not only captivate the eye” many of them are suitable for eating. In its raw form, you can eat flowers of marigold, mallow, daylily, zucchini, pelargonium, dahlia and many other garden plants.

Half-blown daisy flowers, for example, taste somewhat reminiscent of nuts. This plant contains tannins and essential oils that purify the blood and help with liver diseases.

The "balls" of chives will add spice to the dishes. petals park roses On the contrary, they have a delicate taste. They will decorate any dish. in soups and vegetable salads you can add thyme flowers, blue cornflower, borage and nasturtium.

And from the flowers of violet, elderberry and borage, desserts are prepared or frozen in ice cubes, and later thrown into drinks.

Naturally, a bouquet bought in a store should not be “overeaten”, since plants from nurseries are often treated with chemicals, and therefore unsuitable for food. It is better to collect flowers in your own garden.

1.U thyme Both flowers and leaves can be used as food. This plant is excellent for preparing Mediterranean cuisine.

2. Flowers elderberry, baked in dough, serve as an excellent dessert. Their tea purifies the blood.

3. Mallow tastes like a lettuce.

4 tiny flowers lavender perfect for decorating any dessert.

5. Cornflower blue rich in tannins that have an astringent effect, as well as bitter substances that improve digestion.

6. Flower petals can decorate any food. Flower compresses help heal cracked lips.

7. Flowers and leaves borage you can season salads. 8 Pelargonium fragrant, depending on the variety, has a different smell.

9. Nasturtium flowers, due to the mustard oil they contain, taste very spicy. They, as well as fresh leaves of the plant, are useful for colds.

Note - additional information on spicy herbs:

Storing herbs - dry and freeze

Both of these methods are good for harvesting herbs, so choose the one that suits you best. Prefer to store herbs dry?

Then start processing them immediately after harvesting, so that the leaves and stems do not have time to become damp.

They dry the grass in a ventilated shaded room - in the sun, the plants lose not only their color, but also useful material. Herbs with thin and dryish stems (oregano, lavender, thyme, hyssop) are tied into bunches and hung upside down.

Plants with fleshy and juicy stems (melissa, mint, basil, sage) should be “plucked” before drying - tear off the leaves and tender tips of the shoots and lay them out on paper or gauze stretched over a frame. Are you in a hurry to prepare? Then use a stove, oven or a special dryer to dry herbs. But remember that plants containing essential oils should be dried slowly at a temperature of no more than 35 degrees.

Do you use frozen herbs in cooking and various recipes?

Then prepare them properly. Collect plants should be at noon, when the concentration of essential oils in herbs is maximum. Tear off all the leaves and tender young twigs, rinse them in water and dry. Then divide into portions, pack them in polyethylene

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Gardens of spicy and aromatic plants appeared in ancient times. They were located at the temples; aromatic herbs were grown

for temple censuses: the pleasant smell of burning herbs created a special mood in the “houses of the gods”. In the Middle Ages, such gardens were attached to monasteries; By the 15th century, gardens of medicinal and aromatic plants were laid at the medical faculties of universities. Such famous botanists as Fuchs, Clusius, Mattioli were doctors - a common combination of professions for that time. In their books we see beautiful engravings of hundreds of plants. Since the 16th century, collections of local flora have been replenished with American species (among them such popular spicy plants as monarda and marigolds), and since the 18th century with species from Southeast Asia.

In modern gardens, areas of spicy plants are often found. Such gardens, located in a sunny place not far from the house, are beautiful and convenient: you can always pinch off a few leaves or twigs for tea, salad or meat dishes. We advise you to arrange a "spicy slide", where to unpretentious perennials every year you can plant various annual spicy-aromatic crops.

Perhaps the "owner" of the slide will be thyme, or thyme. Genus thymus includes, judging by the most modern reference guide, about 150 species, widely distributed in Eurasia and North Africa. There are about 80 species of them in the flora of Russia, including about 10 species in the Central Russian region. Why do we use the word "about" several times? Is it really so difficult to count the number of species? The fact is that thyme is a difficult genus to determine. Firstly, species growing side by side easily hybridize, forming many transitional forms; secondly, the appearance of plants varies greatly depending on the conditions and time of growth. There are also “thirdly”, “fourthly”, etc.

Most often found in gardens creeping thyme (thymusserpillum) - creeping semi-shrub up to 15 cm high with bright pink flowers. In the non-chernozem zone of Russia, it grows in light pine forests on sandy soil. The plant of the steppe and forest-steppe zone - (Th. Marschallianus) taller - 10-40 cm, this species has a discontinuous inflorescence, forming several false whorls. Lovers of rock gardens are familiar early thyme (Th. praecox) - a very low plant - up to 5 cm. There are several more species in the horticultural literature: common thyme (Th. vulgaris) native to the mountains of the Mediterranean, thyme lemon-smelling (Th. citriodorus), Th. pannonicus and others. Some species have yellow-leaved and variegated forms. All species contain essential oils, mainly thymol, familiar to us from cough mixtures.

I saw thyme of amazing beauty in an interesting place from the point of view of geography, geology and biology: in the Tarakany Log near the Pinega River (Arkhangelsk Region). The log is a huge - wide, deep and long ravine, even a ravine with sheer walls of 20-30 meters! On the slopes of the log, among gypsum crystals in the form of fantastic flowers, an elegant, bright endemic plant settles - thyme Taliyeva (Th. Talievii).

Among the people, thyme is known as Bogorodskaya, or Mother of God herb. But the name of the Virgin is called another wonderful plant that looks like thyme. Unfortunately, it does not grow wild in Central Russia. But in the mountains of the Caucasus, in Altai, in the Irkutsk region, in Kazakhstan there is a lot of it. I was lucky to see completely bluish-purple from blooming ziziphora (Ziziphora ssp.) steppe slopes of the foothills of the Tien Shan. The aroma of ziziphora is incomparable to anything, although in it you can “smell” the smells of almost all labia. In shops in Egyptian resorts, you will be offered "Bedouin tea" with the same aroma. Either this is a local, heavily pubescent species of ziziphora, or something close. I smell my favorite smell and recognize it from afar. If you manage to purchase seeds or seedlings of Ziziphora somewhere, plant it on the site, you will not regret it!

Hyssop (Hyssopusofficinalis) And sage (Salviaofficinalis) - shrubs native to the Mediterranean - feel great in middle lane Russia. They need to be planted in sunny places with light soils. As spicy and medicinal plants, they have been known since antiquity - in Egypt, Greece, Rome. Avicenna mentioned the medicinal properties more than once in the Canon of Medicine. In cooking, sage is still used today, it is put in a roast of game, pork, lamb. Hyssop is added to herbal teas. flower corollas

wild-growing shrubs of blue-violet color, in garden forms the flowers are white and pink, and the leaves are variegated. Plants live in one place for 5-6 years (sometimes longer); easily propagated by seeds.

(origanumvulgare) - the most popular spicy and medicinal plant. Motherboard, matryoshka, amulets are called by her people. Its Latin, scientific name means "the joy of the mountains." There are no mountains in European non-chernozem Russia, but pink carpets of flowering oregano on the slopes of hills or along the edges of pine forests evoke such a feeling of joy that you understand the ancient Greeks who gave the name to the plant. essential oil oregano flavor soaps, creams, shampoos, toothpastes. Dried grass is put into meat and fish dishes, added to pie fillings, used for pickling cucumbers and mushrooms. Pro medicinal tea and there is nothing to say! Oregano is good mixed with any other herbs.

Oregano is so often found in the wild, and, with flowers of bright pink, pale pink and even white, it grows in such huge curtains that it is not difficult to transfer a few bushes from the edge to the garden. Next comes self-seeding. True, for a spicy slide, you can purchase a dwarf variety.

Two kinds monards - double And fistulate (Monardadidyma, M. fistulosa) - came to us from North America. There are over 100 species in all! The leaves and flowers of these perennials have long been used as a spice by the American Indians. In Russia, monarda is better known as an ornamental plant, but it is worth trying to use it in cooking along with mint, oregano, and sage.

Lofant anise (Lophanthusanisatum, Agastachefoeniculum) not yet a frequent visitor to garden plots, although

This spicy plant of the Lamiaceae family from North America is an excellent vitamin herb and a fragrant addition to tea. Lofant is undemanding to the soil, easily propagated by seeds and dividing the bush.

Several spicy annuals with a decorative appearance are well combined on a hill with the listed perennials. These are undemanding plants, How Moldavian snakehead (Dracocephalummoldavica) with a faint lemon flavor, well known

basil(Ocimumbasilicum) with purple fragrant leaves, savory garden And savory mountain (naturejahortensis, S. Montana) - plants with a very strong characteristic odor.

Do not be surprised that garden plants are also included in the list of spicy plants. nasturtium (Tropaeolumxcultorum). The whole plant smells strongly and spicy, you can add pieces of leaves and flowers to different dishes. But we are interested in young unripe fruits as a spice. A surrogate of capers is prepared from them (capers, or capers - a plant in the south of Europe with edible spicy buds). The recipe for making nasturtium "caper" is in the famous old book by Elena Molokhovets. But you can cook them easier: pour unripe fruits with hot marinade, and when it cools down, put them in jars. You can put a handful of nasturtium fruits in vegetables prepared for canning: cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, beets.

The joke of the Dutch writer Zonneveld that his country does not have enough mountains turned into the creation of a rock garden 2 km high!

Let's try to figure out how to create a rock garden on your own personal plot and what plants are suitable for this.

If you take an unconventional approach to creating a rock garden in your backyard, you can get an aesthetic flower-stone composition that will provide aromatherapy and herbal medicine, gourmet cuisine, and reliable protection from insects. All you need is to replace daylilies and conifers with herbs. And slightly correct their union.

How not to get lost in the herbs?

Before planting seeds, we immediately determine which herbs are most needed for your family's favorite dishes and which of them have the most pleasant aroma.

One of the most sought after herbs tarragon greens(tarragon). It is good for many salads, and its dried leaves are added as a seasoning to all kinds of dishes. And for pickling cucumbers and tomatoes, it is simply irreplaceable.

- one of the best spicy plants used in national Ukrainian dishes. Melissa lemon will not only decorate the flower bed, but also serve as a good ingredient to improve the taste of food. The very name "lemon melissa" indicates the presence of a pleasant lemon aroma and taste. It is used in salads, in the preparation of various medicinal preparations, soothing teas.

At thyme(creeping thyme) yes excellent properties- it is convenient to settle among the stones, bloom for a long time, from June to the end of summer. The flowers of this plant are pink, purple, white. You can’t do without thyme in seasoning for meat dishes, in sauces, also add its leaves and flowers to tea.

Definitely needed for rock garden and oregano- the most popular medicinal and spicy plant, the leaves and flowers of which are also used in medicine and in cooking (added to stews, gravies and sauces). Sprigs of oregano are placed when pickling cucumbers and mushrooms.

And of course, mint. It is added to pickles and marinades, to various herbal teas and medical fees.

Still need to find a place on the hill and for basilica, hyssop, sage officinalis and nasturtium.

Preparing a cozy place

So, it's decided - we plant! And the best time for this is late spring. After all, many spices are very thermophilic and sensitive to the slightest cold snap.

rock garden located in a well-lit, visible area. We'll have to work hard and free the land from weeds, then loosen everything. Next, we lay expanded clay, crushed stone or gravel in the base to prevent moisture accumulation. From above, we fill the drainage with sand or pebbles, and then with a small layer of prepared soil.

It's time to scatter, or rather, carefully lay out the stones. In the center - the largest, behind them - the smaller ones. Since granite stones are multi-colored, you can experiment with both shape and color.

Then we fill the hill with peat, sand and soddy soil in equal proportions, where we will plant the plants.

Necessary take into account the height of the grass so that the "giants" do not block the undersized sun. Experienced gardeners advise giving the center of the slide to perennial unpretentious cultures. For example, one of the varieties of decorative onions. But keep in mind that perennials are not eternal. For example, lemon balm will give good harvest in one place for no more than 5 years in a row.

As an option: we place celery and lovage in the background, sow red basil as a border, and next - creeping thyme. It looks great and gives an amazing aroma green basil planted on the same perimeter with a rhombus, and hyssop can be placed inside it. An excellent frame for these plants will serve as chives and batun. Curly parsley decorates the border very much, and it would be nice to plant bush dill and coriander along the edges. At the very track experienced gardeners it is advised to put savory, lavender and mint.

On a note!

Basil skillfully repels not only flies and mosquitoes, but also more serious insects, for example, a tomato horned worm. Mint - cabbage scoop, anise - aphids, coriander - Colorado potato beetle.

Do-it-yourself Alpine slide (video)

More material on the topic of the section:

At present, the Alpine slide has become a widespread element garden design. Indeed, the rock garden is a very attractive object of garden decoration, which can become the central element of the composition of the entire site.

Alpine hill.

At present, the Alpine slide has become a widespread element garden design. Really, rock garden a very attractive object of garden decoration, which can become a central element of the composition of the entire site.

The slide should be in harmony with other elements of the garden and with the overall style.

Properly forming a rock garden is a rather serious task. The task is greatly facilitated if the terrain of the site is uneven and it is possible to use a natural slope. But more often the sections are flat and in this case the appearance of a hill on the plane should be somehow justified. For example, a slide can gracefully support inner corner fence or decorate the roof of a wine cellar. A good combination of rock garden with a pond. In this case, the soil taken out when digging the pond is used.

The list of plants for the pond is quite large. This and miniature dwarf forms coniferous trees and shrubs and small-sized ornamental and flowering shrubs, and numerous species of herbaceous perennials, especially ground cover species. You can also use numerous medium-sized bulbs.

Plants are planted between stones in groups, taking into account their growth. Bulbous plants provide early spring flowering for rocky gardens.

Stones are used from a homogeneous material. Smooth boulders are more suitable for rockeries on a flat surface, blocks with sharp protrusions are more suitable for a high hill, and layered stone slabs are more suitable for creating retaining walls and rocky terraces. The empty space between stones and plants can be decorated with crushed stone or gravel. Sometimes decorative colored filling is used for these purposes. In this case, the color of the materials used should be combined with the color of stones and plants.

Mixborder

At the heart of creating a beautiful garden is skillful design and competent planning. One of the elements of garden design is a mixborder. Mixborders are flower beds in which shrubs, roses, perennials and annuals are grown together. It's a favorite contemporary element. decorative design, which allows you to preserve the beauty and attractiveness of the garden as long as possible. Mixborders allow you to fully appreciate the richness of the plant world (the diverse shape of the leaves, the widest range of colors of flowers, bark and leaves, the beauty of autumn foliage and berries, the abundance of shapes and outlines).

Traditionally, mixborders had a rectangular shape and were located along walls or hedges, while modern ones have a wide variety of shapes.

A border is a decorative border between different zones garden. Such border borders can be used as screens to mask an unsightly view, create a secluded corner, or separate one part of the garden from another.

A single flower bed is a free-standing border that is surrounded by a lawn or hard surface. Such landings are visible from all sides and there is no vertical background behind them. Such mixborders can be of various shapes from arbitrary to strictly geometric in a regular style garden. The choice of specific plants of different species and varieties depends on this. And of course this choice depends on the lighting conditions and the soil. Different types plants require certain conditions, so you should think about which ones are right for you.

A well-planned mixborder can make you happy all year round from early spring to late autumn. It is not difficult to make a mixborder with spring and summer decorativeness, however, achieving attractiveness in late autumn and winter is not an easy task that requires the experience of a gardener. Creating a flower bed that at any moment looks like at an exhibition is an impossible task, but you can always do something worthwhile thanks to right choice plants.

A good border can be compared to a painting that has a well-thought-out composition and is made with the brush of an experienced master.

fragrant garden

Spicy herbs have long been used in cooking and medicinal purposes, and now began to be used in decorative plantings. Usually, herbs are set aside in part of a large plot, planned in a regular or symmetrical style, or grown in raised beds and containers.

If spicy herbs are constantly used for food, then they should be placed near the kitchen. Spicy herbs are almost all perennials. They are eaten in small quantities, which makes them a good permanent element of the composition. The choice of traditionally cultivated spice plants is extremely wide, and among them there are many species that, although not purely used in modern kitchen, are distinguished by beautiful leaves, flowers or a pleasant aroma. Plants can be planted in groups, depending on growth rate and size. Some plants, especially long-lived perennials or shrubs such as rosemary, thyme and sage, fit wonderfully into a mixed border, where they can play a mixed role, representing both decorative and culinary value.

Spicy herbs are used for food, drugs and elixirs, balms were prepared from them. Most fragrant herbs grow, leaving no chance for weeds to survive. When compiling a fragrance garden, you should focus on the life cycle of herbs. For example, annuals include basil, coriander, marjoram, dill. There are biennials: such as parsley, cumin, angelica. Perennial herbs are mint, lemon balm, fennel, tarragon, etc. Year after year, evergreen shrubs and semi-shrubs grow, such as rosemary, sage, lavender, St. John's wort. Spicy plants can be divided into groups with various applications. For example, medicinal properties has mint, St. John's wort, chamomile. valerian, echinacea, sage. Herbs that enhance appetite include basil, thyme, anise, rosemary, parsley, coriander.

The so-called "tea herbs" are known: lemon balm, oregano, mint. Regularly harvesting, trimming bushes, you will stimulate the formation of young shoots. One of the main rules for creating a fragrance garden is moderation. Not only the layout or the materials used are important here, but the nuances and harmony of the smells of the plants you have chosen.

An alpine hill, planted with upright decorative bows (I already talked about mine earlier), is often complemented by undersized creeping herbs.
And you can build in the garden only a "spicy" slide.

Consider some types of herbs and seasonings that can be used to plant a "spicy" rock garden.

Types of fragrant edible plants for "spicy" slides

Many spice plants look great and grow successfully next to rock garden stones.

"Champion" in sprawling among the stones - thyme, or . Thyme is the main plant for the "spicy" slide.
In the wild, thyme grows on dry hillsides, in the steppes, on the edges of pine forests. In nature, there are many types of thyme; they are all decorative, fragrant and very similar in appearance.
Breeders have obtained many fragrant forms of thyme, not only with green, but also with yellow, variegated leaves.
Thyme blooms for a long time - from June to the end of summer; sometimes blooms again. Thyme flowers are pink, purple, white.
Thyme is used as a seasoning for meat dishes, in sauces, and leaves and flowers are also added to tea.
The use of thyme in medicine is also diverse. Thyme is especially popular as a cough remedy.

The most popular medicinal and spicy plant suitable for an alpine slide is oregano. Oregano essential oil is used to flavor soaps, creams, and shampoos.
Leaves and flowers of oregano are also used in medicine and in cooking (added to stews, gravies and sauces). Sprigs of oregano are placed when pickling cucumbers and mushrooms.

The most famous spicy plant - mint. And this plant is also added to pickles and marinades, to various medicinal preparations. Menthol, which is part of mint, is the basis of many medicines.
Like oregano, mint is indispensable in cosmetics and perfumery, which uses mainly a cultivated species (unknown in the wild) - peppermint.
But wild types of mint are decorative and very useful: for example, field mint, long-leaved, round-leaved, marsh (flea).

Mint and oregano can grow in one place of the allium for many years, but they like to "spread" to the sides. Therefore, from time to time it will be necessary to limit their growth.

Basil not only beautiful, but also in the cuisines of different nations. This one is very fragrant annual plant varieties with purple leaves of different shades are especially spectacular.
Basil seedlings are planted on permanent place when the danger of frost has passed. But keep in mind that basil loves fertile soil. Therefore, on a hill for basil, a planting "pocket" with loose nutrient soil is made among the stones.

Hyssop since ancient times it has been known as a spicy and medicinal plant. ABOUT healing properties hyssop was mentioned by Avicenna in the Canon of Medicine. This semi-shrub, undemanding to growing conditions, pleases with its blue, pink, white fragrant flowers until frost. It is only necessary to cut the flowering branches in time to give the opportunity to grow a new, lateral one. The hyssop bush from this becomes thicker.
Fresh or dry hyssop herb is used mixed with other spices for fragrant tea, and in cooking (in salads and soups, as a seasoning for meat dishes).
can grow in one place for five to six years. Hyssop propagates by seeds and division of the bush.

Salvia officinalis in the middle lane it is grown as a 2-3-year-old crop; it is a heat-loving semi-shrub. can be rejuvenated by completely cutting off the branches.
Very fragrant, with a bitter-spicy taste, sage leaves are used in cooking as an additive to meat and poultry dishes. The famous Christmas turkey is invariably seasoned with sage.

Monarda has long settled in the gardens as ornamental plant, but as a spice in Russia, it is almost not known.
(double and fistula monarda) differ little in appearance. In both species, the flowers are located on the stem in whorls of several "floors", and the leaves resemble field mint leaves.
Monarda blooms almost all summer. Its leaves are also used as a seasoning for meat, added to tea.
Monarda propagates by seeds (it is better to grow seedlings) or by dividing the bush.

Nasturtium loved by many gardeners as a long-flowering beautiful plant. But so far not many gardeners, only in decorative purposes grow up.
But in the homeland

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