Herbs in Australia (and other places)

The mini eco-system

There are such a large variety of herbs to suit every type of climate a human is likely to find themselves living in, but I will just focus on a few of the more common ones grown in gardens today, mainly parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme and all the rest of the common ones that don't fit into the rhyme. Though even though I have neglected them, you should not, as success in a garden relies on diversification, for when you create a garden you are in fact creating a mini eco-system. And as part of that eco-system it is recommended that you should find some indigenous herbs to compliment the ones which are traditionally in cultivation in your part of the world.

I have been able to find a type of prostrate (growing low to the ground) mint local to Melbourne which is as fragrant as any type of penny royal, which is now growing happily in a pot, and I have also at times planted different types of Australian vanilla lilies, as well as native Australian spinach (available for sale at places like Eden Seeds and Greenpatch Seeds) and Australian bush "tomatoes". Thankfully the Royal Botanical Gardens of Melbourne have had sense enough to re-establish such indigenous plants in part of their gardens and hopefully other country's will follow suit. There is also an excellent range of natives displayed at the botanical gardens in Canberra, including a display of Wombat Berries (Eustrephus latifolius), which grow on a vine. Another plant worth keeping your eye out for (in Australia) is the Emu Berry (Grewia retusifolia) which is a small shrub that grows in shady grassy areas and was described by early Australian explorers as being "pleasant" to eat and also when boiled up in water as a refreshing beverage.

Before I go I should clarify my definition of herbs as being any plant which can be used: safely in cooking (but which isn't generally the main part of a meal); as a medicine; or as a deterrent to pests.

Herb Propagation

Now for the common herbs. Most herbs aren't that hard to propagate. Rosemary, sage, perennial basils and lavender can easily be grown from cuttings. You simply cut off a woody piece of the plant, around spring or late winter in most areas of Australia, and place that into a well-drained seed raising or specific cutting mixture and keep moist for a few weeks. It is suggested that you don't over water such cuttings as it can deprive the roots of air which can lead to their untimely death. It is also good to avoid actual potting mixture (if you don't know the difference it's written on the packs) which can have a bit too much water retention qualities. The lack of nutrients in most seed raising mixtures also means that the cuttings will shoot out long roots (hopefully) in search of nutrients, at which time leaf growth should be evident indicating a good time to carefully transfer the lot into a good quality potting mixture with a little fertiliser. You can try with potting mixture, as long as it is well drained, and I have successfully done this with sage cuttings.

Some people strike their cuttings by simply placing them in a glass of water -- or other such vessel for the containment of fluids -- leaving them in a warm position such as on a window sill. This also works, but once the cutting has stuck roots -- which is easily visible when one looks into the glass -- then you have the problem of transplanting it without damaging the roots, which can also lead to damage or death of the plant.

Other herbs like sweet soft-stemmed basil, fennel, parsley, mint, coriander, Roman chamomile, pyrethrum, chives are easily grown by seed (though mint takes a while this way). When sowing though, don't be afraid to use half the packet, herbs can grow very thickly and if you want, you can always transplant a few when they get a bit more established. You can sow herb seed directly into the place where it is to grow, but if planting in the garden it is often best to first raise them in pots and then plant the seedlings out into the garden. This avoids having all the seed eaten by birds, or being dug up by birds, or being lost, if they are something that takes a while to germinate (like mint), and if you are forgetful (like myself). If planting parsley in a pot remember that it has a larger tap root than most of the other herbs mentioned and needs to have a deeper pot. And remember to keep watering the seeds at least daily, never let them dry out completley.

The final way to obtain herbs (apart from just buying them, which is not a bad way to go if you have the money) are to take small "runners" off established plants. This can be done with most low-growing ground cover plants such as lawn chamomile, oregano, comfrey, all types of mint, and thyme but can also be done with pyrethrum, lemon grass and chives. As the plants spread over the ground, if the conditions are right, they will set down new roots. You simply have to dig around the edges of such plants and find the new sections and carefully rip them from the ground with the roots attached, and plant them in some potting mixture in a pot, then directly into the garden after a few weeks, if you so desire. I suggest potting mixture in a pot as it generally allows the plant to establish more quickly, though if you have good soil, you can put it straight into the garden. You won't generally need to give them any extra fertiliser until they have become more established. It is also best to try and divide plants before they have begun to flower, so again, probably early spring or late winter for most areas of Australia.

As a final note you should be aware, if you are not already, that certain herbs, in certain conditions can grow very easily, and will even become somewhat of a weed in your garden or surrounding bushland. Notably common mint, comfrey and also lemon grass in sub-tropical and tropical areas. So it might be best to plant these things in pots. Many permaculture designs seem obsessed with planting things like lemon grass and comfrey all over the place, but I think this just lacks imagination, and if you've ever tried to rip out established lemon grass or comfrey, then it's just bloody annoying -- though comfrey does have a place in large vegetable gardens, as a source of fertiliser, and border against other weeds. But let's face it, how much bloody lemon grass are you ever going to use in your cooking? If the answer is very little, then only plant very little.

With other plants like lawn chamomile, if it goes wild, then it is very easily contained, and in fact very pleasant.

Looking after your herbs

Uses for herbs

Lastly I should point out some uses for herbs. I don't have to mention that you put oregano and basil on pizzas, or that you drink chamomile tea to make your hair grow blond (not sure if that is true and I may have just made that up then), but some things which may help, which you might not know about are teas made from chamomile flowers, comfrey leaves, stinging nettle leaves, valerian roots and borage poured from a watering can around plants and also over their leaves. All these herbs help to promote little micro-organisms and provide nutrients generally aid plant health, though valerian should be used very sparingly, and mainly in the cooler months.

When I say tea, I mean simply soaking the herbs for a few days, or weeks, in cold water. I don't mean get the kettle out and pour boiling water over your plants. Though with chamomile, you can initially use boiling water, to speed the process up, but WAIT TILL THE WATER IS COOLED before adding to the garden.

For more information on the use of herbs in companion planting, click here, or check out the other links on the side of the page….