All plants need light to grow, although some require more light than others, just as some plants need more water than others. Similarly, some herbs will thrive in shady conditions, while others will only flourish in direct sunlight. So before you start planting your herb garden, be sure to assess the herb garden light requirements for all the herbs you would like to include. The same applies to herbs you are going to grow indoors. If you can`t provide sufficient light, then reconsider your options to avoid disappointment.
First let's consider the garden as an herb location - because this is the most usual option.
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The best location will usually be one that gets plenty of sunlight, but also gets some shade and is sheltered either by trees or by walls, fences and screens, or planted hedges. It is not very easy to grow herbs directly under large trees, not only because of the constant shade they give, but also because of the roots they send out. However, plants that grow naturally in woodland will generally survive and even thrive. These include woodland plants that spread with creeping stems and runners or with bulbs. They include:
Bugle, a traditional wound herb that is a creeping, hardy perennial that gets erect stems of blue flowers in early summer,
Ramsons (Allium ursinum, also known as wild garlic, pertaining to the garlic and chive family) that spread easily to make a good ground cover with edible garlic-flavored leaves,
Hellebores which, although toxic, have been used for thousands of years as purgatives and sedatives,
Pennyroyal, an attractive, highly aromatic, creeping mint that thrives in a damp and shady location, and
Valerian, a hardy perennial that spreads easily in shade, traditionally used as a sedative or painkiller.
Heavily shaded herb beds generally flower from late winter to late spring. Plants that prefer a little shade will generally flower later. These include angelica, foxgloves, wild strawberries, and sweet cicely.
Herbs that will tolerate a little shade include several salad plants: chives, chervil, rocket, the mints and parsleys and garden sorrel.
Most perennial herbs will survive the winter, although some will inevitably die if weather conditions are severe. While you won`t be able to uproot all your herbs and bring them indoors, you can transplant some of the precious ones and take them inside to overwinter. Just remember that if they don`t get sufficient light indoors, they are likely to start dropping leaves and even turning yellow.
In this case you might need to look at artificial grow lights that will provide your plants with the ultraviolet rays they need. Remember that they only need to be exposed to these lights for the duration they would be exposed to sunlight in normal circumstances. The choice is between:
fluorescent lights, and high-intensity discharge light.
Take your pick.
Assessing Herb Garden Light Requirements
Henry Thomas is an herb gardening enthusiast who has grown herbs for over 15 years and enjoys helping others get started in this amazing activity. For great information on herb garden light [http://herbgardening-ultimatesecrets.com/herb-garden-light/], visit [http://herbgardening-ultimatesecrets.com/]. His newest book, "Herb Gardening - Ultimate Secrets", teaches beginners herb gardeners everything they need to know about.