Indoor herbs

Flower & Garden Magazine, Feb-March, 1996 by Tovah Martin

The most space-efficient variety of rosemary is definitely the bite-sized version: Rosmarinus officinalis `Blue Boy,' standing only 6 to 12 inches tall and smothered in sky-blue blossoms throughout the year. `Prostratus' and `Collingwood Ingram' are also sprawling in habit, but they blossom primarily in spring. No matter which rosemary you choose, the harvest will impart the same tang to your meals; rosemaries tend to taste identical.

Even where space is a crucial factor, you can certainly fit a thyme or two. Creeping like a mat or forming a low, wiry tuft, thymes make splendid fillers for window boxes, where you might snuggle a medley of different varieties depending upon your taste. Flavors range from caraway (Thymus herba-barona) to citrus (Thymus vulgaris 'Orange Balsam') with all sorts of scents in between. Best of all, the profusion of tiny leaves can be harvested freehandedly with little fear of depleting the supply.

Beyond the traditional "Scarborough Fair" group, other herbs adaptable for windowsill growing are oregano (Origanum vulgare hirtum), marjoram (Origanum vulgare), sweet bay (Laurus nobilis), English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), horehound (Marrubium vulgare or M. incanum) and chamomile (especially the compact, profuse-blooming and double-flowering Chamaemelum nobile `Flore Pleno') - and that's just a preliminary mouthful.

Although we generally think of herbs in conjunction with our tastebuds, there are quantities of ornamental herbs that satisfy other senses as well. Try growing a window box of lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina) solely for the pleasure it imparts to your fingertips, or cultivate a pot of curry plant (Helichrysum italicum) for its aromatic virtues.

Scented geraniums mimic a wide spectrum of fruits, spices and other sundry scents and are easily accommodated on the average sunny windowsill. The most compact scented geraniums for indoor purposes are the apple-, nutmeg- and old spices-scented sorts that form tight mounds rather than stretching upright.

Like rosemary, most herbs thrive with cool temperatures, bright sun and infrequent visits with the watering can. An unobstructed, southfacing window is crucial, especially in midwinter. Of course, the plants basking in those fervent sunbeams will become quite toasty during the daytime, and that's no problem whatsoever. After all, the majority of herbs hail from Mediterranean climes where the weather is torrid during daylight. By evening, however, the temperature cools off - exactly what herbs enjoy. Turn the thermostat down to 50 or 55 degrees when you go to bed; your herbs will love you for it.

Similarly, because herbs generally come from arid lands, low humidity is rarely a problem. Although your lips might become chapped in midwinter, the herbs will survive just fine. Bugs are seldom an issue with herbs because the foliage is so intensely fragrant that it confuses the pests' microscopic brains.

Herbs are easy to please, they're handsome to see and they earn their keep. What more could you ask? They possess a combination of qualities that anyone can learn to love in a kitchen companion.