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Whether lasting for several years (hardy perennials) or a single season (annuals), aromatic plants grow well in pots. Keep them at their best for savour within easy reach!
Seasonal aromatic plants
They grow quickly and only have one aim: blossom! Therefore one has to delay the arrival of flowering buds as, as soon as blossom has started, the leaves lose their savour and the plant does not produce any new ones. Basil is the most in a hurry of them all. Parsley also has the same tendency. The only solution: harvest. Cut them nearly right back, just above the leaves at the base. You can freeze or dry out the leaves that you have cut. This radical treatment will encourage the plant to form new growth which will offer you another harvest.
At the end of the season, when seasonal aromatics are weakening, do not keep them as they never live through winter. Discard them and make place to other aromatic plants such as fennel for example which survives in winter.
Hardy perennial aromatic plants
They are the most numerous as we find in this category thyme, oregano, mint, sage, chives… the ones which have the most fleshy leaves need water : remember to water them well in summer, as they might go dormant if they lack of water, only making an appearance back into the autumn.
Cut them back when they become too bulky or when the heart or the base is thinning out. You only need to cut them back to 5cm in height for new foliage to form. Do the same in case of disease: the foliage which will grow back will be healthy. Aromatic plants which are grown in pots are more sensitive to disease than the ones grown in the ground, and you must not hesitate to cut them right back if they suffer from disease, as they cannot be treated. - Photos (3)
Aromatic plants
How to cut Basil to keep it
Author: Jean-Michel Groult
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Aromatic plants
Mint watering
Author: Jean-Michel Groult
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Aromatic plants
Fennel plant grown in pot
Author: Jean-Michel Groult
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