RHS Journals
The Garden
May 2007
Propagating flavour
Home-grown herbs are the best, and many are easy to multiply for the kitchen, suggests Alexandra Baulkwill.
Images: Tim Sandall
‘Grab a handful of flat-leaved parsley and chop finely…’ - typical advice from a TV chef that made me think, where do you readily get handfuls of herbs from? Generally, in Britain, we don’t usually think of using - or growing - fresh herbs in such quantities, but it’s worth a try, as limp, shop-bought bunches are so pricey.
Some, such as annual coriander and basil, a tender perennial, should be freshly sown each year, but sow several batches if you want to use the leaves in quantity. Plan ahead and sow two or three times in a season. Look after the plants well, watering regularly to stop them running to seed. Although perennial, parsley often does this, too, so it is best treated the same way.
Many everyday herbs can be short lived unless regularly renewed, but this needn’t be costly. Soft cuttings, root cuttings, division or layering shoots are all easy ways to multiply and refresh your herb stock for the following year, while keeping the parent plants in production. You can even split those overcrowded supermarket potfuls meant for the kitchen windowsill.
These methods will provide all the herbs you need to fill as much space as you want. The important thing to remember is that herbs need not be a luxury: you can use them every day.
Cheat’s division: basil
How: Choose a healthy-looking pot of basil from the supermarket in late spring. Water well. Gently tease the roots apart. Pot on singly into 7.5-9cm (3-3.5in) pots of loam-based compost, or group two to three seedlings in a larger container, sinking the stems up to the first true leaf. Water well and shade for the first few days while the plants acclimatise. Stand out or plant in the garden when all danger of frost has passed. Pinch out the growing tips to encourage a bushy habit.
Also try: parsley
Root cuttings: mint
How: Take internodal root cuttings in early spring or autumn. Mint roots are thick, with obvious nodes. On subjects with finer roots, such as French tarragon, wash away any soil to be able to clearly identify the raised nodes. Cut off a section of root with two growing nodes and trim to below the node. Pot on into a cutting compost and cover with 2cm (0.75in) of potting compost. Water well. Spring cuttings will show growth in approximately two weeks.
Also try: horseradish
More information on root cuttings
Cuttings: French tarragon
How: In summer, take tip cuttings from any non-flowering shoot. If possible, to aid rooting, gently tear a short sideshoot from the main plant with a ‘heel’ of older wood. Remove its lower leaves and insert it into well-drained loam-based compost. Put in a propagator, or pull a plastic bag loosely over the cutting to retain moisture, seal it and place on a warm windowsill (not in full sun). Roots should form in six weeks. Pot on or plant out into free-draining soil.
Also try: rosemary, thyme and marjoram
More information on cuttings
Layering: sage
How: Best done in spring or autumn, layering involves burying a woody stem, still attached to the parent plant, until it roots. Remove leaves from the stem to be buried and scrape the underside to create a wound. Loosen the soil and pin the stem down with wire. Cover with soil, leaving the growing tip clear of the surface; water well. New plants should be ready to detach with a well-developed root system by autumn if layered in spring.
Also try: rosemary and thyme
More information on layering
Alexandra Baulkwill is Show Manager for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show
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