I am definitely not an herbaceous plant gardener by any means--but I'm starting to dip my toes since I now have the space to grow them AND my vegetables. I've always had such limited space that I focused on veg and for a few years while I lived in NYC I literally had no sunny spot to garden, and most of my houseplants even died :(. Working at CCE has been a crash course in herbaceous plants because I had basically no personal experience with them. Now I'm starting to appreciate the beauty, not just utility that gardens can provide. One of my favorite gardeners and authors Monty Don wrote that "everything in a garden should be handsome, if not beautiful." I'm far from that ideal, but I like the romance of it and I'm excited to add some herbaceous plants into the garden where I recently moved. I'll focus on pollinator plants--both native and non native. In Putnam we've been promoting a mixed garden for a while, although some of our MGVs are very staunch native plant advocates.
Discussion Forum: Your Experience with Herbaceous Plants
Herbaceous Plants are Growing on Me
Herbaceous Plants are Growing on Me
Re: Herbaceous Plants are Growing on Me
Thanks for saying this, Becca! I have the same experience - living in apartments and only have access to small/shared community garden spaces in the past, I haven't had the space or money to do much beyond vegetable plants. I'm really getting into edible landscaping and pollinator species, as I'm seeing how much value herbaceous plants can have, artistically and functionally in the garden.
Re: Herbaceous Plants are Growing on Me
I learned the basics of vegetable gardening from my father but then acquired an interest in flowering herbaceous plants, including culinary herbs, from friends. As time went on, I began to incorporate plants with interesting leaf color and texture into my ornamental beds.