The Medicine, Memory and Magic of Herb Gardens

When I was a child, the only edible thing in our garden was chives. They grew brightly in a small patch in our backyard, their hollow green tubes springing up faithfully each Spring amongst the daffodils and tulips. I remember being absolutely mystified by them—I could actually eat them- it felt like magic to a little city girl.

Many years later, when my first child was just a toddler, we lived in a small townhouse with a tiny porch for a yard and I began planting our own herbs. Just a few in terracotta containers—parsley, basil, and a big flowering rosemary bush in the front. It was my first time I had ever grown anything. I wrote about the experience in my old eGuide Whole Family Herbs:

“Plants have so much wisdom to share with us and our children, if only we would stop and listen. By planting, nourishing and caring for a seed and watching it grow to be not only beautiful but giving, we show our children one of the many wonders of the world.”

Now, many years and gardens later, we grow much more than herbs. I fell so in love with growing our own food that we moved to a farm and now our garden bursts with fruit and vegetables all summer long.

But to this day, my favourite thing to grow is still herbs.

My herb garden now lives in the earth, not in pots. It’s a 12-by-3-foot stretch against a southern-facing wall of our home, where the sun pours down from morning to evening. The last few years half the space was slowly taken over by a tiny mint plant I got from my daughter for Mother’s Day five years ago. (Left unchecked, mint can gradually spread throughout a garden bed, thanks to its robust root system.)

So last week, I finally dug it back, gave it its own tucked-away spot, and reclaimed space for other beloved herbs.

There are entire books dedicated to the art of herb gardening, and for good reason.

Historically, herb gardens were not only beautiful but essential.

Herbs have been cherished across the world—for nourishment, healing, ritual, and connection—woven into the daily lives and seasonal rhythms of cultures on every continent.

My own ancestors in Scotland, Ireland and England tended ornamental herb gardens not just for medicinal and culinary use, but as beautiful, seasonal spaces that reflected the rhythms of the land and a deep-rooted reverence for nature’s cycles.