Starting your herb garden

Best for container gardening
Containers come in a multitude of sizes, materials, shapes and colours. Anything from a terracotta urn or window box to an old chimney pot or sink will do, as long as it has good drainage. Try your local reclamation yard for ideas or forage through a few skips (but always ask before you take anything).

Drill holes in the base if a container doesn't have them already. Fill the bottom with cracked pots or polystyrene pieces. This will help drainage and the pot will be easier to move if it's not filled to the brim with compost. Most herbs will grow well in window boxes as well as containers; sage and rosemary are particularly suited but lavender, chives, parsley, thyme, marjoram and French tarragon will flourish too. A traditional strawberry pot with pockets in the side looks stunning with a selection of herbs bursting through the holes. Parsley, chives, thyme, coriander, basil and creeping rosemary will all grow in baskets.

Some herbs are best-suited to a hot, sunny spot on the windowsill or in the garden. But it's a myth that they all are. Thyme, sage, mint, chives and oregano (among others) love a sunny spot; the warmth brings their natural oils to the surface of the leaves and enhances flavour. But parsley, chervil, salad rocket and coriander prefer partial shade. This produces softer leaves with a more subtle taste.

Best for a border or bed
Larger herbs like lovage, angelica (both can grow to 6ft) and fennel are best suited to borders and beds. They grow too tall and need too much root space for containers. When planning your border or bed, think about what you?d like to grow and why; do you want height, colour, smell, practicality or all of above? And check the soil type before starting. Testing kits cost about £1 and give a pretty accurate result.

Plant the tallest herbs at the back and smaller ones towards the front. The labels on pots or seed packets should tell you how big they?ll grow. Plant your herb garden in a relatively sunny spot, preferably next to a table and chairs so you can take in the wonderful aroma while sipping a glass of wine on a warm evening.

Best for a roof terrace
Herbs grow best in an environment similar to their native habitat. So the Mediterranean herbs such as thyme, oregano or rosemary will do well on a windswept roof garden, Whereas the more delicate herbs like basil will struggle. Stick to low-growing, reasonably hardy herbs.