I do it! I have a teensy courtyard garden, and though I limit my plants to herbs and the occasional veges, it's amazing just what you can squeeze into a small space. I even have an orange tree, a potted lemon tree and an elder tree.

I consider roses to be herbs, but I don't grow them. There are a lot of flowering plants that are herbs, which can be useful as well as decorative. Calendula and nasturtium are just two examples, sunflower is another. The real cottage garden is a hotchpotch of vegetables, herbs and ornamentals. I just do away with the ornamentals!

I don't have any problem growing a tomato plant between a basil and a lemon myrtle! I just plant single vege plants wherever there happens to be a space. I don't really mind if the cucumber grows up over the rosemary.

I look upon my garden as organised chaos. Nothing tidy about it at all, but I happen to like it that way.

I was thinking of trellising the cucumber and trying to grow some tomatoes from small balcony planters attached to the fence. I do have 4 rose bushes [given my climate they won't get huge I don't think] and have some trollius, columbine, ferns [of course] and lupins planted but I thought that I could kind of "pull" things together by having a common "herb" thread. So I bought an coneflower [doubledecker] and I alsways include some basil and prostrate rosmary. I also really like pineapple sage and thymes and oregano. What othe plants would you suggest to use as a anchor for the herb part of the space? I was thinking of pansies/violas so are they considered herbs? Are all herbacious plants herbs? I think I'm getting confused

Fern

Pansy/viola is a herb - it has medicinal uses, and is edible.

Here is my definition of a herb. See what you make of it!

I share the opinion of many experts that a herb is accurately described as 'any plant form which may be useful to mankind, whether it be for culinary, medicinal, pest-control, cosmetic, aromatic or practical purposes (such as shelter, making of musical instruments, or for clothing)'. We can add to this list the use of some plants to obtain dyes, and of other plants to obtain deadly poisons. Many plant forms are not restricted to one or the other purpose to mankind - eg. the Elder tree provides food products, has medicinal and cosmetic uses, is used to make wooden toys and has some use in pest-control in the garden.

A herb can take a variety of forms. It may be a product of the sea (Bladderwrack), it may be a tiny ground-hugging plant (Thyme), or a large tree (Bay) or a fungus (mushroom). Or anything in between. We may use the leaves (lettuce, rosemary), the roots (carrots, marshmallow), the seeds (sesame, mustard), the fruit (apple, elderberry), the stems (rhubarb, angelica), the bark (cinnamon) or the flowers (roses, chives) of a plant. (Though we should be careful to know which parts of which plants are edible!)

As for what else to grow - you have a choice of thousands! Literally. Why not consider a golden oregano instead of the common one? Don't forget my favourite lavender for its wonderful perfume - and if you get the English lavender it's edible, and has medicinal uses too. A herb garden isn't complete without lavender, IMO.

Also think of hyssop, anise hyssop, parsley (I think the curly parsley is very pretty and it makes a lovely border). You can consider something with silvery foliage like santolina, or a curry plant, or (if you have tons of space) an artemisia - maybe wormwood or southerwood (though both might inhibit growth of nearby plants).

I'm partial to Winter Tarragon (Tagetes lucida). It's a good substitute for French Tarragon (to which it is not related), and it is covered in the brightest yellow flowers for most of the year.

Think also of basils. For a colour contrast, go for a purple basil, or a Greek basil which will last forever.

Any of the scented geraniums (pelargoniums) would be suitable in a cottage garden. You have a choice of many 'flavours', including cinnamon, nutmeg, rose, lemon, carrot, peppermint, coconut etc.

Think of Chaste-berry, a very pretty but deciduous shrub. You could have a standard bay tree as a centrepiece, perhaps. Since you like ferns etc, consider a Saw Palmetto palm.

IMO, you must have something 'lemon-y'. Aside from the lemon-scented geranium, think about a lemon verbena (also deciduous), lemon savory, lemon thyme, lemon balm. And why not a lime balm? Or even a lemon tree?

Take a trip around a herb nursery to see other options. You might like meadowsweet, or sweet woodruff or calendula or a zillion others you see!...

An "English Cottage Garden" is exactly what you describe, a mix of cutting flowers, herbs and vegetables. Can be very attractive. With your small space, plan a meandering path then plant the whole thing. It takes some planning, take in to account the colours, heights and blooming times of the various plants. Google "English Country Garden" and you will find websites, magazines and books dedicated to the concept.

I do both - have small, dedicated herb beds and also plant herbs among my vegetables and flowers to keep the bugs at bay. One small bed is all lavender, with a muscari border. Another has rosemary, oregano, thyme, agrimony and sweet woodruff, with a border of lambs' ears. Then I have a bed of raspberries bordered with German stiff-necked garlic. I also plant garlic around my roses. Basil, parsley, and marigolds are planted with tomatoes, and tansy is planted with cucumbers. Lemon balm helps to keep the aphids away from my irises.

Thanks all - rosebush that sounds so pretty. I was thinking of using a small [3ft] raised bed to plant cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and basil in with a border of marigolds and violas around the outside of the bed. I also want to have 2 small "balcony planters" off the fence with trailing tomatoes. I guess that with my small space I just get overwhelmed by wanting to include everything. I'll have to exercise selectivity although the maintenance man at the condominium is more than happy to plant my excess plants on "common property"

Fern