Have you thought about a "design bed" for the herbs? By that I mean:

Many herb beds are a raised area with paths inbetween. Mine are all in pots so aren't much help there now, but have had something similar to the last one when living in CT.

But what you really want to do is grow herbs that you actually use and not some things fanciful .

P.S. you might want to post your question on the garden forum: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/herbs

I would skip the fabric ... it won't actually prevent the weeds and could make them harder to pull.

That bed is pretty deep for an herb bed. My herbs are mostly in pots now, but before that my herb bed was about 4 foot square accessible from all sides, which was a nice size for reaching everything without stepping in. Are you open to modifying that retaining wall? Is that all raised inside, or does it step back down? It looks like it comes down towards the right ... in which case, maybe you could take out the wall and have a little patio that you could walk into with herb planters.

My dogs like our stone driveway for doing their business, though not all dogs do. I wouldn't want to be encouraging dogs to hop up onto the raised section, though, unless that is changing when you redo things for the herb bed(s). Generally my dogs are kept out of garden beds and things that ressemble them.

So maybe something like an herb patio area and a doggy area that are lower to the sides of the bush and tree in the middle with some perennials or a gazing ball or something to add more interest to that bed.

Thanks all. Appreciate other ideas too!!

Agreeing about landscape fabric - weed seeds are going to land on top and fabric does nothing to stop that, just makes things more difficult and it will eventually deteriorate.

Perhaps wood mulch &/or groundcover plants instead?

Thanks Carol. If I’m using large stones in the front curb, near the tree, how would you plan this? Would it be ok to just put the big smooth stones and perhaps smaller stones as filler?

Same questions at the back yard, left side, where if we don’t use fabric, just use wood mulch?

Trying to coordinate with my gardener. Would love final opinions. Is it ok to just put the Bigger stones/rocks around the tree? Cheers!

Folks what is a gazing ball ?! Thx

for the front dont use stones as a mulch, its very suffocating. try a couple layers of cardboard and then good quality mulch on top.

Thank you!

Folks. I’ve decided to skip the fabric and put large stones/rocks at the front. Any recommendations on what to put in between the large rocks? Gravel perhaps?

Dirt and leaf bits will accumulate between the rocks and then weed seeds will germinate, Children will play with your rocks. Do the card board and mulch for the least effort. Any weeds that come up will be easy to remove. It really will be the easiest to maintain. Read up about square foot gardening for your garden and herb area.

Thanks but mulch will get blown all over the place. I’m ok with rocks, not many kids here to mess it up hopefully

That's why you use good quality mulch, so it does not get blown away easily. If using wood mulch, a good quality landscaping one should be heavy and chunky enough to stay in place. Cheaper chip mulch that can be fine for garden paths is often too flimsy and light for regular landscaping (unless you use a lot more of it for depth to help lock it in) and more easily blown around.

I would use big rocks and wood mulch for that tree out front, or big rocks and a ground cover. Use mulch that is meant to compost down in your herb garden like straw, pine straw, or fine wood mulch for your paths. Do not put any rocks into your herb garden. With the size of the bed, you could also consider stepping stones or wood planks for pathway action.

I use cardboard a lot in my gardens. A good couple layers of cardboard instead of fabric under your front tree and side left of the bush would work fine to smother down the areas under the mulch. If you choose to use mulch for your paths in your herb garden, cardboard under that works great too.

If you do decide on using wood mulch... don't use the dyed stuff. Commonly found dyed is black and red. It tends to fade in a year or two, so can need regular replenishing to keep the color looking good, and also dyed stuff isn't necessarily great for your herb garden.

Depending on what you want out of your herbs and where you live, you might need to consider having some of them in pots to overwinter. Like I can overwinter rosemary, but it's bounce back in the spring is slow so I keep that in a pot and bring it in overwinter. Or a pot for control- mint can be invasive and drown your other herbs unless you keep it hard weeded or in a pot. Keep in mind that some herbs are biannuals, like parsley. You can keep a perpetual bed of that if you let some grow out to seed as well as eating from it.

Great response beesneeds! Thank you very much. For the front, I had not considered large stones and large/chunky mulch on cardboard. That sounds like a good plan. I’ll likely do the same at the back left but without the large stones. Once I get those two areas sorted I’ll work on the herb garden ;)

We: when you say ‘or bug rocks and ground cover’ for the front tree, what ground cover are you thinking? Just the cardboard? Thx!

If you opt to do ground cover for the front trree, you would be skipping the cardboard. But something sturdy. You could use an ivy since it's contained- but it will need maintanance to keep it from getting crazy. I've seen vinca pretty often, and sometimes low mat evergreens that I have no idea what they are. I've seen a few wildflower kinds of things too. Other folks around here are better with groundcover suggestions for this sort of thing than I am. What kind of tree is it? Sometimes some things grow better or worse under certain trees.

Something else to consider for the left of the bush in the herb garden- composting space. If you don't already have a composting space, you might find it right handy to dispose of most of your yard and much kitchen scrap waste and also to amend your herb garden and any potential container growing. If you keep a HOT compost, you can add your dog poo to it if you make sure it's composted in very well in a HOT compost. If you don't want to fuss with making sure it's a good hot pile, don't add the poo. But if you have the space, consider adding it in. If you put it to the immediate left of the bush and the dog latrine in the corner, that could work nicely to help keep the dog from latrine action too close to plants growing. You can cardboard/mulch a latrine, but I think for cleanup purposes you might find astroturf or an outdoor grass or plastic based carpet might be easier for cleanup. Use something water resistant and permeable if you go that route.

Thanks much beesneeds!
The project is complete for the front yard. Simple large stones, no ground cover. Looks good imo, hope weed growth here is controlled. Planning the back yard with the gardener. He is good to work with so this could be fun.

Here’s a pic of the front tree with new stones:

Houzz friends. I want to post a pic of the backyard as an after pic and ask a few more humble questions if anyone is still tracking this thread

Questions:
In the new beds I’ve now created we want to grow things like: Thai basil, Fresno chillis, Thai chillis, perhaps rosemary would be nice. Also cilantro has been requested by wifey.

1. Thoughts on how to organize the planting? I know I’ve planted to close to each other In the past. Im thinking a max of 4 or 6 plants in each box. (About 3 foot by 4 foot beds)

2. This will generally be a herb and chilli garden. Wifey is adamant we don’t grow things like tomatoes that can rot, invite more insects, perishable etc.

3. Thoughts on other things to plant? The lime tree on the left has been replanted. Can I/should I plant anything else with it?

Cheers Houzz friends !!

Anyone? Thx!!

Keep the rosemary well away from the chilis and annual herbs (basil and cilantro). They require much richer soil and much more water than the rosemary needs or prefers.

I grow my evergreen perennial herbs - rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, etc. - in a separate leaner and drier planting bed from any annual or water loving crops.

Thanks GardenGal

Not sure you mentioned where you are, but rosemary is a tender perennial here, so outside it would be an annual in my zone 6, but it's a perennial in warmer zones or if I move it to somewhere warmer (like my basement). That being said, it's not a plant that needs a lot of water, so advice still applies, it just may not come back depending on your zone. Since you have two beds set up, you could set them up based on soil needs (moisture, richness). Herbs can be muchmore densely planted than pepper plants would want to be.

My blueberry bushes have bulbs in the corners of their beds (tulips and daffodils). My other blueberries that aren't in beds have bearded iris nearby. We got lavender, sage, and hyssop for a new garden extension around a small redbud. I use lavender as both an ornamental/pollinator plant and a culinary herb; hyssop will be new for us this year and was selected as a plant to attract pollinators.

Thanks! We’re in NorCal

Wow, fantastic job with the cleanup and reset!! You have been busy :)

I grow my lean herbs seperate like gardengal does. Sage, tarragon, thyme, oregano, and lavender. Savory and marjoram haven't done well for me there though. If you like mint- grow it in a pot. On a pot riser. Over hard surface. But do grow it if you like it- fresh mint is lovely.

You can do your chilis and annual herbs together. If you want. I've grown cilantro, basil, and dill around it no problem. If you like a bit of lettuce you can probably tuck some in. If you like peppery cress taste and pretty blossoms, low growing small vine nasturtiums are always a fave of mine to tuck in.

How you plant, space, and support your chilis depends on what kinds you are growing. Chilis kind of like being a little closer together. Unless you are growing very small plants that produce smaller fruits, you will want some sort of supports. The tomato cages that are awful for tomatoes are great for peppers.

Thanks beesneeds! I like the idea of a pot riser. Any recommendations? Cheers!

I second containing mint ... it will run rampant given half a chance. For less ambitious mints, a partially sunken pot (the rim should be higher than soil level), but you have to know it won't be an exuberant one in your garden.

I tend to use bricks a lot. I happen to have some sitting around. There are nicer ones meant to raise up the pot if you would like.

I have to contain oregano or by the third year it will have taken over whatever bed it's in. Not as hard to pull out as mint, but still a vigorous spreader.

Look at "pineapple sage" -- an attractive plant that behaves nicely -- doesn't reseed everywhere and doesn't take over the garden. The leaves have a delightful pineapple smell when crushed, and it sends up stalks of bright red flowers that hummingbirds love.

Your garden area is nicely set up, looks attractive!

Yes, it all looks very nice indeed. Enjoy your projects!

And FWIW, you're going to learn from experience what works best for you and for where you are. Just be wary of invasive plants. They can be a huge regret. Ask me how I know...😏

Awesome folks! Thank you all !

Update! Chillis and basil planted in the middle. Lime tree struggling to grow on left. Just planted the rosemary plants on the right.

Goal on the right is to have perrrenials. What other herbs could I grow in front of the rosemary? Ideas please? Cheers!!!

Wider pic

Thyme, sage, oregano, lavender would all enjoy the same conditions as the rosemary and are all perennial sub shrubs. Oreganum dictamnus is a particularly nice plant as is Origanum ’Kent Beauty’.

You only really needed to plant one rosemary in that space. Depending on the cultivar it can grow to 4 - 5 ft wide and 3 - 4 ft high. Since you have three you’ll need to keep them pruned if you want them to stay within bounds.

For perennials Cistus and Helianthemums would love that sunny spot.

Thank you so much floral UK!! I will need to google some of your terms, but will enjoy that exercise ;) cheers!

I know some like the contained look for an herb bed. I pull out lots of the herbs every year which is how I harvest them for use. If not, grind them up and scatter over other areas of the garden to keep out pests . . . You can also sink edging around the mint family plants. Slows them down a bit . . .