What is a garnish garden? Think of the brightly colored and tasty bits that come atop your food in fancy restaurants, the stuff that elevates a dish both in look and taste, but we don't often bother with when cooking for ourselves at home. Why do we not bother? Probably because we don't have the garnishes at the ready — but you can with a little effort!
Even on years I don't plant a lot, I always have a small garnish garden in containers under my carport. What you plant will depend on your personal tastes, but I will offer a selection of ideas for you to choose from.
Seeds or ready grown plants?
It's up to you! Ready grown ones are easier for the beginner or someone starting later in the season. Seeds are the least expensive, but take more space and time. You can even go for a combination of seeds and ready grown plants. There's no wrong answer! These Thai basils are from seed and have been growing for a while now.
But this sage plant is one I got from a garden store because I've never grown sage before.
Herbal garnishes
Basil, chives, thyme, mint, and oregano are all yearly necessities for my garnish garden! Luckily most of them are perennial in the South and take little to no effort. I bought ready grown mint, oregano, and thyme and have them come back every year. The only effort I make to keep them is to not move the leaves off of them in the fall, which protects them during cold spells. My bed is still kind of messy from the winter as you can see.
I plant new chives and basil every year. Most of the time I do seeds, but sometimes I'll also get a ready grown basil, cilantro, and chive plants to get me started while the seeds grow in.
One of my more unusual plants is this bay leaf plant! I haven't used leaves from it yet but now that it's established (I planted it last year), I am going to dry the leaves to use in cooking.
Floral garnishes
Of course floral garnishes are more for looks than taste, but they add fun and color to a dish! Pansies and nasturtiums are the most common floral garnishes. Pansies are a cooler weather flower, for me in South Carolina they last from October to May. Then nasturtiums take over for the rest of the year. I buy pre-grown pansies in a rainbow of colors in the autumn and plant them in a container that I keep under my carport.
Nasturtiums are ones I've had trouble growing from seed, so I also like to pick up some ready grown ones. Their spicy, peppery flavor is also great in salads.
