These are both simple and complex plants at the same time. The reason many experience failure is that they treat them either as herbaceous or as woody plants, yet they belong to neither category. They are somewhere in between.
This is a group of subshrubs. They possess a woody base that produces tender herbaceous shoots. These shoots provide their lush form and flowering.
Subshrubs such as lavender, rosemary, santolina, sage, thyme, wormwood, Jerusalem sage, and oregano will only look their best with timely, proper pruning; they do not tolerate being cut back to the woody part, yet the shrub must be properly formed through the timely pruning of herbaceous shoots.
Those pruned haphazardly or not pruned at all eventually acquire a sprawling, splayed form, often with coarse, woody parts protruding.
It is also essential to understand their nature and life cycle. These plants have a dormant period during the summer heat, during which watering must be minimal. Fertilizers, especially organic ones, are also unnecessary for them. In nature, they grow on poor, arid soils, on slopes where water never pools.
Our motto is a garden in partnership with nature! If the conditions of your garden match the natural habitat of your chosen plants, or do not exceed their adaptive capacities, success is guaranteed!
Yana Danyuk
Principal Designer
Yana Danyuk
Principal Designer of Gardeniana. She creates designer gardens in Athens and throughout Greece.
