Designing Martha Stewart’s Culinary Herb Garden

Posted in Exhibitions, The Edible Garden on July 31 2009, by Plant Talk

Andrew Beckman is editorial director of gardening for Martha Stewart Living and co-host of the satellite radio show Homegrown.

I must admit I groaned a little when Martha told me that she had agreed to redesign the herb garden at NYBG as part of The Edible Garden summer-long exhibitions. I’m not a big fan of herbs: They aren’t the most visually interesting plants, being mostly fine textured and green-gray. To top it off, the existing features at the location such as the shrubs, trees, and paths would dictate so much of the design.

But after seeing the site and meeting with NYBG’s head horticulturists Todd Forrest and Margaret Falk, I sat down with Andrea Mason, our garden expert for the Martha television show, and Jodi Capobianco, Martha’s head gardener at the time. The three of us got stoked up on caffeine and sugar and got down to work. With a lot of laughter and talking over—and past—each other, we put together the plant list.

The plan included old standbys, Martha’s favorites, and some herbs from cuisines from other parts of the world. We plotted these onto the garden map, trying to mix up the textures and colors so the long borders to the sides of the garden would be as visually interesting as the parterre in the middle. Garden staff reviewed this first rough draft and suggested adding more silver plants and some edible flowers to spice up the design.

I revisited the site multiple times during this process, each time finding it smaller than it was in my memory. We asked Sal Gilbertie, owner of Gilbertie’s Herb Gardens in Westport, Conn., who donated the plants, for his advice on quantities and timing of the installation.

After more revisions, Jodi, Andrea, and I presented the plan to Martha, who added a few ideas to the mix and filled in some gaps. Once we had final approval from all parties, we handed the plan over to Kristin Schleiter, who had worked for the Martha television show and is now on the staff at NYBG. Having someone who knew all the players in this game was a great help in getting the plan from paper into the ground. I am sure we never could have done this without her.

The first part of the planting was filmed for Martha’s television show. Given my pathological dislike of seeing myself on camera, I made sure I was on a magazine shoot and let Andrea handle it all. It came out beautifully.

When I saw the herb garden on the media day for the exhibition last month, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how well it came together. I’m happy to hear that the show will extend through next summer, because I already have ideas of how to make it even better.

When planting your own herb garden, keep these tips in mind:

• Most herbs like full sun and a well-drained soil.
• Put your herb garden near the kitchen so it is easily accessible when cooking, that way you’ll use them more often.
• Herbs benefit from regular pinching, which makes them branch, so the more you harvest the more you grow.
• Annual herbs like cilantro, basil, and dill are best when sown in small batches every few weeks.
• If you only have shade, try annual herbs like parsley, cilantro, and dill.
• Mint is a vigorous grower, so it is best grown in pots or otherwise corralled.
• Herbs generally develop their best flavors in a lean soil, so use fertilizer sparingly.

For recipes by Martha using herbs, visit The Edible Garden recipe pages and the Ultimate Kitchen Herb Garden on Martha Stewart’s Web site.