Healing Herbs: A Modern Apothecary Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show - Gardenista

Healing Herbs: A Modern Apothecary Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show - Gardenista

Her name is synonymous with herbs though Jekka McVicar usually talks about and sells them.
Photography by Jim Powell for Gardenista.
Jekka McVicar’s Modern Apothecary Garden at Chelsea, which was awarded a silver-gilt medal.
Although Jekka’s herb farm in Somerset is home to a vast collection of culinary herbs, the Modern Apothecary Garden has been designed for healing.
In fact it isn’t 100 percent grass but is made of a combination of beneficial herbs including wild oregano, yarrow, plantain, salad burnet, sorrel, St John’s-wort, and meadowsweet.
Any grass verge or traditional lawn that has not been over-managed will contain a selection of these plants.
Superfood linseed (the blue flower shown here) is at home among the aromatics of Jekka’s apothecary garden.
Behind each bench is a backdrop of plaited willow, sprouting from the top.
Theatrical angelica takes center stage from this side of the garden, accompanied by fennel, chives, artemisia, borage, parsley, bay, and sage.
The Modern Apothecary Garden is smaller than the show gardens on Main Avenue, being the size of an average urban backyard.
Benches are made for a comfortable one or a cozy two. Circles of cobbles are tactile for bare feet, enclosing circles of thyme (which loves to be stepped on).
An irresistible round carpet of thyme, including Thymus ‘Jekka’.
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