Herb pyramid

Herbs are the perfect plant for growing by the back door, then within seconds of harvesting they are in the kitchen, ensuring their freshest flavours.
Time to plant: mid-late spring

To make the pot pyramid, start off with a wide container and fill it halfway with John lnnes No. 3 compost. Adding extra grit to the compost gives the herbs the good drainage they enjoy. Choose a second pot that, when placed inside the first one, will leave a band around the rim large enough to plant in. Fill in around the second pot with more compost, then repeat the process with a smaller, third pot. Once you have your pyramid of pots, plant it up with your favourite herbs and put it in a sunny spot. Turn the pot regularly to give all the plants equal sunlight. Keep it well watered and it should provide regular harvests of fresh herbs all summer long.

TIP A pyramid pot creates a simple feature for a sunny site, but do plant it up in situ, as the completed display will be very heavy to move.

references: BBC 2011 gardeners book
image: http://www.chesapeakecrafts.com/images/tower_planter.JPG