Making a herb garden

We've decided to make our small, Q sunny, south-facing back garden into a herb garden with edible flowers. For this, we'll need a lot of plants. What perennial herbs can we raise from seed? Sam Whittaker, Andover, Hampshire

At Herbs look great in generous swathes and Mediterranean types will love your sunny plot, especially if soil is well drained. You'll soon have a haze of drought-tolerant aromatics whose nectar-rich flowers will attract pollinating insects. Most bloom from early summer to the autumn, but rosemary often flowers during mild winter spells and evergreen kinds such as bay have a year-round presence.

Any gaps can be plugged by edible flowers, starting with primroses early in the year. For a backbone of shrubs, use Szechuan pepper, roses (for their edible petals) and low-growing dyer's greenweed (Genista tinctoria).

Raising plants from seed yields speedy results and will deliver the large numbers you need for edging borders and filling beds. Tried-and-tested species for culinary use include common sage (Salvia officinalis), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote', chives (Allium schoenoprasum) and winter savory (Satureja montana).