Do it this week: 7 hardy herbs to plant now and enjoy for years

While plenty of gardeners are still leafing through seed catalogues and looking out at a dull, resting patch of soil, there’s a more efficient option. By planting a small selection of hardy, long-lived perennial herbs, you can arrange for fresh leaves from late winter onwards, with very little effort once the plants are established.

Why late winter is the moment to plan for perennial herbs

Late January and early February can feel like the worst possible time to think about the garden. The ground is often sticky and heavy, daylight is limited, and few people fancy nursing delicate seedlings on a chilly windowsill.

Perennial herbs turn that situation on its head. Rather than starting from scratch each spring, you lean on established roots, bulbs and rhizomes that have already banked energy and are simply waiting for brighter days.

Perennial herbs are like living batteries: they store fuel below ground, then restart quickly as soon as temperatures hover just above 0°C.

For anyone short on time, this is a quiet game-changer. You reduce trips to the supermarket, rely less on plastic-packed bunches shipped in from warmer places, and add aroma and freshness to a season that can otherwise feel stuck on stews, potatoes and cabbages.

The seven “plant once, harvest for years” herbs: chives, sorrel, parsley, mint, thyme, oregano and tarragon

A classic French-style kitchen-garden shortlist covers the essentials. These seven herbs tolerate cold, cope with light frost, and will come back year after year-provided they get a decent start.

• Chives
  
• Sorrel
  
• Parsley (especially curly types)
  
• Mint
  
• Thyme
  
• Oregano
  
• Tarragon
  

Put these seven in the ground now, and next winter you’ll be able to step outside and snip fresh leaves while the rest of the garden still appears half-asleep.

How these herbs survive winter (and why they’re so reliable)

Perennial herbs follow a straightforward cycle. As autumn arrives, growth slows, foliage yellows and energy retreats into roots, bulbs or rhizomes. What’s left above ground may look tatty or dead, but the plant is simply resting.

Your key late-winter task isn’t sowing-it’s tidying: clear away dead stems so light and air can reach the crown and the soil surface.

When the days begin to lengthen and the temperature edges above freezing, the plant’s internal “switch” flips back on. It’s common for clumps that look lifeless in January to be green and ready to pick by late February or early March.

That’s when all the paraphernalia-seed trays, heated propagators, grow lights and constant watering-becomes optional. The plants do the work for you.

Chives: the first green spears through the cold

Chives are often among the earliest signs of life outdoors. Thin green tubes can push up through chilled soil and will even appear after a light dusting of snow.

They’re easy-going: ordinary, reasonably moist soil suits them well, and they’ll manage in sun or light shade. Once a clump has settled in, it can keep producing for around ten years. Snip the leaves with scissors and, in mild spells, you’ll see fresh growth again within days.

In the kitchen, newly cut chives lift simple food instantly-scrambled eggs, jacket potatoes, salads and soft cheeses all benefit from that gentle onion flavour.

Sorrel: the bright, sharp flavour winter meals often lack

Garden sorrel is a perennial leaf herb known for its distinct lemony, acidic tang. Its youngest leaves can show in late winter, well before any lettuce is thinking about growing.

Chop sorrel finely into omelettes, stir it into creamy sauces for fish, or shred it into soups. The older leaves develop a stronger sourness, so many cooks prefer the tender early growth.

Parsley: tougher than its reputation suggests

Parsley is often described as biennial, but a well-established plant can sit through winter and start producing again once light levels increase. Curly parsley generally copes with frost better than flat-leaf types.

Give it fertile soil that holds moisture without becoming waterlogged, and a spot with some protection from cold winds helps. Harvest regularly: consistent cutting keeps the plant compact and leafy, rather than rushing into flower and seed.

Mint: absent above ground in winter, vigorous as soon as it warms

When the weather turns cold, mint usually disappears at the surface. Underground, however, its runners keep their strength and spread steadily, ready to surge into growth with the first mild spell.

If you don’t want mint taking over, contain it. A large pot (about 10–20 litres) or a bottomless bucket sunk into the ground works well. You still get generous pickings from late spring onwards, and the earliest shoots often emerge sooner than you’d expect.

Mint instantly perks up mint tea, yoghurt sauces, fruit salads and spring potatoes.

Thyme, oregano and tarragon: the Mediterranean trio that still handles frost

Thyme and oregano are small, woody shrubs associated with warmer climates, yet many varieties are impressively hardy in UK gardens.

They prefer full sun and free-draining soil. If your garden is heavy clay, consider a raised bed, a gravelly strip, or a stony corner-winter wet is usually more dangerous to these plants than cold itself.

Tarragon behaves differently. Classic French tarragon often vanishes almost completely in winter, then sends up fresh stems once the soil warms. Its aniseed note is excellent with chicken, fish and simple cream-based sauces.

Herb	Main flavour note	Best position	Cold behaviour
Chives	Mild onion	Sun or light shade	Top growth dies back; regrows early in spring
Sorrel	Lemony, acidic	Sun or partial shade	Some leaves may persist; very early new flush
Parsley	Fresh, slightly peppery	Sun or partial shade	Can retain some foliage through winter
Mint	Cool, menthol	Moist soil (not waterlogged)	Dies back; re-sprouts from runners
Thyme	Warm, resinous	Full sun; well-drained	Often evergreen in mild winters
Oregano	Strong, herbal	Full sun; well-drained	May keep some leaves; regrows from the base
Tarragon	Aniseed	Sun; fertile soil	Top dies back; shoots return from the rootstock

From bare beds to a late-winter feast

Fresh herbs at the end of winter noticeably change what ends up on the plate. A spoonful of chopped green scattered over a stew or soup isn’t just decorative-it adds fragrance, nutrients and that feeling that the season is finally shifting.

Ideas for the very first pickings:

• Chives mixed into cream cheese and spread on toast.
• Young sorrel folded into an omelette with grated cheese.
• Curly parsley and mint combined with bulgur wheat or couscous for a quick tabbouleh-style salad.
• Thyme and oregano slipped under chicken skin before roasting.
• Tarragon stirred into a pan sauce for fish right at the end of cooking.

In colder months, supermarkets often sell herbs grown under heated glass or transported from warmer countries. Snipping your own turns “special-occasion garnish” into an everyday habit, with a much smaller footprint.

What to do this week: turn the idea into planting

If your garden (or balcony) doesn’t yet have herbs, you don’t need to wait for late spring. Garden centres commonly stock young plants in small pots even during cool weather.

Plant when the soil isn’t frozen solid and isn’t waterlogged; the roots will settle quietly long before you start harvesting in earnest.

For now, skip sowing. Choose robust, well-rooted plants, or ask neighbours and friends for divisions. Chives, mint, oregano and thyme are particularly easy to split: one established clump cut into two or three pieces can become several new plants.

Place herbs where you’ll actually use them-ideally within easy reach of the back door. Convenience matters: if you have to trudge across a soggy lawn in the rain, you’ll harvest far less often. As a rough guide, leave around 20–30 cm between smaller herbs (like thyme) and 30–45 cm for more spreading ones (like mint, if it’s not contained).

Two extra considerations: soil set-up and balcony growing

A little preparation improves long-term results. Before planting, loosen the soil and mix in a few handfuls of compost. For thyme, oregano and tarragon, add grit or gravel if drainage is poor-these herbs would rather be slightly dry than sit in winter damp.

If you’re growing on a patio or balcony, most of these herbs do brilliantly in containers. Use a peat-free multi-purpose compost, ensure pots have drainage holes, and raise them slightly on pot feet so water can escape. In very cold snaps, shifting pots next to a wall (or into an unheated porch) can prevent repeated freeze–thaw cycles from stressing the roots.

Extra tips, good pairings, and small risks to watch

Three practical habits help these perennial herbs thrive for years:

• Prioritise good drainage for thyme, oregano and tarragon.
• Keep mint and chives productive by cutting regularly.
• In autumn, apply a light mulch of compost around sorrel and parsley.

Herb groupings can also influence the wider garden. Strong-scented thyme and oregano tend to draw pollinators and may confuse some pests when planted near vegetables. Tucking herbs beneath fruit trees often creates a livelier, more resilient patch, with more insects moving through and more scent in the air.

One caution is worth highlighting: mint’s enthusiasm. If you give it free rein, it can race through beds and overwhelm gentler neighbours. A pot-sunk into the ground or kept above it-usually prevents problems while still delivering very generous harvests.

If you’re new to the terminology, two words appear often. Perennial means a plant that lives for several years and regrows from the same root system. Hardy describes how well a plant copes with cold; a hardy perennial herb, such as thyme, can take repeated frosts and still return strongly.

Treat this week’s planting as a small, practical trial. Picture next February: you open the back door, step onto the path, brush a thin layer of frost off a chive clump, and head back inside with a handful of green. It’s remarkably achievable-and it begins with a trowel, a few pots of herbs, and ten minutes outside between showers.