Herbs That Thrive on Neglect: 5 Top Picks to Grow

I love growing herbs on my patio, where I can enjoy their delicious fragrance every time I head out into the yard. Not to mention, many of them are super low-maintenance – I simply pot them up, position them somewhere sunny, and water during hot spells.

While growing some herbs is a bit more demanding and often requires frequent harvesting with herb scissors (which are available at Amazon), some Mediterranean herbs are less effort to keep in shape. I grow both rosemary and thyme, which look beautiful even when I forget to water and haven’t pruned in a while.

One of the main reasons these are herbs that thrive on neglect is they prefer their soil to fully dry in between watering and don’t demand fertilizer. Here, I talk through five of the best herbs to grow if you want lots of flavor for minimal effort.

1. Rosemary

Rosemary is the number one choice of low-effort herb to grow. Native to the Mediterranean, it thrives in full sun, is drought-tolerant, doesn’t need feeding, and doesn’t require frequent pruning to maintain its neat, upright shape.

Growing rosemary is easy, with varieties like ‘Arp’ (which you can find at Plant Addicts) being hardy across zones 6-10. The one thing to note is that not all types of rosemary are frost-tolerant, so you may need to overwinter rosemary to ensure it makes it through to next spring.

Rosemary can be grown as bigger fragrant shrub, or you can grow rosemary in a pot. Whatever the case, giving it an occasional trim to maintain its shape will reward you with aromatic sprigs to cook with.

You can also pick up rosemary starter plants at Walmart, or shop rosemary seeds from Burpee to grow it from scratch.

2. Thyme

Just like rosemary, thyme (USDA zones 5-9) is a drought-tolerant Mediterranean herb that loves full sun, infrequent watering, and doesn’t demand fertile soil.

For the best flavor, give thyme 6-8 hours of direct sun, which will trigger the production of essential oils. You can let its soil dry out in between watering, with too much water causing root rot.

As for its growing medium, thyme does well in poorer, sandy soil over fertile, moisture-retentive compost.

I grow ‘Silver Queen’ thyme which beautifully spills over the edge of its pot. You can find thyme plants at Walmart or use these Amazon thyme seeds to grow a new plant.

3. Oregano

Oregano is one of the best herbs for getting a big harvest for little effort. It loves direct sun and poor soil, it’s drought-tolerant, and its beautiful flowers attract pollinators.

It’s best not to fertilize oregano, as this can encourage soft new growth over essential oil production. Likewise, you should harvest oregano to keep it growing by taking cuttings above leaf nodes. This will help maintain its bushy shape.

It’s best to give oregano well-draining soil, as it doesn’t enjoy soggy conditions. Bear in mind it can spread fast, so a container with a drainage hole is ideal (like these terracotta pots on Amazon).

Oregano grows across USDA zones 4-10, and you can order oregano plants from Amazon.

4. Chives

Not only do chives bring a fresh, delicate flavor to cooking, they also produce pretty blooms to add color to your herb garden. As alliums, this herb produces purple or pink pom-pom flowers in spring and summer.

As for growing chives (USDA 3-9), these perennial herbs are highly undemanding.

They prefer consistently moist soil, but are very forgiving if you forget to water them thanks to the water storage in their bulbs and leaves. Likewise, they can grow in both full sun and partial shade, and return reliably after dying back in winter.

When harvesting chives, use gardening snips (like these Fiskars ones from Amazon) to cut at the base of the plant, rather than the tips. This will encourage fresh growth for a continual harvest.

Find chive seeds at Burpee.

5. Lemon Balm

Lemon balm growing in a container on a balcony

Lemon balm is on the list of herbs that thrive on neglect because it’s super forgiving. As a member of the mint family, it’s hardy across USDA zones 3-9, copes well with short period of drought (though it prefers consistent moisture), and is highly resistant to pests and diseases.

Even if you do forget to water lemon balm, it will bounce back quickly. Pruning lemon balm will give it vigor again – just give it a chop if it’s leggy and it will soon put out fresh new growth.

It’s easy to harvest lemon balm, too. Pick the young leaves to add into teas, desserts, and salads.

It’s important to note it does spread rapidly like other types of mint, so it’s often best to grow lemon balm in a pot.

Find a lemon balm plant at Plant Addicts, or grow it with these lemon balm seeds from Botanical Interests.

What to Shop

No matter which herbs you add to your garden, make sure to read up on herb gardening mistakes to avoid. This includes not harvesting to encourage more growth and overcrowding your plants.

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