Mastering the Art of the Knot Garden!

The Knot Garden Returns!

Formal Knot Gardens aren't just historical curiosities from old English estates. They're deeply rewarding, artistic expressions of garden design that delight the senses and feed both body and soul.

With crisp lines, sheared hedges, symmetrical patterns, and richly fragrant herbs, these living tapestries offer culinary, medicinal, and ornamental benefits right outside your door.

Let’s walk step-by-step through creating a traditional yet modern and herb knot garden or formal knot garden you can enjoy in any sunny backyard corner or show off in a grand display in your front or backyard landscape!

Step-by-Step: Creating a Classic Knot Garden

1. Choose the Right Location

Full sun is essential. Herbs thrive in 6 to 8 hours of sunlight.
Good drainage is a must! Amend with compost or sand if needed.
Pick a flat, square, or rectangular area visible from a patio or path.

2. Pick a Pattern

Traditional knot gardens are geometric: think Celtic knots, diamonds, or interlaced squares.
Draw it on graph paper or use online garden design tools.
Symmetry is key! Design should look good from all sides.

3. Mark and Edge the Design

Outline your pattern using a hose or string, then transfer with sand or flour.
Use brick, stone, or metal edging to give definition.

4. Prepare the Soil

Till to loosen, then amend with compost.
Keep it slightly sandy and well-drained for Mediterranean herbs.

5. Plant with Precision

Start from the center and work outwards.
Follow your design carefully and space plants evenly.
Water thoroughly after planting.

6. Best Plants for Herb Knot Gardens

Choose compact and aromatic herbs that respond well to trimming, or stay nice and tidy on their own. These herbs offer fragrance, culinary use, and beautiful forms for weaving into knot patterns:

Boxwood Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Boxwood'): Tiny leaves and dense, mounded form. Perfect mimic of Boxwood with a delicious scent. Purple Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Purpurascens'): Adds deep color and lush leaves to liven up traditional green designs.

Creeping Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostratus'): Fragrant trailing herb ideal for cascading edges or low borders.

Corsican Mint (Mentha requienii): Tiny leaves with intense peppermint aroma, this is a wonderful ground-hugging filler.

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia): Upright growth with silvery-green foliage and richly fragrant purple blooms; trims beautifully into neat shapes and attracts pollinators all summer long.

Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum): A charming, ground-hugging herb with tiny aromatic leaves and petite purple flowers; ideal for filling gaps, softening edges, and weaving through knot patterns.

Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys): Compact evergreen subshrub with glossy leaves and pinkish-purple flowers; a favorite for low hedging and crisp knot garden outlines thanks to its dense, formal habit.

Arp Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis 'Arp'): Upright, cold-hardy form with gray-green needle-like leaves, perfect for trimming into low hedges or fragrant dividers.

Dwarf Garden Sage (Salvia officinalis 'Compacta'): Aromatic silvery foliage, clipped low, adds soft contrast and cooking utility. Or try colorful Tricolor Sage (Salvia officinalis 'Tricolor') with cream, green, and pink variegated foliage. Brings vibrant contrast and culinary use.

Marjoram (Origanum majorana): Soft, fuzzy foliage with gentle oregano scent and tightly branched habit.

Lemon Thyme (Thymus citriodorus): Glossy, citrus-scented foliage with a controlled creeping habit.

Curry Plant (Helichrysum italicum): Wispy, silvery foliage with an intense aroma that adds a unique look and scent

7. Great Suggestions For Knot Garden Structure & Color

Check out these other great evergreen and broadleaf evergreen plants that are naturally or easily trimmed to be formal members of this unique garden style!

Mr. Bowling Ball Arborvitae: Natural globe form, soft texture, and minimal pruning required to maintain its perfectly round shape.

Blue Star Juniper: Radiant blue foliage with a low, mounding shape. Great for color contrast and low-growing groundcover.

Golden Mop False Cypress: Adds chartreuse whimsy with a shaggy texture that contrasts neatly trimmed plants.

Sky Pencil Holly: Tall, narrow column perfect for punctuation in patterns and narrow backdrops.

Whipcord Western Red Cedar: Long, thread-like, bright green branches form a rounded, mop-head shape.

Shamrock Inkberry Holly: Dense, evergreen native with small, glossy leaves. A great alternative to Boxwood. Or try the Gem Box® Inkberry Holly.

Thunderbolt® Box Honeysuckle: A small-leaved evergreen that clips easily and shapes like a dream.

Boxwood: Ideal for the permanent structure, clean edges, and defined backdrops.

Ice Breaker™ Korean Fir: Dwarf conifer with curled silver-blue needles and a compact, globe-like shape. It adds year-round texture and contrast.

Dwarf Myrtle: Tidy, evergreen shrub with glossy, aromatic leaves, white spring flowers, and a soft, rounded habit. Ideal for sheared borders or formal patterns.

8. Choose Flowering Ornamentals

While the herbs take the stage in an Herb Knot garden, not all Knot Gardens need to be filled with herbs! These are the fan favorites that are typically grown in a Knot Garden of old:

Helene Von Stein Lamb’s Ears: Velvety silver leaves with a plush texture and soft mounding shape; adds a soothing, tactile contrast to clipped herbs and brings a gentle glow to garden edges.

Alliums: Upright green stalks and purple pompoms, and ornamental.

Silver Mound Artemisia: Silky-soft and silvery, adds texture.

Black Scallop Ajuga: Low-growing groundcover with deep foliage and electric blue flowering spikes.

Tom Thumb Creeping Cotoneaster: Tiny glossy leaves, spreading shape, and red berries in fall, this is a tough and cold-hardy, wide-spreading little shrub!

Salvia: Upright, aromatic plants with textured foliage and spires of vibrant blooms in purples, blues, or reds; attracts pollinators, offers culinary and medicinal uses, and adds vertical interest to formal plantings.

Hyssop: Upright, woody stems with narrow leaves and spikes of blue, pink, or white flowers; valued for its bold scent, bee-friendly blooms, and medicinal history.

Dalmatian Rose Foxglove: Towering spires of rosy, bell-shaped blooms in shades of purple, pink, and cream rise above rosettes of soft, textured leaves. A formal and cottage garden classic that adds vertical drama and attracts pollinators

Veronica: Graceful spikes of blue, pink, or white flowers rise above tidy clumps of lance-shaped green leaves; long-blooming and pollinator-friendly, it adds vertical rhythm and soft color to formal patterns or sunny borders.

9. Showy Specimens - Crown Jewels To Top Your Design Off!

Tree Form Rose, Gardenia Trees, and Hydrangea Trees: Elegant and romantic, these standard grafted and trained flowering shrubs are elevated on a straight trunk. Flowering prolifically through summer, they are perfect as focal points with heady fragrance and classic charm!

Weeping Norway Spruce: Cascading branches and dramatic dark green needles create a moody focal point with year-round interest.

Contorted Filbert: Also called Harry Lauder's Walking Stick, its twisted, gnarled branches stand out in winter and offer architectural whimsy!

Dwarf Alberta Spruce Spiral Topiary: Slow-growing, densely needled conifer often trimmed into cones or spirals. Formal, evergreen structure that requires minimal fuss. Or try the Pom Pom Dwarf Alberta Spruce Topiary: Rounded cloud-like forms stacked along a central stem, it adds artistry, whimsy, and sculptural rhythm to the garden space.

Weeping Redbud: Twisting branches and soft pink early spring blooms. Striking silhouette for small garden rooms. Try the burgundy Ruby Falls or the tri-colored Whitewater Weeping for some showy garden toppers!

Spartan Juniper Spiral Topiary: bold, evergreen statement with tight spiraled form and rich green needles; fast-growing and statuesque. Perfect for formal entrances or focal accents in knot garden corners.

Variegated Boxwood Cone Topiary: Neatly clipped into a classic cone, this evergreen features creamy-edged green leaves for a bright twist on formal structure. It is eye-catching and elegant in any season.

Weeping Evergreens: Graceful and architectural, these flowing forms add motion and elegance to structured knot gardens; favorites include the narrow, cascading Green Arrow Weeping Alaskan Cedar, the silvery, soft Slenderina Weeping Blue Spruce, and the richly textured Bruns Weeping Serbian Spruce. Each offering year-round drama and formality with a wild-hearted twist.

10. Keep It Trimmed: Tips for a Tidy Knot Garden

Clip Often, Clip Lightly: Trim every 3 to 4 weeks during the growing season to maintain sharp lines and healthy plants. Light, frequent trims encourage dense growth and reduce shock.
Use Clean, Sharp Shears: Always sanitize blades between plants to prevent spreading disease, especially on woody herbs like Lavender and Germander.
Hand Shears for Precision: Bypass hand pruners or topiary scissors offer the best control for shaping tight curves and small-leaved plants like Boxwood or Box Basil.
Trim on Cloudy Days: Avoid sun-scorching freshly cut foliage by pruning in the early morning or on overcast days.
Follow the Form: Let the plant’s natural shape guide you, just refine it. Don't force tight spheres or cones from floppy herbs like Sage or Chamomile.
Deadhead Regularly: Snip off spent blooms to keep plants tidy, redirect energy into foliage, and encourage more blooms (learn more about deadheading).
Mulch with Finesse: Apply a thin layer of arborist mulch around the base of plants to suppress weeds and retain moisture, but keep it off stems and topiary trunks.
Edge the Beds: Use a half-moon edger or spade to keep bed lines sharp and well-defined. This adds instant polish to the overall design.
Use the Finger Test: Before watering, poke a finger into the soil near plant roots. If it feels dry a few inches down, it’s time to water. Here's a quick how-to: Finger Test Video.
Feed Modestly: Use a light, balanced organic fertilizer in spring to support healthy new growth, but avoid overfeeding, which can lead to leggy herbs and fast outgrowth of formal shapes.

Garden Ties That Bind

Herb knot gardens tie together form, function, and fragrance like no other design! With a touch of history and a splash of charm, they offer an enchanting blend of structure and softness. Whether you're aiming for Tudor-style formality or just want a whimsical space that feels plucked from a fairytale, knot gardens deliver timeless beauty with practical bounty.

The scents of Lavender and Thyme drifting on the breeze, the hum of bees, and the joy of crisp, clipped symmetry! This is a kind of Sensory gardening that soothes the mind, perfumes the air, while feeding the soul!

So roll up those sleeves, sketch your design, and let the garden shears dance.

Happy Planting!