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Mastering the Art of the Knot Garden!

The return of the knot garden!

Charlotte Weidner |

The Knot Garden Returns!

a cute smaller herb knot garden

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

a starter herb knot garden
  • 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!

  • Blue Star Juniper: Radiant blue foliage with a low, mounding shape. Great for color contrast and low-growing groundcover.
  • Sky Pencil Holly: Tall, narrow column perfect for punctuation in patterns and narrow backdrops.
  • Shamrock Inkberry Holly: Dense, evergreen native with small, glossy leaves. A great alternative to Boxwood. Or try the Gem Box® Inkberry Holly.
  • 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.
  • 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

formal knot garden

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!

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Compare Plants

Browse the features and specs side-by-side to find the best fit for your garden.

Creeping Thyme (Thymus praecox 'Coccineus'), a perennial featuring purple, pink flowers and perennial.
Creeping Thyme
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Mr. Bowling Ball Arborvitae
Mr. Bowling Ball® Arborvitae
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Blue Star Juniper (Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star'), a shrub featuring evergreen and dense, mounding form.
Blue Star Juniper
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Golden Mop False Cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Golden Mop'), a shrub featuring evergreen and conical, rounded form.
Golden Mop False Cypress
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Sky Pencil Holly (Ilex crenata 'Sky Pencil'), a shrub featuring white flowers and broad-leaved evergreen.
Sky Pencil Holly
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Rating
Rating
(11)
-
(2)
(1)
(22)
Type
TypePerennialShrubShrubShrubShrub
By
ByPlants That WorkNature Hills NurseryNature Hills NurseryNature Hills NurseryNature Hills Nursery
Flower Color
Flower Color
  • Purple
  • Pink
  • Green
  • Green
  • Brown
  • Green
  • White
Growing Zone Range
Growing Zone Range
3-9
3-8
4 – 8
3-5
5-9
Mature Height
Mature Height
1 ft
3 ft
2-3 ft
5 ft
6-10 ft
Width
Width
1 ft
3 ft
3-4 ft
5 ft
2-3 ft
Price
Price
$1799
$7709
From $7842
From $6227
From $4284

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I design a knot garden pattern that fits my yard and still looks balanced and symmetrical?
Start by measuring your available space and sketching the design on graph paper, keeping the layout square or rectangular for easiest symmetry. Traditional knot garden patterns like Celtic knots, interlaced squares, or diamonds work beautifully and can be scaled to fit any size plot, from a modest 10-by-10-foot corner to a grand front yard centerpiece. Symmetry is the guiding principle, so your design should read the same from all four sides. Once your pattern is finalized on paper, transfer it to the ground using string, a garden hose, or a light dusting of sand or flour to walk the layout before you commit to edging or planting.

Can I grow herbs in a knot garden instead of traditional shrubs like boxwood or lavender?
Yes, herbs are actually an ideal choice for knot gardens and can replace or complement traditional shrubs beautifully. Compact, aromatic varieties like Boxwood Basil, Creeping Rosemary, Corsican Mint, and Purple Basil offer the dense, trimmable growth habits needed to maintain crisp knot patterns while adding culinary and fragrant benefits. The key is selecting herbs with similar growth rates and heights so your design stays balanced and defined. Start from the center of your pattern and work outward, spacing plants evenly and choosing varieties that respond well to shearing or naturally hold a tidy, mounded form.

What are the best low-growing plants to use in a knot garden for crisp, defined lines that are easy to maintain?
For crisp, defined lines in a knot garden, compact and aromatic herbs that respond well to frequent shearing are your best choices. Boxwood Basil forms a dense, mounded shape with tiny leaves that mimic traditional boxwood, while Corsican Mint hugs the ground tightly and fills edges with an intense peppermint fragrance. Creeping Rosemary works beautifully along low borders and cascading edges, and Lavender trims into neat, upright shapes while adding silvery foliage and fragrant blooms. Start plants from the center of your design working outward, space them evenly, and commit to regular trimming throughout the growing season to keep those signature knot garden lines sharp and defined.

How do I start a knot garden from scratch if I have never grown formal hedging plants before?
Starting a knot garden from scratch is very manageable even for beginners when you break it into clear phases. Choose a flat, sunny spot receiving 6 to 8 hours of direct light daily, sketch your geometric pattern on graph paper first, then mark it out in the garden using string and sand or flour before you plant a single thing. Begin with forgiving, compact herbs like Lavender or Boxwood Basil, which respond beautifully to light shearing and naturally hold tidy forms without demanding expert pruning skills. Plant from the center outward, water thoroughly after planting, and commit to light, frequent trimming throughout the growing season to train your plants into clean, defined lines from the very start.

How close should I plant hedging plants in a knot garden so the pattern fills in quickly without overcrowding?
For most compact hedging herbs like Lavender, Boxwood Basil, or Creeping Rosemary, spacing plants 6 to 12 inches apart strikes the right balance between quick fill-in and healthy airflow. Closer spacing of 6 inches works well for low-growing fillers like Corsican Mint, while upright plants like Lavender do better at 10 to 12 inches to avoid overcrowding as they mature. Plant in spring after your last frost date to give roots a full growing season to knit together before winter. Water consistently through the first season and begin light shearing early to encourage dense, outward branching that tightens your knot pattern faster.

How do I prepare the soil and remove existing turf or weeds before planting a knot garden?
Start by removing all existing turf and weeds at least two to four weeks before planting, either by smothering with cardboard or newspaper and a thick layer of mulch, or by cutting sod away and hand-pulling any remaining roots. Once the area is clear, till the soil to a depth of about 8 to 10 inches to loosen compaction and improve root penetration. Because most knot garden herbs are Mediterranean in origin and demand excellent drainage, amend your soil generously with compost and coarse sand to create a light, well-draining mix. Finish by raking the bed smooth and level before marking out your pattern, since a flat, uniform surface is essential for achieving the crisp geometry a knot garden requires.

How much sun does a knot garden need, and what kind of drainage works best for the plants to thrive?
Knot gardens require full sun, meaning at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day, since most herbs used in these designs are Mediterranean in origin and simply will not thrive in shade. Well-drained soil is equally critical, as standing water and heavy clay will cause root rot in lavender, rosemary, and other key knot garden plants. Before planting, till the soil and amend it with compost and coarse sand to improve both texture and drainage. If your site retains moisture, consider raising the bed by several inches to give your plants the dry feet they need to flourish.

How do I keep the lines of a knot garden looking sharp and tidy throughout the growing season?
Regular trimming is the secret to crisp, defined knot garden lines, and most herbs will need shearing every 3 to 4 weeks during the active growing season from spring through early fall. Use sharp hand shears or hedge clippers to maintain clean edges, always cutting to the same height and shape to preserve your pattern. Choose naturally compact varieties like Boxwood Basil, Lavender, or Creeping Rosemary that hold their form well between trims and respond beautifully to frequent cutting. Set a consistent maintenance schedule, keep your tools clean and sharp, and step back often to check your lines from a distance so you can catch any uneven growth before it disrupts the design.

When is the best time of year to plant a knot garden so the plants establish well before winter?
The best time to plant a knot garden is in spring after your last frost date, giving plants a full growing season to establish strong root systems before winter arrives. In most USDA zones 5 through 8, this means planting between mid-April and late May, while gardeners in zones 9 and 10 can plant in fall for a cooler, gentler establishment period. Mediterranean herbs like lavender and rosemary are especially frost-sensitive when newly planted and need at least 8 to 10 weeks of warm weather to settle in. Aim to get your knot garden in the ground no later than early September in cooler zones so roots have time to anchor before the first hard freeze.

Can I grow a knot garden in a small space like a courtyard, raised bed, or front yard?
Yes, knot gardens scale beautifully to smaller spaces, making a courtyard, raised bed, or compact front yard an ideal canvas for this classic design. A raised bed as small as 4 by 4 feet can accommodate a simple geometric pattern using compact herbs like Boxwood Basil or Corsican Mint, which stay naturally tidy without aggressive shearing. The key requirements are the same regardless of size: full sun with 6 to 8 hours of direct light daily, excellent drainage, and a clearly defined, symmetrical pattern. Start by sketching your design on graph paper to scale, mark it out with string or sand, then plant from the center outward for the most precise results.
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