Committing to plant placement gives me the willies.  Thankfully, my neighbor had the solution.  A potted herb garden!

1.  Gather a selection of interesting pots.

2.  Fill them almost to the top (about 4 inches shy) with potting soil.

3.  Place one perennial herb in each pot:  oregano, thyme, rosemary, chives, french tarragon, and mint are all good choices and work best as transplants.

4.  Fill in with other annual herb transplants.  Basil and parsely are good choices.  I also tossed in a green pepper.  (Remember that dill and cilantro hate the dead of summer and do their best growing in fall and spring.)

5.  Backfill with more potting soil, but don’t water heavily yet as pots will weigh a ton.

6.  Push aside the mulch in your flower bed and arrange pots.

7.  Backfill in and around with mulch.

8.  Water regularly.

9.  If desired, add flowers for color.  Annuals or some of the prettier edibles are great choices:  milkweek, bee balm, cone flower.

10.  Rearrange pots as desired!

Here’s what it looks like when you step back.  (note, gorgeous bee balm in back lost it’s flowers before this picture):