Most of us want to grow some fresh herbs and, with limited space or time, we go for those we often use and that must be picked fresh. Parsley, coriander, mint, salad rocket, tarragon, dill and chives will be high on the list. They all have succulent leaves that soon wilt after picking.

Your choice of herbs depends on where you can and would like to grow them. The cook in you wants them near the kitchen, so you can nip in and out whenever you want an extra flavour.

But, as a gardener, you may want a prime spot for such attractive plants.

And does your bed or patio face north, so is shady, or south and is sunny? How close is it to a dusty, polluting road, forcing you to thoroughly wash the leaves, thereby removing all their essential oils? Or is it safely screened from the traffic?

Depending on your choice, you may not be able to grow everything you want but you’ll always find some herbs that will thrive wherever your space is.

Even if your bed is in the “wrong” place for the plant you want, many herbs do well in pots.

But deep-rooted umbellifers, such as fennel, lovage and sweet cicely, need the open ground, so, if you can only use a pot, treat them as annuals.

Buy plants every year and use the largest pot you’ve got. Welsh and tree onions are also fussy as they need to spread freely over a bed.

As you would expect, the sun plays a pivotal role. When you look at a plant’s description, “full sun”, “partial shade” and “shade” have a precise meaning that you should bear in mind.

“Full sun” applies to an area that enjoys at least six hours of direct sun in midsummer. A partially shady spot gets between three and six hours, and a shady one gets less than three hours.

Time of day is also important and affects the length of a herb’s growing season. Early morning or evening sun in an area is obviously much less useful, especially during spring and autumn when it is weak at the best of times.

And deciduous trees control light levels throughout the year.

You will succeed with dill and coriander if you have a warm, sheltered patch and they’ll flourish in pots or the open ground. But they must be kept well watered and the growing medium should be well-drained.

As annuals, you’ll need to resow every spring and again in June for succession.

On the other hand, parsley, chives and French tarragon grow happily in partial shade, where there’s less than six hours of direct sun.

Unlike most herbs, mint tolerates shade. My mint bed runs along an east-facing fence, with a tall ivy-clad elm to the south. It shares the space with a climbing rose

and the encroaching roots from a

medium-sized mixed roadside hedge. The bed also borders a grass path, so only a little pruning keeps the mint under control. Without such competition, corral it in a pot.

We grow several varieties, but most either have a spearmint, peppermint or slightly perfumed flavour. Even ginger mint tastes more of mint than ginger.

We are also lucky that salad rocket thrives in shade. Repeat sowing keeps a regular supply on hand.

Astra has very finely divided leaves, while Esmée has rounded lobes. And, unsurprisingly, Dragon’s Blood has deep red veining. Even if, like most herbs, they look too good to eat, try to remember that they are a crop.

And finally: it’s a total waste of time trying to grow basil outdoors in Scotland. Only a greenhouse will do.

Plant of the week:

Tulipa humilis Helena

Good in a sunny, well drained bed, species tulips like this are also happy in a pot. They will increase from year to year.