[kermit]

I have a pot with various herbs in it (mint, sage, oregano & marjoram) - all planted around 1 year ago.  Some of them (esp the mint) have recently grown really tall and woody, just after they started flowering.  Should I cut them back, and if so, how much?

I've read I should cut them back to the woody bits, bit that isnt very far at-all.  If I cut them right back, will they produce new growth?  Oh, and I'm presuming this is the right time of year!

[mumofstig]

You can cut mint down to soil level and it will still come back It is the thug of the herb world
I wouldn't cut the others into old wood though, they really don't like it. Pruning herbs is one of those things that you should do a little at a time through the year to keep the growth short, you can always dry the cutting for use in the winter.
Once the plants have got too tall, there's not much you can do...apart from the tidy up of this years growth and see how they grow next year.
You could always grow some new ones from seed in the spring, if the old ones are really past it

[gillie]

Herbs do well in pots for a short while, then, as you have found, they go leggy.  It sounds to me as if these herbs are ready for a re-pot or plant out .

Mint is a wanderer, it will not do well in the same place for long. I would cut it back some and put it in a new pot in fresh compost.  It dies back in the Autumn but comes again in the Spring.  It can be invasive if planted in the garden.

Sage grows into quite a big bush, I would cut it back a litte, probably not into the hard wood and then either put it into a new largish pot or better still plant it in a sunny spot in the garden.  I would do pretty much the same for the oregano and marjoram, though they do not grow as big as sage.

Cheers,

Gillie

[galen]

I cut my Mint back to soil level around about, well now, and my Sage in the Spring. Both have been going for a number of years now and appear to be going well. I suppose because I started doing the severe prunning of the Sage from year one it has never really had the chance to get leggy or woody.

the Oregano and Marjoram I leave to their own devices - they die back in the winter and regrow the following year.

I should add these are all in pots outside by a house wall.

[kermit]

great advice, thanks guys