Growing herbs is easy and rewarding! Most herbs are
not bothered by pests or diseases. Herbs can fit into a formal or
naturalistic garden. Prepare the soil for a herb garden by adding
compost and raising the bed. Most herbs will thrive with a yearly
application of a granular fertilizer in spring and one supplemental
fertilizer application in summer. Many herbs are well suited to container
growing.
A Culinary Garden
A small, sunny spot in your garden will yield plenty
of herb trimmings to add to your meals. Start with these easy favorites
and add more if there is room. Plant close to the kitchen for easy
use!
Perennial Herbs
Chives. Low growing with round clusters
of purple flowers; very easy to grow and pretty, too.
Greek Oregano. A must for Italian cooking; can spread
so give it some room; easy.
Rosemary. A good background plant since it gets tall
(except trailing type); very aromatic.
English Thyme. Small leaves and low growth; the most
used thyme for cooking.
Curly Spearmint. Pretty curly leaves and fresh mint flavor for use
in fruit salad, drinks, and desserts.
Annual Herbs
(Plant new plants every year.)
Dill. Plant every year for the ferny
foliage and distinctive fresh taste; much better fresh than dried.
Parsley. Easy to grow; plant in fall or early spring
since it likes cool weather; bright green leaves.
Sweet Basil. Pesto lovers know the fragrance and
wonderful taste of this herb; fresh leaves are much better than dried.
Add other basils, caraway, chervil, garlic chives, cilantro, scented
geraniums, lovage, sweet marjoram, lemon grass, more mints, some of
the other oreganos, any of the sages, winter savory, french sorrel,
french tarragon, and other thymes in that extra space!
Fragrance Garden
Plant these herbs for their delightful scents! Full
sun and not too much fertilizer will bring out the strongest scents.
Plant them where you pass by often or near your front door as a greeting
to your guests.
Lavendin Provence or Seal. That lavender
scent in a plant that is a little easier to grow in our heavy soils.
The other lavenders benefit from containers or raised beds and a sandy
soil mix.
Rosemary. Very fragrant leaves on evergreen shrubs.
Arp, Hill Hardy are Furneaux Hardy are all cold hardy selections.
Trailing rosemary makes a great hanging basket that will scent a room.
Lemon Verbena. The most wonderful lemon fragrance!
This shrubby grower is winter tender so it makes a good potted plant
to bring in for the winter. Small plants set in the garden in spring
make good size plants by fall.
Pineapple Sage. It really does smell like pineapple
and it has beautiful bright red flowers in late summer and fall. Somewhat
winter tender but easy care.
Mexican Mint Marigold. Pair with Pineapple Sage for
a great combination. Both grow 3-4' tall and the small yellow flowers
of this plant are a good contrast with the red of the sage. It has
a licorice scent and narrow leaves. Heat tolerant.
Chocolate Mint. Plant in containers to contain its
spread - or let it go and enjoy a big area of this wonderful fragrance!
Mints like more moisture than most herbs and can grow in part shade.
Nutmeg Geranium. An attractive plant with a trailing
habit, this scented geranium is well suited to a container.
Other fragrance plants are basils, eucalyptus, other
scented geraniums, hyssop, other lavenders, lemon balm, lemon grass,
other mints, sweet myrtle, panama rose, southernwod, and vicks plant.
