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Herbs
are used as natural culinary flavorings, fragrances, dyes,
medicines and insect repellents. Researchers are
rediscovering and continually adding to the large body of
herbal knowledge and lore. Most herbs prefer a sunny spot
but will tolerate partial sun. They are quite disease resistant,
need little fertilizer and are tolerant of drought. They
can be planted outside in your garden or in a windowbox
or patio planter. These plants are durable, aromatic, decorative
and easy to grow and many can be taken inside for the winter.
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Abbreviations
Used
[a] annual: Grows and blooms 1 season,
dies first winter
[b] biennial: Blooms second season,
dies second winter
[p] perennial: Grows and blooms for
more than 1 season
[tp] tender perennial: Not hardy to
this area, should be treated as an annual planted
in a protected area or grown inside
Most
of the herbs listed in this section are grown in single
pots.
An asterisk (*) next to the name indicates these herbs
can be found in larger pots in our Perennial
department.
We also grow some of the more popular herbs in 4-packs
and they are also listed in the Vegetable
section of this guide.
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Aloe
[tp]
Known
for soothing and healing burns and sores. Uses are medicinal
and cosmetic. Popular houseplant. Produces new plants at
base.
Angelica [b]
Considered
medicinal and used in making cordials and liqueurs like
Benedictine. Young leaves and shoots may be used in salads.
Prefers moist soils, semi-shade and will reseed under good
conditions.
Anise Hyssop (Agastache) [p]
Uses:
fruit, honey, teas, soup and fragrances. Bold garden accent
plant with tall purple spikes that attract bees - from which
a fine honey is made by the bees. Leaves can be dried for
tea and potpourri.
Artemisia
[p] Varieties
listed in perennial section
Aromatic
foliage. Good in dried arrangements, wreaths and potpourri.
Arugula (Roquette) [a]
Generally
considered a vegetable. Leaves have a unique peppery sweet
tang. Use in salads to provide same punch as green onions
but without their aftertaste. Also available in four packs
in our vegetable area.
Aztec
Sweet Herb [tp]
Vining
Mexican tropical with white flowers. Ideal in hanging baskets.
Self sows in garden. Uses: natural sugar substitute, medicinal.
Balm [p]
Delightful
tea. Chopped leaves are used in salads, soups and stews.
Produces nectar for bees. Thought to renew youth. Medicinal,
cosmetic, culinary and household uses.
Golden Lemon - variegated foliage - attractive
accent plant
Lemon
- green leaves
Basil [a]
Favorite
for cooking, borders and mass plantings. Since there are
so many different varieties of basil, it is fun to plant
a sampler. Keep flowers
pinched off to keep bushy and to prevent bolting. Tender
annual.
Some varieties are available in four packs in our veggie
area.
African Blue - purplish-blue tint - sweet
camphor scent
Aussie Sweet - spicy, floral, citrusy flavor
- tall, columnar form - 30”
Dwarf Minette - small leaved - 10” spheres
without pinching
Genovese – great Italian flavor – large dark
green leaves – slow to bolt
Italian Large Leaf – standard Italian sweet
basil for pesto, tomato sauces
and dishes - leaves and flowers can be used fresh or dried
Lemon
Sweet Dani – best of the lemon basils - very desirable
for culinary
and decorative uses - excellent regrowth (1998 AAS Winner)
Lettuce Leaf - large wrinkled foliage - very
productive plant
Magical Michael - attractive fragrant green
foliage with purple tips- small
white flowers - good as a foliage plant in containers
Neapolitanum - big
rounded, deep crinkled leaves - rich mellow flavor
Nufar - sweet ‘Genovese’ basil - rich aroma
and flavor - wilt resistant
Red Rubin - fine flavor and aroma - purple,
sometimes mottled, leaves
Sal’s Italian Choice - Genoa type - dark green,
slight curled leaves – great
flavor - strong growth habit and very productive
Serrata – long green ruffled leaves – excellent
flavor – 12-16”
Spicy Globe – small dome shaped plants with
tiny leaves - slightly hot and
spicy - a little goes a long way - decorative planted in
a path
Sweetbush - used in meat dishes, salads, stews
and sauces
Sweet Fine - also known as French basil -
tall, small leaves - compact habit
- use in pesto, tomato dishes and vinegars
Thai Siam Queen – sweet and spicy with an
intense licorice, basil aroma
- deep reddish purple flowers - bright green leaves
Valentino – great tasting, fragrant, large
leafed variety - use fresh, whole, chopped or dried - superb for pesto -
widely used in Europe
Bay [tp]
Aromatic
and slightly bitter flavor. Leaves used for cooking. Bring
indoors
over winter. Uses: soups, stews, meats and sauces.
Bee
Balm [p]
Varieties
listed in perennial section
Also
called monarda and bergamot. Member of the mint family.
Many varieties are attractive to bees. Uses: teas, oils
are used in the perfume industry, potpourri, some flowers
are edible.
Borage
[a] ‘the Herb of Gladness’
Uses:
medicinal, salads, teas. Attracts bees and butterflies.
Star shaped clear blue flowers can be candied for cake decorating.
Chopped leaves add a cucumber taste to salads. Tea has a
cooling effect.
Burnet
[p]
Leaves
have a light cucumber flavor. Low growing, mound of foliage.
Excellent for rock garden and borders. Season salads, vinegars,
iced drinks, cheese and egg dishes. Chewing leaves is said
to aid in digestion and helpful with the symptoms of menopause.
Calamint
[tp]
Showy
variegated foliage. Decorative fragrant lilac flowers.
Good
accent plant in gardens and for tea. Filtered sunlight.
Calendula Kablouna
[a] ‘Pot Marigold’
Sunny
gold and deep orange flower petals gives delicate flavor
and strong color to salads, omelettes and cheese. Is sometimes
used as a substitute for saffron. Used for first aid and
in lotions and ointments.
Caraway [b]
Mostly
grown for its seeds which ripen June-August of the second
year. Use seeds in traditional rye breads and cabbage dishes.
Catnip
(Nepeta) * [p]
Varieties listed in perennial section
Cats
relish the intoxicating leaves. Aromatic gray-green foliage
and pale lavender to pale pink flowers. Tea. Medicinal.
Chamomile
Teas made from flowers aids in digestion and soothes
the nerves.
German [a] - smaller flowers and less strongly
scented than Roman – most
prolific producer of flowers - re-seeds - grows erect -
medicinal
Roman [tp] - white daisy-like flower, emerald
foliage - feathery ground
cover - scented flower heads used to make hair rinse
Chervil [a]
Small
white flowers in summer. Resembles fine-leaved, light green
parsley. Delicate anise-tarragon flavor in vegetable dishes
and soups.
Chives
(Allium)* [p]
Member
of onion family. Cooking and ornamental. Insects avoid chives
and its neighboring plants. Attracts butterflies. To use
for cooking, remove flowers and harvest young leaves by
pinching off at the base.
Common - rose-purple flowers - mild, onion
flavor
Garlic - showy white flowers - combination
of garlic and chives
- use when mild garlic flavor required
Molly - flat curly leaf - similar to Garlic
variety
Cicely
- Sweet [p]
Anise
scented leaves and foliage with white flowers in May. Use
to flavor cabbage, carrots, parsnips and fruit dishes.
Cilantro/Coriander -
see Coriander
Cloves
- Dianthus * [p]
‘Divine Flower’
Clove-scented
flowers. Valued in potpourris, sachets and perfumes. Used
as a Grenadine flavor for wines, syrup, cordials and stewed
fruit.
Comfrey
[p]
Used
as a poultice for centuries. Internal use is not recommended
anymore.
Makes an excellent green manure crop - the high protein
leaves speeds the composting process when added to the pile.
Coriander
(Cilantro) [a]
The
leaves are called Chinese parsley or cilantro and are used
in Asian, Mexican and Mediterranean dishes. Used in salsas.
Seeds (Coriander) are used as a flavoring in sausages, stews,
curry powder and pastries.
Cilantro - used in salsas and Asian cooking
– also available in 4-packs
Delfino - unique, boldly flavored leaves that
look like carrot tops—easy
to chop - better yield than standard cilantro (2006 AAS
Winner)
Vietnamese Coriander - good substitute for
cilantro - easy to grow – great
in hanging baskets - relieves nausea and upset stomachs
Cress
[a]
Truly
delectable salads and sandwiches often feature fresh peppery
springs of cress. Harvest often.
Garden [a] - add to salads and stuffing or
use as a garnish – can
be used as a substitute for water cress - grows well indoors
Water [b] - grows best in running water but
may be grown in the garden
or in pots if kept consistently wet - harvest spring and
fall
Curry
Plant [tp]
Not a culinary curry!
Lovely
silver foliage has a sweet curry scent but do not use in
cooking as the taste is bitter. The golden flowers are good
for drying. Put dry leaves among woolens to repel moths
or use in potpourri.
Dill [a]
Seeds
and leaves used for making dill pickles. Feathery fronds,
chopped or snipped, have a distinctive flavor that is good
with fish, vinegars and salads. Cooking.
Bouquet - finely cut foliage. 18".
Dill – yellow flowers - seeds and leaves good
for pickling - 36".
Fernleaf - Varieties
listed in our perennial section.
Echinacea
[p] Varieties listed in our perennial section.
Edelweiss [p]
Decorative
alpine plant with lovely white wooly foliage and yellow
disk flowers in July and August. Needs gritty or sandy loam.
Elfin
Herb
[a] ‘False Heather’
Prolific
bloom habit and dark green foliage. Flowers year-round indoors.
Interesting in garden or as edging. Pink or White.
Epazote [a] ‘Wormseed’
Heavily
scented leaves are used fresh in Mexican cooking. Strong
weedy habit, self sows easily. Also used as an insect repellent.
Eucalyptus [tp]
Native
of Australia. Essential oils are used as an ingredient in
cough medicine. Also used in perfumes and potpourri. Regular
or Spiral.
Fennel [a]
Licorice
flavored seeds and leaves like that of anise but weaker.
Young leaves used like celery. Plant as an herb or as an
ornamental garden plant but can be invasive
so don’t plant near your vegetable garden.
Bronze
- decorative with bronze-red lacy foliage - cooking
Sweet
- chopped leaves good with oily fish - cooking, teas
Flax
[p]
(Linum)
Clear
blue flowers on willowy stems are reason enough to grow
flax. Seeds produce oil used in the making of paints and
varnishes.
Foxglove
[p] Varieties
listed in our perennial section
Garlic
[p]
‘Stinking Rose’
Highly
prized for 5,000 years and believed to cure many ills.
Strong
odor. Used for cooking, medicinal purposes and insect repellent.
Also
see Garlic in the Vegetable
Section.
Garlic - great in salads, dressings, fish,
meats and sauces
German Red
- hard twisted stems with no flowers - red skinned cloves
German White - white skinned - large head
with 6 to 7 cloves
Society [tp] - bluish-green leaves - decorative
edible flowers
Geranium
- Scented [a]
Delightfully
scented foliage with the leaves coming in a wide range of
shapes and sizes. Nostalgic, scented plants dating back
to 17th century England. Leaves used in baking, beverages,
etc. Dried leaves used in potpourris, perfumes, flavoring
preserves, and teas. Pinch growing tips to for bushy compact
plants.
Assorted Varieties and Scents
Citrosa - 'the Mosquito Repelling Plant’ -
new genetically engineered geranium
hybrid - attractive, leafy plant with somewhat oval and
shrub-like form, delightful refreshing lemony fragrance
- one plant
per room of home, one plant every 1-10 ft. in patio or garden.
Ginseng [p] ‘the
Root of Life’
Medicinal.
Root is said to have many miraculous powers like restoring
physical and mental functions, improving tolerance for stress
and regulating blood pressure and cholesterol. Moist, loamy
soil and shade.
Heliotrope [a]
Decorative,
fragrant flowering herb. Tiny sweet vanilla scented purple
flowers from May to September. Cultivated for perfumery
and for scenting bathing waters.
Hops
[p]
Energetic
vine with pinecone-like flowers. Used in making beer and
medicinally for its calming effect. A pillow stuffed with
hop flowers will overcome insomnia. Great vine for covering
trellises and arbors.
Horehound
[p]
Decorative
border plant. Wrinkled grey foliage with tiny white flowers
in tight whorls. Thrives in poor soil. Horehound candies
are used as a cough remedy. Beneficial for lack of appetite
and bronchitis. Laxative.
Horseradish
[p]
Deep
fleshy roots are grated for a pungent condiment for fish
or meat. Harvest the roots the fall of the second year.
Propagate by root division.
Hyssop,
Blue [p] Varieties
listed in our perennial section.
Long-lasting
blue flowers are good for drying. Used to treat coughs and
bronchitis. Traditional border hedge in herb or knot gardens.
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