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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, in a windowbox or a 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. |
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] Other varieties available in our perennial area.
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 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 the plant bushy and to prevent bolting. Tender annual. Some varieties are 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
Spicy Globe – small dome shaped plants with tiny leaves - slightly hot
and spicy - a little goes a long way - decorative planted in a path
Sweet Fine - also known as French basil - tall, small leaves - compact habit - use in pesto, tomato dishes and vinegars
Sweetbush - used in meat dishes, salads, stews and sauces
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] Other varieties available in our perennial area.
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] top
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 is 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, 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] Other varieties available in our perennial area.
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] Other varieties in our perennial area.
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’ Other varieties in perennial area.
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 in 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.
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 sprigs 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 - more compact, softer-looking foliage - slow to bolt - 18"
Echinacea[p] Varieties available in our perennial area. top
Edelweiss [p] Other varieties available in our perennial area.
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) Other varieties available in our perennial area.
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 available in our perennial area.
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
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] Other varieties available in our perennial vine area.
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 gray 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] Other varieties available in our perennial area. top
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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