All About Herbs —

Even if you don't have a lot of garden space available, you can cultivate herbs for the kitchen and table. With a little care and a green thumb, many herbs will thrive in pots and containers. Small raised beds along a patio or walkway are also great places to cultivate a salad garden along with some of your favorite culinary herbs.

A Photo Glossary of Common Garden Herbs and Ornamental Plants

Apple Mint - Mentha suaveolens (perennial, vigorous growth habit, reaches 1-2 feet in height). Also called "Round Leaf Mint." Has wooly foliage and a fruity aroma. Makes a nice tea though because of the fuzzy leaves, is somewhat more powdery than other mint varieties when dried.

Borage - Borago officinalis (annual, reaches 2 feet in height). Edible leaves and flowers. Cute, hanging star shaped blossoms are a favorite for bees. Young leaves have a refreshing cucumber flavor that makes a nice addition to green salads. Blossoms can also be added as a garnish to salads or you can candy them for decorating cakes or other desserts.

Catnip - Nepeta cataria (perennial, 2 - 3 feet high) Gray-green leaves with lavender or white flowers. Blooms in June. Cats are stimulated by the oils in its leaves which can be dried and used as a stuffing in cloth toys for felines (close relative of Catmint, Nepeta faassenii).

Comfrey Symphytum officinale - Consider this a ground cover for what otherwise would be a waste area in your garden. Not for culinary use. Very invasive.

Creeping Thyme Thymus praecox articus - (perennial, up to 6 inches in height). Suitable for rockeries and along stone or brick pathways. Low growing habit makes a mat of purple flowers that's attrative to bees.

Dill Anethum graveolens - Annual herb growing 3-4 feet tall. Flowering clusters traditionally used in making pickles. Use leaves fresh or dried as seasoning with fish, salads, stews, and sauces.

Fennel Foeniculum vulgare - Slightly liquorish flavored leaf tips used as a garnish or addition to salads. Seeds used for flavoring.

Lambs Ear Stachys byzantina - A fine ornamental for a corner of the garden.

Lavender - Lavandula angustifolia (perennial, 3 feet). Harvest and dry flower spikes. Make into sachets. Said to repel moths. Weave into Victorian style lavender sticks or wands and decorate with ribbons.

Lemon Balm - Melissa officinalis (perennial, 1-2 feet). Easily naturalized if left to go to seed. Strong lemon flavor makes delicious tea, iced drinks, flavoring for fruit cups and salads.

Lemon Verbena Aloysia triphylla - pungent lemon scent to leaves. Great for teas.

Nasturtium Tropaeolum majus - Edible flower. A colorful and spicy addition to green salads.

Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis - A must-have in any classic herb garden.

Oregano Origanum vulgare - Perennial herb. Grows to 2 1/2 ft. Oval leaves, purplish blooms. Harvest leaves before bloom. Use fresh or dried as seasoning in Spanish and Italian dishes. Wonderful with tomato based dishes.

Russian Sage Perovskia - (perennial, 2 - 3 feet). With a long bloom period, the Russian Sage is very attractive to bees. Gray green leaves show finely cut edges in the lower part of the plant to toothed edge when smaller above. Flowers are lavender blue in spikelike clusters. Loves a sunny spot in the garden. Winter dormancy period.

Sage - Salvia officinalis (perennial, 2 feet). Classic flavor for poultry stuffing, sausage and pork dishes.

Sweet Pea Lathyrus odoratus - Vining spring or summer annual. Lots of colors in mixtures. Need lots of water during warm days. Cutting flowers consistently will prolong bloom period. Attracks bees and beneficial insects to the garden, also cheerful as an ornamental.

Winter Savory - Satureja montana (perennial, 2 feet). Stronger flavored than Summer Savory. Use leaves in salads, egg and meat dishes, sausage, stuffing and to jazz up a pot of string beans.

FruitFromWashington.com's
Recipes for Herbal Blends, Herb Teas and Tisanes