Herbs

Herbs bring life to the garden, our dinner plates, and even fresh bouquets. We love cooking with fresh herbs, or just pinching off a fresh bloom as we walk by. Many herbs can also be dried and used throughout the year.

Anise hyssop
Perennial, up to 3′. Like it’s name, the leaves and flowers have a wonderful anise flavor. Can be used fresh or dried in teas, meat or roast vegetable seasonings, and as edible flowers in salad. Tender perennial, but often persists many years with root divisions and some self-seeding. Loved by bees and bee-lovers.

Basil, Mammoth
Annual, up to 2’. These are just a showstopper. The bright green leaves remind me of early spring lettuce. They are double the size of traditional basil, but still have all of the wonderful complexities, aroma, and culinary possibilities. Pinch central stalk to encourage more branching. Remove flower heads to extend the harvest. Great for pesto and margherita pizzas!

Thai Basil, Flowering
Annual, up to 2’. Thai basil with a sweet, clove-like scent and beautiful purple blooms. Makes for an edible bouquet. Perfect in curry, pho, or pesto. Less susceptible to downy mildew than Italian basil. Pinch central stalk to encourage more branching. Remove flower heads to extend the harvest.

Borage
Annual, up to 3’. 60 days. Fuzzy green plants bear hundreds of beautiful blue edible flowers, occasionally a pink or purple. The flowers have a mild cucumber flavor and are a guaranteed crowd pleaser in salads, look lovely with fresh fruit, and take cake decorating to the next level. Flowers are also popular with pollinators, especially bumble bees. Continues to bloom until frost. Also has a tendency to self-seed and pop up in a new place in the garden.  Space plants 12” apart in full to partial sun.

Bronze Fennel
Annual, up to 3’. Beautiful copper-bronzey red feathery foliage makes a wonderful contrast in any garden. Sweet anise flavor and fragrance like standard fennel, but does not produce bulbs. Tender leaf tips can be used in salads, added to bread, seafood, or tossed with roasted vegetables. Beautiful yellow umbel flowers (also edible). Attractive to swallowtail butterflies and caterpillars. Self-sows, but is never a menace in the garden. Enjoys full sun and well-drained soil.

Dill, Bouquet
Annual, up to 2’. Prefers well-drained soil and full sun. Produces large yellow umbel flowers during summer then goes to seed, often germinating again in fall. Leaves can be used fresh, frozen, or dried. Flowers are excellent added to a batch of cucumber pickles. The dill plant is also an important food source for the caterpillar stage of swallowtail butterflies.

Garlic Chives
Perennial, up to 1’. Enjoys well-drained soil and full to partial sun. Also called Chinese Chives or Chinese Leeks. Garlic chives look similar to traditional chives but have flat leaves. Plants produce a beautiful white flower in fall that is popular for pollinators. It is also edible and makes a fine cut flower. Awesome addition to omelets and stir fries. Once established can self-sow or spread by root divisions.

Lemon balm
Perennial, up to 2’, spreading. Prefers moist, rich soil, full sun to part-shade. Spreads, though less vigorously than other mint plants. Plant in containers or a spot where there is plenty of room to spread. Leaves can be used fresh, frozen, or dried. Excellent for summer teas or popcicles with mint. Divide clumps every 2-3 years.

Lovage
Perennial, up to 3’. What’s not to lovage about this? Prefers well-drained soil and full sun to part-shade. Early to emerge in spring with strong parsley-like stems. Prominent celery flavor. Can be used like celery leaves, or use dry seeds for cooking in soups, sauces, and biscuits. Beautiful yellow umbel-shaped flowers in late spring. Cut back after flowering for vigorous fall re-growth. Like some other plants in the umbeliferacae family (parsley, celery, parsnips) be careful when harvesting as skin contact with plant oils followed by exposure to direct sunlight can cause a rash or blistering.

Mint, Chocolate
Perennial, up to 1’, spreading. Enjoys moist soil and full sun to part-shade. This variety of peppermint has a sweet aroma reminiscent of chocolate. Spreads by rhizomes; plant in containers or an area where you can control its growth. Dark green leaves with spikes of lavender flowers in the summer. Cut back after flowering to promote new growth. Excellent in fresh teas or chopped in salads, tabbouli, or as a garnish on raspberry sorbet.

Mint, Spearmint
Perennial, up to 1’, spreading. Enjoys moist soil and full sun to part-shade. Spreads by rhizomes; plant in containers or an area where you can control its growth. Dark green leaves with spikes of pinkish-white flowers in the summer. Cut back after flowering to promote new growth. Excellent in fresh teas or mojitos; a perfect candidate for making lemon mint sherbet or mint jelly.

Oregano, Greek
Perennial, up to 6″. Prefers well-drained soil and full sun. Hardy, low-growing plants overwinter well. The leaves are exquisite used fresh, and even dried oregano from the home garden is above and beyond what can be purchased in stores.

Parsley, Giant of Italy
Annual, up to 1’. Prefers well-drained soil and full sun to part-shade. Flat-leaf variety. Vigorous, upright plants with broad green leaves and thick, tender stems that are very sweet in fall. Biannual, but will produce leaves all season. Wonderful for homemade falafel, tabbouli, and vegetable soups. Another garden host of the swallowtail caterpillar.

Papalo
Annual, up to 4’. Enjoys well-drained soil and full sun.  Large, blue-green leaves are very aromatic and taste like a bolder, more complex version of cilantro. Unlike cilantro, loves the heat. Also called papaloquelite and quilquina in South America. Its arrival and culinary use in Mexico is believed to pre-date cilantro by thousands of years. Use individual leaves, or cut back central stem to promote branching. Awesome in fresh tomato salsa.  

Sage, Broadleaf
Perennial, up to 2’. Prefers well-drained soil and full sun. Attractive broad blue-green leaves with a tinge of purple in the winter months. Very cold tolerant. Beautiful purple flowers in spring are long-lasting in fresh bouquets. Wonderful added to omelets, soup, roasted chicken, and pasta sauce. Cut back the woody stems of established plants in spring for new, bushy growth.

Sorrel, red-veined
Perennial, up to 1′. Prefers well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade. This another hardy winter grower. The leaves are early to emerge and are beautiful dark green with red streaks. The young leaves make a beautiful addition to salads and any sized leaves are great in soups.

Spilanthes
Annual, up to 1.5′. Prefers well-drained soil and full sun. Frost sensitive. Leaves and flowers are edible. Also called “toothache plant” for the numbing and tingling effect it causes when you eat it! Flowers are an unusual red and yellow thimble-shape with no petals.