Herb Garden, Spring Blooms, Huntington Library
Depending on how and where you grow them, herbs can be either annual or perennial. What usually separates them from other plants in the garden is that herbs can be used to enhance your meal, but are not usually served as dishes by themselves, such as fruits or vegetables. As such, many of them can be seen growing in kitchen windows. In addition to their uses as spices, many herbs have other useful properties: medicinal, attractiveness, sachets, pest repellant and ground cover. Some herbs grow so well that they are considered weeds or invasives.
Common spices[]
- Sample of common herbs and properties
- Chives grow well in kitchen windows.
- Bay leaves produce a flavour that can give a Mediterranean feel to a dish.
- Cinnamon gives a "warm" sensation to a recipe.
- Mints provide a cool, sharp sensation.
Mint family[]
There are many different kinds of mint: peppermint, spearmint, lemon mint, wintergreen, horsemint, applemint, pineapple mint, catnip and others.
And there are thousands of plants that are part of the mint family (although not always thought of as mint), including many useful herbs: basil, rosemary, sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, thyme, lavender, and perilla.
Uses[]
Spices[]
Medicinal uses[]
Decorative[]
Sachet or scent[]
Pest repellant[]
Ground cover[]
Problems[]
Some herbs can be bad for you... in certain doses or combinations.