How To Make A Herb Garden

gravel paths wind their way between beds of golden feverfew chrysanthemum parthenium, lavender lavendula, ladys mantle alchemilla and tansy chrysanthemum vulgare in the herb garden at the national center for organic gardening, near coventry england, ca 1991

Michael Boys/Corbis/VCG Getty Images

Herbs are some of the easiest edibles to grow—and an herb garden is so much cheaper than buying a tiny bunch at the grocery store every time you need them! Many types of herbs actually have pretty flowers, too, that bloom for weeks, enticing hummingbirds and other pollinators to your garden. In mild climates, you can snip a bit for your dinner throughout the year. But even in colder parts of the country, many herbs are tough-as-nails so you can harvest them even after a light freeze or two. Most herbs need full sun, which is 6 or more hours per day, so make sure they're in a spot in your garden that gets tons of direct sunlight. You don't need a dedicated bed: Plant these perennial herbs in between your flowers, bulbs, and perennials for a beautiful and delicious garden, or grow them in pots and containers if you have a deck or balcony garden.

These are the best perennial herbs that will return every year:

1 Sage

Sage has soft, fuzzy pale green, purple or variegated leaves and absolutely beautiful tubular-shaped flowers that hummingbirds adore. It's extremely cold-hardy, so you can still snip off pieces for your Thanksgiving dinner!

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2 Thyme

Thyme basically survives on neglect and couldn't care less about heat, drought, and incredibly poor soils. It's also a fast-grower with teeny-tiny rounded leaves and loads of pretty white, pink, or purple flowers that pollinators love. It makes a lovely ground cover, holding slopes in place or used as an alternative to grass between stepping stones.

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3 Chives

The long, slender leaves and globe-like flowers of chives that appear in late spring and early summer adapt to almost any soil. They drop seeds, too, so next year, you'll have more baby plants to leave or relocate to another part of your garden. Both the leaves and flowers are edible. Snip off pieces with scissors so you don't accidentally yank the whole plant out of the ground. This herb's relative, garlic chives, have flatter leaves and white flowers that bloom in late summer with a mild garlic flavor.

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4 Sorrel

Here's an herb you may never have heard of, but it has long leaves and some types have pretty dark red veins. The leaves have a slightly lemony tang, so they work well in mixed salads or as a spinach substitute. Sorrel is easy to grow from seed and is one of the very first bits of greenery to pop up in spring, often when there's still snow on the ground in northern climates.

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5 Oregano

This herb is almost impossible to kill! It doesn't mind poor soils and spreads quickly. Oregano has tiny pale purple flowers that last for weeks and weeks and attract pollinators.

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6 Mint

Mint comes in as many flavors as you can imagine: Spearmint, chocolate, pineapple, and so on. But be forewarned that it will take over your garden if you give it free rein. Plant in a pot sunk in the ground to contain its enthusiastic spread.

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7 Lavender

Lavender is a lovely plant that's been grown for centuries. Ancient Romans used it in their baths! In addition to drying the sweetly-scented purple-blue flowers for sachets, you can also use them in herb butters, scones, shortbread, or teas. It doesn't like wet feet, so plant in well-drained soils.

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8 Roman Chamomile

Little daisy-like flowers grow on bushy plants. The flowers can be used fresh or dried in teas or potpourri. Read the label, as some types are annual, while this type is perennial and comes back every year.

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9 Rosemary

With its piney-scent and pretty, soft green needles, rosemary is a lovely addition to your garden. It doesn't mind poor soils. In mild climates, rosemary will survive winter outdoors and eventually become a woody shrub. Or you can plant it in a pot and bring it indoors for the winter in colder parts of the country; give it plenty of light from an east or south-facing window, bring it back out in spring, and it will survive for years.

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10 Lovage

This old-fashioned herb isn't grown much these days, but it's an interesting plant with celery-flavored leaves and an unfussy nature. Lovage can grow to several feet tall, so give it plenty of room to spread.

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Arricca Elin Sansone Arricca SanSone has written about health and lifestyle topics for Prevention, Country Living, Woman's Day, and more.

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