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The Low Maintenance Herb Garden
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items Whether you grow them on a kitchen windowsill (all year long), inside a greenhouse, or outdoors in a raised bed (during the growing season), herbs can be a fun (and tasty) project. Most, if not all, can be used for cooking and/or teas. Here is a shor...
Hummingbird mint is a hands-down perennial (pun intended) favorite with bees, hummingbirds, and yes, even us humans (leaf and flower)! Orange and hot pink flowers will bloom all summer long and continue until the first frost.
Anise Hyssop aka Hummingbird Mint (agastache foeniculum)
No herb garden is complete with basil, perhaps the most revered of herbs! I like to grow pots of these in the greenhouse, and clip leaves for quick cooking (and also to encourage more growth). Pick off flower buds when they emerge to keep basil from ...
In addition to the regular sweet basil, you can also find Thai and purple basil, too!
In addition to the regular sweet basil, you can also find Thai and purple basil, too!
Basil (Green, Purple, even Thai)
This herb is caffeine-free and makes a great tea to have a few hours before bedtime. The blossoms are pretty, too!
Chamomile
I grow cilantro every year, and prefer its taste (although 20% of the population likens the taste to soap dishwater) to parsley!
Cilantro
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Creeping thyme makes for marvelous edging – especially when it flowers. It is notorious for self-seeding and can take over, so unless you want it everywhere in your garden, growing it in pots is a must!
Common & Creeping Thyme
I still grow fennel--its mild licorice flavor works well as a culinary seasoning--even though I have more luck with the leaf fronds than the bulb.
Fennel
Despite the prefix of ornamental, thet big puffy heads of ornamental chives are edible and delicious (I like to throw them in my omelettes)! They're also great for photo ops!
Giant Ornamental Chives
I have both French and Russian (the hardier of the two) lavender growing in pots. Great for cooking and potpourri!
Lavender (lavandula)
Delicious as a tea. Its lemony fragrance makes it easy to distinguish from other members of the mint family. It will grow anywhere and everywhere! Harder to find is orange balm – I haven't discovered it at any of the local nurseries.
Lemon Balm
Mint, peppermint, spearmint are all easy-to-grow favorites that take care of themselves and self-seed as well. I have even grown the chocolate peppermint variety (great for tea)!
Mint
I have grown both the garden variety oregano and the golden oregano. Again, these herbs are quite self-sustaining once they have established themselves.
Oregano
Add a few sprinkles of ground rosemary while you're cooking rice to elevate the taste of the starch!
Rosemary
The wise herb! I have grown popular varieties, including the purple sage, tricolor sage, and pineapple sage (the last produces gorgeous fire engine red flowers in late fall). A good counterpoint to savory pastas and meats.
Sage
Once you grow your own stevia, you won't be going to the grocery for theirs!
Stevia Plants
I harvested a branch of bay leaf earlier this year, washed the leaves, and let them dry for a few weeks. They were far more aromatic than their storebought counterparts! A few dried leaves are great when you're cooking rice!
Sweet Bay Leaf