The edible garden and home production are reminiscent of a period in humanity that depended on labor and resourcefulness as necessity for survival. Our American culture has been marked by Pilgrims, Pioneers and the native Indians before them had many uses for plants from eating their fruits, leaves and roots to making dies, baskets, and deriving medications from them. All the innovations of this century have made us less reliant on a lot of these old fashioned practices, but one of the biggest gardening trends recently is edible gardening. It seems that we have begun to appreciate a more simple time and way of life that springs from our heritage.
The correct definition of an herb is a plant that lacks woody stems or branches. That definition includes all annual or perennial plants that die to the ground in winter. However, the more popular use of the word refers to plants with medicinal, savory, or aromatic properties in their leaves, stems, flowers, seeds, or roots. Beside gardening and cooking with fresh herbs and seasonings, another trend of late is the use of natural remedies. A gardener would have to do some research before using plants like Echinacea (Purple Cone Flower), Ginkgo biloba, St. John’s Wort (Hypericum), and others, for their medicinal qualities and I’m not going to give out recipes for cooking with fresh herbs. However here is a list of herbs that have practical purposes both in the garden and in the kitchen with a little practical information about how to plant and use them.
Kitchen Gardens can be part of the vegetable garden, an herb garden right outside the kitchen door, or you can use herbs in your landscaping all over the yard. In fact you may be already. Did you realize that Daylily flowers are used in gourmet salads? There are a lot of edible flowers such as, Begonias, Chrysanthemums, Hollyhocks and other Mallows, Squash Blossoms, Clove Pinks, Honeysuckle, Corn or Shirley Poppies, Roses, Nasturtiums, Pansies, Violas, Violets, and Tulips. Flowers are generally used as garnishes or flavoring for beverages, syrups, puddings, teas, even ice cream. Of course, they are also used in Potpourris and sachets. The larger flowers (Tulips, Daylilies, Squash Blossoms, etc.) or their petals can be stuffed with tuna or chicken salads, cottage cheese and other fillings. Some are sweet flavored (Roses and Honeysuckle, for example) and some are pungent (Nasturtiums and Begonias). Flowers are probably best used to liven up dishes with their colors. Roses, (or their petals), Pinks, Pansies, Violas, and Violets are often candied (dipped in egg-whites and sugar) and used as decorations on cakes or other desserts.
Herb gardens, or kitchen gardens can be perhaps the easiest way to plant and use your herbs. Ancient castles and manors still have huge herb gardens on the grounds usually located near the kitchen. You might want to put your kitchen garden just outside the back door to make it easy to step out and pick whatever you need while you’re cooking. However, herbs come in lots of shapes and sizes. Some of the most popular herbs used as seasonings are lovely plants as well and can be used as ornamentals in landscaping.
Many herbs are perennials. I’ll list those first with their ornamental uses. The Thymes (Thymus sp.), some Oreganos (Origanum sp.), and some of the Mints (Mentha sp.) are great groundcovers. Wooly and Elfin Thymes are very prostrate and grow well between stepping stones or pavers as will Corsican Mint. Golden Oregano and Pennyroyal (a mint) are also very low growing but have larger leaves so they won’t work as well in cracks and crevices but there aren’t many better low groundcovers. All the rest of the thymes are ground covering and, though the other Mints and Oreganos can cover a lot of ground, they are too tall to call groundcovers and can be considered invasive perennials. However, if their uses are important to you, they are worth having and maintaining. A few more groundcovering herbs are Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum) and St. Johns Wort (Hypericum sp.). Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a spreading plant and there are some varieties that stay low enough to be considered groundcovers, but they are marginally hardy in colder climates.
Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) (used in teas), French Tarragon (Artemesia dracunculus), Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), Lovage (Levisticum officinale), Bee Balm (Monarda didyma), Catnip and Catmint (Nepeta sp.), Chives (Allium sp,), Burnet (Poterium sanguisorba), Sorrel (Rumex acetosa), Sages (Salvia officinalis), and Winter Savory (Satureja montana), are all upright plants growing to various heights. The Sages and Lavender are popular ornamental perennials and though the others may not be as attractive singly, they can be arranged in an attractive situation in combination with flowering annuals.
The mainstay in most people’s herb gardens would probably be Basil (Ocimum basilicum). Its leaves are used in Pestos and as flavoring in salads and fresh vegetables. Basil must be planted after any possibility of frost because it is an annual. Other annual or biennial (plants that are leafy the first year, bloom the second, and then die) herbs are Lemon Verbena (Alloysia triphylla), Borage (Borago officinalis), Caraway (Carum carvi, biennial), Coriander or Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum), Parsley (Petroselinum crispum, biennial), and Anise (Pimpinella anisum).
As a Horticulturist, I’ve had an interest in all kinds of plants, especially for their ornamental purposes. Some of the most attractive and quaint gardens I’ve experienced have been Herb Gardens. After getting to know a lot of these plants by their ornamental aspects, I wanted to try them for their other qualities and found that fresh herbal seasonings in home cooking cannot be matched! Though I didn’t know I had it in me, I’ve become interested in cooking because of my love of plants!