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Herbs
Pretty,
Tough & Edible
Herb Garden
Rosemary |
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If you want to spice up your
garden….and your cooking, try adding some herbs to
your flower pots, gardens, or landscape plantings.
Herb is the name commonly applied to a group of
plants widely used for cooking, medicinal, and other
household uses. The term “herb” apparently is
derived from “herbaceous”—the term used to describe
plants which have soft green stems and leaves, but
which do not develop woody stems. Somewhere in the
history of plant vocabulary that was shortened to
“herb” and the pronunciation modified to drop the
beginning h sound. So the word is now commonly
pronounced “erb”.
In practical terms, herbs are
plants which have aromatic or spicy leaves and
stems—that quality being derived from organic
compounds formed by the plants which have gained
widespread use for flavoring foods, healing various
maladies, and otherwise improving the ambience of
human dwellings.
Of particular note to Wyobraska
homeowners is the fact that many herbs grow equally
well in container gardens, landscape beds with
highly organic soil, or the famously poorly
developed soils of Wyobraska’s new home sites.
Like all herbaceous plants,
herbs fall into one of three categories based on
there length of life—some are annuals—single growing
season plants, some are biennials—start growing one
year and complete their growth cycle the next, and
others are perennial—live for several to many years.
Contemporary American gardeners
are also beginning to appreciate the ornamental
qualities of herbs. Many have colored or uniquely
textured foliage, others have attractive flowers.
These ornamental qualities make herbs blend well
into container gardens as well as landscape
plantings. And if the container garden or
landscape planting just happens to be located near
by the back door to the kitchen—well then it’s a
pretty simple matter to have a ready supply of fresh
herbs for cooking or other home use as well.
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Herbs commonly used in
cooking:
Chives, Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Sage, Dill,
Cilantro, Rosemary, Savory, Tarragon, and Garlic.
Herbs used more for garnish
or flavoring drinks:
Parsley, Spearmint, Peppermint, Stevia, Apple
Mint, and Chocolate Peppermint
Herbs for specialized uses:
Lavender and Chamomile.
Herbs with excellent
ornamental qualities: Magic Mountain Basil,
Sage, Dill, Thyme, Echinacea, Chamomile, and Bronze
Fennel.
Care of herbs:
Plant, water as required,
otherwise forget them. Most herbs actually develop
better flavor and appearance when growing in poorer
soils. When growing them in containers, avoid
excessive fertilization. If mixing them in with
flowers or other ornamental plants, try to combine
them with plants which have similar fertilization
requirements.
Basil |
Lavender