What Home Herb Garden is Right For You?

A home herb garden is composed of three groupings, classified according to their use. There are culinary herbs, medicinal and ornamental herbs. It is very important that we know how to identify our herb plants before making our very own home herb garden. Contrary to what you’re thinking, home herb gardening is not an expensive hobby and your plants are easy to maintain.

1. Culinary herbs – These are considered to be the most useful to herb gardeners. Herbs in this group include parsley, basil, oregano, and rosemary. Aside from being easy to grow, it also has a wide range of uses in cooking. Because they are potent, they are normally used in small amounts to infuse flavor and aroma to dishes. They are also great for flavoring bread. Americans love to eat bread in the morning, and these breads are specially flavored with fresh herbs. Nothing compares to the taste of freshly-picked in the garden. You can easily replant them when they die, and you can grow them in window boxes, containers and pots.

2. Medicinal herbs – Do you know that ten percent of over-the-counter drugs are man-made medicinal plants, and close to 80 percent come from plants? Herbs are now recognized as the best alternative to medicines. These herbs include garlic, gingko, hypericum, valerian and Echinacea. Many people also enjoy aromatherapy to relieve stress, and benefit so much from mint, roses, lavender and basil.

3. Ornament herbs – Ornamental herbs are those that have brightly colored flowers and foliage. There are times when you just want to grow a beautiful herbal plant to enjoy its beauty. When I started growing herbs, I was first captivated by their medicinal and culinary uses, but as I continue to grow them, I have come to appreciate these herbs for their ornamental beauty too! These herbs will come in handy if you want your garden to look aesthetically pleasing. Feel free to experiment with ornamental herbs in decorative garden settings, and eventually you’ll give yourself a pat on the back for having done such a great job with your plants.

The element of fun in starting your own home herb garden comes in during planning – spending time looking for valuable information and dreaming of your “finished product.” One thing’s for sure, you won’t have a hard time finding a herb to grow as herbs are so flexible and can be grown in lots of different ways. How about you, what kind of herb garden do you have in mind?