Cooking
Medicinal
Cocktail
Tea
Top Herbs
A few of the most popular herbs and their uses
Basil
Annual
Warm, somewhat spicy flavor; used in many pesto recipes
Chamomile
Perennial
Sweet apple-scented leaves; usually grown as an annual
Chives
Perennial
Mild onion taste; use uncooked
Cilantro
Annual
Leaves give a fresh, clean taste to dishes
Coriander
Annual
Seeds have a mild, lemony taste
Dill
Annual
Fern-like leaves used fresh or dry, flavor of dill pickles
Fennel
Annual
Mild licorice flavor; seeds, leaves, stems and bulb edible
Garlic
Perennial
Plant in the fall, may be strongly flavored and small
Garlic chives
Perennial
Mild garlic flavor; use uncooked
Lavender
Perennial
‘Hidcote’ and ‘Munsted’ relatively hardy; prune in spring
Lemon balm
Perennial
Dried lemony leaves used in teas, self-seeds prolifically
Lemongrass
Annual
Tropical herb packed with strong citrus flavor
Marjoram
Annual
Mild, oregano-like flavor, sweet pine and citrus flavors
Oregano
Perennial
Bold, spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce flavor
Parsley
Biennial
Semi-hardy, flat leaf or Italian, is best for cooking
Peppermint
Perennial
Leaves and oil extracts used; may be invasive
Rosemary
Annual
Bold flavor; for best results, use fresh leaves in foods
Sage
Perennial
Use fresh or dried; green sage may be hardier than variegated or flavored varieties
Spearmint
Perennial
Leaves and oil used as flavoring; rampant, aggressively invasive
Tarragon
Perennial
Peppery scent and anise-like flavor
Thyme
Perennial
Mild lemon-clove flavor