Add color, flavor, and butterflies to your garden with edible herbs
Integrating herbs into your landscape is an easy way to grow edibles while beautifying your garden space or your patio when grown in containers. Herbs are also an excellent source of vitamins A, B and C and minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron. There are several warm-season herbs which can add color to the garden and flavor to your cooking.
One of the most commonly grown annual herbs is basil. The common Sweet Basil has lovely white flowers while Thai Basil and Cardinal Basil have purple blossoms and spicier flavors. For most varieties of basil, it is important to trim off the blossoms if you wish to contin- ue harvesting flavorful leaves. Cardinal basil is the exception. The blossoms are actually edible, adding a slightly minty flavor as well as color to salads. The leaves of each of these varieties are a wonderful addition to soups, stews and sauces.
Another easy to grow herb is Garlic Chives. The bulbs, stems and blossoms of this perennial herb are all edible, and its white flowers are very attractive to butterflies and bees. Chives are used in cooking the same way you would use green onions.
The bright gold flowers of the Mexican Mint Marigold, also known as Texas Taragon, add color to the garden from summer to first frost. This perennial herb has the scent of tarragon with a hint of anise and is used to flavor fish and chicken.
Trailing Rosemary is an extremely hardy perennial which handles our hot, dry summers and is green year round. The foliage can be stripped off and used to flavor baked potatoes, soups, chicken and fish. One of the bush Rosemaries, known as Goricia or “Barbeque Skewers”, has sturdy stems that can be used as skewers to add flavor to grilled meats and vegetables. Just soak the woody stems in water for 20 minutes and strip the leaves by pulling them downward, opposite of the way they grow.
Whether it is an annual herb which will be replanted each spring or a perennial herb which will come back from its roots each spring, herbs add interest to the garden, attract pollinators and are a healthy addition to your diet. They are very low maintenance and will thrive with just a deep, weekly watering once established. Grow them from seeds or transplants, in the ground or in containers and enjoy.
