Herbs: Flavor and Fragrance in the Garden

by Dawn Oldfield, CCMGA Certified Master Gardener

Walk into almost any supermarket you’ll find hundreds of bottles of herbs and spices – dried leaves, flakes and powders- lining store shelves. Certainly store bought herbs have a place in your cabinet, but if you haven’t tried using fresh herbs in your favorite recipes, you certainly should. Fresh herbs are easy to grow and are essential for cooking to enhance food flavor and profile.

Herbs have been around since the beginning of time and have been prized plants in gardens for their use as medicines, preservatives and household products. Today, they are mainly valued for their flavor and fragrance. Herbs are easy to grow in the ground and containers. In our North Texas climate, they can be grown year-round. Herbs mostly prefer bright, light, dry conditions and tolerate poor soil.

I’m lucky to have an herb garden off my kitchen where I can step out anytime and snip what I need for sauces, soups and marinades. I also incorporate them in flower beds for their texture, flowers and scent. Here are a few of my favorites that do well in our Zone 8b that you might enjoy in your garden.

Basil
Plant in spring after the danger of frost has passed. It thrives in full or morning sun with afternoon shade and is considered an annual in our area. Basil has a spicy aroma. It's an appetizing flavor that complements tomatoes, pasta, pizza, chicken, and is essential in pesto.

Bay
Bay leaves grow on a tender evergreen shrub or small tree. It can be grown in containers year-round but needs protection from freeze damage in winter. The aromatic leaves are commonly used as flavoring in soups and stews. Remove the whole leaves before eating.

Chives
A member of the Liliaceae (lily) family, chives add delicate flavor to eggs, salads, dips and more. Onion chives have round leaves and pink flowers in spring or early summer, making a lovely garnish. Garlic chives have flat leaves and clusters of white flowers in late summer/early fall that, as a bonus, attract honey bees and butterflies. Chive is a hardy perennial that grows well in pots or the landscape that dies back to the ground but returns each spring when temperatures warm.  

Dill
Set out transplants of this annual in a sunny area protected from strong winds. The delicate, feathery green leaves of dill are uniquely flavored. Gather fresh leaves to flavor salads, fish dishes and salads. The seeds from the yellow umbrella-shaped flowers give dill pickles their distinctive flavor. Dill is attractive in an ornamental garden, attracts beneficial insects, and is a host plant to the caterpillars of the swallowtail butterfly – so plant extra for these friends!

Fennel
Considered an annual or very tender perennial, resembles dill but has a licorice/anise flavor and fragrance. It is easy to grow in full sun or part shade. I’m not a fan personally of its flavor profile, but its feathery foliage, which is available with either green or bronze leaves, is lovely in the landscape.  I plant it as fennel is a favorite of the caterpillar of the swallowtail butterfly.

Lavender
This evergreen perennial can be planted year-round but is best planted by transplant when the air and soil are warm. It makes a beautiful addition to the landscape. Lavender has narrow gray-green foliage and spikes of purple-blue flowers in the summer. Lavender needs good drainage. Its sweet, pungent smell is delightful. It is said to have a relaxing quality and is often used to scent linens or in potpourri.  I like to use the flowers to infuse flavor into honey or syrups (don’t use them if they’ve been sprayed with pesticide).

Marjoram
Transplants of this perennial can be set out in early spring. In the oregano family, marjoram prefers full sun and is easy to grow in well-drained soil. Like its cousin, Oregano, it is popular in Italian, Mexican, Greek and Provencal recipes. Marjoram and Oregano are different herbs with similar spicy tastes. Tiny flowers attract bees and butterflies.

Mexican Mint Marigold
This easy-to-grow perennial is a delight in the garden! It puts on a beautiful show of yellow daisy-like flowers in the fall, and its licorice-scented leaves are a delicious pick for cooking and are a popular substitute for regular tarragon. Mexican Mint Marigold requires full sun and has low water requirements. It dies back to the ground after the first freeze but comes back in the spring.

Mint
This perennial can be planted in full sun to afternoon shade. It's refreshing, aromatic leaves come in many varieties like peppermint, spearmint, and even chocolate mint. Mint leaves are popularly used to flavor fruits, desserts, and beverages. It’s an invasive herb and quickly takes over an herb bed, so it is best grown in containers.

Parsley
This biennial plant prefers morning sun with afternoon shade in our area and will grow nearly year-round in Texas. Available in curly leaf and flat leaf varieties, parsley is often used as a garnish and a flavoring agent for salads, meat, fish, and veggies. It also looks pretty in a vase like you’d put a flower arrangement. I plant extra in the landscape to share with my caterpillar friends, who become swallowtail butterflies.

Rosemary
An upright, evergreen shrub has a piney smell. The leaves resemble small pine needles, and the tiny blue, pink or white flowers can be very showy. Rosemary will tolerate full sun to partial shade. It requires good drainage and is susceptible to freeze damage. Cooks consider Rosemary a must in cooking all kinds of meats.

Sage
Sage is a hardy perennial that will grow in sun or part shade. Sage has a warm, earthy scent; its silvery leaves are considered a must for Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing and are used for seasoning potatoes, sausage and fatty meats. Avoid overwatering, as it will cause the plant to die from crown rot.:

Thyme
Thyme has a warm, herbaceous scent with hints of citrus and minty, savory, sweet flavors. It is a perennial that enjoys full sun. Transplants can be set out anytime, but spring is best. There are upright and creeping varieties. Thyme makes a good border plant. Use fresh leaves to flavor many foods.

There are hundreds of herbs that will grow well in our area. There are many uses and benefits of growing herbs in your landscape. Whether planting for beauty in your garden or flavoring your favorite foods, growing an herb garden won't disappoint.

Happy Gardening!