We wanted an herb garden for years but we only got around to planting one 3 years ago. And we're amazed at how it has flourished! We quickly discovered what herbs were hardy in our zone (5) and we learned that what the seed catalogues said wasn't always true. For example, our tarragon grows like crazy and far surpasses the 3 foot height described in the catalogue. Other herbs such wormwood just won't grow for us.
In fact most of the Artemisia last one season and then never grow again. Yet my mom has great luck with her "Silver Mound." And she's close by. Go figure. I guess that stuff I'm always reading about micro climates makes sense. For example, down in our vegetable gardens it's almost always several degrees warmer in the summer than it is farther up in the yard.
We grow evening primrose (of course), Lavender, lemon balm, spearmint, winter savoury, St. John's Wort, chamomile, Echinacea (purple coneflower), tarragon, rue, lovage, salad burnet, catnip, lots of different kind of mints, sage, and thyme. This year we're trying to grow some new perennial herbs from seed. And we almost always grow annual herbs such as cilantro, dill, parsley, summer savoury, and basil. We make some very good preserves, salsas, and entrées from what we grow in our herb gardens. |
 Evening Primroses Recipes Using Herbs From Our Garden Herbal Crafts |
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