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Herbs are among the most rewarding and long-lasting plants I have had the pleasure of growing. I use many kinds of herbs in my rock garden and also in the holes of the concrete blocks that make up the raised beds of my vegetable garden.

Sun-Loving Herbs

Some sun-loving herbs, like Greek oregano, peppermint, catnip, chocolate mint and lemon verbena, grow via runners beneath the ground and return year after year. Some varieties of thyme, chives and tarragon are also perennial. All of these herbs have fragrant leaves that lend a fresh touch to homemade recipes. I've also grow flat-leafed and curly leaf parsley that have overwintered well when the weather isn't too severe.

Other sun-loving herbs, like lavender, horehound and rosemary, form attractive shrubs that can be shaped according to the gardener's preference. Rosemary also has attractive blue flowers in addition to their fragrant leaves. Horehound forms an attractive silvery bush that adds character to a rock garden even if you don't choose to use the leaves to make horehound throat drops or tea for sore throats or coughs. Lavender flowers come in shades of blue and purple as well as white and pink. Several kinds of lavender are culinary, meaning that they can be used as seasoning. I like to use lavender flowers to make teas, ice cream, candies and to add an exotic zip to pizza sauce. The flowers from non-culinary species of lavender can be dried and used as potpourri.

Drying Herbs

When my lavender is blooming, I cut the flowers, bundle them, tie each bundle with string and hang them upside down from the ceiling of my covered deck. After a couple weeks, when they've dried, I take them down and gently remove the flowers by rubbing the stalks between my palms. I cut mint, horehound, oregano, tarragon and sage when the leaves are full sized, before the flowers form. I tie string around the bundles of leaves and hang them upside down as I do the lavender. I've tried using rubber bands to bundle the leaves, but as the leaves dry, the rubber bands had a tendency to loosen, leaving me with a mess of leaves on the ground. So I use cotton string instead.

Shade-Loving Herbs

Many herbs prefer dappled sun or shade, making them excellent choices to grow beneath trees or bushes. Black cohosh is a beautiful, stately plant with slender, fingerlike leaves and tall white flower spikes. The stems of black cohosh are black. The unusual color lends variety and enchantment to out of the way areas. Black cohosh is a native North American perennial plant, so investing in a few roots should provide you with years of enjoyment. According to "The Herb Book" by John Lust, black cohosh root has a calming affect on the nervous system. It is also found in many menopausal remedies. To use black cohosh root, dig the root in the fall after the leaves have died back, dry the root or use it fresh. Make black cohosh root tea by using 1 - 2 teaspoons of dried or grated fresh root in 2 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil, then remove from the heat and allow the tea to steep for ten or fifteen minutes.

Mint plants also tolerate the shade, as do marshmallow (a bush-sized herb with lovely pink trumpet-shaped flowers, bloodroot (also known as Indian paint, a pretty little plant with white flowers and roundish leaves) and columbine. Columbine is a perennial plant that is often seen as a garden flower rather than an herb. Columbine flowers come in many colors including red, blue, purple, white, yellow and bi-colors. Columbine root can be made into a lotion to soothe aching muscles and sprains.

There are many, many more long-lasting herbs to grace your garden. Add a couple each year and before you know it, you'll have a yard full of beautiful, multi-purpose plants.

Learn more about this author, Kriss Erickson.
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