By Mary Hanna
Herb gardening has been around for centuries and the joys of an
herbal garden is well know to many gardeners. Even beginner
gardeners can have a high quality of success by starting with
the basics and working their way up to a more complicated herbal
garden. You can plant a container herb garden or an indoor herb
garden. There are three categories of herbs that can be grown in
you herbal gardens, culinary herbs, ornamental herbs, or
medicinal herbs.
Culinary herb gardening’s purpose is to add spice and flavor to
your cooking. Culinary herbs are the herbs that use fresh or
dried leaves in cooking. Some of the classic culinary herbs are
parsley, oregano, rosemary and basil. You may even want to plant
some sage and thyme. There is a difference between herbs and
spices. Spices are seeds, roots, fruits, flowers, and bark
while, as mentioned above, culinary herbs are fresh or dried
leaves.
When considering your culinary herb garden your most important
decision is the location. You will need a sunny spot with at
least six hours of sun. The more sun the herb garden gets the
more flavor will develop in the herbs. Try to place your
culinary herb garden as close to the kitchen door as possible.
This will ensure that the herbs will be used daily.
A simple and delicious way to use basil is to slice some juicy
ripe tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Overlap them on a plate,
sprinkle on some extra virgin olive oil and chopped basil. It is
also good with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Anyone that has grown a
culinary herb garden and used the fresh herbs will tell you that
the fresh herbs are superior over the dried herbs.
Ornamental herb gardening can make your gardens not only
practical but beautiful too. By “ornamental” we mean that the
primary current usage is purely decorative. Some of these
ornamental herbs have a long history of medicinal or culinary
usage. Pots of ornamental herbs add color and texture to
balconies or patios. They are perfect for lining your flower
beds.
A good example of an ornamental herb is Dittany of Crete, a
favorite oregano herb of many herb gardeners. It will form a low
mound and produce leaves with fine silvery hairs. You would
never want to use this in cooking, it is strictly for show.
Rue is another good choice for garden borders. Its unusual blue
green color offers contrast to bright showy blooms. The rue
leaves can be used as a garnish but because of its bitter flavor
does not work in cooking.
Ornamental herbs are just what they say, ornaments for your
gardens. Ornamental herb gardening will add texture and interest
to your flower beds.
Now we come to medicinal herbs. Before the 1900′s medicinal
herbs were used widely in the United States. Somewhere in the
1960′s herbs used as medicine dwindled. Now, many doctors are
prescribing medicinal herbs as well as mainstream medicine.
There are three ways that the medicinal herbs work on the body.
Medicinal herbs have been known to strengthen an organ so that
it can heal itself. Some medicinal herbs purge the body of
toxins and illness, while others build up the immune system
which will help in retarding illness.
There are many ways to use medicinal herbs. A few are
infusions, herb vinegars, ointments, teas and tinctures. For
example, to make a healing herbal tea, boil water and pour over
the fresh herbs in a cup. Let it steep for 5 minutes but no
longer then 10 for it will get bitter.
The medicinal herb stevia can be used as a natural sweetener
and is easy to grow in an herbal garden. It also decrease tooth
decay and gum disease if used as a mouth wash.
Before starting any course of medicinal herbs, be sure to
notify your Doctor to see if they will interact with any
medicines you are currently taking.
These are some of the basics of the three herb groups. Plan
your herb garden, pick a bright sunny place and plant your
herbs. Remember you can plant an herb garden in the ground, as a
container garden or an indoor herb garden.
Happy Gardening!
Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.
This article may be distributed freely on your website and in
your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice,
links and the resource box are unchanged.
About the Author: Mary Hanna is an aspiring herbalist who lives
in Central Florida. This allows her to grow gardens inside and
outside year round. She has published other articles on
Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at
http://www.GardeningHerb.com
http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com and
http://www.ContainerGardeningSecrets.com
Source: September 25th, 2008 | Tags: Culinary Herbs, Culinary Usage, Delicious Way, Dried Herbs, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Fresh Herbs, Fresh Mozzarella, Herb Gardening, Herbal Garden, Herbal Gardens, Herbs And Spices, Herbs Spices, Hours Of Sun, Indoor Herb Garden, Mary Hanna, Medicinal Herbs, Ornamental Herbs, Ripe Tomatoes, Sunny Spot, Virgin Olive Oil | Category: Gardening, Herbs
