Herb Garden Plants - What Kind Should You Grow?

There are several types of herbs you can grow for your garden. Of course, as with most things, when you choose what herb garden plants you can grow, you have to consider their characteristics to make sure you are raising the best plants according to your capacity and your needs, as well as other factors. Many assume that all herb garden plants are the same. Although they are often described as plants that are used both for medicinal and culinary reasons, not all herbs are equal in terms of purpose.

The more popular type of herb is the culinary herb, the ones people use for cooking. Culinary herbs have been used in kitchen for the longest time. In fact, several centuries ago, herbs were practically as valuable as gold-if not more so-thanks to their culinary uses. Some herbs can be used to preserve food, while others are used as condiments and additional ingredients to add flavor to practically every meal. Thyme, for instance, is a very popular culinary herb. British, Italian, and French cuisine use thyme heavily because it is flavorful but does not overpower other flavors when used.

Generally, culinary are herbs with strong flavors. Chives, sage, and basil are examples of culinary herbs that are commonly used today. Some herbs can also be used to create certain tea flavors, some of them with medicinal benefits. Mint and chamomile, popular tea flavors, are examples of such herb garden plants.

Herb garden plants are also well known for their medicinal capacity. Herbalism, or the medicinal practice that relies on the use of plants and their extracts, has been around for centuries. This practice is not as far-fetched or as hackneyed as some may think, since many of the medicines and medicinal items we take now use herbs. The mouthwash Listerine, for one, uses the herb thyme. Other herb garden plants promote good health by improving bodily functions and tending to certain organ. For instance, the herb Rosemary is known to protect the brain from damaging chemicals; in effect, it is said to prevent certain diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Some herb garden plants can also be ornamental. Obviously, these are the ones used for decoration, grown solely for their appearance or their aesthetic appeal. Lavender, for instance, is grown for its colorful foliage. However, not all ornamental herb garden plants are impractical. Mint is a very popular example of an ornamental herb, but it is also used as a culinary ingredients. Also, mint is effective for pest control. Lavender, on the other hand, is used for potpourri.

There are also sub-categories used to classify herb garden plants. For instance, many people are into exotic herbs-rare herbs that can only be seen in select places in the world. They are expensive and quite uncommon-making them great herb garden plants for people grow these plants for the prestige. The California Poppy is an example of an exotic herb. Some herbs are also sacred, mainly because they are used in religious practices. Myrrh and Frankincense are examples of these religious herb garden plants since they are iconic items that figure in the history of Christianity. The Tulsi, on the other hand, is a herb used as a means to worship a Hindu goddess.