PERENNIAL HERB PLANTS INFORMATION
Perennial Herbs make up most of the herbs that many people grow in their herb gardens. Perennial means that the herbs come back every year after you plant them. While this is meant to be true, there are many things that can happen and changes in climates that affect if your herbs will return the year after.
Please see all the perennial herbs below and click the drop down menu to learn more about each type specifically. We also have several varieties of herbs within the categories below that are listed at the bottom of the section. You can click a link on each herb to learn more from other online resources.
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Exposure: Full / Partial Sun
Heights : 24 - 36 inches
Season of Interest: Fall (Flowering) / Summer (Flowering) / Spring (Flowering)
Deer Resistant
Attracts hummingbirds, pollinators, butterflies
Plant in pots or in their own growing space as they will take over a garden bed with their spreading/ invasive roots.
Prune down to soil line in fall and fertilize in spring for regrowth
Chocolate Mint: Dark leaved peppermint with purplish green stems, peppermint patty aroma and flavor. Pale lavender flowers. Used in teas and iced drinks.
Kentucky Colonel Spearmint: Large leaf on a robust plant. Can be used for a recipe calling for spearmint. Not as aggressive a grower as spearmint. White flowers Used to flavor drinks, salads and sauces.
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An essential kitchen herb for Latin American, Mediterranean and Southwest recipes. Widely used to flavor meats, stews, vegetables and a host of other recipes. Likes to be grown in well-drained soil.
Exposure: Full Sun
Heights : 18 inches
Season of Interest: Summer (Flowering) / Spring (Flowering)
Deer Resistant
Attracts hummingbirds, pollinators, butterflies
Growth Rate: Slow
Main Use: Culinary
Water Use: Light
Greek Oregano: Intense peppery flavor great for adding an unforgettable taste to dishes. Green leaves are used in Italian, Greek and Mexican cooking. White flowers. Vigorous grower.
Italian Oregano: One of the quintessential herbs for sauce and soup making. All purpose oregano, green leaves. Purplish pink flowers.
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Both a culinary and ornamental delight with its flowers during the summer. Culinary uses to flavor meat, soups or in teas. A necessary ingredient when used in stuffing and other recipes. Keep trimmed in the fall, but avoid cutting large woody stems too low as it will result in dieback.
Height: 18 in -36 inch
Exposure : Full Sun
Habit : Upright
Season of Interest : Fall (Flowering), Summer (Flowering) , Spring (Flowering)
Watering : Average/dry when established
Deer Resistant
Attracts Pollinators, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Purple Sage: Purple Gray foliage, grows a bit taller
Berggarten Sage: Large rounded green/gray foliage, common for culinary uses
Golden Sage: Variegated gold and green leaf, beautiful ornamental
Pineapple Sage: Light green leaves are pineapple scented and can be steeped for teas while the minty tasting bright red blossoms can be used as an attractive garnish for deserts. Showy red flowers. Grows tallest at 36 inches.
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A small, tidy, evergreen shrub with wonderful aromatic qualities. Can be used fresh or dried. Flavors fish, meat soups and vegetables.
Height: 6 in
Exposure : Full Sun
Habit : Upright
Growth Rate: Slow
Season of Interest : Summer (Flowering)
Deer Resistant
Water use: Average
Attracts Attracts Butterflies
Golden Variegated Thyme: Lemon scented foliage. Leaves are green with gold margins and pale lavender flowers
English Thyme: Popular variety for cooking. Rounded green leaves. Pink, edible flowers add zest to pasta salads. Very hardy.
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Goriza Rosemary
Large long broad green leaves on sturdy stems, blue flowers. Named after Gorizia, Italy. Hardy to 15 degrees with protection. Snip sprigs just as you would when cutting back a houseplant, trimming rosemary once blooming has ceased. The general rule for trimming rosemary is not to take more than one-third of the plant at any time and make cuts just above a leaf joint. These can then be dried like any other herb by hanging tied bundles upside down in a cool, dry place.
Height: 48-60 in
Exposure : Full Sun
Growth Rate: Slow
Water Use: Average
Habit : Upright
Season of Interest : Fall (Flowering), Summer (Flowering)
Deer Resistant
Attracts Hummingbirds, Pollinators, Butterflies
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Lavender Provence
Height: 24-36 in
Spread: 20-24 in
Hardiness Zone: 5-9
Herbaceous perennial , Popular cut flower, dried or fresh. Fragrant, purple, spiked flowers. Gray-green scented foliage. Uniform, compact, shrub-like habit. Ideal has a hedge or in perennial border.
Exposure : Full Sun
Habit : Upright
Soil Moisture : Average
Season of Interest : Summer (Flowering)
Rabbit Resistant, Deer Resistant
Attracts Butterflies & Hummingbirds
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French Tarragon
A popular choice due to its amazing fragrance and flavor. This mainstay herb has narrow green leaves with an anise aroma. Flavors salads, salad dressings, soups, egg dishes, sauces and meat dishes.
Growth Rate: Average
Exposure : Full Sun
Habit : Upright
Season of Interest : Fall (Flowering) , Summer (Flowering)
Water Use: Average
Height: 36 in
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Onion Chives
Perennial with mild onion flavor and edible purple pom pom like flavors. Easy to grow and very popular. Onion flavored leaves are used in soups, salads and eggs. Pink flowers.
Height: 12-15 inch
Exposure : Full Sun / part shade
Season of Interest : Summer (Flowering)
Deer Resistant
Attracts Butterflies
Growth Rate: Fast
Main Use: Culinary
Water Use: Average
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Incredibly fragrant lemon scented leaves that retain their scent when dried. White flowers atop of this impressive variety.
Exposure : Full Sun
Habit : Upright
Season of Interest : Summer (Flowering)
Attracts Pollinators & Butterflies
Growth Rate: Moderate
Main Use: Culinary/Aromatic Ornamental
Water Use: Light/Average
Size: 12-36″
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Red Veined Sorrel
Contrasting dark maroon veins add color and taste to salad mix same sharp, tangy lemon flavor as regular sorrel.
Height : 12-36 inch
Exposure : Full Sun / Partial Sun
Habit : Upright
Season of Interest : Fall (Flowering), Summer (Flowering) , Spring (Flowering)
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Stevia is an attractive herbaceous plant that belongs to the sunflower family. Native to South America, stevia is often known as “sweetleaf” for its intensely sweet leaves, used to flavor teas and other beverages for centuries. In recent years stevia has become popular in the United States, valued for its ability to sweeten food naturally without raising blood sugar or adding calories. Growing stevia isn’t difficult, but overwintering stevia plants can present challenges, especially in northern climates.
Stevia Winter Plant Care
Growing stevia or stevia planting in winter isn’t an option for gardeners in cool climates. However, if you live in USDA plant hardiness zone 8, stevia usually survives the winter with a thick layer of mulch to protect the roots. If you live in a warm climate (zone 9 or above), growing stevia plants in winter is not a problem and the plants require no protection.
Can Stevia Be Grown Over Winter?
Overwintering stevia plants indoors is necessary in colder regions. If you live in a cooler climate north of zone 9, bring stevia indoors before the first frost in autumn. Trim the plant to a height of about 6 inches (15 cm.), then move it to a pot with a drainage hole, using a good quality commercial potting mix. You may be able to grow stevia on a sunny windowsill, but without adequate light the plant is likely to become spindly and less productive. Most plants perform better under fluorescent lights. Stevia prefers room temperatures above 70 degrees F. (21 C.). Snip the leaves for use as needed. Move the plant back outdoors when you’re sure all danger of frost has passed in spring. If you’ve never grown stevia it is usually available at greenhouses or nurseries specializing in herbal plants. You can also plant seeds but germination tends to be slow, difficult, and undependable. Additionally, leaves grown from seed may not be as sweet. Stevia plants often decline after the second year, but it’s easy to propagate new plants from healthy, mature stevia.
Green leaves , White flowers. May be used for a sugar substitute
Height: 24 in
Use fresh or dried, powdered or as a liquid to sweeten food or beverages.
Exposure : Full Sun
Habit: Upright
Summer (Flowering)
Edible
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Holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum), is closely related to the sweet basil used in kitchens around the world. It is a short-lived, woody, herbal perennial that grows best in tropical and subtropical climates. It grows well in containers for gardens too, and homes in colder regions.
In India, holy basil is traditionally grown in containers in and around temples for the purpose of cleansing visitors. Holy basil plants are also important in Ayurvedic medicine and have been used for thousands of years.
Holy Basil Uses
In addition to its religious uses and significance, holy basil is used in cooking and medicine. It is more often used as a culinary herb in Southeast Asian countries, especially Thailand. You can use it in any way that you would use sweet basil: in sauces, salads, stir fries, chicken dishes, pastas, and more. Holy basil’s flavor is spicier than that of sweet basil.
Holy basil herbs have long been used medicinally as well. There is some evidence that it is effective in treating and relieving certain symptoms. Holy basil is used for nausea and other stomach ailments, to reduce inflammation, to promote relaxation and alleviate stress, and to relieve headaches, toothaches, ear aches, joint pain, cold and flu symptoms, and fevers.
How to Grow Holy Basil
You can grow holy basil much as you would other herbs, but it does need warm temperatures. Grow it outdoors in the summer, year-round if you are in a tropical or subtropical climate, or keep it in containers that you can move inside in winter.
Use a light, well-draining soil that is enriched with organic material, although holy basil will tolerate poor soil fairly well. Your plant will also tolerate some shade, so full sun is not necessary.
Height: 12-18 in
Basil - Finished Characteristics & Attributes:
Exposure : Full Sun
Attracts Wildlife & Butterflies
Edible
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What is Helichrysum curry? This ornamental plant, a member of the Asteraceae family, is an attractive, mounding plant valued for its silvery foliage, warm fragrance, and bright yellow blooms. However, Helichrysum curry, commonly known as the curry plant, shouldn’t be confused with curry leaf, which is an entirely different plant. Read on for more curry plant information and learn the difference between curry leaf and curry plant.
Curry Leaf vs. Curry Plant
Although curry leaf (Murraya koenigii) is often known as curry plant and is frequently misidentified by unknowing garden centers or nurseries, it is actually a small tropical tree. The small leaflets are often used to flavor curries and other Indian or Asian dishes. Curry leaf plants, also known as curry tree, reach heights of up to about 30 feet (9 m.). They are difficult to grow, even in greenhouses; thus, they are extremely rare in the United States. Helichrysum curry plants (Helichrysum italicum), on the other hand, are mounding plants that reach heights of only about 2 feet (0.5 m.). Although the silvery-grey, needle-like leaves smell like curry, these curry plants are ornamental and not recommended for culinary purposes, as the flavor is very strong and bitter. However, the dried foliage makes beautiful wreaths and delightful potpourris.
Growing an Ornamental Curry Plant
Ornamental curry is a rather finicky plant suitable for growing only in mild climates of zone 8-11. The plant grows in full sun or partial shade but doesn’t tolerate full shade or cold temperatures. Most well-drained soils are suitable. Plant Helichrysum curry seeds indoors in early spring, or directly in the ground after you’re sure all danger of frost has passed. Seeds germinate best at temperatures of 63 to 74 F. (18-23 C.). You can also propagate ornamental curry plant by cuttings if you have access to a mature plant.
Helichrysum Curry Care
Curry plant prefers warm, dry conditions and doesn’t do well in soggy soil. However, an occasional drink of water is appreciated when the weather turns hot and dry. A thin layer of mulch controls weeds in spring and summer, and a slightly thicker layer protects the roots during winter. Prune Helichrysum curry plants in spring to keep the plants tidy and promote healthy new growth.
Butter taste , used in salads, stews, and other dishes as well as teas.
Height: 12-24 in
Silver leaves are used to flavor rice, vegetables and eggs. Yellow flowers.
Exposure: Full Sun
Summer (Flowering)