Inspiration to grow a garden can come from many places – recipes or a menu plan are just two ideas. Local garden clubs often plan a luncheon of edibles from an herb, vegetable, or flower garden grown during the summer to celebrate the season.
Herb Luncheon Menu
Here is a sample menu and what was grown in the garden for it:
- Lemonade ice tea with mint sprigs.
- Marjoram in Parmesan cheese puffs.
- Roasted thyme chicken.
- Cold pasta with basil and dill.
- Chives in cheese biscuits.
- Pineapple salsa mixed with cilantro.
- Cheesecake decorated with and containing rosemary.
- Lavender cookies.
Perennial Herbs in a Garden
Mint, thyme, chives and lavender are perennial plants able to be grown in most climates. Each plant is often grown for the flowers. Flowers such as lavender, nasturtiums and pansies are also called edible flowers. For safety reasons, any herb plants whose parts are used in cooking should not be sprayed with chemicals in the garden.
Lavender is frequently grown for its fragrant flowers that attract bees to a garden. Mint can spread quickly, and should be planted in containers or bed surrounded by concrete wood edging. Chive plants will provide for chopping into many dishes such as with eggs or in salads all season. Thyme has tiny leaves and flowers, making this plant easy to grow in the smallest garden.
Rosemary is a tender perennial able to be brought indoors during winter and placed in a sunny window. The plant leaves have a ginger scent, and are used to flavor many meat and fish dishes. The dried plant is used in potpourri sachets as well.
Annual Herb Plants to Grow
Marjoram, basil, dill and cilantro are all annual type herbs. That is, each should be replanted in spring for a new crop. Only gardeners with very strong light can grow them successfully indoors during winter.
Look for different cultivars at the local garden center to mix in a garden. Basil has many choices including those with purple leaves. Like other herbs, basil is easy to grow even within a flower garden. Large herb plants like dill require more space for growing, but have a light feathery appearance that can make a dramatic appearance in any garden.
Herb plants are inexpensive to grow, and many require little space. They bring added value to the garden with a variety of fragrance and flowers, most of which attract pollinating wildlife like butterflies and hummingbirds.
For readers interested in creating a garden based on a recipe, here is a salsa garden idea.
