Every year I enjoy my vegetable garden, but this year I am thinking of adding some herbs. Do you have any suggestions? PD

One of the great things about growing herbs is that they tend to be pretty easy to grow and many of them can be perennial in our area. So, let’s talk about some herbs you might consider.

The history of herbs goes way back. Some of the earliest writings of quite a few civilizations include information on herbs being used to treat wounds and illnesses as well as in the preparation of food. In fact, the beginnings of modern science can be traced back to the early medicine men and healers in history and their use of herbs.

But for me, herbs in the garden are a great way to add scents and flavor to your meals as well as support local pollinator insects. And it’s always nice to be working in the garden and catch the smell of lavender or rosemary as you are on your knees digging our weeds.

This year I look forward to adding fennel and rosemary to my garden and maybe a few less vegetables… like that is actually going to happen…

As a rule, herbs like sunny locations with well-drained soil. Herbs for a sunny location would include lavender, dill, fennel, lemongrass, sage, thyme, tarragon, garlic, purslane, and rosemary. If you have a shadier spot, you should consider cilantro, lemon balm, mint, nasturtium, ginger, lovage, chervil, and parsley. Mints are handy to have around but with mints, you should consider putting them in a container since they can spread and be hard to get rid of.

Basil is one of my favorites because I like to make pesto, plus basil has such a wonderful, sweet, pungent smell. There aren’t many pests that search out basil, plus it serves as a pollinator attractor for your garden. One thing you will need to consider with basil, is that while the pollinators love the flowers, if you want the plant to continue to grow, you’ll need to remove the flowers to encourage more leafy growth. Or maybe let some go to flower for the pollinators and pinch the flowers off the others. That way everyone is happy.

I am also a big fan of rosemary. Around Tulsa, oftentimes we need to replant our rosemary each year because they get frozen out. However, in places like the Pacific Northwest, I’ve seen them used as hedges. It’s pretty nice to be able to walk next to a rosemary hedge and take in that smell. Varieties like Arp will give you a better shot at your rosemary being perennial here, but there’s still no guarantee. But if you had to have a guarantee, you probably wouldn’t be a gardener. However, you can always harvest a bunch of rosemary toward the end of the season and keep it in the freezer to use throughout the winter.

Sage is a good perennial herb to add to your garden. Sage plants will prefer slightly acidic soil that is well drained and gets lots of sun. If you would like your plant to be less leggy and more bushy, you’ll need to prune it to encourage lateral growth. Plus, if you have a sage plant and would like more, cuttings from the sage plant will root pretty easily.

The two herbs that have been in my garden since almost the beginning are oregano and thyme. I don’t use a lot of these when cooking, but they are wonderful pollinator magnets. On a warm summer day, I can pretty much guarantee that my oregano and thyme are going to be buzzing with bees. There’s nothing wrong with growing a little pollinator bait (if you will) to attract pollinating insects to your garden.

Chives are considered a hardy perennial which means you can pretty much plan on your chives returning each year. Chives are a member of the onion family and will produce beautiful purple flowers in the late spring. Chives prefer a location with full sun but will need some added water when we go through a dry patch. When you need to harvest some chives, just cut off the top portion of the leaves, but be sure to leave at least 2 inches of growth to encourage new growth.

Fennel is another great herb for the garden. I really don’t cook with fennel, but the black swallowtail butterflies love them. The Tulsa Master Gardeners have a small farm in Bixby where we grow food to donate to food pantries. Last year we planted both green and bronze fennel. Later in the growing season, every time I was out at the farm these plants were at first covered in butterflies but then later covered with caterpillars of the black swallowtails. Yes, they ate most of the plant, but that’s why we planted fennel, so it’s a win.

There are a lot of herbs you can grow in our area and we have some good information on our website (www.tulsamastergardeners.org) Just click on the Lawn and Garden Help section and then Herbs. We also have a good selection of herbs in our online Plant Sale/Fundraiser this year, so if you are looking to add some herbs to your garden, visit our website and click on the Plant Sale icon. See you in the garden!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo : Tom Ingram