Flowering Herbs
Create a flowering landscape with herbs.
Who says herbs have to be just plain green?
Many herbs can hold their own in any flower garden with bright blooms and
beautiful foliage. As an added bonus, you can harvest your handsome herbs for
cooking or crafts, so they're practical as well as pretty. Many of these attract
beneficial insects, too.
A flowering herbal border is a great compromise for gardeners with limited space
because it does double-duty as an herb garden and a perennial border. The herbs
described below are some of the most beautiful and easy plants you can grow for
flowers and foliage. The colors are mostly in the pink, lavender and blue range,
with silver, bronze or green leaves. White and yellow blooms add splashes of
color off and on through the growing season.
Anise hyssop*
Agastache foeniculum
This perennial herb grows in bushy clumps, with upright branching stems topped
with spikes of lavender-blue flowers in mid to late summer. The flowers attract
pollinating bees and other beneficial insects to your garden. Both the leaves
and the flowers are fragrant when fresh or dried, so they're a great addition to
potpourri. It will self-sow (or grow in new places from seed it drops), so pinch
off most of the flowerheads before the small, black seeds mature and drop.
Plants grow to 3 feet tall. Zones 4 to 9.
Bee balm*
Monarda didyma
The summer flowers of this spreading herb are usually red, but you can also find
cultivars with pink, purple or white blooms. 'Marshall's Delight' is a good pink
variety that resists powdery mildew, a fungal disease that causes gray patches
on the leaves. In mid to late spring, pinch out up to half of the stems at
ground level to thin out crowded clumps. Plants grow to 3 feet tall. Zones 4 to
9.
Chives*
Allium schoenoprasum
In June, this perennial herb produces pretty pink or lavender flowers that you
can add to salads for both color and flavor. The clumps of thin, grasslike green
leaves are attractive all season and they have a mild onion flavor. Clumps reach
12 to 14 inches tall in bloom, then arch over gracefully. Zones 3 to 9
Feverfew*
Tanacetum parthenium
Feverfew may look delicate, but it's a sturdy, easy-to-grow herb that blooms
from early summer to early fall. The white-petaled, yellow-centered flowers look
like tiny daisies. Pinching off the spent flowers can extend the bloom season,
and it will reduce the number of self-sown seedlings. You can also cut the whole
plant to the ground after bloom for a flush of new growth. Plants grow about 2
feet tall. Zones 4 to 9.
Joe-Pye weed
Eupatorium purpureum
Tall Joe-Pye is the glory of the late summer garden. Its domed clusters of rosy
pink to light purple flowers tower over shorter herbs, with sturdy stalks in
multistemmed clumps. The flowers attract butterflies as well as lots of
attention from garden visitors. 'Atropurpureum' also offers deep purple stems.
'Album' has white flowers. Plants are slow to emerge in spring, so place markers
by the clumps. Stems reach 6 to 8 feet tall in bloom. Zones 3 to 8.
Lavender*
Lavandula angustifolia
Lavender is as pretty to look at as it is heavenly to smell, and it keeps its
distinctive fragrance when dried. In midsummer, English lavender produces spikes
of purple-blue flowers on slender stalks over shrubby clumps of narrow, silvery
leaves. 'Munstead' and 'Hidcote' are more compact, growing only 12 to 18 inches
tall, with dark purple flowers. Lavender is a good choice for the front of the
border—it must have good drainage to stay healthy. Zones 4 to 8
Marsh mallow
Althaea officinalis
Marsh mallow is a beautiful herb that produces attractive pink or white,
hollyhock-like flowers for most of the summer. The broad, oval to heart-shaped,
gray-green leaves are velvety soft. Plants grow 3 to 4 feet tall. Zones 3 to 8.
Meadowsweet*
Filipendula ulmaria
Also known as queen-of-the-meadow, this graceful perennial herb produces frothy
clusters of creamy white flowers in mid to late summer. The large, dark green
leaves grow in creeping clumps; divide plants every two to three years to
control their spread. Plants can reach 3 to 4 feet tall in bloom, although they
may be shorter if the soil is dry. Zones 3 to 9
Purple coneflower*
Echinacea purpurea
Purple coneflower produces clumps of sturdy stems topped with large, rosy pink,
daisylike flowers that have raised, orange-brown centers. Plants bloom from
midsummer into fall, especially if you snip off the dead flowers in summer. The
blooms of 'Crimson Star' are particularly deep rose-pink. You may also find
cultivars with white flowers, such as 'White Swan'. Plants grow 3 to 4 feet
tall. Zones 3 to 9.
Rue
Ruta graveolens
Even if it didn't bloom, rue would be worth growing for its foliage alone. The
bright blue-green leaves are deeply divided, giving the whole plant a delicate,
lacy look. In midsummer, the clumps are accented with clusters of bright
yellow-green flowers. Good drainage is essential for healthy growth. Plants grow
2 feet tall. Zones 5 to 9.
Sage*
Salvia officinalis
Common culinary sage grows in shrubby clumps, with oblong, gray-green leaves
accented by spikes of purple-blue flowers in mid to late summer. 'Berggarten'
has broader, more silvery leaves. If you'd like extra color, try planting 'Purpurea',
with purple-green leaves; 'Icterina', with gold-banded green leaves; or
'Tricolor', with green leaves that are splashed with cream, pink, and purple.
You can also find cultivars with white or pink flowers. Plants grow 1 to 2 feet
tall. Zones 4 to 9.
Yarrow*
Achillea millefolium
Common yarrow produces flattened clusters of red, pink or white flowers on
slender stems clad in feathery green foliage. These summer flowers are great for
fresh or dried arrangements. If you prefer yellow flowers, you could substitute
another species or hybrid. Plants are usually around 2 feet tall. Zones 3 to 8.
*Rippling Waters has these.
