Most herb gardeners who are just starting out need a lot of help in figuring out which garden herbs and plants will go best with their garden. It’s up to the gardener to decide whether or not he or she is planting herbs for cooking, tea drinking, or garden decoration. Either way, here’s a list of popular garden herbs and plants which are easy to use and readily available almost anywhere.

1. Jasmine

One of the heads of the tea family, this herb and its flowers can rival being the prettiest among garden herbs and plants. Use it for decorating your garden with its beauty, and relaxing your senses with its gentle scent.

2. Lavender

The pretty flowers of this herb are what leads it to be mistaken as just a flower plant, rather than a useful herb. Lavender makes a great soothing and sweet smelling tea.

3. Mints

A great plant to have in your garden, but with the tendency to try and take over everything! Mint is a great herb with many uses. Just keep your types of mint away from each other because they will all end up tasting the same. Also, give them a lot of sunlight in order to control their love to spread all throughout the garden.

4. Basil

Extremely popular in Italian cooking, there are many kinds of basil that go with a lot of different types of cooking too. To keep it safe, choose sweet basil as this is a good all around option for most dishes.

5. Sweet Marjoram

This foot tall plant makes a great potpourri apart from being a great seasoning element to many dishes.

6. Dill

Great for salads of all kinds, and freshening the air around the home! Dill is a great smelling herb which grows up to three feet tall. Plant it in the outer parts of your herb garden.

7. Lovage

A tree like herb, growing up to several feet tall. It makes for good garden hedges, plus it tends to all its surrounding plants, making sure all other garden herbs and plants are growing healthy and happy.

8. Rosemary

Crushed rosemary is extremely flavorful, and it adds a great zing to many dishes. It’s easy to grow and it’s stalks can also be used around the house.

9. Sage

Great for meats, this woody herb grows just as tall as your dill, and will be a good companion for your rosemary plants. It definitely enhances the flavor of rosemary and vice versa.

10. Caraway

Often used for its seeds, not so much for its aesthetic qualities, planting caraway would be a good choice for a gardener who is just starting out because it tends to aerating and tending the soil for you.

Though there are many more herbs to choose from, and so many you can order off the world wide web, these are the plants and seeds you are very likely to find in your local neighborhood plant and gardening store, so you’ll never have to worry about spending too much for your garden!

Want to know what other plants you can grow in your herb garden? Get a better idea of the different ways you can raise herbs by checking out Herbal Tea Gardens, then looking through the other site articles for all you’ll need to know about herb gardening!

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Water gardens are of varied type and none is more fascinating that one laid out alongside a trickling stream of water.

When gardening alongside a small stream it is important to consider the issue of what happens when a stream overflows during heavy rain storms. Deep rooted plants will not be noticeably affected but those plants with finer roots will benefit from rocks placed alongside the banks of the stream to prevent them from being washed away. Once the rocks are in place the plants are planted between them.

Suitable waterside plants are hostas, day lilies, and Japanese and Siberian irises. The white, salmon and pink shades of the Astilbe arendsi massed amongst the Japanese irises will look stunning and can be enjoyed over many seasons.

At the immediate water’s edge planting with moisture-loving forget-me-nots, self-seeding swamp marigolds, and the hardy primrose, will soon reveal how enchanting gardening alongside a small stream can be.

One of the plants that looks the most natural in a damp area of the garden is the fern and a range of different ferns planted about the sides of a small stream will enhance its beauty. The ferns should be planted in a somewhat scattered fashion so they look as natural as possible.

Ferns, which are perennials, are easy to grow in moist, shady areas and give the garden a classy look. Since they are not flowering plants, ferns make an ideal rich green backdrop for other more colourful plants.

The elegant Blechnum spicant, with its long, glossy fronds is a native British fern, and is ideal for a water garden. The Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) is another popular option with its excellent upright shape.

Alex, a keen gardener, writes and builds websites on a number of topics including computer hardware. Latest websites are about cheap external hard drives and the stylish pink laptop computer.

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One glance through a gardening magazine, and we are showered with images of pristine gardens, beautifully appointed with hundreds of varieties of plants, trees, and shrubs. While many of us aspire to have yards as beautiful as those in a magazine, few of us have the time or resources to achieve such perfection. However, with a little work and some good planning, even those of us with the blackest of thumbs will feel good about our efforts in the garden.

When reviewing your outdoor space, try to identify those areas that you’re not very happy with. What do you want to change about them? Do you need some additional flowers or other plants? Perhaps the space doesn’t feel balanced? Climbing plants may be just the answer you are looking for to solve a variety of common problems in outdoor areas.

Many plants, both annual and perennial, fall into the category of climbing plants. The more common climbers are clematis, morning glory, ivy, and honeysuckle. However, many plants that spread along the ground like creeping phlox and periwinkle can provide coverage for unsightly spaces in your outdoor area, as well.

Climbing plants can be used to solve a myriad of problems in your outdoor spaces. For example, do you have something unsightly that you need to cover, such as a garage wall, tree stump, or electrical meter? Use climbing plants to cover it up! They not only change the view you are seeing, but they can also provide color and fragrance to an area. Consider putting up a trellis on the side of your shed to soften it up with a burst of color and fragrance. Climbers can also provide coverage of retaining walls and fences with little effort.

While climbing plants can be trained to climb a trellis or wall, they can also be planted in a pot and allowed to cascade downward, or used as a groundcover. If you have some areas of the garden where bare soil is showing, consider using a vine or other groundcover plant to hide those bare spots.

Lack of privacy is another major issue that homeowners commonly cite when asked why they dislike their yards or gardens. Perhaps you have neighbors that are a little too close? A trellis, arbor, or pergolas is a great solution to this problem. Climbing plants will easily climb and cover these structures, providing privacy and beauty to your yard. Pergolas and arbors can also be used over pathways or gates, or to mark a transition from front yard or side yard into a backyard. In all of these places, consider planting a climbing vine at the base of the structure. Within a few months, you’ll have a stunning focal point for your yard.

Climbing plants are usually pretty self-sufficient and require little care to grow. Of course, there are the basic needs like sun and water. You might also want to be aware of the soil type or soil pH level that the plant requires, though with climbers this is usually a less important consideration. Obviously, the most important thing to consider when planting a climber is providing some support structure upon which it can grow. When allowing climbers to grow near buildings, it’s important to keep a close eye on the plant so it doesn’t get out of control. Some very vigorous climbers can damage homes, garages, or barns when allowed to grow unchecked.

Some climbing plants merely provide greenery, while others boast showy flowers in addition to their leaves. Flowering vines will oftentimes attract butterflies, birds, and wildlife. This should be taken into consideration when using climbing plants. For example, if you’re using climbers near an outdoor eating area, you probably won’t want to contend with bees that may be attracted to the flowers. On the other hand, a trellis with flowers outside your kitchen window can be a welcome sight, and an enjoyable place to watch the insects and wildlife that are attracted to it.

So the next time you’re doing some gardening or landscaping, and thinking about ways you can improve the aesthetics of your yard, consider adding some climbing vines as a solution. There are many climbers to choose from that will add elegance and beauty to your outdoor living area. With a little time and effort, your garden can be every bit as beautiful as one of those you see in a magazine.

Need a place for your climbers to grow? Home Products ‘n’ More offers garden arbors and patio trellis products with free shipping! Please also visit us for information how to build a pergola.

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