Key Takeaways

  • Cilantro brings flavor to dishes, growing fast post-frost.
  • Mint attracts butterflies to your herb garden, and offers a refreshing taste in dishes.
  • Rosemary adds flavor to savory dishes.

After months of being indoors during the winter, it’s time to go out and start enjoying your backyard again. It’s also time to get your garden in shape to make it look beautiful and begin producing fresh food. Once your garden is ready, there are plenty of plants you can grow.

While certain plants will make your yard smell amazing and some of them can help fight soil erosion, herbs are a great addition to add color, tasty smells, and even make a great addition to almost any dish! Spring can be tricky when it comes to weather, as some days are hot while others are freezing. Because of this mercurial temperature pattern, not all herbs can be planted at this time of the year but others thrive. Get to know the best garden herbs to grow in spring.

1 Cilantro Packs a Lot of Flavor

Add cilantro to brighten lots of different dishes

Every lover of Mexican or Asian cuisine should always have some fresh cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) at hand. It can completely change the taste of any dish, making it more flavorful. Its seeds are known as coriander and are commonly used as a cooking spice, mostly in Indian and Middle Eastern dishes. Cilantro grows super fast, even compared to other fast-growing garden herbs. Once the threat of frost has passed, you can start planting this herb. However, do not hesitate for too long, since cilantro likes cool weather to grow.

Just 30 days after planting, you can harvest cilantro and already enjoy its delicious leaves. The plant is ready to harvest when it reaches 6 inches tall.

2 Mint Adds a Burst of Fresh Taste

The bright, bold flavor of mint stands out in any dish

There are plenty of reasons why you should grow mint (Mentha) in your herb garden. You can use it to make a refreshing tea or add it to various dishes, giving them a refreshing flavor. But did you know that it is also one of the best plants when it comes to attracting beneficial insects, such as butterflies?

Plant mint in moist but well-drained soil and provide it with full sunlight. Mint can withstand partial shade but prefers lots of sun.

Mint's fresh flavor makes it stand out when it is used as an ingredient. The herb also has a distinctive, pleasant smell. The scent of mint is used often in home products.

3 Rosemary Enhances Savory Dishes

Use rosemary to help bring out flavors in savory dishes of all kinds

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) is a Mediterranean herb that everybody should have in both their gardens and kitchens. It loves warm areas, and if you provide it with perfect conditions, it can grow up from 3 to 5 feet in height. When the chances of frost are gone, rosemary can be planted in early spring. An aromatic shrub, rosemary prefers well-drained soil and lots of sunlight.

Rosemary is one of the most popular kitchen garden herbs to grow, appearing in many different recipes. It is a favorite addition to meats and savory dishes of all kinds.

Rosemary has a distinct aroma that is popular in cuisine and in products of all kinds. Many everyday items, such as candles, are rosemary-scented. The rosemary plant also has a distinct look, producing straight, spear-shaped stems covered with small, fringe-like leaves.

4 Basil Packs a Punch of Freshness

Make anything taste fresher and a little greener with basil

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) prefers warm temperatures, and it is sensitive to frost, so plant this in the garden well after the danger of frost has passed. Give basil a sunny spot when possible. Basil can withstand partial shade, but it will produce fewer leaves when grown with less sunlight.

Basil leaves grow in a bright, eye-catching shade of green that makes this herb stand out beautifully in any garden.

Basil can be dried or eaten fresh, and it is widely used as a kitchen herb for its delicious, green flavor.

5 Oregano Is Essential for Italian Cuisine

Many Italian-inspired recipes require oregano!

Oregano seedlings in conainers on a table
Image credits: Slatan via Shutterstock

If you have basil growing with your garden herbs, you also have to plant oregano, since these two herbs are inseparable. Just like basil, it can be used in a wide variety of dishes, especially in Italian cuisine. It loves a warm climate and hot temperatures. Therefore, allow it to be exposed to the full sun for most of the day. Don’t forget to water it frugally during the season and keep in mind the soil always has to be well-drained.

Many types of basil are grown in home herb garden designs to provide fresh ingredients for recipes. Play around with growing different species of basil to explore the different flavor profiles associated with various cultivars of this popular plant.

Genovese Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Genovese')

Known as Italian basil, Genovese basil is one of the most common kitchen herbs to grow in home gardens. It has a somewhat spicy flavor and it is aromatic, with a mint-like scent.

Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum)

A popular herb in recipes, sweet basil has a sweet flavor with a hint of licorice.

Thai Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora)

Widely used in South Asian recipes, Thai sweet basil is an attractive plant that produces purple flowers. The flavor is mild, with a hint of sweetness.

6 Anise Brings a Distinctly Strong Flavor

The rich flavor of the anise plant is unlike anything else

Anise (Pimpinella anisum) has a rich flavor that cannot be compared to other garden herbs. The flavor is somewhat like licorice, which makes anise really stand out even among similar plants. Anise blooms with small clusters of white flowers that look a little bit like lace, making this a visually stunning addition to the garden.

It’s a perfect garden plant if you want moths and butterflies to visit you regularly. What is more, it can repel some uninvited garden guests, such as cabbage worms or root knots nematodes. When it comes to planting anise in the herb garden, it is recommended to have well-drained soil with a pH level between 6.0 and 7.0.

Anise prefers a warm climate, so make sure it has full sunlight during the day.

7 Parsley Is a Famous Flavor Enhancement

Parsley is known to enhance flavor and produce a fresh, green taste

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum), besides being delicious, has many other benefits. One of them is that it is rich in vitamin C and iron. Thanks to its rich green color, it can also make your garden look gorgeous.

  • Parsley thrives best when provided with moist and well-drained soil, as well as full sun to partial shade.
  • It needs plenty of water to thrive, so do not forget about watering this garden herb regularly and letting the soil dry between waterings.

Learning Which Herbs to Grow in Your Garden

Growing herbs is beneficial on many different levels. They can enrich the flavor of your food for a fraction of the price you would have to pay for them in a supermarket. They also beautify your garden and have an amazing fragrance that will make your stay in the yard even more pleasant!

Learn how to plant and grow garden herbs and you will enjoy fresh ingredients all summer long.