What are the Herb Plant Types and Categories?

If you are planning to set up your own herb garden, know first the types and categories of herb plants before starting it. Of course, you can ask friends and neighbors who already have their herb gardens for help on this subject.

The herb plants are of three major categories based on their length of productive years. There are the annual type herbs, the perennials, and the biennials. They are grown under different conditions where they can survive.

The annual types such as the basil, cilantro and the summer savory, live only for one year and need to be replanted yearly with their seeds. They only thrive during the warmer months of the year.

Perennials are of the opposite type as they thrive even in the coldest temperatures of temperate countries, and are therefore semi-permanent plants in the garden. The herbs that belong to this category are sage and winter savory.

Biennials are herb plants that survive for at least two years. In the first year, they form the leaves and it is only in the second year when their flowers and seeds come. These herbs are the angelica, parsley and caraway. The seeds of this type are normally sown in the last days of spring on moist soil and prepared as fine texture. The seeds are buried in straight rows covered with firm top soil.

Another category of the herb plants is according to their uses, which are the culinary types, the aromatics, herbs grown for medicinal purposes, and those types which are of the ornamental kind.

Culinary herbs for the flavoring of food are commonly the top herbs maintained by many herb enthusiasts in their gardens and are often used in the preparation of meals. Herbs that belong to this category are thyme, basil, chive, marjoram, savory, and sage. They are used for flavoring of different kind of dishes. Parsley, another type of culinary herb, is used as garnishing in food.

Oils from the aromatic herbs (loyage, mint, and rosemary) are used in the making of perfumes, colognes, scents, or sprays, now common items in any store selling these beautifying items. When dried, these types of aromatic herbs are made into potpurri.

Many people have found that herbs are also good cures for ailments.  So it is becoming a practice to grow herbs of this type for medicinal purposes. There is a growing tendency to use herbal medicines by many people now, so these categories of medicinal herbs are favorites with them.

The last category, the ornamentals, is a delight to watch when you grow them in your garden. Valerian, a top favorite among the ornamental herbs, has bright, attractive colors which brighten up the scenery in the garden.

There are also herbs that have multiple uses like the mint which is used for cooking, as an herbal tea and even for pest control.