Lavender is an evergreen perennial scrub but here in our zone 3 growing area we treat it like an annual. It has long aromatic leaves, gray green and downy that grow to the height of 2 feet. The blue-mauve flowers are intensely fragrant and walking in a field of blooming English Lavender should be on everyone’s bucket list, not only will you enjoy the look and smell of lavender but you will see bees gathering their nectar.

Cumin is a great tasting spice that has been used since ancient times as a healing agent. It has been used mainly for digestion. Taken after a meal in pill form or a soothing tea made from the seeds, it has been known to also control flatulence, ease stomach pain, and combat various causes of nausea.

A football field full of saffron crocus flowers is needed to produce one pound of saffron. A person can now better understand how saffron is worth its weight in gold. The flower has become very sensitive to its growing conditions and the increased demand for saffron has rendered this spice one of the rarest, most sought-after and expensive spices in the world.

Coriander leaves are called cilantro. The coriander plant is a rigid, strong smelling annual with a pronounced taproot and slender stems up to 2 feet. It features ferny pinnate leaves, rounded and parsley-like at base, umbels of small white or pink flowers formed in midsummer, followed by round red-brown seed capsules that are very aromatic when ripe.

Dill is one of the most common herbs in North America. It is an annual tall and lacey plant that grows 18-30 inches in height, with fine feathered blue-green leaves and hollow stems. It has small open umbels of creamy-yellow flowers in summer, followed by dark brown seeds.

Tarragon, an anise scented herb, comes in two varieties French and Russian. When speaking of tarragon if the variety is not specified you can assume it is the French type. It has a most pleasant aroma and is a more refined delicate plant than the Russian more robust, coarser, inferior in flavor plant.

Before modern medicine, horseradish was invaluable to people for maintaining various aspects of their health. It was used as a digestive, antiseptic, stimulant and to make poultices for rheumatism, chest complaints and circulation problems.

Every form of garden is artificial and success depends on how well we can match or duplicate the natural environment of the plant in nature. Factors such as type of plant, the soil requirements, the sun exposure and the local temperature range all need to be considered.

Fresh or dried herbs have been prepared for medicinal purposes for centuries, drawing on the accumulated wisdom and experience of generations of herbalists. Diagnosis and prescription are still best left to a qualified practitioner, although simple remedies can be prepared at home. Homer wrote of healing roots, one of the earliest records of the use of medicinal plants in Europe.

English monarchs had Strewers of Herbs precede them in processions to scatter dried aromatic herbs such as rosemary, thyme and rue to ward off diseases. The medieval plagues were thought to be caused by foul air. Dried herbs and essential oils were incorporated into pot-pourris, snuff and scented water.