Natural Health Articles

For most people who are into natural health, growing their own produce and herbs often goes hand in hand with the lifestyle. Not only is it a satisfying hobby, but it can save you money too. Organic produce and herbs are expensive. But above that, there is nothing better than growing your own and harvesting it fresh from the garden in your own back yard.

Herb gardens date back as far as the 15th century. Just as herbs have many different uses, so did the types of gardens grown. Every monastery, estate and farmhouse had an herb garden in some form. Herb gardens were a way of life for most people. The midwives had gardens that would contain herbs helpful to women, housewives had gardens that grew the herbs needed for cooking, and English estates had elaborate gardens that graced the property both visually and aromatically. Below are some of the most common types of herb gardens:

Aromatic: This type of herb garden is grown mainly for its aromatic qualities. The flowers are used in floral arrangements, or dried, or the oils extracted for perfume or candles. Some plants you might use are rosemary, lavender, and peppermint.

Culinary: This category probably springs to mind automatically. We cook with herbs everyday and many of them are very easy to grow. Basil, oregano, dill, sage and parsley are just a few herbs common to culinary herb gardens. Rosemary can also be included in this category.

Medicinal: For ages, people have been growing herbs for their medicinal qualities. Herbs like garlic, chamomile, catnip (just make sure the neighborhood cats don’t discover it!), and, echinacea all have medicinal benefits.

Ornamental: While herb gardens do provide a function, they don’t have to look like a pile of weeds. Many gardens are laid out with the color and textures of the plants in mind and make for lovely decorative gardens.

The beautiful thing about the above categories is that you can mix and match as much as you like. There is no hard, fast rule that says you can’t grow an ornamental/aromatic/culinary/medicinal herb garden all rolled into one. Experiment, take a good look at what you use on a regular basis and see if you can grow that. An herb garden can be as small as a box on your windowsill or as big as your back yard. It all depends on how ambitious you are and how green a thumb you have!