Re: Herb perennials?

> >I for one find herbs to be an important part of my perennial garden.
> >Olfaction is important to me, so I like herbs that release scents
> >when walking through a garden.  Some of them also have excellent
> >ornamental qualities.
> 
> Chris, tell us about your favorite ones.

I guess it all depends on what you call an herb -- some of the
plants that we commonly consider to be perennials have medicinal
properties, so they could also be found in an herb garden (i.e.
Echinacea purpurea).

The easiest way to release scents into the garden is by integrating
groundcovers that can tolerate foot traffic into the walkways.  For this
kind of experience I really enjoy Roman chamomile, mother-of-thyme,
and pennyroyal.

You can also plant large, bushy, fragrant herbs in tight, crowded walkways
to force people to brush against them.  The east side of my house has a
very narrow space to walk in (6'), and although still undeveloped, the
plan is to create a 2' path with potted mints alongside.  The biggest
advantage is that the mints can overwinter outdoors while curbing
their invasive nature during the summer months.

There are some other plants that I just wouldn't do without in my
perennial beds either -- lemon thyme, just for its refreshing 
fragrance and dainty white flowers; wintergreen, for its wonderful
evergreen leaves and scarlet berries; bearberry, for its clean,
glossy foliage, blush-colored flowers, and red berries; winter
savory, for the incredible floral display in the summer; Origanum
laevigatum 'Herrenhausen' (common name unknown), for the
masses of purplish-lilac blooms in the summer; and some Artemisia
that I pilfered a root cutting from somewhere (very ferny; it was
identified by Floyd Swink, the head taxonomist at the Morton
Arboretum, as being A. pontica, but various references don't
seem to agree).

Of course, I grow the other "herbs" like golden marguerites, various
yarrows, coneflowers, wild quinine, roses (Rosa eglanteria is MOST
excellent, and should be considered by ALL (talk about fragrances --
I can smell it 50' away when it's not in bloom!)), etc...

Chris
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