TYPES OF HERBS FOR YOUR GARDEN

Ocimum basilicum: Grows to 3 feet tall. Full sun. Regular water.

Produces masses of aromatic leaves all summer. Snip off flower stalks as soon as they appear to prevent the plant from going to seed. There are dozens of varieties of basil available: purple basil, lemon basil, licorice basil, Thai basil and more. Basil is easy to grow from seed. Low temperatures and cool soil are enemies of basil seedlings, since the combination leads to damping off, and basil is very susceptible. Plant when the soil is warm, or use heating mats if starting seed indoors.

Petroselinum crispum: Grows to 12 inches tall. Full sun. Regular water.

Parsley produces leaves its first year. In its second year, it produces yellow flowers and seed, then dies. It's famous for being finicky to start from seed, so buy starts from the nursery. It comes in curled or flat-leaf varieties. Both have the same fragrance.

Salvia officinalis: Grows to 2 feet tall and as wide. Sun. Limited water.

Sage's woolly gray leaves are gorgeous. And they come in purple, green and gold as well as tricolor (purple, white and green). The plain green one is the typical culinary sage and the hardiest. It sends up spires of blue flowers in summer that are beautiful in arrangements.

Thymus vulgaris: 6 to 10 inches tall; can spread wider. Sun. Limited water.

Allium schoenoprasum: Grows to 12 to 18 inches. Sun. Regular water.

Chives are related to onions and have a similar flavor and fragrance, but milder. Each spring, they send up stems topped with light-purple flowers. Clipping the flowers away and using them in flower arrangements prevents the plant from going to seed and spreading itself everywhere. A small plant easily grows into a fat clump about a foot wide. You can divide the clump to make more plants. Keep snipping chives and they will keep growing.

Rosmarinum officinalis: Prostrate types grow to about 2 feet tall. Upright forms can grow to 5 feet. Sun. Limited water.

Rosemary has become part of most ornamental gardens. It looks great spilling over a wall, it is tough and carefree enough to cover large expanses of difficult-to-garden areas, it is covered with cheerful blue flowers most of the year and it has a heavenly scent. Its leathery, slightly sticky leaves are narrow and dark green, slightly reminiscent of Douglas fir needles. Give rosemary as much sun as possible and water sparingly. It can take regular watering but doesn't like wet feet.

Origanum vulgare, O. heracleoticum: Grows to 18 to 24 inches. Sun. Limited water.

Greek oregano (O. heracleoticum) is especially appealing.

Mentha: Grows to 12 to 18 inches tall. Part sun. Prefers lots of water.

Mint is a thug. It will take over the garden, so be careful where you plant it. Give it boundaries. There's the typical light green, crinkly-leaf spearmint and the purple-flushed leaves of peppermint, but take a look at the herb section of any nursery, and you'll be likely to find pineapple mint, apple mint, chocolate mint and more. You have to use your imagination to discern some of the exotic scents. Pick the leaves at any time. If you're going to dry mint, it's best to pick the leaves just before it flowers.