So, you're interested in herb gardening...
The Herb Society of America is a great resource for both new and experienced herb gardeners alike! If you are looking for answers to questions such as "where do I start?" Take a look at our Herb Growing Basics page on this website.
SPOr are you already growing herbs and are looking for gardening tips to help you improve? Are you looking to try something new and want to learn more about specific species? Maybe you want to learn more about the history of how particular herbs were used. Look at our great Herb Quick Facts Sheets and Essential Herb Guides for info on the most popular herbs.
SPHerbs are great fun to engage children in gardening. Herbs are even a great tool to use in teaching history, social studies, math, and reading as well as gardening! See our Thyme 4 Kids sections!
SPSee our Herb of the Month section to learn fun, and sometimes quirky, facts and recipes about a different herb each month. Or go right to the recipe section and search for new dishes to make with the herbs from your own garden.
SPRegardless of why, we're glad you are here!
TABLE OF CONTENTS – CLICK ON A TITLE TO LEARN MORE
SPA• What is an herb? Our most frequently asked question
SPA• Herb gardening basics / Let's get growing!
SPA• Our top ten favorite herbs by HSA member popularity
SPA• What's the connection between The National Herb Garden and The Herb Society of America?
SPA• Herb gardening for kids: HSAs Thyme 4 Kids!
SPA• HSA Quick Fact Sheets (quick profiles of plants)
SPA• HSA Essential Guides (in-depth details of plants)
SPA• Herbal wellness
SPA• Sustainable gardening practices
SPA• How to take herb cuttings
SPA• Composting
SPA• Read about herbs (both reference and fiction books) in our library collection
What is an herb? Our most frequently asked question.
Herbs are defined as plants (trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, biennials, or annuals) valued historically, presently, or potentially for their flavor, fragrance, medicinal qualities, insecticidal qualities, economic or industrial use, or in the case of dyes, for the coloring material they provide.
SPACESPACESPACESPACESPACESPACE— Holly Shimizu, author: HSA's Essential Guide to The Beginner's Herb Garden
Growing herbs — an introduction
So you're interested in herb gardening… you're in good company, as with the upsurge in edible gardening, healthy eating, hand crafts, and wellness we get a lot of questions about herb gardening for beginners. The truth is that herb gardening is one of the most fulfilling types of gardening and also requires significantly less skill than the more exotic flowers. Herb gardening is not only a great place for the beginner gardener to start, but it is also a type of gardening that produces a result that is fragrant, useful, and often edible! Learn more about growing herbs
Gardening for kids: HSA's 'Thyme 4 Kids'
The sensory nature of herbs is instantly intriguing and inviting to kids. Herb gardening with kids is a great way to inspire, entertain, and teach kids and at the same time develop a life-long interest! Children love to see the natural growing process, and see the beauty and useful qualities that herbs provide. Learn more about Thyme 4 Kids
HSA supports children's gardens in a big way, both at home and at school. We offer the Donald Samull Classroom Herb Garden Grant to schools to support gardening initiatives on their campus, while creating a great learning environment too. Learn more about Donald Samull Classroom Herb Garden Grant
Conservation and herbs
We believe that conserving natural elements of our environment is essential to a healthy planet, and herbs serve an essential part of that balance. So, we focus on two main initiatives where we can have a positive influence: 1) Notable Native Herb™, a program where we study and encourage the growth of native plants, countering the negative influence of invasive plants, and; 2) GreenBridges™, a project to maintain and create a system of gardens across our nation, effectively creating 'green bridges' that natural pollinators will use to migrate and perform their work so that nature may exist as it was intended. Learn more about conservation
Herbal wellness
Visitors to our site often have questions about herbs and how they can improve our sense of health and well-being. While we cannot comment on the medicinal qualities of herbs, we can direct you to experts who may be able to provide the info you're looking for. Herb gardening itself is a past time that has many positive qualities, such as improving a individual mood and calming the spirit. READ MORE
Click here for ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFO ON HERBS
Read about herbs
The Collection in our library includes more than 3,500 volumes covering a wide range of topics related to herbs and gardening. Materials collected include books (both scholarly and works of fiction featuring herbs), periodicals, multimedia, collateral pieces, and rare books.
Sustainable gardening practices
Sustainability is most often associated with the environment and specifically to our landscapes and gardens. What is a sustainable garden? It is an organic garden taken a step further. Following organic gardening practices will sustain soils and plants while it nourishes and sustains your family, both physically and aesthetically.
Sustainable gardening is one of the most important and effective sustainability practices that we can follow. Its practice and benefits include respecting, and improving the soils, using native plants, shrubs and trees to create beautiful landscapes, feeding one’s family fresh, organically-grown fruits, berries and vegetables and utilizing every renewable resource that nature provides, from rain water to gravel.
Best practices for herb gardeners. SHOW ME MORE
Herbal wellness (Optional, don't delete)
Visitors to our site often have questions about herbs and how they can improve our sense of health and well-being. While we cannot comment on the medicinal qualities of herbs, we can direct you to experts who may be able to provide the info you're looking for. Herb gardening itself is a past time that has many positive qualities, such as improving a individual mood and calming the spirit. READ MORE
Click here for ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFO ON HERBS
EXAMPLE COPY: While some take up gardening as a fun weekend hobby or a cheaper way to add fresh herbs and veggies to their diet, there may also be some health benefits to getting down and dirty in the backyard. Recent studies suggest gardening can improve mood, reduce stress, and even encourage a more hopeful outlook on life. When it comes to the distressed, another study suggests that gardening outdoors could be more effective at reducing cortisol levels (read: the “stress” hormone) than staying indoors and reading. Additional research suggests that in some individuals, gardening might also bring out greater feelings of spirituality and could even offer relief from traumatic experiences like dealing with illness or the death of a loved one. In one study, researchers found that gardening can be therapeutic, particularly among those suffering from depression. Over the course of a 12-week horticulture program, subjects showed decreases in the severity of their depression, with the biggest mood boosting effects occurring in those who were most engaged in their gardening activities. SEE MORE
