Favorite Herbs That at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

HERE ARE some favorite herbs that are grown more for their decorative appeal than for culinary reasons. Lavandula angustifolia, commonly known as lavender, is a well-known herb used mostly in the flower garden. It has spikes of purple flowers and small, gray-green leaves, and is highly fragrant. For a splash of color, the pot marigold, Calendula officinalis (annual), is a good rustic-style backyard plant with vivid orange-yellow flowers, each with a dark eye. Tansy, Tanacetum vulgare, is another favorite plant for rustic-style backyards. It has deeply cut leaves and small yellow flowers held on tall stems. There are many other colorful ornamental herbs to brighten up the flower garden, including the nasturtium, Tropaeolum majus (annual). This has bright heads of scarlet, red, orange and yellow trumpet-shaped flowers and leaves that are rounded in shape. Bergamot, Monarda didyma, has spectacularly colorful flowers of red, pink, white or purple and the whole plant has a delightful fragrance.

Colorful plants, or perhaps herbs, in simple pots by the door will look right. Make the most of vegetables and fruit bushes, letting them be part of the garden design. Do not be afraid of using rows of vegetables, herbs, bedding plants, or flowers for cutting, especially alongside a path. There is no need to grow only old-fashioned flowers because it is how the flowers are used and grouped that creates the rustic style, not what type they are. Choose as many scented plants as can be fitted into the space available, especially the many varieties of climbing rose and honeysuckle. The overall effect should be well-tended "disorder," a comfortable mix in which all the plants are allowed to run together. There will be plenty of weeding, but also a great opportunity to grow all your favorite plants in rich profusion.

Care and Storage. The tongue can tell whether a substance is sweet, sour, salt, or bitter. It cannot detect aroma, which comes to us through the sense of smell. The volatility that gives herbs and spices their distinctive taste and aroma also makes them perishable. Once volatility is lost through age or careless storage, the product has little, if anything, to offer. One should date the labels of new spices as they are purchased. They should be kept handy but should not be stored over oven heat or in direct sunlight. Containers should be closed immediately after use. At least once a year the shelf should be checked and all "fainthearted" herbs and spices discarded. Cooking time is too valuable to waste on tired spices. See also articles on individual herbs and spices.