Aromatic Herbs

Growing Aromatic Herbs: Plants, Seeds and Tea

It is said that one of the strongest forms of memory is scent. Many of my childhood memories are linked with the smells of the herb gardens that I visited on my holidays in southern England and many of my adult memories are linked with the exotic scents of the Japanese herb gardens I’ve visited in my holidays.

The best thing is that many aromas combine together to give an awesome smell. Aromatic herbs from a Italian herb garden such as garlic and oregano combine their scents beautifully. Even a combination that rarely occurs in nature such as mint and thyme creates a complimentary smell.

The best thing is that many of the best aromatic herbs are also culinary garden herbs. Many gardeners grow these as indoor herbs, so that they can enjoy the smell and keep them close at hand for any delicious recipes they are cooking.

Top Aromatic Herbs

While almost any herb can be a great aromatic herb, the best are:

  • Coriander Seeds. While the leaves of this herb have a subtle smell, the seeds are the best smelling. Most people crush them to release the smell. In addition they are great culinary herbs, as they go with vegetables, curries and cooked meats.
  • Thyme. If you want a great herb that can be used in almost any recipe, a thyme herb garden is one of the the best ones. It has a minty-lemony smell, so goes well with strong smelling herbs.
  • Oregano. This has one of the most potent smells of all the aromatic herbs. The hotter your garden, the more potent the smell is, so people who live in a hot climate (Or use an artificial way of heating the plant) really get the best benefit from this herb. To really get the best out of its smell, it should be grown alongside other Italian herb garden plants. It also has the great plus of being a versatile culinary herb.
  • Lavender. There can be little doubt that lavender is one of the best flowers to use. A great use is to use it in massage oils for some aroma-therapy benefits. In addition its oils make an excellent perfume .
  • Mint. The uses for mint are numerous. The oils can be used to flavor things or to add their scent to shampoos or body washes. Some people prefer to simply leave in unharvested and enjoy the strong scent of the uncut plant.
  • Lemon grass. If you ever need a natural smell on your body, the oils from this plant are great. In fact it has been used as a deodorant in the past.
  • Ginger. This is a personal favorite of mine, simply because it combines with almost any smell. On top of that it is delicious for making tisane in your tea herb garden.

Combining The Scents of Aromatic Herbs

The best way to really make your house smell good is to grow a potted herb garden and practice moving your pots around to get the best combination of smells. While it can seem like a good idea to put all the strongest smelling herbs together, this can easily become overpowering. Often it is best to chose one strong smelling herb and a couple of weaker ones to add a subtle ‘character’ to the smell. Experiment with as many combinations in different areas as you can and soon you will have a great smelling house and garden that you will love to go to.