Herb Gardens

The plants mentioned in below serve a multitude of functions. They have ornamental foliage and flowers, they can be used for culinary and/or medicinal purposes and they attract a plethora of wildlife to your yard. The following is a listing of my top ten favorite multipurpose ornamental plants all of which I have grown in my USDA Zone 10 garden in subtropical SE Florida.

False Roselle (Hibiscus acetosella)
-ornamental flowers
-edible flowers
-Japanese maple-type burgundy foliage
-leaves can be eaten in salads or stir-fires
-AKA red-leaf hibiscus, bronze hibiscus

The September 2003 issue of Better Homes and Gardens shows false Roselle in a planting along with yellow-green ornamental grasses and silver-leaved Artemisia. I have mine planted along side a giant clump of lemon grass.

Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)
-AKA sun choke
-wonderful 8’ tall plants
-long lasting miniature sunflower like flowers
-attracts lots of beneficial insects
-edible tubers can be used raw or cooked in a variety of culinary creations.

Jerusalem artichokes have no problem growing during our hot and humid south Florida summers although they don’t start to flower until the early fall. They grow extremely tall, I have mine planted next to 8’ tall sections of lattice trellis for support. They are a perennial that spreads prolifically unless you harvest every last bit of the tuber. This is not a problem if you are growing the plant to harvest the tubers for culinary purposes but I would not recommend growing it for solely ornamental purposes unless you have a large piece of land.

Nasturtium

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
-wonderful ornamental plant with prolific flowers
-edible leaves
-edible flowers
-immature seed pods are edible and can be preserved and eaten like capers.

My favorite variety is Alaska which has beautiful variegated cream and green colored foliage.

Okra

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus ‘burgundy‘)
-flowers
-vegetable
-seeds
-dried seed pods

What’s a vegetable doing on this list you may ask!?! I’m talking about the burgundy variety of okra. It gets pretty hollyhock-like flowers. You can eat the immature seed pods in a variety of dishes including my favorite - chicken gumbo. The mature seed pods can be harvested for their seeds and planted for next years crop. The mature seed pods with the seeds removed can be dried and used in a plethora of dried arrangements and potpourri blends.

Pineapple mint (Mentha suaveolens ‘variegata’)
-edible leaves and flowers
-variegated foliage
-use fresh leaves in your culinary creations
-use dried leaves in medicinal teas

Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans)
-wonderful fruity scent
-edible flowers
-edible leaves
-leaves used in tea
-attracts butterflies

Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis)
-edible flower petals
-use fresh or dried petals in lotions
-use dried petals in potpourri
-wonderful ornamental plant

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
-edible leaves and flowers
-evergreen-like plant in USDA Zones 7-10
-use dried leaves in potpourri or tea
-used medicinally for nervous exhaustion, headaches and migraines

Lizards like to hide in the base of the plants which provides endless hours of entertainment for the neighborhood kids that like to see who can be the first to catch one.

Society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea)
-ornamental foliage
-wonderful flowers
-leaves and flowers can be eaten like chives
-bulbs can be cooked and eaten like scallions
-has a wide range of medicinal uses

Society garlic makes a wonderful edging plant for your garden beds. I purchased my plants from the Home Depot.

Winter tarragon (Tagetes lucida)
-edible leaves for recipes and tea
-miniature marigold flowers
-aromatic leaves for potpourri
-AKA Mexican mint marigold
-medicinally used to treat diarrhea, indigestion and nausea

Try growing one or more of these wonderful multipurpose ornamental plants in your own garden. The next time you are thinking of adding plants to your landscape research additional varieties which have multiple uses.

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