DIY Network

The Dirt On Herbs In Your Landscape Herbs aren't just for the windowsill anymore. Find out how basil, chives, rosemary and thyme can work double duty in the landscape. From "The Dirt On..." episode DTDO-108

Fragrant herbs aren't just for cooking. They can be a great addition to your landscape. There are plenty of herbs you can toss out of the windowsill and into your backyard, enhancing your garden and your dinner at the same time. Here are a few double-duty herb favorites:

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Figure A

• Basil
  Basil (figure A) is one of the most common cooking herbs and it can also add a great accent in the garden. Dark purple varieties provide beautiful color and make a nice contrast to the standard green varieties. Basil is an annual herb that needs full sun and regular water. If you're using this in cooking you don't want to let it go to seed. Pinch off the tips of the plant, removing flowers when they develop.
  

  	Figure B
  	Rosemary can easily be trained into a topiary.

• Rosemary
  Rosemary (figure B) is most commonly grown in shrub form and it's easy to prune or wire into any shape you desire. If you have a slope in your yard, try a cascading variety. It'll creep down the slope and fill in nicely. This evergreen shrub enjoys full sun and good drainage. It needs little water once it's established and requires little or no fertilizer.

• Lavender
  Lavender can make a unique hedge. The plants will grow in mounds with little flower heads peaking up over the top. Dwarf varieties will stay under two feet tall so they make nice edging plants for borders. Plant lavender in an area with good drainage and trim 1/3 of the plant back after it blooms, thinning out the stems at the same time.
  

  	Thyme
  	Thyme

• Thyme
  English thyme is the most common variety available at nurseries and it makes a great groundcover in the garden. Lemon thyme is also readily available and has the added benefit of the lemon fragrance.

  Important: If you're going to use this in cooking, make sure to ask if the variety you buy at the nursery is edible. Some people plant this as decoration only, so not all thyme plants come from a pesticide-free grower. You could always start from seed as well.

• Chives
  Chives grow in clumps and have grass-like leaves and pink or purple flowers. The flowers will pop up between 12 and 14 inches tall. This makes for a nice accent plant interspersed throughout the garden, used much like you would an ornamental grass. The flowers will attract bees and the onion smell has been known to repel some pests. These plants can act as a protective border for other plants, blocking out the enemy and inviting friendly bees in.