When you are considering growing an herb garden, think about an Italian herb garden. This will give you some of the tastiest plants that you can use to create great Italian dishes. It should not be surprising that this type of herb garden is rather popular.

Basil is a great choice for an herb to include in herb garden. It is used in many of the traditional Italian dishes. It also is amazing in that when planted next to other plants, like tomatoes, basil gives those plants a unique flavor. Basil also is a natural pest repellent and will help keep flies away from the garden.

A harder plant to grow is Parsley, but those who do grow it will find that it works in Italian dishes, and even other types of foods. Originally it was used as a breath mint, and then it was discovered that Parsley also works great on a meal. This tradition continued generation after generation, and as of yet it shows no signs of stopping.

Want a pretty herb growing in your garden? You don’t have to sacrifice beauty for flavor. Oregano gives you both. You get pretty purple flowers and a nice strong taste (if you harvest after the flowers are gone). Nothing beats oregano when you want color and flavor from your garden.

If you’ve been wanting to get into herb gardening, you will want to know that herbs are among the easiest plants to grow. Even if you don’t think of yourself as having a green thumb, you can be a successful gardener if you grow the following easy herbs that can be used fresh or dried:

Basil: Basil is a warm-weather annual herb. It is hardy in most zones, but it requires hot, dry conditions to reach peak flavor. It needs full sun, and extremely rich, moist soil. Really the only significant problems with cultivating basil are slugs and cool conditions. As long as basil has sufficient light and warmth, and its soil is allowed to dry out between waterings, it generally demands little in the way of additional care.

Bay: Bay leaves are used in a variety of dishes, particularly Mediterranean cooking. You can crumble up the dried leaves and add them to dishes or use them whole and remove them once the flavor has been absorbed by the food. It’s a very hardy herb and does well in various zones. It requires soil that is rich and not too wet. Yet it does fairly well in most conditions.

If you are just starting out in herb gardening for the first time, you may not be sure which herbs are best for your garden. Well, there are many herbs that you can choose from; however, there are some that are a bit harder to grow. The following are a few great simple herbs that you can easily grow, even if you are a beginner.

Parsley – A hardy, easy to grow herb is parsley. You can grow curly leaf and flat leaf parsley easily, and they grow wonderfully without you having to give them a whole lot of care. They do well in either light shade or full sun, and they prefer moist soil that is nice and rich. However, it’s important to note that parsley doesn’t do overly well in the heat.

Cilantro – Cilantro is used in many Spanish dishes and has a distinct flavor. This is an annual herb that grows well both in the shade and the sun. You’ll find that it is very easy to care for and it will grow pretty well in just about any type of climate.