8 Flowering Herbs That Look Beautiful and Taste Great
These colorful and gorgeous blooming herbs are a feast for the eyes.
Many herbs bear subtly beautiful flowers that lend a loose, unstudied air to arrangements. With flavorful leaves and gorgeous flowers, these plants provide a feast for the eyes. Also check out these plants and herbs that naturally repel mosquitoes and the best perennial flowers and plants for more garden ideas.
Bee Balm
(Monarda)
Perennial
Zones 3-9
Bee balm not only produces beautiful blooms in a variety of shades (reds, pinks, and purples), but it also attract bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies to your garden. You can use their leaves to brew tea, or used crushed leaves to flavor jellies, breads, salads, and more.
Lavender
(Lavandula)
Perennial
Zones 5-9
While everyone knows lavender produces pretty purple petals, you may be surprised to learn lavender is a part of the mint family. Known for attracting bees and butterflies to yards, it’s a hearty garden staple that both beautiful and versatile. You can use harvested, dried lavender in so many different projects (soap making, bath salts) and recipes (ice cream, scones, and more).
Thai Basil
(Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora)
Annual
Zones 9-11
This exotic variety, with a strong licorice scent, boasts reddish-purple flower spikes in late summer. Note: The leaves may start to lose some flavor once blooming begins.
Dill
(Anethum graveolens)
Annual
Zones 3-11
By midsummer, vivid chartreuse-yellow blossoms appear atop tall stems with feathery foliage. To ensure a steady supply, sow new seeds each month.
Rosemary
(Rosmarinus officinalis)
Zones 7-10 (perennial), Zones 1-6 (annual)
Grow this drought-tolerant shrub, which blooms in early summer, as an annual in regions cooler than Zone 8. For best results, start with a plant, not seeds.
Greek Oregano
(Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum)
Perennial
Zones 5-10
With a low mounding habit, this fuzzy-leaved herb makes for a good-looking ground cover. Expect clusters of pale, pinkish buds midsummer.
Spearmint
(Mentha spicata)
Perennial
Zones 4-11
This refreshing member of the mint family flaunts cones of lilac-pink bells by midsummer. Since mint's invasive, be sure to contain it in a pot or raised bed.
Pineapple Sage
(Salvia elegans)
Zones 8-10 (perennial), Zones 1-6 (annual)
True to its name, this tender perennial emits a sweet pineapple fragrance and, as summer begins to wane, sends up stalks of vibrant scarlet blooms.
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