32 Fun New Herbs To Grow In Your Herb Garden

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Herbs make fantastic additions to any meal and they can also be especially relevant when it comes to making teas. Instead of buying the herbs you want from a grocery store, creating an herb garden can be a fun and effective way to have all the herbs you want close at hand.

Herb gardens can be big or small, depending on the space you have available, but either way, you have complete freedom about what herbs you do and do not include.

There are many herbs that just about every such garden includes, such as oregano, sage, thyme and mint, but you are not limited to those. Instead, there are many other options that are more fun and more unusual. Some of these can help to make your herb garden more appealing visually, while others can offer additional flavors or even potential health benefits.

This post focuses on some of the key unusual herbs that you can add into your herb garden. Most of them are relatively easy to obtain and they can be a good way of making your herb garden look a little bit different than everybody else’s.

32. Pineapple Sage

Pineapple sage gets its name from the scent of its leaves, which strongly resembles pineapple. The herb produces red tubular flowers that are especially attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds.

Because of this, it can be a great way to attract those species to your garden. The sage is commonly used to make herbal tea and some potential health benefits have been attributed to it.

31. Lemon Basil

Lemon basil is a hybrid between traditional basil and African basil. It is most commonly used in southern Asia and northeastern Africa, and as the name suggests, it has a lemon scent.

The herb is commonly used in cooking and it is a particularly versatile herb in this respect. Dishes that can include lemon basil are stew, curry and soup, as well as a range of different grilled foods.

30. Epazote

Epazote is also sometimes known as Mexican tea, and can actually be used to make a rather pungent tea. The herb tends to be viewed primarily as a medicinal herb and is often promoted as a way to counter issues with indigestion and flatulence.

However, the herb is also used in cooking and it has a strong, unique taste in this role. The taste is most similar to oregano, but many people argue that the taste cannot fully be described.

29. Lemon Verbana

Lemon verbena is native to South America and requires special care if you plan on growing it outside of its native environment.

Despite this challenge, the herb is worth the effort, and offers pretty white or purple flowers that are suitable for just about any garden. The lemon scent of the leaves makes it a good herb for adding lemon flavor to foods and it is often used in the place of actual lemon.

28. Vietnamese Coriander

Vietnamese coriander is also often called names like Vietnamese mint or hot mint, because of its odor and the way that it looks like mint. However, the herb isn’t actually related to the mints and doesn’t even belong to the same family.

As the name suggests, the herb is most commonly used as part of Vietnamese cuisine and it is especially common in salads. Other cultures also use the herb in cooking.

27. Perilla

Unlike the previous entry, perilla actually does belong to the mint family. There are a few different varieties of the plant, some of which have red leaves, while others have green leaves.

The red leafed varieties stand out especially well in herb gardens, although the green ones do tend to be more common. Nevertheless, both colors of perilla are used in cooking, so you can choose whichever one you prefer.

26. Anise Hyssop

While many garden herbs have are relatively plain, anise hyssop has distinctive fragrant flowers that can help attract bees and birds to the garden.

In addition to its ornamental use, anise hyssop is also used in teas and as a seasoning for some dishes. It has also been associated with medical properties and plays a role in some traditional Native American medicine.

25. Orange/Lemon Thyme

This species grows as a small, evergreen shrub that flowers in mid to late summer, with pink to purple flowers.

The herb is often grown simply for its appearance and its small size allows the herb to be crown to fill gaps or to help cover the ground. In cooking, the thyme loses its flavor relatively quickly, so it is best added right at the end of cooking so that its flavor remains strong.

24. Winter Savory

This species grows as a small, evergreen shrub that flowers in mid to late summer, with pink to purple flowers.

The herb is often grown simply for its appearance and its small size allows the herb to be crown to fill gaps or to help cover the ground. In cooking, the thyme loses its flavor relatively quickly, so it is best added right at the end of cooking so that its flavor remains strong.

23. Tree Onion

Tree onions are look unusual, but they are actually similar to normal onions. The biggest differences is that with tree onions there is a cluster of small bulbs where you would see flowers on an ordinary onion.

This produces interesting outcomes in the garden, as the bulbs make the stalk top heavy and it will bend over. This allows the bulbs to root, which leads to the creation of a new plant. In this way, tree onions effectively walk across the herb garden, a practice that has earned the name walking onion.

22. Lovage

Lovage is a particularly hardy herb, making it a good option for inclusion in herb gardens. This herb is an example of the way that we can increase variety in our diets by including foods that aren’t common, but offer appealing and unusual tastes.

The taste of the herb is similar to celery (but stronger), and the leaves can be used in the place of celery in recipes. Despite this, the herb remains underused and underappreciated.

21. Lemongrass

Lemongrass is a good example of a name that completely sums up the thing being described. The structure of this herb really does resemble grass, and it also has a subtle citrus/lemon scent.

The herb is particularly common in Asian cuisine, and it can be used fresh, dried or powdered. Most often the herb is used as part of curries and soups, but it can also be used in other ways, such as with meats.

20. Thai Basil

Many of us are familiar with the common sweet basil, but Thai basil is a good alternative for cooking.

Thai basil is much more pungent than its sweet counterpart and it has an anise or licorice component to its flavor. This taste works especially well with Asian dishes, creating a bold flavor that is also mildly spicy.

19. Chinese Flowering Leek

Chinese flowering leeks are very similar to chives that are frequently used as herbs. This type of leek has a garlicky taste along with a relatively crisp texture, and this makes the herb suitable for a wide range of dishes, especially stir-fries.

The herb itself does have a particularly strong smell. This isn’t an issue when using it in cooking, as the smell and taste tends to get toned down in the process. However, if you were carrying the leeks anywhere, you might face a few adverse reactions.

18. Summer Savory

Summer savory is more well-known than the winter savory that I talked about earlier, although the two types of herbs do share some similarities in their flavors.

The main difference between the two is that summer savory tends to be little less bitter than its winter counterpart. While the herb is not commonly used in Western cooking, it is used in cooking in multiple other cultures. It is also very easy to include in cooking and can be used in the same manner that sage is used.

17. Hyacinth Bean

The hyacinth bean is a particularly desirable choice for many herb gardens because of its appearance.

It is a climbing vine that hosts purple seed pods along with pink to purple flowers, although there can be variation in the color. For the beans to be consumed, they have to be boiled well and without sufficient boiling they are actually toxic. The plant is also used as an herb, with the leaves sometimes eaten raw or cooked.

16. Aztec Sweet Herb

Aztec sweet herb is a small, low growing perennial herb that produces small little white flowers. The herb is interesting because of its sweetness and has the potential to be used as a natural sweetener.

Indeed, there is some evidence that it has historically been used in this role. However, it does also contain some less appealing chemicals, so other options are often preferred. Despite this, the plant is still a pretty addition to an herb garden.

15. French Sorrel

French sorrel is sometimes known as ‘lemonade in a leaf’ and that name is a good explanation of why the herb is so popular.

The plant can be viewed as being part way between an herb and a green – and it can really be used in either capacity equally well. The lemon flavor of the leaves means that the herb pairs well with a large range of different foods.

14. Giant Siberian Chives

Like other species of chives, giant Siberian chives are easy to grow, and they work in a wide range of environments. The large purple flowers also make the chives a colorful addition to an herb garden.

The chives make for a good flavoring addition to a range of different foods. For example, many people use chives as a topping for baked potatoes or as ingredients in salads. This particular species of chives has the same garlic-onion taste of other species, but the taste is considerably stronger.

13. Mexican Tarragon

Mexican tarragon is a hardier species of tarragon than other types of this herb. This makes it a particularly valuable addition to an herb garden in dry and hot environment where tarragon is normally challenging to grow.

The herb has a similar licorice/anise taste to most other tarragon species. They also have pretty yellow flowers, which can add a dash of color to an herb garden.

12. Camellia

Camellia is a species of flowering plants that produces beautiful pink flowers. The colors of the flowers can also vary significantly and other alternatives include white, red and yellow flowers.

It isn’t a common addition to an herb garden, but the leaves from the plant are sometimes used as an herb. The most common approach is to use the leaves to make teas.

11. Soapwort

Soapwart is a particularly common perennial plant that comes from the carnation family. The name soapwart is highly suitable, as the plant is often used as a form of mild soap, often in a dilute solution. Unlike most of the other herbs on this list, soapwart tends not to be eaten directly or used in cooking.

10. Scented Geranium

There are dozens of different scented geraniums within the geranium genus and the individual species tend to vary in the scent that they give off. Some examples include strawberry, lemon, apple and mint, although there are also many other species.

The species are frequently used in cooking as part of sweet dishes. Not all scented geraniums work well in this role, but two examples are the rose and the lemon scented geranium. Using a number of these species in an herb garden can also give off a nice complex scent.

9. Evening Primrose

Evening primrose is one of relatively few native wildflowers in the United States. The plant produces flowers from May to July each year, and these bloom at night.

The plant can be a valuable addition to any herb garden because of its appearance and because it is very easy to grow. Additionally, all components of the plant can be eaten, and it has also been associated with some medical properties.

8. Valerian

Valerian is a perennial plant that blooms with heads of small pink or white flowers. The plant can grow to roughly two feet in height, and it is often used as a decorative plant in gardens.

Valerian also has the unusual feature of acting to attract caps, in a similar way to catnip. The plant has also been associated with health benefits, but this mainly comes from compounds in valerian root, rather than from the plant itself.

7. Stevia

The name stevia has become very common in recent years, due to the sugar substitute that comes from the leaves of the plant.

However, the name also refers to the plant itself, which (unsurprisingly) is also known as sweet leaf or sugarleaf. The leaves of the plant contain the compounds that create sweetness, and the leaves can be eaten or used in foods and drinks to give some sweetness.

6. Toothache plant

The name toothache plant comes from the way that the leaves and the flowers from the plant produce a numbing effect when they are chewed.

The plant is often grown for this reason alone, especially by people who want to decrease mouth pain in a natural manner. The plant is also easy to grow and is visually appealing, making it a good choice for an ornamental plant in an herb garden.

5. Rue

Rue is a particularly hardy herb that has been mentioned by many authors throughout history, including Shakespeare. Much of the plant’s reputation comes from the way that it was commonly used in medicine, even though most of the proposed benefits have now been disproven and the plant is regarded as potentially dangerous to eat.

Despite this, it is still relevant in herb gardens because of its appearance and ability to repel some pests. Additionally, the plant works well as a companion plant and can even be used to create hedges.

4. Chervil AKA French Parsley

Chervil is related to the common parsley, and like parsley the herb can be used in a wide range of dishes, including vegetables, seafood and poultry.

It is most common in French cuisine and in French herb mixtures, although chervil is becoming more popular in herb gardens in other part of the world. It is considered a fine herb, with a more delicate taste than parsley. This means that is traditionally added at the end of cooking, rather than early on.

3. Sweet Cicely

Sweet cicely is well known for having an aniseed flavor and taste. It also has sweetening properties and as such it works well as a way of sweetening food, especially for people trying to reduce sugar intake.

The plant is also an attractive addition to an herb garden due to the small white flowers that it produces and the way that these flowers are produced early in the season.

Sweet cicely works well in beds and in borders for gardens. It is also particularly valuable as it is one of the first nectar plants to flower in the spring, which makes it very relevant for attracting pollinators to the garden.

2. Chinese Mustard AKA Mustard Greens

Mustard greens come from the cruciferous vegetables family and like other members of this family they are very significant in terms of nutrients. For example, the greens are high in vitamins K, A and C, as well as minerals like copper and manganese.

The greens are also commonly used as an herb and pair well with meals that are rich or creamy. The ability to use mustard greens as either a leafy vegetable or as an herb makes this a very versatile plant and a great addition to any garden.

1. Borage

Borage also has the name starflower for its pretty blue flowers that have the shape of a star. Occasionally other flower colors are also observed, including both white and pink flowers. The species is native to the Mediterranean and it is also becoming especially common in gardens within Europe.

While the most prevalent use of the plant is in producing seed oil, the herb itself does have significant culinary roles. When used as an herb, the leaves from this plant tend to be dried and they impart a cucumber-like aroma to meals.