Perfectly Practical #162 - Herbs in Your Landscaping

Last week, the perfectly practical tip was about the advantages of having wildflowers in your landscaping.

This week I'd like for you to think about planting herbs in your landscaping.
Herbs aren't just for the garden or window boxes, they are great in landscaping too.

Herbs in your landscaping:

• Are beautiful - generally are herbs a lush green during the growing season but since most herbs flower as well, they are not only functional but attractive (bay trees and rosemary bushes can be shaped into topiaries)
• Repel insects - we have rosemary and lavender in our yard near our patio, both of which repel insects (cats aren't fans of them either) and smell great
• Are Frugal - you get the benefit of using your own culinary herbs instead of paying a premium for them at the grocery store
• Attract the right kind of attention - those red flowers of the pineapple sage plant (top picture) are a favorite among hummingbirds and butterflies, who, while they are in the area, pollinate other nearby flowers
• Grow prolifically - this could be good or bad, but for us, having a continuous supply of lovely fragrant cut flowers/stalks is worth it 
• Don't have to be babied - for the most part as long as you get them rooted well, herbs will look out for themselves
• Are companions - again, the pineapple sage and the bee balm (which has yet to flower this year) are planted by the roses since they like sage and bee balm
• Self-Seed - again, this could be good or bad but I always appreciate not having to go out and buy more herbs
• Easy to grow - so many are easy to grow from seed which is much less expensive than buying plants
• Are versatile - they don't all have to grow in pots or beds, some herbs have creeping varieties like thyme which make a lovely and fragrant carpet between paving stones 

Herbs in my landscaping Works for Me.