The rewards of a well designed herb garden are simple: abundant herbs to fulfill your every cooking dream. It doesn't matter if your favourite dishes are French, Italian, Greek or your own unique hodgepodge of ideas - herbs add something to every cooking style.

The same herbs you depend on in the kitchen are also used in natural remedies - and you'll find they make beautiful additions to the landscape as well. Herbs are versatile, popular and easy to grow. Herbs are attractive and aromatic - no wonder they're popping up in gardens everywhere.

When you design a herb garden grow the herbs you love to use - herbs you will harvest and appreciate. If you love lavender and basil plant lots. If you don't use savory, don't grow it.

Plant your herb garden in the sun. Herbs love heat. Herbs are also "friendly" plants in the garden so incorporate them into your rose garden, vegetable patch and perennial borders. Prepare your beds or pots with rich, well-drained soil and add lots of compost or well rotted manure.

Consider the future growth of your plants: give them room to grow into their spots while allowing space for future light and air circulation. And since you'll probably be eating your herbs, grow them organically - nothing ruins turkey stuffing more than the taste of pesticides.

Evergreen Herb Care:

Evergreen herbs are low maintenance. They provide year-round foliage and seasonal flowers and can be harvested whenever you need them. Plant them in a sunny location in well-drained, compost-enriched soil. An easy and effective way to fertilize them is to apply a slow release balanced organic granular fertilizer In early spring and then again in early summer. This will keep the herbs healthy and provide all the energy they'll need.

Prune evergreen herbs regularly either for shape or as you harvest. Also remove any damaged or diseased parts. Prune lightly throughout the growing season. Do major pruning in two parts - winter and early spring.

Some of our favorite evergreen herbs:

Sage - with baby blue flowers in the late summer and gray foliage year round. For a touch of the unusual try varieties such as tri color and pineapple. Lavender - famous for its fragrance, it will keep your house and garden smelling divine.

Rosemary - the perfect herb for containers and for the kitchen. Rosemary is slightly tender and will need protection in colder parts of the country.

Thyme - perfect for the front of the border. All varieties of thyme offer color, texture and fragrance. They are low maintenance plants that should be a part of every garden.

Perennial Herb Care:

Perennial herbs grow, flower, become dormant for the winter return bigger and better in the spring. Only light pruning is required annually. It is best to prune when you are harvesting or after flowering.

Perennial herbs need regular feeding with a granular organic fertilizer in the early spring and summer topped up by two applications of liquid fertilizer.

Like other perennials, these herbs will probably need to be divided every three years. You can do this in the spring or fall - fall is best. A small application of bone meal in the early fall will help these plants keep their roots strong.

Some favorite perennial herbs include:

Dill - a favorite for pickle makers or fish lovers.

Chives - attractive with their colorful blooms, they have a wide variety of uses.

Oregano - indispensable for Italian dishes, they also boast beautiful flowers. The golden, low growing variety makes an excellent ground cover.

Chervil - perfect for eggs and meats and easy to grow. Let it go to seed and it will spread everywhere.

Annual Herbs:

These herbs grow, flower, make seeds and die in one season. They need lots of liquid organic fertilizer, sun, and warmth. These are perfect candidates for growing in pots that can be moved around to catch the heat of the sun.

Sow seeds indoors six weeks before your first frost-free date and plant outside two to three weeks after the last frost. It takes only one night of cool, damp weather to set your plants back.

Harvest annual herbs regularly and enjoy them all summer long.

Basil is probably the best known annual herb. It can be tricky to grow but is well worth the effort - think pesto!

The number one reason basil fails is cool temperatures. Basil needs warm nights. If the weather is too cool you'll notice a rapid decline in the plant's health and discoloration of the leaves. Warmth will bring on prolific growth. Basil also thrives with regular feedings of liquid fertilizer. A foliage application early in the morning every ten days will do.

Harvest basil often. Harvesting keeps the plant bushy and prevents it from expending energy on flower production.

Herbs are becoming popular as landscape plants. They are aesthetically pleasing while protecting the garden against predators. Insects and deer are often repelled by the odor of some herbs while others provide nesting areas for beneficial predators.

Use the strong scents of rosemary and lavender to repel deer. Plant parsley for butterflies - they like to lay their eggs in it. If you have roses plant nepeta - it will help keep the aphids away.

Herbs in containers:

You can grow herbs even in a small yard or on a balcony. Garden stores have many beautiful containers to choose from.

Herbs perform well in containers. Placed around the deck or outside the kitchen door or window, containers keep herbs within easy reach.

Make sure your containers have adequate drainage. Fill them with good rich soil and water frequently. Use a good quality frost resistant pot. If you live in Zone 6 or colder put your potted container under cover for the winter.

Perfect Container Herbs:

Bay Laurel - bay leaves come from this beautiful and tender evergreen shrub.

Rosemary - keep it in a handy location and relocate to a sheltered spot during the winter.

Herbs as groundcovers:

Herbs make wonderful ground covers. They will fill a sunny area quickly and smother out weeds. They make a beautiful addition to any landscape and blend effortlessly with surrounding plants. Low maintenance herbs may need an occasional trim but are generally far more carefree than traditional groundcovers.

For great ground effects:

Golden Creeping Oregano - a stunning fast growing creeper with an intense golden tone that highlights surrounding plants.

Variegated Creeping Thyme - a drought-resistant evergreen groundcover that boasts lovely foliage and pretty pink flowers.

Wooly Thyme - the lowest groundcover available, it features pink flowers and foliage so soft you can walk on it.

Rosemary Prostata - a creeping form of rosemary with wonderful fragrance and baby blue flowers.