It's time to garden! The way I see it, plants make a home sweet home. Although my gardens were modest in the beginning - only a few marigolds, zinnias, and tomatoes - my interest in gardening grew as I began my family.

Just a vegetable garden and some flowers about the yard were not enough. My sister led me to want to study herbs. Herbs are a most wonderful group of plants that can bring no end of delight. Whether you plan a special plot for herbs or dot them around your yard as surprising accents, you can choose from hundreds of herbal varieties. Mix and match annuals and perennial herbs to use all summer and to dry or freeze for winter use.

I began herb gardening by laying down an old ladder with different plants between the rungs. I wanted to understand the culinary herbs: parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, mint, and tarragon. As my garden expanded I added chervil, marjoram, cilantro, lemon verbena, and lots of basil. I found that because my yard is shady and winters so harsh, most of my herbs (although labeled as perennials) perform as annuals.

Herbs and edible flowers seem to inspire creativity. I have been endlessly fascinated by garden designs with themed plantings to achieve a tea garden, a kitchen garden, a pizza garden or medicinal, aromatic, silver, biblical, and butterfly gardens. A Beatrix Potter devotee I know even made a garden based on the Peter Rabbit story. Each year my gardens reflect plants that have caught my eye as I visit various nurseries. I tend to design with what I find.

Good things to know when beginning herb gardening:

If you can't dedicate an entire area to herbs, try tucking them around your landscape. Add a lavender, some parsley, basil, or ground cover of thyme in unsuspecting places. Try a new recipe with each herb you plant. You may be amazed by the gourmet touch herbs contribute to your menus.