Best Culinary Herbs to Grow

Kitchen workhorses that earn their place in any sunny bed or container.

16 plants, every one native to North America, routinely available from nurseries, and photographed. Every entry is a plant USDA records as palatable to humans. Traits are quoted from USDA PLANTS, never estimated — how we source this. The Plant Finder searches the full catalogue, including plants that miss this bar.

1. 
   alpine sweetvetch Hedysarum alpinumZone 1+ · full sun · 2 ft · native
2. 
   American lotus Nelumbo luteaZone 3+ · full sun · 3 ft · native
3. 
   arctic dock Rumex arcticusZone 1+ · full sun · 1 ft · native
4. 
   arctic raspberry Rubus arcticusZone 1+ · full sun · 1 ft · native
5. 
   Atlantic camas Camassia scilloidesZone 4+ · shade · 2.5 ft · native
6. 
   common cowparsnip Heracleum maximumZone 3+ · full sun · 8 ft · native
7. 
   common selfheal Prunella vulgarisZone 3+ · part shade · 1.5 ft · native
8. 
   common sunflower Helianthus annuusZone 12+ · full sun · 9 ft · native
9. 
   Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosusZone 2+ · part shade · 9.8 ft · native
10. 
    nodding waternymph Najas flexilisZone 11+ · part shade · 2.5 ft · native
11. 
    Rocky Mountain pond-lily Nuphar luteaZone 1+ · full sun · 4 ft · native
12. 
    salt spring checkerbloom Sidalcea neomexicanaZone 4+ · shade · 2.5 ft · native
13. 
    small camas Camassia quamashZone 4+ · shade · 2.3 ft · native
14. 
    Tilesius' wormwood Artemisia tilesiiZone 1+ · shade · 36 ft · native
15. 
    white marsh marigold Caltha leptosepalaZone 3+ · full sun · 1 ft · native
16. 
    woolly geranium Geranium erianthumZone 5+ · full sun · 3 ft · native

Every plant here is drawn from the USDA PLANTS database; the traits behind this list are quoted from it, not estimated. See data & sources.

Want plants matched to your exact zone and conditions? Use the Plant Finder.