Herbs are great gardening options for zone 5. Herbs impart flavor, scent and other qualities to your garden. Herbs are used in cooking, as medicines, as well as for spiritual purposes. Besides these, they also add scenic beauty to your zone 5 garden. Some of the top herbs for zone 5 are –
- Cranesbill – This is an attractive, full, mounded plant which can grow up to 6 inches in height and can spread 2 feet. The leaves have attractive red color in fall and numerous bright flowers in shades of red, white, blue, purple and pink. Most of them bloom all summer. They require full sun with moist and well-drained soil.
- Evening Primrose – These are called sundrops. They can grow 6 inches to 2 feet. The flowers are bright-yellow colored or some maybe white to pink. They require full to partly sun. Some varieties require well-drained soil, while some require poor, dry or sandy soil.
- Germander – There are 2 varieties namely standard and dwarf. Both the species are aromatic and have shiny, green leaves with pinkish-purple flowers. It requires full sun but can tolerate some shade. It also requires well-drained soil.
- Lavender – These are one of the most famous herbs for zone 5. These can grow up to 1 to 2 feet. The leaves and flowers of lavender spread a sweet fragrance. They require full sun; with moist, rich and well drained soil. However some varieties can tolerate sandy soil as well.
- Meadow Rue – These are graceful plants with airy, fern-like foliage and loose clusters of delicate flowers. It can grow 3 to 5 feet high. Meadow Rue requires fun sun to part sun; with rich and moist soil. However some varieties can tolerate wet soil.
- Mint – These are spreading, aromatic herbs with small white to purple to pink flowers which flower in summer. Mint requires full sun to part sun with rich, moist and slightly acidic soil. Many varieties are found naturally near water and in wet places.
- Potentilla – There are some varieties which spread and some do not. They can grow up to 3 to 18 inches. The flowers are bright red, apricot or yellow in summer or spring. They require full to part sun. Potentilla can tolerate variety of soils, light and sandy soil being the best.
- Solidaster – These are large, bushy plants with small and narrow leaves. They have a large number of small, yellow, daisy-like flowers in summer. Solidaster requires full sun and moist, well-drained soil.
