Human beings have made use of herbs down the centuries. Herbs serve a variety of purposes and we continue to find more and more uses of them in our lives. Most of the herbs are easy to grow and you can choose from 40 to 60 herbs and learn to make use of them.

Different herbs serve different functions. The aromatic herbs, for instance, are grown purely for their scent. You can use oils from these herbs to make candles, perfumes and other cosmetic and skin care products.

By far the most popular of herbs is the culinary herb. In fact, most people are familiar with only this kind of herb. Many gardeners grow a few varieties of culinary herbs such as basil, dill and chives. The beauty of some of these herbs is that you don't need plant them every year since some of them are annuals and will appear without needing to be replanted.

Some herbs are considered ornamental as they are basically just grown to look at. These herbs may be used to make fresh or dried arrangements and they are often found in and amongst the flowers in a flower garden.

There are herbs used for remedial purpose. These medicinal herbs are used to treat many ailments. They are not a part of the mainstream medicines in the western medical community but they are still an essential part of remedy to ailments in many cultures. The scientists are still pouring their time and effort in studying their effects.

Even in the harshest of economic times people manage to have culinary herbs even if that means growing them on their own. These herbs are important to some because the food would otherwise taste too bland and tasteless without them. They are used to prepare marinades that add subtle but marked flavor to food. This flavor enhances the taske of the dishes.

Growing herbs in your garden is a fairly simple and painless process. But before you start laying out your garden and planning where what gets planted where, be aware that herbs are available as annuals, perennials, and biennials. This means that the herbs will be coming up at different times in the year so you will have to keep track of where you plant what herb and what its growing cycle is.

Most of the culinary herbs are easy to grow because they do quite well in fairly fertile soil that may have been drained by other crops. Moreover, they do just as well indoors as they do outdoors. However, make sure you don't plant them too deeply in the soil or they may not have a chance to grow. Also, always harvest your herbs in the mornings to get the best of their precious oils.