The fragrant mint family dominates the herb world

Rosemary. Native to Mediterranean regions, where it grows on rocky hillsides, rosemary has a long history. The single species, a cold-sensitive bushy evergreen, has been developed into a number of excellent varieties. It has a reputation as the herb of remembrance and friendship.

The botanic name is from the Latin ros marinus, meaning dew of the sea. Rosemary is one of the most flavorful and aromatic herbs of the mint family.

Gardeners in colder climates often keep rosemary plants in containers all year long, putting them outdoors only during warm months.

As a culinary herb, rosemary – fresh or dried – will flavor vinegars, sauces, meats, soups, and stews. It has a strong flavor – use it sparingly.

Salvia. This genus includes herbal sages as well as many spectacular garden flowers.

As a culinary herb, sage is the Thanksgiving herb – a necessity for turkey dressing – a must for herb gardens and a favorite of cooks everywhere. It also makes great herbal teas, sausage flavorings, and garnishes for mixed dishes and salads.

Garden sage is a shrubby perennial with gray-green leaves that have a pebbly, lizard-skin surface. Although sage is evergreen where winters are mild, it dies back to the ground in severe cold. The variegated forms are less hardy and may not always return after a cold winter. Lilac-blue whorls of flowers appear in early to midsummer.

Pineapple sage, a frost-tender, shrubby, four-foot plant from Mexico is grown as an annual in Northern gardens. The bright-green leaves have a sweet pineapple flavor and aroma. Grow the plant in a container on a patio and place an oscillating fan behind it to get full benefit of the delightful fragrance.

Pineapple sage's late-summer, red flowers are eye-catching favorites of hummingbirds.

Savory. The two major herbs of this genus are summer savory and winter savory, both natives of Southern Europe that have been used for more than 2,000 years. The two savories, both about a foot tall, have the same wonderful fragrance and a somewhat similar taste, reminiscent of marjoram and thyme. Summer savory is a bit milder, winter savory more peppery.

Summer savory, an annual, has smooth, narrow, gray-green leaves and small, sparse white or lilac flowers that appear from midsummer to frost. Winter savory is a shrubby somewhat-evergreen perennial.

Thyme. Thyme has been cultivated for more than 5,000 years, was grown in Sumaria three milleniums before the time of Jesus.

Thyme comes in many forms and flavors. Thymes may be dwarf or standard in size (about 6 inches tall), prostrate or erect, plain or variegated, hairy or smooth. Common or garden thyme – with its whorls of summer flowers of lilac, white, or pale purple – is the most used culinary thyme. An essential herb in the French bouquet garni, it is also an important ingredient in stews, and vegetable dishes.

Although some of the thymes lack significant taste, the best loved varieties are full of flavor.

In taste and fragrance, thymes range all the way from the traditional slightly peppery thyme taste to lemon to lavender to coconut. Several of these are culinary favorites of good cooks everywhere.

The thymes have leaves that are oval to rounded, without notching or scalloping. Because their stems tend to get woody as they age, it is a good idea to restart thymes every three to four years.

Common thyme may be called English thyme or French thyme and there are several forms called lemon thyme that truly do not look much alike. The best thing to do is to find the thymes that you like, then maintain them through division or cuttings.

The number of herbs in the mint family is extraordinary. The true mints would be enough to brag about, but add the other marvelous herbs, and this becomes one of the most valuable plant families in cultivation.

• Barbara Perry Lawton is the author of a new reference book on the mint family: 'Mints' (Timber Press, $27.95).

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