What Herbs Like Winter in Mild Zone 10?

Annual Herbs for Successive Plantings

• Varieties of both sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) and cilantro (Coriandrum) grow as annuals in gardens from zones 5 through 10. Expand spring planting of seeds with additional sowings every few weeks all summer long and into fall. In the absence of frost, plants will continue their annual term of growth, but new plants will succeed those fully grown with fresh, delicious leaves. Curly-leaf parsley (Petroselinum crispum) may winter over but is best treated as a successive-crop annual since leaves become coarser in both texture and taste as plants age.

Lemony Flavors

• Two very different plants provide the smell and taste of lemon that enlivens Thai and neighboring Asian cuisines, garnishes desserts and gives potpourri a citrusy tang. Plant lemongrass (Cymbopobon citrates) for a tall, tropical accent in your garden; even in a container, lemongrass can reach up to 3 feet in height. This leafy tender perennial is hardy from zone 8 through zone 12. Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) graces many Southern gardens and tea tables in zones 9 and 10. Its mint-like lemon-flavored leaves brighten tea, fruit and even pound cake.

Pungent Perennials

• Varieties of thyme (Thymus spp.), oregano (Origanum vulgare), sage (Salvia spp.) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) can all be grown as perennials in zone 10. Experienced gardeners note that thyme may struggle with summer heat but does well when temperatures cool. Creeping varieties of both thyme (Thymus prostratus) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis "Prostratus") can be grown in containers or in rock gardens. Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans), hardy in zones 8 through 10, is a heat-tolerant variety with a melon-pineapple flavor.

Other Aromatic Choices

• Plant a clump of chives (Allium schoenoprasum), hardy in zones 3 through 10, for an oniony accent to salads and dairy dishes throughout the winter. Mexican tarragon (Targetes lucida) has a milder taste than its French counterpart (Artemesia dranunculus) but is more heat-tolerant and is hardy in zones 8 through 10.

Herb Trees

• If you have space, the curry-leaf tree, which can grow to 3 feet in a container or taller in the ground. The leaves of this Indian native (Murraya koenigii) flavor dishes throughout subcontinental Asia and the tropics. Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) provides evergreen bay leaves year-round from a slow-growing container tree that can reach 10 feet or more in height; in the ground of its Mediterranean homelands, the tree can become up to 60 feet tall.