Zone 2 Coverage
Planting Timeline — All Varieties
Variety Comparison
| Variety ↑ | Days | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Arat | 75 | Easy |
| Borage | 50-60 | Easy |
| Bouquet Dill | 40-60 | Easy |
| Brilliant | 75 | Easy |
| Chocolate Basil | 65-75 | Easy |
| Chocolate Mint | 65-75 | Easy |
| Cilantro | 16-25 | Easy |
| Common Chamomile | 60-65 | Easy |
| Fernleaf Dill | 40-50 | Easy |
| Garland Chrysanthemum | 30-50 | Easy |
| German Chamomile | 60-75 | Easy |
| Gourmet Gold Dill | 40-50 | Easy |
| Lemon Thyme | 65 | Moderate |
| Mammoth Dill | 90 | Easy |
| Orange Mint | 85-95 | Easy |
| Petroselinum crispum 'Forest Green' | 70-85 | Easy |
| Russian Tarragon | 60-90 | Very easy |
| Summer Savory | 60-70 | Easy |
| Sweet Annie | 120 | Easy |
| Vertissimo | 60 | Easy |
Variety Details
Arat
Enjoy the flavor of fresh parsley for soups, salads, and stews throughout the winter. Keeps several months when stored in cool conditions. Once roots are established, tops can be used for cooking, with stronger flavor and tougher texture than traditional leaf parsley. Roots are 5-8" long.
Borage
Large plants bear hundreds of small edible flowers, mostly blue and some pink. Long harvest period. Borage flowers attract bees and butterflies. Also available in organic seed.Edible Flowers: Add the flowers to salads or use to garnish cold drinks and desserts. Freeze as ice cubes. Mild cucumber flavor.
Bouquet Dill
Early flowering plants produce large blooms, seed umbels, and foliage on long stems, making Bouquet the preferred dill for cut-flower use and pickling. Also an economical, fast-growing choice for baby-leaf production. Edible seeds, flowers, and greens flavor many foods. Popular addition to sauces, salads, and soup. Foliage known as dill weed. Edible Flowers: The flowers are used to garnish potato salad, green salads, and pickles. When broken into florets, they can be mixed into a cheese spread or omelet.Also available in organic seed.
Brilliant
Brilliant is an easy-to-grow hybrid herb variety reaching maturity in 75 days under full sun conditions. This cultivar thrives in well-drained loam with moderate fertility, making it an excellent choice for novice gardeners. Brilliant delivers a distinctive sweet and juicy flavor profile with classic, mild undertones and a refreshing finish. The variety exhibits strong vigor but requires vigilant pest management against cucumber beetles, squash vine borers, aphids, and spider mites. Its balanced flavor and reliable productivity make it ideal for fresh use and culinary applications where a mild, refreshing taste is desired.
Chocolate Basil
Chocolate Basil is a heirloom herb variety known for its distinctive dark purple-tinged leaves and rich, complex flavor profile. Maturing in 65-75 days, this basil combines traditional sweet basil character with pronounced chocolate, cinnamon, and warm spice notes that become more pronounced as the plant matures. The foliage is dense and aromatic, ideal for culinary applications where its unique flavor complexity elevates dishes, teas, and infusions. Best grown in full sun with rich, well-drained soil, this easy-to-grow variety is prized by gardeners seeking distinctive flavor experiences beyond standard basil varieties.
Chocolate Mint
Chocolate Mint is a distinctive heirloom herb variety that matures in 65-75 days, featuring aromatic green foliage with soft, velvety texture. This unique mint hybrid stands out for its exceptional flavor profile: a refreshing cool mint taste with prominent chocolate undertones and a subtle sweet finish, making it ideal for both culinary applications and specialty beverages. Despite its rich flavor complexity, Chocolate Mint remains easy to grow, thriving in full sun with well-drained, moist soil. The plant tolerates heavy clay conditions well, making it adaptable to various garden settings.
Cilantro
Cilantro is a delicate leafy herb with feathery, triangular green foliage that reaches harvest maturity in 16-25 days. The plant produces thin, lacy stems bearing distinctive serrated leaves with a bright, citrusy flavor profile that carries subtle soapy notes and fresh herbal undertones. Cilantro thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers well-drained, fertile soil. As a quick-maturing heirloom variety, it's ideal for succession planting throughout the growing season. Widely used in Latin American, Asian, and Mediterranean cuisines as a fresh garnish and flavor component in salsas, curries, and chutneys.
Common Chamomile
Good yields of small, sweet-smelling, daisy-like flowers. Tea made from the flowers aids digestion and acts as a gentle sleep inducer. Harvest using the Chamomile Rake. Also known as German chamomile and Hungarian chamomile.Edible Flowers: The flowers can be used to garnish salads, desserts, and drinks. Flavor is slightly sweet and of chamomile.
Fernleaf Dill
Abundant dark blue-green foliage. Great in containers or in small spaces. AAS Winner. Ht. 6-8".
Garland Chrysanthemum
Garland Chrysanthemum is a tender, leafy herb with finely divided, feathery foliage that reaches maturity in 30-50 days. Also known as shungiku or edible chrysanthemum, this heirloom variety produces delicate, deeply lobed leaves with a distinctive mild, slightly bitter flavor. The fresh, herbal notes carry subtle hints of chrysanthemum flowers, making it prized in East Asian cuisines for both raw salads and cooked applications. This versatile herb thrives in cool seasons and is remarkably easy to grow, tolerating partial shade while preferring rich, well-draining soil enriched with organic matter.
German Chamomile
The classic tea herb beloved for its apple-scented flowers and gentle, soothing properties that have been treasured for centuries. This delicate annual produces masses of small, daisy-like flowers with white petals and bright yellow centers that can be harvested continuously throughout the growing season. Easy to grow and self-seeds readily, creating a charming cottage garden atmosphere while providing homegrown herbal tea.
Gourmet Gold Dill
A stunning ornamental dill variety with bright golden-yellow foliage that adds both culinary value and visual drama to herb gardens. The vibrant color intensifies in cool weather while maintaining the classic dill flavor profile. Perfect for gardeners who want their herb garden to double as landscape decoration.
Lemon Thyme
Lemon Thyme is a fragrant heirloom herb variety that grows as a low, spreading perennial with fine, narrow green leaves and delicate pink flowers. Reaching maturity in approximately 65 days, it produces harvestable foliage suitable for continuous picking. This variety distinguishes itself through its distinctive bright citrus aroma and flavor—a harmonious blend of classic thyme earthiness with zesty lemon notes. The herb thrives in full sun with excellent drainage and performs best in sandy or rocky soil. Its unique flavor profile makes it ideal for culinary applications in fish dishes, beverages, desserts, and Mediterranean cooking, while also serving ornamental and medicinal purposes.
Mammoth Dill
Mammoth Dill is a vigorous heirloom herb variety known for its tall, robust growth and abundant foliage. Plants reach full maturity in approximately 90 days, producing large, feathery fronds that tower above standard dill varieties. The distinctive flavor combines fresh, tangy notes with subtle caraway undertones and a hint of sweetness, making it exceptional for pickling, dill weed, and culinary applications. Mammoth Dill thrives in full sun with rich, well-drained soil and is remarkably easy to grow, making it ideal for both experienced and novice gardeners seeking impressive yields.
Orange Mint
Orange Mint is a vibrant heirloom herb variety that matures in 85-95 days, producing lush green foliage with aromatic leaves. This distinctive mint variety stands apart with its unique flavor profile—fresh mint paired with bright citrus notes reminiscent of orange and subtle bergamot undertones, making it exceptional for teas, cocktails, and culinary garnishes. Best grown in full sun (6+ hours daily) with rich, moist, well-drained soil, it thrives easily in most conditions. Watch for common mint pests including aphids, spider mites, and flea beetles.
Petroselinum crispum 'Forest Green'
The ultimate curly parsley variety featuring exceptionally dark green, tightly curled leaves that maintain their vibrant color and crisp texture longer than standard varieties. This uniform, compact plant produces abundant harvests of premium-quality leaves perfect for garnishing and cooking, with superior bolt resistance extending the harvest season. Forest Green's attractive appearance and reliable performance make it a favorite among both home gardeners and commercial growers.
Russian Tarragon
A hardy perennial herb that thrives in cold climates where French Tarragon struggles, though with a milder anise flavor. Russian Tarragon is incredibly easy to grow from seed and forms robust clumps that return year after year, making it perfect for beginning herb gardeners seeking a reliable tarragon experience.
Summer Savory
Pepper flavor adds spice to dishes. For flavoring fresh and dry beans, cabbage, and sauerkraut. Long internodes create a tall, somewhat lanky plant.
Sweet Annie
Tall plants with fern-like dark green foliage dotted with tiny cream-yellow colored flowers. Use foliage for wreaths and as filler for mixed bouquets. Also known as sweet sagewort, sweet wormwood, and Chinese wormwood.
Vertissimo
Excellent performance in our trials. Slow-bolting, vigorous plants. Mild, sweet, anise flavor. Popular for salads, microgreens, and garnishing. Edible Flowers: Chervil's flowers are edible, and used to garnish salads. Flavor is of mild licorice.