There are many herbs that serve different purposes. There are culinary herbs for cooking and medicinal herbs for curing ailments, but ornamental herbs have a use and look good too! Many herbs are quite dull and boring looking. In fact, people often mistake them for weeds, pulling them out of the ground and tossing them in the compost heap. But here are some herbs that are not only useful but beautiful too.

Licorice is an herb with a very distinct taste and can also add beauty to your garden with its fuzzy leaves. You can plant licorice in a hanging basket, a container or in the ground, but make sure it has well-drained soil and is in full sun. It will probably die off in the winter, but if you have it in a container you can bring in indoors and keep it alive until the spring.

Oregano makes a great seasoning in any Italian dish but it can also add spice to your garden. This plant has pink flowers amidst wide fuzzy leaves. It's quite easy to grow and works well in window boxes.

Hyssop is often used in teas but can be a fine ornamental herb for the garden. It can grow up to 2 feet tall and has beautiful blue flowers and a wonderful aroma. There is a dwarf type that has pink flowers.

A discussion of herbs wouldn't be complete without talking about Lavender, which is a beautiful ornamental plant as well as a wonderful aromatic plant. It has beautiful purple flowers amidst soft green leaves with serrated edges and is a wonderful addition to any garden not only for its beauty but for its relaxing scent.

Chamomile is frequently used as a mild sedative in a tea and is said to have many relaxing qualities, but it's also a really pretty plant. Producing daisy like flowers, chamomile is great to have in your garden and you can enjoy its beauty. When you need to relax, dry out the flowers and make a tea!

Basil is another plant that we often use in cooking, but it's beautiful purple foliage and pretty pink flowers make it nice to look at as well as tasty to eat. Basil can grow to be between one and 2 feet and looks great in any garden or container.

Ornamental herbs serve many purposes, not the least of which is making your garden look beautiful. Think about planting some of these herbs this season and you'll get herbs that are not only pretty to look at but functional as well.