WILDERS: Fruity herbs in a pot

There's nothing more luscious than snipping fresh sprigs of herbs from your very own plants to use in a special weekend brunch, a fresh garden salad, a homemade soup or an afternoon tea. So you'll want to keep these herbs within easy reach, ideally right by your kitchen door, perhaps leading to a sunny patio. Choose soft-stemmed herbs so they are easier to harvest ---- you'll end up with bushy plants. At the end of summer, you could transplant some of them into your garden beds.

The easiest and most practical way is to grow your favorite herbs in containers, or even hanging baskets. This makes your herb garden mobile, and you can move the plants around at your desire. You may already have attractive pots in all shapes ---- even window boxes ---- or check stores for their specials. Cobalt blue is an especially attractive and bold color to use.

First of all, a flowering plant that will tie all your foliage plants together is the lovely nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus), with its sunny yellow and orange flowers, which are edible and look inviting spread over a salad, or floating in a crystal punch bowl. Climbing varieties are perfect for growing in a hanging basket, and compact varieties look stunning amid a collection of potted herbs. The "Alaska" nasturtium is variegated and has cream-and-green foliage, which makes it doubly attractive.

When you make your selection at the garden center, include a water-soluble plant food, equally balanced like 20-20-20 NPK. Apply it every other week for healthy, lush leaf and flower production.

Here is an incomplete list of some common herbs that feature a surprising fruity scent, not in any particular order. If you are unsuccessful in locating any of these herbs, email me and I can give you references.

-- Lemon-scented balm (Melissa officinalis), a member of the extensive mint family, has fragrant dark green leaves with a citrusy scent. It's a vigorous grower, so a container will keep it homebound, although it can grow to 2 feet tall. You may want to use a trellis and give it regular haircuts, so you can use the cuttings fresh or dry them for later use.

-- Lemon thyme (Thymus citriodorus) produces dense heads of lilac flowers that last well over a month. There is also a golden variegated variety with a lemon flavor.

-- Lemongrass (Cymbopogan citratus) is used in Thai and Vietnamese cooking and can easily grow to 4 feet tall, so plant it in a cylinder-shaped pot, all by itself.

-- The mint family has numerous members with a variety of scents, such as the mint "apple," which has a fruitier scent than its menthol-scented cousins. The pineapple mint (Mentha suaveolens variegata) is a hybrid originating from the apple mint and has a sweeter and fruitier scent. It's attractive when added to desserts and summer drinks, and is definitely a must if you are a tea lover. Mint "citrus kitchen" is a zesty herb, perfect for dishes where just a hint of lemon flavor is desired, without the acidic bitterness of the real lemon. Mint "orange" (Mentha piperita citrate) makes a great addition to summer drinks and fruit salads.


