Will My Herbs Come Back Next Year?
Answered by: Conrad Richter
Question from: Barbara Schwartzenberger
Posted on: November 13, 2003

I am just wondering if all my herbs I planted in my garden if they will come back next year? I have sweet basil, rosemary, parsley and a few others. Do I cut them back? I live in Georgia; do I have to cover them as well?

Basil is an annual, so it won’t come back. Parsley will come back, but in its second year it will flower and not produce as much foliage as it did in the first year. Although it is technically a biennial, most people prefer to treat it as an annual, planting new plants each year. Rosemary should make it through the winter for you; most varieties are hardy to zone 7-8 where you are located.

Your herbs could be more of the same: some annual, some perennial, a few biennials.

Other than the rosemary, you may not need to mulch your perennial herbs because most of the other common perennial herbs such as thyme, sage, oregano, and mint should be hardy in your area.

What would be a good book for me to get on herbs?

The Rodale book on herbs is excellent; visit:

http://www.richters.com/Web_store/web_store.cgi?product=XB5245

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