A garden does not just have to be a place to display wonderful blooms and plants, and have an immaculate lawn. They can also be very easily made into an 'edible' garden, through the planting of fruit, vegetables and most particularly the huge array of herbs that are available.

When growing herbs for the first time however, it can be a little overwhelming deciding which ones to plant. A rule of thumb to employ would be to select those that you know you are going to use in your cooking. Here are a few of the more common ones which will really help you get started.

Parsley can be added to pretty much any dish, and adds both flavor and color to any dish. You can decide to grow one of two types in your garden; flat leaf which looks something akin to coriander, and curly leaf which is fairly self explanatory!

As a biennial herb, it is likely you will need to replace the plant every two years. However, as is discussed a little later, it is possible to revive the plant indoors. Ideally, place your parsley in a container just outside the door of your kitchen, in order you can simply snip off a few cuttings as and when required. Easy to grow, parsley will establish itself quite quickly, and does not need too much care and attention.

Equally popular, basil is a herb that will need much more care and consideration than parsley. An annual herb, it does not like the cold, and will break easily if exposed to strong winds for extended periods of time.

Wonderful with tomato based dishes; it is an excellent ingredient to use in Italian cooking.

These are two of the soft herb varieties available, and whilst they are not good throughout the winter months, they can be grown in nurseries when the weather makes a turn for the worse.

There are a wider selection of hardier herbs available, which will be perfectly able to cope through the winter.

A good herb here is thyme, which with its delicate balance yet powerful burst of flavor is excellent for use in slow cooked meals. Unlike with the softer herbs, you really can only eat the leaves of thyme, though the wooden stems these grow on is perfectly fine to cook with to impart flavor; just as long as it is removed before serving of course!

Similar to thyme, (in its make-up though not its flavor), is rosemary. This is a perfect match for lamb dishes of course, and is equally brilliant added to roasting potatoes. Again, the fibrous stem should not be eaten, but crushed will provide a lot of flavor. Easily grown, it can be added anywhere in the garden without affecting other plant life.

These are just a selection of the most popular types of herbs available to grow in the garden. There are many others; and many varieties of these ones that you may wish to try. Gardening is of course nothing more than a case of trial and error in many respects; and this is certainly the case with growing herbs.

Gardening as a hobby does not only focus on the grown crops but on the personality of the person as well. It takes much patience and hard work to maintain a healthy and successful garden. More so, it is a pride to be able to grow plants that are not only source of physical beauty but of life as well.