Pinching basil buds produces bushy foliage. Gifts that touch the senses linger in memory, and nothing is more memorable than a scent. Floral and garden centers depend on it; they market to the senses.

With Mother’s Day upon us, a bouquet of herbs can make the occasion a memorable one. If your mother has longed for an herb garden, now may be the opportune time to help plant her dream.

What does mother have in mind? If fragrance is the key appeal for herbs, a collection of beebalm, lavender, thyme, rosemary, anise hyssop, and pineapple sage is in order. If mother is deft at creating dry floral and foliage arrangements, yarrow, tansy, artemesia, feverfew, rue, and marjoram fit the bill. If potpourri for the closet, drawers, and pillows are desired, lavender, lemon verbena, lemon balm, scented geranium, and mints work well.

For mom’s organic vegetable garden herbs serve dual purposes — to flavor food and to repel pests. It is believed the essential oils of certain herbs repel insects and other pests in a garden. Catnip is reported to repel aphids and a bevy of beetles attacking produce. Japanese beetles find chives, garlic, and tansy repugnant. Nasturtiums discourage white flies, aphids, and squash bugs. French marigolds thwart nematodes.

Alternately, gardeners use herbs to attract insects like butterflies, moths, and bees.

Mother can lure butterflies with bee balm, echinacea, milkweed, passionflower, parsley, sages, thyme, and yarrow.

Mothers who are fond of concocting herbal teas will delight in a bouquet of borage, catnip, chamomile, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemon grass, thyme, and samples from the sisterhood of mints: apple, chocolate, orange peppermint, pineapple, and spearmint.

Perhaps pathways in mother’s garden need a new carpet. Herbal ground covers like catmint, cat thyme, prostrate rosemary, wild ginger, santolina, spreading artemisias, and oregano will tickle her toes with fragrance.

Parsley attracts beneficial insects like ladybugs. The prime motivation mothers have for growing herbs is to season food. Selecting a set of basic culinary herbs for mother should include basil, chives, cilantro, dill, garlic chives, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and thyme.

Just as there are herbs for every garden style, there are herbs for every mother’s sensibility. Find the largest selection of herbs at Mill Creek Greenhouses, Rebekah’s Garden, and Woodley’s Garden Center.

Herb Books for Mom

Designing an Herb Garden

by Beth Hanson

Herbs for Use and for

Delight by The Herb Society of America

Rosemary scents wreaths, pathways, and cuisine. Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia

of Herbs edited by C. Kowalchik and W. Hylton

Your Backyard Herb Garden

by Miranda Smith

Gardening with Herbs by Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead

Landscaping with Herbs by Jim Wilson