Oregano does well for me and sage. My thyme usually dies but will sometimes send up fresh shoots. Rosemary hates our wet winters. I can keep it going if I put it against a south wall under the eaves and mix a good deal of sand or gravel into the hole when I plant. Sorrel does well and I love it in salads or as a soup.

I love herbs! Namely, because the DEER will ignore them completely.

I also live in NJ (Zone 7).

I grow...

Fennel (which definitely DO overwinter from the roots but the tops will die back)

Rosemary, rosemary, and more rosemary (yes, plain cultivars are iffy, but cut them back in the Spring and you may be surprised how they recuperate, OR, try the cultivar ARP which is cold hardier in Zone 6B) We love the culinary use, fragrance and the lavender flowers! All my non-ARPS Rosemary seemed to survive last Winter just fine.

Lavender (especially fond of my silver/white variety, they are cold hardy but HATE NJ's HUMID Summer climate so try to put them in a sunny, hot/drier location.)

Oregano (THEY ARE PERFECTLY HARDY..., even if you think yours are dead..., wait!)

Camomille (easy)

Thyme (easy)

Sage (has done well for me but occasional year were it seems to die off..., overwintered evergreen for me from last year though this year)

Bay Laurel (Yes, i know, they are not supposed to survive but they usually do in milder areas of NJ.., You may not get a tree, there will be winter die back but it recuperates by summer to a decent sized plant and how many bay leaves do you really need in the kitchen anyway?!)

Thank you all for sharing and providing inspiration!

gardenstateofmind, I'd never heard of comfrey or monarda - will look them up.

I forgot to mention that I also bought a nasturtium - not an herb maybe, but an edible I've never tried.

Subtropix, my rosemary may be the ARP variety you mention ... lost the tag. Will see what happens with this year's fennel; it has never overwintered for me before.

Chamomile, oh, yes; I grew that one year - it was huge - and I guess is went to seed as little plants keep cropping up now and then.

Will try bay laurel again, outside in a protected spot. It never overwinters well indoors for me.

Madreselva, nasturtiums are pretty in the garden, edible flowers, and I've heard the flower buds can be pickled and used in place of capers.

If you look closely, you'll see the comfrey flower buds are dark pink, but open to blue.

There are red, lavender and white flowered monardas, I have one of the reds. Bees, butteflies and hummingbirds love it. It tends to get powdery mildew late in the season, some varieties are more resistant than others. The one in my garden is years old, received as a pass along plant; lovely clear red color, but I've no idea what variety or cultivar it is.

I never had luck with Bay Laurel in a pot indoors either. Remember, it wants to be a TREE. People who containerize it put them in tiny pots..., wrong!, their roots need space! Try them in the ground..., you'll be surprised.

This might help. I grow all these thymes successfully in zone 6.

https://theherbladyblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/20/my-thyme-garden/

Be careful about planting mint in the ground as it is invasive, spreading quickly, taking over, and very difficult to get rid of all the runners in the ground. Just a small thought.

@agardenstateof_mind, what a beautiful garden you have! I will look out for the comfrey but I've never seen it at my local nursery. I've been going to Gasko - do you know it? Do you have a favorite nursery in the area? I'm a recent NYC transplant and it's been the best place I've found so far.

Thank you, Madreselva; I'll confess, though, that photo is several years old and gardens do change over time. (Had my husband dig out that Japanese barberry after it scratched me one time too many ... besides, I learned they're invasive.)

Comfrey might be hard to find in local nurseries. They might have it at Well Sweep Herb Farm in Port Murray, NJ. A drive from here, but well worth it. In addition to a wonderful selection of plants, they have some nice gardens, a lovely gift shop, and Cyrus Hyde, the owner, raises show chickens/roosters. They might have mail order, not sure.

Locally, in order of proximity, I like Holly Brook Farms in Wall, Molzon's in Lincroft, and Rare Find in Jackson. Also Brock's in Colts Neck (want to revisit the Freehold store since they've renovated). I've not yet been to Gasko, but have heard so much about it will have to make a trip out there one of these days.

So sorry that Matterhorn Nursery in Spring Valley, NY has closed.

Since comfrey spreads so vigorously, I have several plants I'll be pulling anyway, will be happy to share some if we can find a way to make that happen.

Other than the ones mentioned above, I also grow French tarragon, catmint. I had three Rosemary last season, and surprisingly they all died past winter. French tarragon looks very tender but have survives for me for two seasons now. Sage came back but looks a little sad.

In years prior, I didn't really use much of the herbs except for the occasional trip to get some for a special dish. Last season, i learned to dry the herbs and save them for the entire winter. I am about finished with the dry herbs, and perfect timing for the fresh ones to start growing.