I love them all, but Lavender has to be my all-time favourite.

The English lavender, of course. Not only is it pretty in the garden, but it smells divine; it's not only edible but it tastes good and can be used in umpteen different ways in the kitchen; it has excellent medicinal properties; it's pretty in dried flower arrangements and potpourri; it repels insects in the bookcase and wardrobe as well as making them smell nice; it's luxurious and relaxing in a bath; it can be used in the laundry or added to water for washing bathroom and kitchen surfaces, and floors.....

In short, it's not only beautiful, but is so very versatile. It has to be on top of the list.

Oooh, I have so many for so many different reasons. But if I had to pick one it would be sage. Tasty in cooking, medicinal, scented plant, gray-green foliage, and purple-blue flowers that are a bumblebee favorite - I love bumblebees. I always have it planted in multiple gardens.

What's not to like about it?!

Cur moriatur homo cui Salvia crescit in horto?
[Why should a man die whilst sage grows in his garden?]

FataMorgana

Wow--so hard to choose. Today my choice is rosemary. I love its scent and evergreen qualities. It has pretty blue flowers that bees love. I like using it in bread, pasta and chicken recipes or just running my hand along a branch.

I love them all. But if I had to choose just one,
it would be BASILs, though they are annuals and I have to plant them every year.
I plant several varieties. The reason basils are my favorite,
is because I can just nip a piece and eat it off the plant.
Use it in sauces, as garnish, in sandwiches, freez..

Thanks all and yeah i also like to add Sage, they would be my second priority :)

Oooooh, hard one, but I'd have to go with the lavender too. The aroma is rich and sensual, and only the real scent, not "lavender scented" fake stuff, which is nasty. They all smell divine and the cooking ones make magic, and I am a junkie for the smells of all of them, but inhaling deep of lavender brings pictures in my head of riches and pleasure.....
Batya

VERY difficult choice; I can hear myself proclaiming on a regular basis: "I don't know what I'd do without (fill in the blank)."

But I'd have to say that basil takes the top place in this household. Not only do we it in all kinds of foods (favorite might still be the garden tomato, slab of fresh mozzarella, and basil sandwhich), but I love all of the bee activity when I let them flower.

I've been known to drag a chaise out to the herb garden just so I could read or nap amongst all of those droning bees.

Hidcote Lavender! It's wonderful in so many ways and looks beautiful with my old-fashioned roses :)

Choose just one?! Wow!

I guess Lavender because I LOVE the smell;
and, it would be a toss-up between Oregano, Thyme and Rosemary for cooking.

St. Johns Wort- love the color of the oils, love the effects of the tincture. also oil is great on my back. Thanks for the question! Lynn

I'm completely torn between sage, thyme and rosemary. Oh, and oregano, but I use that mostly after I've dried it. And dill for the swallowtail butterfly caterpillars, and basil for the bees. If I absolutely had to choose one that I couldn't see myself cooking without it would probably have to be thyme. Fresh and dried I use it in countless things.

I'm thinking culinary herbs because I'm a chef. My choice would be Cilantro because I adore Mexican cuisine. You can eat it raw or cook with it; unlike sage, which I wouldn't attempt to eat raw or leave it to eat in the cooked product. Cilantro has that fresh, citrus yet herbal flavor that pairs with many ethnic cuisines.

My least favorites are Dill, Tarragon and Sage.

I'd have to say chives or basil are my favorite. We love italian food in my house and having fresh basil is a godsend sometimes. But I like the almost onion-like flavor of chives, since I'm not too fond of green onions. and chives are good in just about anything.

Naturally, use all of the above! But, (with no disrespect to yucatan, because I love Mexican...) fresh tarragon is my favorite because it imparts such a unique (albeit down the anise/fennel direction) of flavor to wonderful, complementary sauces and vinegars we use in cooking. Taste is so subjective! Sorry yucatan, but cilantro is the only "Mex" spice that I don't like. But, wife loves it!
hortster

It would have to be basil. I can hardly wait for basil season each year. Just like tomato season. I wish I could grow it year round but I don't have any bright windows in the house. I think next year I'm going to try growing under lights.
I've started making arugula pesto though, which gives me a decent substitute.