Mint! Mint is one of the few herbs that appreciates a bit of shade, and since it is so invasive, it really needs to be in a pot. After a frost you can either bring the pot in to an unheated area, or just cover it with straw/hay and the mint should overwinter well for you.

The following list is by no means comprehensive, and I've chosen herbs which will tolerate 'partial shade'.

Violets, gotu kola, meadowsweet (if you have a warmer climate), nasturtium, parsley, chervil, patchouli, purple loosestrife, rocket (arugula),chives, garlic chives, rose bay willow herb (Epilobium angustifolium), anise hyssop, chamomile (in warmer climates), saffron, salad burnet (if you have a warmer climate), Baikal scullcap, self heal, soapwort, solomon's seal, coriander, costmary, French sorrel, sweet flag, Joe Pye, germander, woodruff, valerian (in warmer climates), vanilla grass, wasabi, watercress, angelica, bergamot (if you have a warmer climate), bistort, calamint, celandine, echinacea (in warmer areas), feverfew (in warmer climates), foxglove, French tarragon (in warmer climates), ginger (in hot climates), turmeric (in hot climates), galangal (in hot climates), horehound, lemon balm (in hot climates), liquorice (in warmer climates).

Many of these will need quite large pots.

Thanks guys! Daisy... of the ones you mentioned, which would tolerate very dry air and super high temps in the summer (95-105F)? In the springtime, it's like the subtropics... lots of rain and humidity then it becomes desertlike.

Here in the subtropics, we get a Wet Season (summer, hot and humid) and a Dry Season (winter, no rain, temps still in double figures C). Well, normally, that is. With global warming, things have been all over the place in recent years.

I'm going to set you some homework! Decide which of the herbs from my list interest you, then find out where each of them originated. Then find out what the climate is like there.

That will give you a very good idea of the conditions each plant will prefer. Only experiment will tell you whether a plant will be happy in your backyard!

I find with our high temps that I can't grow woodruff, meadowsweet, violets, French Tarragon, coriander, chamomile, angelica or rocket with any great success. Some survive, but they don't thrive, because they need a cold spell which they never get here.

Of course, I haven't tried growing all of the herbs in my list!

Pots do not occur in Nature, so potted plants will always be high maintenance. In your dry spells, you'll need to water them as often as they require. In your wet spells, you'll need to keep checking on the drainage until you get it right.