New herb garden behind house

I have a little garden bed below my master bedroom windows on the backside of my house. It has some aloe plants we propagated from a trip to Florida a decade ago, but not much else. It is a constant area of grief because isn't actively managed. I told my wife that we need a plan for the area because if we didn't have one then we would just have this problem again. Her suggestion was a herb garden and that was the extent of her contribution. I live outside of Augusta, Georgia and the back of my house has a Northwest orientation. It also seems to be a micro climate since the two strawberries I planted 2 or 3 years ago are basically Perennials. Any suggestions on medicinal or culinary herbs would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Rosemary, thyme, and oregano will basically look after themselves in Georgia heat. Basil loves it too but needs water. If the bed gets afternoon shade that actually helps in summer, otherwise the basil bolts fast. Worth throwing in some lemon balm if you want something that spreads and fills space without much effort.

I'm going to flip the question, Richard: what are your favorite herbs to cook with?

If you want the area to be important to you, so you will pay it some attention, I would start from the kitchen end!

I don't know enough about Georgia to be much help with specifics, but as an example, walking onions are one of my favorites to have close at hand because two stalks of the green, chopped and sprinkled on a couple of sunny side up eggs as they're starting to cook, or over some cheese I'm melting, gives a boost of flavor, with little effort.

Outside my garage door I have, Sage, chives, oregano, Marjoram, walking onions, garlic greens, and Holy Basil. They all get used at one time or another, depending on what I'm cooking.  

My choice would be mint, parsley, lemon balm, and chives.  All lovely and have medicinal values.

Richard Rose wrote:It is a constant area of grief because isn't actively managed. I told my wife that we need a plan for the area because if we didn't have one then we would just have this problem again.

I'm thinking this is a cosmetic problem rather than a utilitarian one. Why is the area not managed? Will you get the same problem with a herb garden? If it is lack of time and access to the plot then I would look at perennial herbs that could add structure and need little maintenance. Happily this applies to many mediterranean climate herbs like rosemary, lavender and bay. They are all useful edible or medicinal but need little maintenance other than picking! I suggest planting in blocks to give structure and impact for example:



knot gardens take a little more maintenance unless you are careful with plant choice, but are lovely to look on from above:


source

I've just discovered lovage - it's like a six foot tall perennial cross between parsley and celery (not actually a cross, but you can use it like a super powerful version of either) that I'm really enjoying adding to lots of my dishes.

Here's an image from the wikipedia entry of lovage

I'm thinking this is a cosmetic problem rather than a utilitarian one. Why is the area not managed? Will you get the same problem with a herb garden? If it is lack of time and access to the plot then I would look at perennial herbs that could add structure and need little maintenance.

Honestly it was more of a delegation of duties issue. I tend the vegetable garden and then space under the window was not under my purview. It now appears it is under my purview and I hate weeding, so I would like to have something growing in the space to give the weeds competition. The other bed on the back of the house has mint that has taken over and taming that will be my next project. It doesn't get as much sun as the other plot since it is between two bushes.

To answer an earlier question the garden space in question is morning shade and afternoon sun up until the late afternoon when the sun begins to set below the tree line. I appreciate all the suggestions so far.