Yes! Go grow herbs

march 18, 2007

Herbs! Herbs! Herbs! We read about them in gardening magazines and we see them at the greenhouses. Famous chefs from across the globe can't cook without them and I must admit, my kitchen is incomplete if I don't have a cabinet full.

We are all familiar with annual herbs - parsley, cilantro, basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, and lavender. Perennial herbs are not as familiar here, but our climate lends itself well to a number of them. And they're great. They just pop up every year and do their thing without a lot of energy on our part.

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) and catmint

(Nepeta mussinii) are both zone three herbs that thrive in well drained, slightly sandy soil. Both are easy to grow and flower most of the summer, usually starting in early June. N. cataria normally reaches about 12 to 20 inches, with pale pink to white flowers and is very attractive to most cats. N. mussinii is somewhat shorter with mildly fragrant lavender blue flowers. Catmint is not as attractive to cats as catnip is. Both herbs are good for savory cooking and make great tea. These plants are also attractive to bees and butterflies, and so good for planting next to anything that needs pollination. It's also fun to note that catnip has been cultivated as a commercial crop in the United States since 1796.

The common garden chive (Allium schoenoprasum) is the queen of perennial herbs for our climate, but I think they are underrated. Not only are they one of the most versatile kitchen herbs, they also make a beautiful addition to the perennial border. Chives have been used for centuries by rose gardeners as an underplanting to prevent black spot. They like manure-rich, well-drained soil.

Common garlic (Allium sativum) is irreplaceable in the kitchen, and yes amazingly, we can grow it. The secret is slightly sandy, but rich soil. Plant cloves as early as possible in the spring for a good fall harvest. Evidence indicates that it has been used in cooking for thousands of years, possibly originating in Siberia. No wonder it is so at home here.

Horse radish (Armoracia rusticana) is another plant that likes slightly sandy, but rich soil. It is king to the garlic queen in our gardens, growing tall, robust and plentiful. Its young leaves can be eaten in the spring and lend the familiar, sharp horse radish taste to anything they are used with. Its roots need to be harvested each fall to keep it under control, but without a lot of effort it will return in the spring. Any tiny chunk left in the ground will yield next year's plant.

Comfrey (Symphytum

officinale) is an incredibly strong perennial here, although once started, you may wish you hadn't. I love it. It's huge, up to 4 feet, with hairy, almost prickly, dark green leaves and a very distinctive odor. While not culinary in nature, it's so fun to grow that I usually let it take root where it wants as long as it's not competing with something of great importance. Its history is long and lustrous, having been used medicinally since around 400 BC, primarily in poultices to staunch bleeding, and especially on battlefields during times

of war.

French sorrel (Rumex acetosa)is another of my favorites. It is also common, but

wonderful. It's great in salads and sandwiches and makes a killer soup. Its bite increases as the leaves mature throughout the season, and so is particularly versatile as its flavor changes. It is a zone four and very reliable.

Other perennial herbs that love our growing season are chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile), horehound (Marrubium vulgare), hyssop

(Hyssopus officinalis), lemon balm (Melissa

officinalis), lovage (Levisticum officinale), oregano (Origanum vulgare), garden rue (Pimpinella anisum), salad burnet (Poterium sanguisorba), sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum), tarragon (Artemesia Dracunculus), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), and various mints.

For more on some of these go to

dirtdivasgardening.com.

Finally, don't overlook caraway (Carum carvi), though it's actually a biennial. It's a zone three plant that looks great and yields those wonderful seeds we love to use in baking rye bread.

It must be put out early to have time to set seed. Alternately, it can be grown as a house plant in a sunny window, assuring seed maturity.

Don't just grow these herbs - experiment with them.

Try them here and there in your garden, in your pasta, in you soaps and lotions.

You'll soon be hooked on yet another fun group of specialty plants which are sure to keep you happy for years.

Sally Koppenberg is a garden and food designer and the owner of Stonehill Gardens, a nursery and catering company specializing in Alaska Grown foods, trees, shrubs, perennials and native plants.