The photo that has been on the top of my website for the past year is salad burnet, which has thrived in my Virginia garden for 5 years. The toothed foliage is pretty, almost fern like, and from spring to fall I would cut the young leaves for green salads, egg salads, herbal vinegars, cheese spreads, and iced drinks. This week, when I was pushing away autumn’s leaves, I noticed that the mother plant had disappeared but left a few young seedlings. I remember that last summer the mother plant was flowering quite a bit for the first time, maybe it knew its end was near. I saved the seed: just cut the dried seed heads and put them in a paper bag. Today, I pulled the stems out of the bag and rubbed the seeds off so I could plant more salad burnet in the garden. I actually was pleasantly surprised at the amount of seed I have, I am anxious to grow more this year to replenish my supply. Salad burnet is a perennial culinary herb, hardy to zone 4. It is easy to grow; it only needs full sun and well-drained soil. The plant is about 6 inches tall and maybe a foot wide. The inch-long flowers bloom on wiry stems but they are so pale and small, they blend into the background. A landscape edible, salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor) is a pretty addition to the garden. Either buy as a plant at the nursery or grow from seed.
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Join me on Saturday, Oct. 14, for the 13th Annual Loudoun County Master Gardeners Symposium where I will be speaking about unusual herbs. This is an all day event with several speakers. Registration and ticket required. If you are interested in having me speak to your organization, please contact me. I enjoy talking about culinary herbs, unusual culinary herbs, edible flowers, holiday herbs & spices, and saving seeds. Don’t forget to check out the Facebook group Culinary Herbs and Spices.
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My burnet died last year. I think the soil was too moist. But it’s so pretty I need to grow it again. 🙂
I can send you seed if you want; I will e-mail you directly
I adore burnet in my garden so I added a chunk to the school garden. I’ve never thought to add burnet to my egg salad. Thanks for the great idea!
you are welcome!