Category Archives: herbs

Rockin’ and Rollin’ in the Herb Garden

Posted on July 19, 2025 | Leave a comment

For an unusual family outing this summer, consider visiting the new Rock and Roll exhibit at the National Herb Garden, located at the U.S. National Arboretum in DC. Throughout the National Herb Garden are plants that have been mentioned in songs, named after songs, albums, or music groups, or used to make musical instruments.


The National Herb Garden entrance features a large sign that says “Welcome to the Rock Garden… This year we are rockin’ out in the National Herb Garden and featuring two of our favorite things: music and herbal plants …” The sign has a QR code for visitors to download a playlist of 107 songs on Spotify.


Each plant is labeled with the botanical and common names and relationship to music. For example, in front of a chile pepper there is a sign stating: Capsicum annuum ‘Purple Rain’, chile pepper, and the song Purple Rain from Prince and the Revolution. In front of peppermint is a sign stating Mentha x piperita, peppermint, and the song Incense and Peppermints by Strawberry Alarm Clock and Peppermint Twist by Joey Dee and the Starliters.


There also are plants used to make musical instruments such as boxwood, Buxus sempervirens, to make violins; elm, Ulmus spp., to make Iroquoian rattles; and the calabash tree, Crescentia cujete, to make berimbaus (Brazil) and maracas (Cuba).


The exhibit has 35 plants named after music, 40 plants mentioned in songs, and 21 plants used to make musical instruments. Signage is very easy to spot and color coded by category: plants that make instruments are blue, those mentioned in songs are green; and those named after music are purple. Most are in the entrance but there are some punctuated through the herb garden.


This interesting idea is the brainchild of National Herb Garden gardener, Erin Holden. Erin also is an herbalist and a member of the American Herbalists Guild, United Plant Savers, and the Herb Society of America.


“While looking at a nursery catalogue a few years ago I stumbled upon a fun cultivar of Coreopsis with fluted petals called ‘Jethro Tull’, said Erin. “Although Bluestone Perennials claims it was named after the 18th century agriculturalist, I think it’s no coincidence that the lead singer of the 70’s progressive rock band Jethro Tull also famously plays the flute. And it got me thinking – are there other plant cultivars out there named after music groups?”


Erin spent many evenings scrolling through seed catalogues and nursery inventories, making a list of plants that had music-related names. She then pitched the idea of a Rock and Roll Garden display in the National Herb Garden, which was accepted but it took quite a while to locate and order the plants. The results are well worth it! 


Visit the exhibit soon as it will only exist this summer through fall. The National Herb Garden is on 2 ½ acres at the U.S. National Arboretum and is the largest designed herb garden in the United States. It was completed in 1980 and is supported by the Herb Society of America. The U.S. National Arboretum is at 3501 New York Avenue NE and is open every day except Christmas. Admission is free, and there is plenty of parking.

 

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The Many Uses of Thai Basil

Posted on June 14, 2025 | Leave a comment

I grow different types of basil in my Virginia garden and Thai basil is my favorite. Thai basil is a variety of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) but the flavor is spicier and more pungent — like anise and clove combined. I grow this warm weather annual for its use as a culinary herb and for its landscape value.

Thai basil gets its name from its popularity in Thai cuisine, but it is equally popular in Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Laotian cuisines. Thai basil can withstand prolonged cooking heat so the leaves work well with chicken or beef stir fried dishes. Thai basil also is used in Pad Thai, Vietnamese Pho, spring rolls, curries, and noodle dishes.

On the flower stems, the actual blossom is a light purple while the calyx is a dark purple

A more obscure use is Thai basil in refreshing drinks. To use Thai basil, first create a simple syrup. Combine one cup of sugar and one cup of water in a small saucepan. Add one cup of loosely packed leaves and gently mash them up against the side of the pot to release the oils. After bringing to a boil and simmering for 15 minutes, let the syrup cool, drain off the leaves, and pour the sweet, spicy syrup in a glass jar.

Add a few spoonsful of the syrup to a glass of limeade (made from a frozen concentrate). If you add a shot of gin, you will begin to see the many uses of Thai basil syrup in drinks such mojitos, gin and tonics, daiquiris, and martinis.

This flavor will also work well with citrus. For example, pour a few spoonsful over sliced oranges. Try adding spices such as cloves and cinnamon – maybe even cardamom – to make the flavor even more complex.  Another option would be to either add the syrup or mince the Thai basil leaves on mango, pineapple, or papaya.

Because of their pretty flowers, Thai basil is used in vinegars. To make a vinegar, simply fill a glass jar with a 5 percent vinegar such as apple cider or white wine and add the flower heads and foliage. Let sit in a dark place for a few weeks. Drain off the foliage and leave the flower heads. These makes great gifts.

Thai basil can be grown in containers or in the garden

The flower spike can be used in fresh or dried floral arrangements. Basil flowers are made up of a calyx that dries and remains on the stem and the actual small flower inside, which eventually drops off after it has bloomed. This makes basil ideal for dried floral arrangements as well as potpourris.

I use Thai basil as an annual in the garden bed, just like any other annual. It adds a purple haze, similar to coleus, and tolerates our heat and humidity very well. I don’t pick the leaves, I just let it grow and flower in a mass.

Like other basils, this plant needs full sun and plenty of water in the summer. It is easy to start from seed after the average last frost when nighttime temperatures stay warm. Although we grow it as an annual, it really is a tender perennial that perishes with our fall frosts. As long as you keep it watered, Thai basil does well as a container plant.

There are several popular varieties of Thai basil.  Cardinal has large, dark red flower heads with burgundy red stems and bright green leaves. Siam Queen, a 1997 All-America Selections winner, has large, dark purple-red flower heads and dark leaves.  Everleaf Thai Towers is a columnar plant with delayed flowering. You can purchase it as a plant in local garden centers or grow if from seed. It is perfect for an accent piece in a tall container.

Everleaf Thai Towers, mid-summer.

Thai basil is not prone to the downy mildew disease that affects sweet basil. I have never had a pest or disease issue although I have noticed that it is quicker to flower than the other basils. The solution is to have many plants, some for leaves, some for flowers or to purchase one bred to have delayed flowering like the Everleaf series. You can either pinch your Thai basil to prevent flowering and harvest the leaves or let the plants flower and use the flowers as a garnish, for flower arrangements, or for vinegars.

This plant is easy to find in local garden centers and seed catalogs. Thai basil is such a multitasking herb, it is worth growing every year.

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Yes, Virginia, Tarragon Can Grow Here

Posted on May 3, 2025 | Leave a comment

Tarragon re-emerging in April

Tarragon is one of my new culinary herbs in my Virginia garden. It took a couple of tries to figure out its happy place. I had grown a few plants before in different locations but they never reappeared in the spring. This time, the tarragon that was given to me last year is back! It must be happy with full sun exposure in a well-drained area.

A member of the Asteraceae (aster) or Compositae family, tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus, is cousin to the other artemisia plants: mugwort (A. vulgaris), wormwood (A. absinthium), and southernwood (A. abrotanum). The term “dracunculus” is considered a corruption of the French “estragon,” which means little dragon. This refers to the plant’s brown, coiled roots, similar to serpents.

Tarragon in the summer

I have French tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa, the preferred culinary variety. French tarragon has anise-flavored leaves (like licorice). An herbaceous perennial, tarragon has green, narrow leaves and woody stems. It dies back in the fall but is one of the first to emerge in early spring, growing to about 2 feet high and wide in the summer. Hardy to zone 5 (although every reference book gives a different number), it is not a long-lived perennial and should be propagated every few years. The plant is sterile so it is propagated by division or stem cuttings. Don’t be fooled into buying tarragon seed packets. They can’t possibly be the flavorful variety, sativa. More likely they are Russian tarragon seeds, Artemisia dracunculus, which has inferior flavor but can still be grown as a plant in the garden.

Tarragon is an old culinary herb that has been used for several thousand years in the Middle East and Europe. It is one of the few culinary herbs that has no significant medicinal use. When Thomas Jefferson was in France, he enjoyed the extensive use of tarragon in French cuisine. Assuming it was propagated by seed, he searched for the seed in the colonies and was not able to find it. Eventually Bernard McMahon sent him a shipment of roots. The first time Jefferson planted tarragon at Monticello it failed but he tried again in different locations until he too found tarragon’s happy place. He then distributed the plant to colleagues. In 1809, General John Mason wrote to him and said “has flourished well in the open air and will in spring afford plenty of slips.” Mason no doubt discovered that tarragon likes plenty of air circulation.

Interestingly, the flavor of tarragon varies depending on how it is used in the kitchen which is why it is so versatile. If I pick a leaf off the plant and chew it, there is a zingy, refreshing flavor like a Peppermint Patty. It slightly numbs the tongue. If I cook with it, the flavor becomes a mellow zingy like black pepper.

Tarragon leaves are used in sauces, vinegars, fish, chicken, spring vegetables, eggs, salads, cheese, cold potato dishes, and fruit such as peaches, melon, apricots and cherries. It is the ingredient in fines herbes and béarnaise sauce. Because of its delicate flavor, it is best to use fresh leaves and to add towards the end of the cooking period so they do not become bitter and overcooked. Because the leaves do not retain their flavor when dry, many people preserve tarragon in vinegar, which also can be used as vinegar for salad dressings.

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Growing Ginger, Turmeric, and Lemongrass

Posted on March 13, 2025 | 1 comment
lemongrass

Bunch of lemongrass culms wrapped in plastic

Every year at this time, I visit a local Asian supermarket and pick up a few turmeric and ginger rhizomes and a couple of lemongrass stalks. For a few dollars, you can grow these tropical herbs for the summer. It is important to start early inside as ginger and turmeric have long growing seasons. It can take 8 to 10 months for the plants to fully develop in order to be able to harvest the rhizomes. Fortunately, they do not need the type of light structures you use to start seeds indoors.

Visit your local Asian supermarket and you will see bins of turmeric, ginger, and lemongrass. If possible, purchase organic ones but of these, I only see organic ginger in my stores.

ginger

Organic ginger rhizomes in bins

For the ginger (Zingiber officinale), pick rhizomes that are as healthy, disease free, and as plump as possible. Ginger is a rhizome, an underground swollen stem. It has eyes, like a potato, so make sure you purchase a piece with several eyes. It is best to purchase organic ginger as regular ginger may have been sprayed with a growth inhibitor. Regardless, soak the rhizomes in water for 24 hours before you plant to remove any chemicals.  Use a plastic container with drainage holes. It is best to start with a small container, just large enough for the rhizome to fit. Think of these as starter containers. Fill with potting mix (I use commercially prepared potting mix). Plant only 2 inches deep, and plant flat or horizontally.  Keep soil moist but not water-logged until you see the foliage emerge. It can take a long time, even a month, so don’t give up hope. Because the watering is a little tricky — too much and they rot, too little and they dry out, you may want to pot up one rhizome per container. That way, if one does not make it, you still have the others. These will not need light until the foliage emerges. But they will need warmth so don’t place the containers in your basement or garage.

turmeric

Turmeric rhizomes in bins

For the turmeric (Curcuma longa), plant the same way as above. I never see organic turmeric in the supermarket so I buy what there is in the bin. I also soak them in case they were sprayed with a growth retardant (it certainly cannot hurt).  Again, best to not put all your eggs in one basket, plant one per container so if one rots, you will have the others.

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a little different in that it does not take that long to grow in order to be able to cut the stalks to use in the kitchen. I start them in March because I am buying all of my tropical herbs at the same time but you can start them later. Lemongrass is a true grass.  The foot-long stalk you purchase from the grocery store is called a culm. The entire stalk was cut to make it easier to handle so you are buying the bottom foot of the stalk with the base and maybe a rootlet at the base.  Look for culms that are as plump as possible and not dried out. No need to soak the night before, just plant in the container with drainage holes with potting mix. These also will root if they are in a container of water but make sure you change the water every few days.  One culm can grow to be a large 3- to 4-foot-tall plant so for my family of four I only need one but I buy several in case one does not root. If I start mine in March, I can probably start to cut and harvest in the summer, up until frost.

lemongrass

Lemongrass is relatively cheap

In May, when the evening temperatures are consistently warm, I transfer the plants outside. I put them on my deck in the shade first for them to adapt to the stronger sunlight (shade for them is stronger sunlight than what they received indoors). Then gradually I move them to larger containers and more sun. The lemongrass is moved to a full sun location. The turmeric and ginger can take part shade. I prefer to leave mine in containers because it is easier to harvest in the fall. They will not overwinter in the DC metro area. Fortunately, they are relatively easy to purchase every March and can make interesting gift plants as well. If you are really want to start a conversation, try growing the ginger and turmeric as houseplants!

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New Herbs to Grow in 2025

Posted on February 19, 2025 | Leave a comment

Thai Double Sky Blue butterfly pea, photo courtesy of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co./rareseeds.com

As you are making your seed list and checking it twice, consider growing new herbs this year. Every year I scour more than 20 seed/plant catalogs/websites for new introductions–something new to try in my garden. In the past, I think I was constrained by a narrow definition of herbs but the more I learn, the more my definition has expanded. Many plants could be considered herbs, including greens. Herbs are plants that are of use to humans, either for culinary, medicinal, aromatherapy, cosmetic, and even coloring (dyes).

Also, “new” can be defined in different ways. The item may be new to the company’s inventory but that does not mean it would be a new plant for an experienced gardener. To me “new” is: “Wow! This herb is really different from all the other ones — I have not seen this before, and I think you might be interested.” Obviously, my list is not all new herbs on the market but a selection of “herbs of interest” – suggestions for you to try as you expand your herb gardening experience.

Finally, not all companies list new introductions. They may have them but they do not highlight or tag them, so it is difficult to ascertain. If you want to keep exploring new introductions, here is a link to more than 100 seed companies. Many will send you free catalogs!

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds always has tantalizing introductions — many of which are from other countries, so you always learn something new. Note that plants are listed in alphabetical order in the catalog — not categorized by flower, vegetable, or herb. I think they recognize the overlap or blurred distinctions between many ornamental and medicinal and/or culinary useful plants. For example, new this year is ‘Beetroot Amaranth’, an ornamental edible plant from India. The red foliage can add color to the ornamental garden and can be cooked as a green, like spinach. There also is a new white version called ‘White Beauty’ with ice white stems and green foliage.

Purple Perfume hot pepper, photo courtesy of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co./rareseeds.com

Another example is butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea) and this year Baker Creek is introducing ‘Thai Double Sky Blue’. This vine blooms stunning double-flowering pale blue flowers which can be used to color beverages, cocktails, and food such as rice.

Baker Creek has several new hot peppers which are too spicy for me, but I would grow ‘Purple Perfume’ (Cheiro Roxa) as an ornamental for its translucent purple fruit. A staple in Brazilian cooking, these plants produce many very small colorful peppers which Baker Creek says are “pretty enough for the flowerbed.”

And if you are strictly looking for herbs, try their new papalo seeds. They have two types: butterfly leaf and narrow leaf form. I have seen the broad leaf form in my area (Porophyllum ruderale var.  macrocephalum) so it is not really “new” but I have not seen the narrow leaf form. Papalo foliage commonly is used in Mexican cuisine. The flavor is supposed to be similar to cilantro but with a more pronounced flavor. However, papalo thrives in the summer while cilantro will flower and set seed when the summer begins. The narrow leaf form (Porophyllum ruderale) reminds me of willow leaves. It is a lesser-known variety of papalo, and again used like cilantro, but prefers warm weather. This plant also is known as quilquina.

If you have not heard of Experimental Farm Network, you need to check it out. EFN is the quiet studious bookworm to party girl Baker Creek, chock full of interesting plants from other countries as well as seed saving, plant breeding, and preserving genetic diversity efforts and collaborations. There are quite a lot of new items so I am going to bullet list them here because the EFN website provides chapters of descriptions for each:

  • ‘Big Hip Apple Rose’ (Rosa villosa): They are offering seed to grow this rose, which produces very large red hips (hips are the fruit used for culinary and medicinal purposes).
  • ‘Hun Ken’ (Allium ramosum): This is a fragrant flowering garlic from China, cold hardy to zone 5.
  • ‘Iraqi Rashad’ garden cress (Lepidium sativum): Cress is a hot and spicy green, which can use as a microgreen, garnish, salad green or on soups and sandwiches. It prefers cool weather, grow like cilantro.
  • ‘Kyrgyzstani Kalmyk’ dill (Anethum graveolens): This is a flavorful heirloom dill bred for its foliage from Kalmyk (Dzungar) in Bishkek, capitol of Kyrgyzstan.
  • ‘Monhegan Post Office’ sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata): Sweet cicely is a perennial in the carrot family known for edible leaves, seed, and roots. This one is named after an old post office on Monhegan Island, Maine (how cute is that?).
  • ‘Nga Khaw Buk’ sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum): Yes, Virginia, you too can grow sesame. This is an annual plant from Thailand.
  • ‘Togolese’ hoary basil (Ocimum americanum): Despite the botanical name this basil hails from west Africa and has a strong fruity fragrance. The word “hoary” means gray-white color but this plant has green, small, pointy leaves.
  • Clary sage, redwood strain (Salvia sclarea): This particular strain of seeds has large white lilac pink bracts surrounding light blue flowers. This is a biennial or short-lived perennial known for its medicinal properties and stunning flowers.
  • Sanshō Japanese peppercorn (Zanthoxylum piperitum): Native to Japan, this will grow to a small shrub and the leaves, flowers, and fruit are used for culinary and medicinal purposes. A primary ingredient in Chinese five spice powder, this peppercorn’s claim to fame is its ability to cause a spicy and numbing sensation when consumed.

Anil (indigo), photo courtesy of Owen Taylor, Truelove Seeds

If you are interested in herbs, you need to become familiar with True Love Seeds. In addition to their informative website, they have a podcast called Seeds and their People and they offer seeds/herbs/veggies from many countries. Check out their collections such as African diaspora, East Asian, Italian, Ark of Taste, and the Roughwood Seed Collection. They have a lot of new products, many of which would be hard to categorize as either herb or veggie so check out their website. Here are some of the new 2025 introductions:

  • Shambalileh Iranian Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum): Fenugreek is a medicinal and culinary herb, both foliage and seeds are used. This variety is from Iran.
  • Reyhan Sabz Basil (Ocimum basilicum): Also from Iran, this green basil is supposed to be milder than other basils.
  • Shevid (Persian dill) (Anethum graveolens): This Persian dill is known as Shevid in Iran.
  • Persian purple basil (Ocimum basilicum): Although not entirely purple, this basil makes a great ornamental plant. Can be used for cooking of course but think about using it for foliage color in a container.
  • Rashad Iraqi Cress (Lepidium sativum): A cress from Iraq, a spicy green.
  • Añil (Indigo) (Indigofera suffruticosa): Indigo is grown for its use as a plant dye.
  • Besobela (Ocimum): A type of holy basil from Ethiopia that is very floriferous so consider growing it for pollinators.
  • Scent leaf (Ocimum gratissimum): A type of basil from Nigeria and Ghana used for various dishes.

Johnny’s Selected Seeds and High Mowing Seeds are go to sources for downy mildew resistant basils.  Both are introducing ‘Thai Thai Prospera ® Active DMR’, an organic seed; while High Mowing Seeds also is introducing ‘Noga Prospera ® Active DMR’, organic pelleted seed. Johnny’s is introducing Everleaf lemon basil that is supposed to be slower to bolt. High Mowing Seeds is introducing two green basils: Large Leaf and Saporoso. High Mowing Seeds has expanded their herb offerings to include Thalia and Ceres Dill, Beefsteak Plant Bi-color Shiso, Rosemary, and Za’atar.

Rashad cress, photo courtesy of Owen Taylor, Truelove Seeds

Adaptive Seeds is offering organic caraway (Carum carvi) seeds called ‘Sprinter’. Caraway is an annual, about 2 feet tall, similar looking to fennel and dill. The foliage and seeds are consumed. Although caraway is a biennial herb, Sprinter has been selected for annual production.

Another edible ornamental is organic celosia, Sokoyokoto or Lagos Spinach (Celosia argentea var. spicata). This leafy green is from Africa, similar to callaloo greens. It is a warm season annual with green foliage splashed with red. The flowers are ruby pink spikes, perfect for arrangements.

Organic Forest Green Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is a curly parsley, but it does not have a tight curl. The flavor is less bold than flat leaf parsley and can be used to garnish or add flavor in cooking. Although people don’t associate parsley with an ornamental garden, it makes a lovely green accent.

Scent leaf, photo courtesy of Owen Taylor, Truelove Seeds

Known for their works of art seed packets, Hudson Valley Seeds is now offering organic Resina calendula (Calendula officinalis) which is the best strain for making herbal salves. Not really new but Hudson is making it available in one of their art packs, which makes it an elegant gift. They also are selling lemon mint bergamot, Monarda citriodora, for the first time in 2025 but this one is not available as an art pack. This annual is not “new” but nice to know that Hudson Valley Seed offers it so you can include it when you order their other seeds.

If you are interested in dying fabrics with natural dyes, try their 1-2-3 indigo dye kit using organic indigo. They provide indigo seeds; you supply the fabric of your choice. They sell the Japanese indigo seeds separately, which is one of the oldest plant textile dyes. This one is available as an art pack.

Park Seed has a Sow Effortless Seed Collection where you just sow, water, and grow plants from paper discs, mats, and tapes embedded with seeds. The theory is you just lay down the paper, water, and magic! The advantage is that the seeds are “pre-spaced” or spaced correctly but also if you have dexterity issues with small seeds, this could make life easier. They have these available in several herbs, flowers, and veggies.

Park is introducing the new Bonsai Basil from the Kitchen Minis ™ Collection. These are Greek basil seeds (Ocimum basilicum) which produce a fine leaved, compact plant about 6 to 12 inches tall — perfect for containers.

Another Park introduction is purple ball basil which has very dark red purple foliage. A great container plant, purple ball basil grows to be a 10-to-12-inch ball shape that can either be used as an ornamental or harvested for use in the kitchen.

Coarse besobela, photo courtesy of Owen Taylor, Truelove Seeds

Territorial Seed has a wide variety of herbs, flowers, veggies, berries, and fruits. The nice thing about this company is their extensive inventory, free catalog, and for many, they sell both plants and seed. If you cannot find a particular herb in your area or would rather have the plant than sow seed, they sell many herb plants. New to their inventory is the ashwagandha plant (Withania somnifera) which is a medicinal herb used to alleviate stress and anxiety. They also are offering yerba buena (Satureja douglasii), a plant harvested for tea. Like Park Seed, Territorial Seed is offering the new Bonsai Basil but their sizes include a smaller package of fewer seed, for those who do not need a large quantity.

These are just a few selections for you to increase your herbal gardening palette. Good luck and happy gardening!

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Chervil: A Culinary Herb with Ephemeral Grace

Posted on February 6, 2025 | 2 comments

Chervil is a culinary herb that graces us with its presence for a few months in the early spring. Its finely cut, green leaves emerge in March and April here in the DC metro area. By summer, the foliage melts away.

Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) is an old European herb, one of the components of fines herbs of French cuisine. It is not as well known here in America but it is easy to grow from seed. A cousin of parsley, chervil’s leaves are similar but finely cut. The overall height is smaller, about one foot tall and wide. If it flowers, the compound umbels display small white flowers, again, similar to parsley or carrot. Because chervil is a hardy annual, seeds should be sown in very early spring, end of March to beginning of April. Chervil prefers moist soil and partial or afternoon shade. I prefer to grow it in containers because the ground soil is still very cold plus this prevents slug damage.

You will not be able to purchase this plant at local garden centers. Order seeds now so you are ready to sow in March (here is a list of seed companies).

The fresh leaves taste like a combination of parsley and anise (licorice). Chervil is great in egg dishes, fish, fruit salad, cream cheese, cream sauces, cheese dishes, and butter. The foliage also can be added to vegetables such as carrots, beans, corn, and peas during the last few minutes of cooking. It is best to add chervil at the end of hot dishes such as soups and stews because exposure to heat for a long time will make it taste bitter.

The foliage does not dry well so you use it fresh. That is why you have to grow it from seed in the spring and take advantage of it then. I have not seen fresh cut chervil for sale in the produce section of the grocery stores. You can purchase dried chervil in bottles along with the other herbs and spices in the grocery store but the taste will not be the same.

Try growing this spring ephemeral this year, you still have time to order seeds!

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Color Your Cocktail with Butterfly Pea

Posted on December 22, 2024 | 1 comment

Often seen in cocktails on social media, butterfly pea plants (Clitoria ternatea) are vines that bloom beautiful pea-like flowers, about 2 inches wide. Typically, flowers are cobalt blue with a yellow inner strip. A member of the legume family (Fabaceae), the green leaves are similar to Kentucky coffee trees.

The flowers are also available in white,  lavender, and a pale light blue, single or double flower, but the cobalt blue is well-known in Asian countries. The flowers are dried and sold in bags, or in powdered form, or as an extract. A tea is made with the flowers, which can be brewed alone or with other herbs such as lemongrass, ginger, and mint.

When brewed with boiling water the tea is blue and can be drunk like an herbal tea. However, when an acid is added, such as lemon juice, the tea turns purple. When an alkaline liquid such as roselle tea is added, the tea turns red. Butterfly pea tea acts like a litmus strip, the color of the drink changes with the pH of what it is mixed with. This does not affect the taste but has transformed butterfly tea into a novelty cocktail drink. You will find lots of cocktail drinks made with the flowers on the internet. The blue flowers also are used to dye food such as custards, puddings, rice dishes, and sticky rice.

Butterfly pea is native to Africa. Here in Virginia it is grown as an annual which grows rapidly in the summer up a trellis or obelisk. As a member of the pea family, the plant fixates nitrogen, which is good for the soil. The vine can take full sun to light shade and is drought tolerant.

I have not seen the plant sold at local garden centers but you can order seeds online. It is relatively easy to grow from seed and once you have a mature plant, you can let some flowers go to seed to save the seed pods. Save the pods and split open when dried to reveal the seeds. Save the seeds to grow next year.

Here are a few online seed companies: Eden Brothers, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds,  Park Seed, Strictly Medicinal Seeds, and Hudson Valley Seed Company. Include the butterfly pea with your 2025 seed order and try growing magical flowers!

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Grow Your Own Thanksgiving Herbs

Posted on November 17, 2024 | 3 comments

As I prepare for Thanksgiving this year, I can’t help but think of the Simon and Garfunkel song “Scarborough Fair.” I grow parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme in my zone 7, Virginia garden. The day before Thanksgiving, I can walk outside and harvest these herbs for my holiday meal. These are very easy to grow here and blend well into the typical suburban landscape. All of these with the exception of parsley are perennial shrubs that will remain in the garden year round.

Parsley

The curly type is best used as a garnish and the flat leaf type has better flavor, thus is used in cooking. I grow the flat leaf, also called Italian parsley. We use it in stuffing but I also like the contrast of green against white, mashed potatoes. Parsley also is great for turkey leftover dishes such as turkey soup.parsley

Here in Virginia, parsley can stay green above ground all winter long, especially if it is a mild winter (I took this photo in January). I always use fresh parsley as it does not dry well. Parsley is a biennial plant, which means it has a 2-year life cycle. The first year you will see foliage. The second year it will come back and although you will still see foliage, you will also see flowers and seedheads.  You can purchase parsley plants from the local nursery in the spring or you can grow it from seed. It is more economical to have a parsley bed in the garden where you scatter seeds every year. Parsley likes organic matter, moisture, and morning sun or dappled sun. To harvest the leaves, cut outer, older leaves at the base with scissors (don’t pull), leaving the core or inner, younger leaves.

Sage

Sage leaves can be used fresh or dried. I use it dry in the stuffing and biscuits and I use the fresh leaves as a garnish. Place a ring of green sage leaves on a pumpkin pie, after you have taken it out of the oven. Or create butter pats by piping soft butter (in a bag) on to clean, dry leaves on a tray. Put the tray in the fridge to harden the butter and then put the butter pats on baked potatoes.

 

Sage is a small drought resistant shrub that remains above ground all year long in my garden. In the summer, it blooms small, purple flowers that attract beneficial pollinators. I use both the leaves as well as the flower spikes for flower arrangements. Leaves can be solid green, variegated with cream or yellow, gray, gray/green, blue/gray, purple, or tricolor (pink, green, and white leaves). No matter what the color, all the leaves are edible. You can pick leaves when you need them without altering the shape or you can take a branch from the back and strip and dry the leaves for the kitchen, including making tea. Sage plants prefer full sun and well-drained soil on the dryer side. For best flavor, grow Salvia officinalis. This is not a plant you would grow from seed, it is better to purchase a small plant in the spring and plant it in the garden.

Rosemary

Rosemary can be used fresh or dried, it dries well. I use dried rosemary in the stuffing and biscuits but I cut fresh branches for the turkey platter. I either put slices of turkey directly on the branches or place the branches on the side as a decoration. Recently I have seen a lot of holiday cocktails with small rosemary branches on Instagram — I am sure you will find more ideas on social media.

Rosemary grows well in my garden because my plants are in full sun in a well-drained, terraced site. The woody shrubs remain above ground in the winter and tend to bloom when you would least expect it. My shrubs have been covered in small purple/blue flowers in December but also in the spring when the azaleas are blooming. The flowers are edible and are great as a garnish.

There are many different types of rosemary; some more cold tolerant than others; some prostrate and some are upright. If you have had trouble growing rosemary in the past, try these cold-tolerant types: ‘Arp’, ‘Hill Hardy’, ‘Salem’, ‘Nancy Howard’, and ‘Dutch Mill’. Once established, rosemary is drought and deer resistant.

Thyme

Thyme also is used fresh or dried — it dries well. I use dried thyme in the stuffing, biscuits, potato dishes, and green beans. Because the leaves are small, I sprinkle a confetti of fresh leaves on appetizers, corn chowder, and tomato soup.thyme

Thyme can be grown as a groundcover, small shrub, edging, or topiary or used in a rock garden. It is a drought-tolerant, low-maintenance, full sun, woody shrub that prefers well-drained soil. In my garden, my English thyme serves as a groundcover to prevent erosion on a slope. It has spread to cover the soil, thus preventing any weeds. It remains above ground in the winter and blooms in the spring/summer, attracting bees. Again, this is not something you want to start from seed. Purchase a small plant in the spring and plant in your garden bed or take a cutting or division from your neighbor’s plant.

Growing herbs is very easy. To be able to harvest your own herbs for next Thanksgiving, consider buying these plants in the spring at your local nursery.

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?

Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;

Remember me to the one who lives there,

For once she was a true love of mine.

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Butcher’s Broom: Ancient Perennial Plant For the Future

Posted on October 23, 2024 | 4 comments

Butcher’s broom at the National Herb Garden

Years ago, I noticed a small evergreen shrub with pointed leaves and large red berries at the National Herb Garden, part of the U.S. National Arboretum in DC. This was in winter in the Dioscorides part of the National Herb Garden, a space devoted to medicinal herbs collected by Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides around A.D. 60. Back then, Greeks used butcher’s broom (Ruscus aculeatus) as a laxative and diuretic. According to the sign next to the plant, “leaves and berries were drunk in wine to encourage menstruation, to break up bladder stones, and to cure jaundice and headaches. Also used as a diuretic.” Currently, this medicinal herb is being researched to see if it can address blood circulation issues.

Butcher’s broom at the National Herb Garden

I, of course, was just interested in a plant that was evergreen in winter with striking red berries – think of how the branches could be cut for holiday decorations! Unfortunately, I never saw this plant for sale at the local garden centers. They are not popular commercially probably because they are slow growers but they are not finicky plants. Although they look like short shrubs, they are evergreen perennials that prefer shade and well-drained soil. Most plants in this genus are dioecious (male and female plants) but this particular species is self-fertile.

The foliage is stiff and thick with a pointed end, making the plant look spiny. Interestingly they do not have true leaves. They have leaflike structures called cladodes which are flat stems that look like leaves. Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus plants also have cladodes. When butcher’s broom blooms, tiny star-like flowers appear in the middle of the cladode resulting in a small green fruit. Gradually, the sphere gets larger and red so really the red fruit or berry arises from the cladode.

Butcher’s broom ‘Elizabeth Lawrence’ at the JC Raulston Arboretum

Once established, these plants are drought, heat, and salt resistant. This summer, I saw Ruscus aculeatus ‘Elizabeth Lawrence’ in a wooded area at the JC Raulston Arboretum in North Carolina.  Elizabeth (1904-1985) is the first garden writer that I “met” through her many books about her gardens in Charlotte and Raleigh, NC. Even though I graduated with a degree in horticulture from Virginia Tech, I had never read or heard of garden literature, let alone southern garden writing. I did try to visit her home and garden in Charlotte when I was in North Carolina but it was closed that day. If you visit the website, you will see a photo of the butcher’s broom on the slider.

The Elizabeth Lawrence form at the Arboretum came from her garden. She obtained the plant from her friend Mr. Krippendorf, who obtained it from the original discover, British gardener Clarence Elliott in 1955 (this information is from the Plant Delights website). This form is more compact at 2 feet tall and wide.

Another view of butcher’s broom ‘Elizabeth Lawrence’

Elizabeth mentions the plant in her books several times. She said it is “one of the most reliable shrubs for troublesome places. It will grow in the driest places, even under trees, and in all degrees of shade. The berries of this do remain all winter, and they keep their brilliant red color. A number of plants have been raised from seed sent from England by Clarence Elliott.”

She too acknowledges that it is not well known and, at the time, only available from Monrovia nursery in California. She theorized that it was because it was a slow grower. The plants she had in Raleigh did not fruit, they must have been male plants, but the ones she had in the Charlotte garden did fruit and were from seed sent from Clarence Elliott.

I looked online and did not see the plant for sale on the Monrovia website but it is available at Plant Delights Nursery. Ironically, almost 40 years since Elizabeth’s death, butcher’s broom may be a desirable plant given climate change and our current dry and hot summers. This seems like a good plant to purchase for drought tolerance as well as its evergreen nature. Plus the added benefit of seeing flowers emerge from the middle of the cladodes and the red berries!

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Aloe Vera: Your First Aid Kit

Posted on September 6, 2024 | 1 comment

Every May, I put my aloe plant (Aloe vera) outside on the deck to enjoy the summer sun and warmth. This succulent plant thrives and by autumn, she has produced many “pups.” The pups, small aloe vera offsets, crowd inside the small pot. When the nights cool down, I upturn the pot and gently pull apart each pup. I plant each one in its own small container of soil.  I then replant the mother and move her in to my house while I box up the pups to bring to the office. Within hours of placing the box in the office kitchen, colleagues have helped themselves to a new plant, armed with growing instructions that I have printed on strips of paper. My colleagues love free plants — it is like leaving cookies in the kitchen.

Aloe vera is a medicinal herb well known for healing burns. If you snap a leaf in two you will see a gel-like liquid. You can apply the gel to a burn on your skin, which will offer pain relief and a faster healing process. The leaves actually have three sections: a thick outer rind, a thin slimy layer of cells, and the inner gel. Just beneath the rind is a bitter yellow substance called aloin. This can cause intestinal irritation creating a laxative effect.  It is the inner gel that is used for burns, sunburns, or as a skin moisturizer. Diluted with water, this gel can be ingested to sooth intestinal irritation. Although aloe’s beneficial effects have been documented for thousands of years, it was not until U.S. researchers discovered that aloe gel could quickly heal burns caused by x-rays and ultraviolet rays in the mid-1930s that interest soared. Today, most people use aloe as an first aid kit for burns, disinfecting minor cuts, and insect stings. Researchers are still studying the plant. So far they have identified more than 75 nutrients and 200 compounds in the gel.

It is easy to grow an aloe vera plant. Give it warmth, sun, and good drainage. You can grow it indoors as a houseplant provided it gets enough light. Place it in a southern exposure window or a sun room. Or you can grow it outside in the summer. When I grow it outside, I just let the rain water it. Remember to bring it back inside before night time temperatures dip into the 40s.

This plant is easy to find at local garden centers. Or if you have a friend who has it, ask for a pup. Try growing aloe for your own personal first aid kit.

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