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Herbs of Interest to Grow in 2024

Posted on February 24, 2024 | Leave a comment

Panorama Red Beebalm, photo courtesy of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co./rareseeds.com

Last year I wrote an article about new herb introductions. This year, I have decided to make this a tradition. Every year, I will write a short article about new herbs I have seen from reading more than 25 seed/plant catalogs (print or online). For this article, I am focusing on a narrow definition of herbs. Many plants could be considered herbs, including edible flowers. 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.

There are several new herbs in the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed catalog. The catalog is available online or you can order a free copy. This year they have a stunning beebalm (Monarda didyma) called ‘Panorama Red’. This is a hardy perennial with red flowers that can be used to garnish fruit salads and desserts. The foliage can be used for tea or syrups.

Last year, Baker Creek introduced ‘Marvelette Blue’ (Calamintha nepeta), a hardy perennial that blooms blue/lavender flowers. The foliage can be used to make tea. This year they introduced the sister: ‘Marvelette White’ which has white flowers. These are great flowering landscape plants that attract pollinators.

Greek Mountain Tea, photo courtesy of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co./rareseeds.com

Baker Creek also is featuring an unusual looking herb called ‘Greek Mountain Tea’ (Sideritis scardica). The foliage looks like a cross between sage and lambs’ ears. The foliage of ‘Greek Mountain Tea’ has been used in the Balkans as tea to improve the mood and strengthen the body. It has a positive effect on the digestive system, weight loss, and prevention of insulin resistance. It seems to be hardy to zone 6 so I should be able to grow this drought-resistant plant in my area. The flowers alone look interesting, they are large candle-shaped inflorescences that bloom in the summer.

Although I have grown summer savory and winter savory, I have not heard of Baker Creek’s lemon version of winter savory (Satureja montana var. citriodora). According to their website, this is a “citrusy herb used for bean dishes, casseroles and stuffing.” It is supposed to be hardy to zone 5 as an evergreen woody shrub that can be used for tea, condiments, meats, and sausage.

Experimental Farm Network is another treasure for gardeners interested in edible plants, vegetables and herbs. I was struck by ‘Odesa Market’ nigella, a black seed nigella (Nigella sativa). The plant is grown for the seed which has medicinal qualities and often is used in breads, pickled products, and cheese. This nigella is cousin to the blue flowering love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena), a popular cottage garden plant. When you order ‘Odesa Market’, make sure you also order the ‘Transformer’ (Nigella orientalis). The flower heads are amazing! This nigella is grown as a cut flower, but the seeds have been known to be used as an adulterant in ground black pepper.

I have the blue/purple flowering anise hyssop in my garden but I may try Adaptive Seeds’ white flowering form called ‘Snow Spike’. This white-flowering Agastache foeniculum is a perennial with anise-flavored/scented foliage that can be used for tea, syrups, sugars, and baking.

I also have grown the green foliage form of epazote but Adaptive Seeds is carrying a red form called ‘Oaxaca Red’ (Dysphania ambrosioides). Epazote is another “bean” herb, used to reduce flatulence. It is common in Mexican cuisine and has medicinal qualities. The green form is weedy looking, but ‘Oaxaca Red’ may not look as weedy because the red foliage adds a lot of color. This may be a possible heat tolerant source of red color to a flower garden as well.

Silver Scent Salvia, photo courtesy of Darwin Perennials

Another great source of herb seeds is High Mowing Seeds and this year they are introducing two new parsley types: ‘Laica’ which is bred for flavor and sweetness and ‘Hilmar’ which is bred for high yield and excellent vigor.

Johnny’s Selected Seeds is introducing two new downy mildew resistant basil seed. Building on the original Prospera line, this new line is called Prospera Active with increased resistance to DM for environments where more is needed. Noga Prospera are tall resistant basil plants and Lihi Prospera are short, compact basil plants, excellent for containers.

And there is a new salvia plant from Darwin Perennials: Salvia Silver Scent. This is the culinary sage, Salvia officinalis, hardy to zone 5. This one has a pleasant fragrance and grows to about 20 inches tall. Deer resistant, salvia makes a great drought-resistant landscape plant.

I hope you try some of these this summer. Let me know how they perform by commenting on this post. Also feel free to add “new” herbs or “herbs of interest” that you have seen or recommend. The sources for seeds and plants are found in my list of more than 100 seed catalogs on my website.

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Posted in herbs

Tagged herbs, new herbs, seeds, unusual herbs

Mt. Cuba Center Trial of Amsonia Plants

Posted on February 16, 2024 | Leave a comment

I have long admired Amsonia, especially when grown en masse. These perennial herbaceous plants bloom small blue “stars” in the spring, provide wispy green foliage in the summer, and turn a solid gold or orange color in the fall. Most are native and there are several cultivars and hybrids. Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware just published a report on their 10-year amsonia trial of 20 different types of plants, including one non-native for comparison. The 16-page report is available for download here.

Also known as “bluestars,” these perennials look like two to three-feet shrubs in the summer. They are native bee habitats, support early season pollinators, and serve as host plants for several species of butterflies and moths. Like milkweeds, these plants produce a milky sap that deters deer.

Spring Sky, photo courtesy of Mt. Cuba Center

During the trial, the plants were virtually pest and disease free. They were grown in part to full sun on average soil and given minimal care. Supplemental water was only provided during the first year to encourage plant establishment.

The plants were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being very poor and 5 being excellent for habit, vigor, and floral display. Not one rated a 5, but almost every plant in the evaluation was considered a top performer. The report provides a chart with the ratings, bloom time, floral display, size, foliage texture, and growth habit. The report also provides a 2023 bloom times chart as some plants bloom as early as mid-April and as late as June.

Short Stack, photo courtesy of Mt. Cuba Center

The two top performers are Amsonia ciliata ‘Spring Sky’ at 4.9 followed by A. tabernaemontana ‘Short Stack’ at 4.8. A. ciliata ‘Spring Sky’ or fringed bluestar reaches 2 feet high, blooms in mid-April to late May, and has finely textured foliage. ‘Short Stack’ is considered dwarf at 2 feet, blooms from mid-April to late May, and has more coarsely textured foliage.

The trial demonstrated that Amsonia are beautiful, easy to care for plants with three season interest. Like other perennials, they take time to get established.

This is the type of plant that attracts your attention in the fall with blazes of gold color and you think to yourself: Darn, I should have planted amsonia in the spring. So before the season starts this year, buy a few from your local garden center or check out the resources below. These companies were not in the report and do not imply a Mt. Cuba Center endorsement.
Plant Delights Nursery
Bluestone Perennials
American Meadows
Burpee
Izel Plants

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Posted in plants

Tagged amsonia, bluestar, Mt. Cuba Center, perennials

Lettuce: A Spring Crop for Containers or the Garden Bed

Posted on February 9, 2024 | 1 comment

Soon we will be able to grow lettuce so order your seeds now. Lettuce prefers cool temperatures and can tolerate frosty evenings. This green is easy to start from seed or you can purchase small plants at the nursery.

Growing lettuce can be done in containers or in garden beds. Look for places that are full sun, especially where trees have not leafed out yet. Containers do not have to be large or deep. You can grow lettuce in containers with a depth as shallow as 6 to 8 inches.

In my Virginia garden, I sow seeds in containers and the garden bed at the end of March and again every 2 weeks thereafter until the end of May. Lettuce seeds are very small so just press them into wet soil. Afterwards, make sure the soil does not dry out, which may mean watering often, depending on the weather. The squirrels like to dig in my containers on the deck so I apply a dust of blood meal. In the garden bed, I deter slugs with broken eggshells or Sluggo.

Lettuce in a large fabric container

I tend to be heavy handed when I sow seeds. As the seedlings emerge, I have to remove some to create more space for the remaining plants. The thinnings can be used in a salad or transplanted to other areas of the garden. The nice thing about lettuce is that you can grow them before the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants so you don’t need more land; you just double up on your existing land.

Lettuce around a small pepper plant

I prefer the loose-leaf and romaine varieties. Loose-leaf, or cut and come again, has leaves that are loosely splayed outwards from the crown. They are the easiest to grow, quickest to harvest, and come in a variety of colors. The entire plant can be cut at the base but most people cut the outer leaves as needed so the younger, inner leaves can take their place. Within this group are some of the best heat tolerant varieties. Romaine, also called cos, is not as sweet to me but I find that homegrown romaine is much tastier than store bought. Its stiff, vertical leaves are great for sandwiches and wraps. Romaine has the highest nutritional value of all the lettuces.

Flashy Trout Back lettuce

There are two other types that I have not grown: butterhead and crisphead. Butterhead, such as Bibb and Boston, has small heads of dark green leaves. These plants are so tight they have to be cut at the base and harvested whole. Crisphead is the familiar Iceberg, a tight ball of light colored leaves that requires a longer cool season than what we have in Virginia.

Try growing lettuce, you would be amazed at how it is easy and tasty! For a wider selection, order seed from companies because the nurseries have a limited selection. Here is a list of seed sources.

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Posted in Edibles, seeds

Tagged containers, lettuce, seeds, Smart Pots

Growing Potatoes: Easy, Fun, and Delicious!

Posted on February 2, 2024 | Leave a comment

When you are ordering your seeds, don’t forget to order your seed potatoes. “Seed potatoes” are potatoes for planting, not a true seed. Think of them as “starter” tubers. Seed potatoes are planted outdoors about 4 weeks before the average last frost date. In the DC metro area, this is March and many gardeners use St. Patrick’s Day as the traditional day of planting but later in March is okay.

Local garden centers will sell a few varieties but you get a better selection if you contact companies specializing in potatoes. There is tremendous diversity of the tuber itself. There are white, blue, red, purple or gold colored tubers in small or large sizes, round and gnarly or thin and slender. In terms of cooking, tubers can be mealy like a Russet (good for baking but disintegrates in a stew) versus waxy like a Yukon Gold (holds its shape). Tubers also vary in maturation days: there are early season (90 days), mid-season (100-110 days), and late season (120 days) varieties. If you plant different varieties, you can harvest potatoes from June to August.

Interestingly, the foliage does not vary. The plant grows to a few feet tall, flowers, and dies, signaling the time to dig and harvest the tubers.

It is best to start with seed potatoes that are certified as disease-free, instead of planting a grocery store potato. The shoots arise from the “eyes” and additional tubers appear along these shoots as they grow. Seed potatoes should be the size of an egg with at least two eyes. If the seed potato is this size already then plant the whole thing, eyes up. If the tuber is large, you can cut it into sections, each with at least two eyes. I have read differing opinions about whether you should let the cut end callous (to prevent disease). Some people cut and plant while others cut, let them callous over, and then plant.

I plant my potatoes in large fabric containers. This is a great way to grow potatoes if you do not have a lot of land or if your garden soil is too compact. Use fabric containers that are at least 20-gallon large with at least a 15-inch height. Estimate 4 plants in this size and more in larger sizes. I space my seed potatoes about 6 inches apart.

I use bagged potting soil and sometimes I find one that has a slow-release fertilizer. If not, I add Osmocote, a well-known slow-release fertilizer. Another option is to add a granular fertilizer or apply a liquid fertilizer several times. Because potatoes are heavy feeders, I supplement with a liquid fertilizer later in the season.

You can also grow potatoes in the ground, in large plastic containers with drainage holes, or in special containers meant for these tubers. If you grow in the ground, the soil should be loamy, well-drained, high in organic matter, and slightly acidic with a pH between 4.8 and 6.5. Usually, potatoes are planted in trenches 4 to 6 inches deep, spaced 18 inches apart. After planting, the trench is backfilled until level with the soil surface. As the plants grow, they are covered by pushing soil up and over from each side of the row while letting some foliage show to be able to continue to photosynthesize.

With my fabric containers, I pour about 3-4 inches of the soil in each container, water, and then place the potatoes on top, eyes up. I then add 3 more inches of soil, water again, and insert a plant label. I roll down the side so they do not turn inward and prevent rain from reaching the plants.

Since planting is in March, we may still have very cold temperatures. Potatoes are hardier than they look, the foliage is hardy to about 28 degrees and the roots can withstand even colder temperatures. Still if the forecast calls for a hard freeze in the night the plants can be covered with a blanket.

The plants need 6-8 hours of sunlight and more water than you think — an inch of water a week. If it does not rain, water with a hose. However, the foliage is susceptible to fungal diseases so water by putting the hose nozzle into the bag, not spraying the foliage and not watering in the evening.

They are susceptible to Colorado potato beetles so check the underside of leaves for the yellow/orange eggs. If you see these, remove immediately. If you are growing a lot of potatoes and this becomes laborious, you may want to use a Spinosad-based insecticide. Other issues are flea beetles or fungal diseases although I find I do not have these issues with my fabric containers.

The new tubers grow up (vertically) from the seed potato. As the shoots grow (now stems), and more tubers appear, these new tubers have to be covered with soil. Tubers exposed to light become green and bitter. (This also is a tip for storing store-bought potatoes, keep them out of light in a cool place but not in the fridge). When the stems have grown about 8 inches, I “hill up” the potatoes which means I add about 4 inches of soil to cover the new tubers. Every few weeks, I repeat the process again, unfolding the sides as I add more soil. This process of adding more soil is called “hilling.”

In early summer, after the flowers fade, I can harvest immature tubers by pulling egg-size tubers out (leaving smaller ones in). This immature stage is what we buy as “new potatoes” in the store. New potatoes have a very thin skin and do not keep — they have to be eaten soon. We boil them and mix with parsley, chives, and butter.

In mid-summer, the potatoes will have matured so all of them can be harvested and they should last longer. When the plant’s leaves yellow and die, stop watering, wait two weeks, and then dump the container to harvest the potatoes. I dump the soil on a tarp to either use the soil to start a new garden bed or to put back in the containers and plant bush beans. Potato plants stop making tubers when soil temperatures rise above 80 degrees so they are really a summer producer. To have potatoes to eat in the winter, you want mature tubers that have been cured. Cure by storing in a dark cool place (not the fridge) with the soil still on them. Scrub clean before you eat them, not before storage.

Try growing potatoes this year, you will taste the difference! This also is a great children’s project, they will love digging for the tubers.

Sources:

Potato containers:

Smart Pots
Local hardware store: chicken wire, rolled up like a tube
Paul Potato Stacking Planter from Gardener’s Supply
Amazon two-piece plastic container

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Posted in vegetables

Tagged potato, potatoes, Seed potatoes

Snowdrops: From Simple Flowers to Complex Collections

Posted on January 26, 2024 | 3 comments

Easy to grow, snowdrops are pushing through the snow now. These small bulbs are usually planted in the fall, in masses or drifts. Here in the mid-Atlantic area, snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) bloom any time from January through March. Hardy to USDA Zone 4-7, they prefer cool weather, partial shade, and rich soil. They are not fazed by deer but may get relocated by squirrels. By late spring, the green, strap-like leaves die back and the bulb is dormant during the summer.

Snowdrops seem so simple, so humble, like servants to queen daffodils and regal tulips. Here in America, they are a small sign that spring will come soon. In Great Britain, however, snowdrops enjoy a cult status. The English have been breeding snowdrops extensively since the Victorian era, yielding over a thousand cultivars. There are judging events and snowdrop clubs, grand events and exhibits.

To me they are pretty but they look similar. To a galanthophile, each flower is distinct. Galanthophiles collect the cultivars, some of which can be costly. They may also collect other Galanthus species — there are about 20 species that vary in bloom time and size.

Here in this country, we are not able to access a wide variety but a good source for many snowdrop cultivars is Carolyn’s Shade Gardens in Pennsylvania. Another source is David Culp’s annual Galanthus Gala which will be on March 1 & 2, 2024, in Downingtown, PA. David, a well-known breeder, lecturer, and author, has a collection of snowdrops, among other plants, in his gorgeous gardens at Brandywine Cottage. The Galanthus Gala is open to the public, registration is required, and includes speakers and other plant vendors.

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Posted in bulbs, flowers

Tagged galanthophile, galanthus, snowdrops

Winter Blooming Witch Hazel

Posted on January 19, 2024 | Leave a comment

Early Bird

One of my favorite winter bloomers is witch hazel, a small shrub-like tree. The flowers themselves are only a few inches, but their unique shape and ability to cover dark, bare stems with flashes of color add excitement in winter gardens. The flowers are really clusters of four petals shaped like thin ribbons emanating from a dark, leathery base called a calyx. Depending on the cultivar, these one-inch to two-inch long ribbons are translucent yellow or mustard yellow, red/orange or brown/orange, or scarlet red or rust red. On warm winter days, the ribbons unfurl. As temperatures drop, the ribbons curl back as a protective mechanism against the cold.

Gingerbread

Witch hazels are about 15 to 18 feet tall and wide, with wavy-edged, hazel-like leaves. In the fall, the leaves turn a striking yellow, sometimes with orange or red tinges, before dropping to reveal an open vase structure.

There are many Hamamelis species but the common ones are: Hamamelis japonica (Japanese witch hazel); H. mollis (Chinese witch hazel); H. vernalis (Ozark witch hazel); and H. virginiana (common or Virginia witch hazel). The first three are hardy to zone 4 or 5 while the last is hardy to zone 3. Common witch hazel is known for its use as an astringent in cosmetics. Hamamelis x intermedia is a cross between H. japonica and H. mollis – many cultivars have been bred from this to extend the flower color range as well as fall color of leaves.

Amethyst

Witch hazels like well-drained but evenly moist soil. They are forest understory plants, small enough for suburban properties but possibly requiring shade from the summer sun unless one can guarantee against drought. Usually they are not troubled by pests or diseases.

Witch hazels plants are easy to find at local nurseries in the spring but now is the time to view them in gardens in order to select your favorite flower color. In Alexandria, Virginia, Green Spring Gardens has more than 200 Hamamelis plants. Green Spring Gardens’ witch hazel collection became an official Plant Collections Network (PCN) collection in 2006. PCN, a part of the American Public Gardens Association, is a network of botanical gardens and arboreta that coordinate preservation of germplasm. Member gardens make the germplasm available for studies, evaluation, breeding, and research. While Green Spring Gardens has the most extensive collection in the Washington DC area, you also can see them in bloom in other public gardens such as Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland, and the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington DC. Check out these perfect plants for the winter garden today so you can add few to your own garden this summer.

Hiltingbury

All photos are from Green Spring Gardens, courtesy of the Fairfax County Park Authority.

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Posted in flowers, trees

Tagged Brookside Gardens, Green Spring Gardens, Hamamelis, U.S. National Arboretum, winter, winter flowers, witch hazel

Tips on Taking Care of your Cyclamen Houseplant

Posted on January 13, 2024 | 1 comment

If you received or purchased a blooming cyclamen over the holidays, here are tips for taking care of this regal queen. Also called florist’s cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum), this houseplant blooms during the winter with flowers raised high above the foliage, lasting for several months. Cyclamen is available in a range of sizes, from mini to large, as well as magenta, red, pink, and white flower colors. Beautiful as it is, cyclamen is not an easy plant to grow.

While it is blooming, give it bright indirect light. It prefers day temperatures of 60-70 degrees and night temperatures of 40-50 degrees. It also prefers high humidity. Usually homes in the winter have low humidity so place the plant on a tray of pebbles with a little water. However, make sure you have a saucer between the container and the pebbles. The root system is a tuber that is prone to rot.

Water when the soil feels dry, like dry in the top inch, but before it is completely dry. Do not let it sit in water and do not let it sit in the saucer of water. Likewise, when watering, aim for the side of the crown, not on the leaves, and not on the crown (central growing point). If you purchased it in the decorative foil covering, it best to remove that and put the pot (make sure it has drainage holes) on a saucer.

Feed the plant with a diluted liquid low nitrogen fertilizer to prolong the blooms, such as an African violet fertilizer.

After flowering, the leaves will turn yellow. Your first thought may be that it is dying and you need to water or fertilize but don’t do that. The plant is beginning its dormant stage. Don’t try to keep it green with more watering, let it rest during the summer. Put the plant in a cool, dark area with good air circulation. Don’t water or feed during its dormant period.

In the late summer, early fall, bring the plant back to bright indirect light and water thoroughly at first. You will see new green growth. Treat it like when you first purchased it and it should bloom again. It may not look as luscious, but the regal queen should continue to hold her court as a long lasting houseplant.

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Posted in flowers, houseplants

Tagged cyclamen, florist's cyclamen, flowering houseplant, houseplant

Seed Swaps: Fun Way to Get New Seeds!

Posted on January 4, 2024 | Leave a comment

It is that time of year again — seed swaps! National Seed Swap Day is Saturday, January 27, 2024, the last Saturday in January. Seed swaps are a great way to obtain new seeds, share your favorite seeds, and attend a fun event. A seed swap can be as simple as friends getting together to share seeds they saved from the previous gardening season to an all-day planned event with speakers, door prizes, and refreshments.

Seed swaps can be a vehicle to teach others how to save seed, the importance of seed diversity, heirloom seeds, and other aspects of gardening. Some exchange more than seeds; tables may be set up to collect used gardening books, magazines, tools, pots, and nursery catalogs. Some may expand their definition of seeds and allow bulbs, rhizomes, and cuttings. Others include related activities such as learning to make handmade seed envelopes.

Each seed swap is different but usually organizers have established guidelines for the seed such as the type of container to use, the number of seed in each bag, and the information required on the label. Organizers should clarify if commercial seed packages or hybrid seeds are accepted. Although swaps do not want seeds from invasive plants, the organizers should clarify the definition of an invasive plant in their area.

If you are interested in attending a seed swap, ask your local county extension agent or Master Gardeners if they know of seed swaps in your area. Check out my monthly list of local gardening events for seed swaps in the Washington DC metro area.

If you are interested in starting a seed swap, visit a few first to see the range of activities that could take place and the number of volunteers required. Read Seedswap: The Gardener’s Guide to Saving and Swapping Seeds by Josie Jeffery and download the Seed Savers Exchange’s 8-page handout on how to organize a seed swap. Happy #seedswapday!

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Posted in Events, seeds

Tagged National Seed Swap Day, Saving Seeds, seed swaps, seeds

More Than 100 Seed Companies!

Posted on December 29, 2023 | Leave a comment

The following is a list of more than 100 seed companies, including seed potato and garlic bulbs. If I missed one, please add it in the comments section. For a source of ornamental bulbs, see the “Bulb Companies” tab on pegplant.com.

Seed Companies

3 Porch Farm https://3porchfarm.com/

Adaptive Seeds http://www.adaptiveseeds.com

Alliance of Native Seedkeepers https://www.allianceofnativeseedkeepers.com/

American Meadows http://www.americanmeadows.com

Annie’s Heirloom Seeds http://www.anniesheirloomseeds.com

Ardelia Farm (sweet peas) https://www.ardeliafarm.com/

Artisan Seeds https://store.growartisan.com/

A. Whaley Seeds https://awhaley.com/

Baker Creek Heirloom Seed http://www.rareseeds.com

Botanical Interests http://www.botanicalinterests.com

Burpee http://www.burpee.com