In March 2010 I posted a list of
five herbs to try in 2010 if you had not tried them before. They were:
1. Mexican oregano (Lippia graveolens)
2. Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis)
3. Ezapote (Dyshania ambrosioides)
4. Purple Ruffled Basil (Ocimum basilicum ‘Purple Ruffles’)
5. Tri-color Sage (Salvia officinalis ‘tri-color’)
This year as I was looking for new plants I might want to
try around a home, I strayed from the traditional herbs just a bit, but I
thought you might enjoy the 12 unique and interesting plants I discovered on
this journey. If I knew of a grower that
supplies these plants I have included it.
Some are more commonly available and should be at your local garden
center.
#1 Arugula – Roquette (Eruca sativa) -- syn. E. vesicaria subsp. sativa or Brassica eruca L.)
This is actually an “old” herb
gaining new life. It is known by several sceintfic names including Eruca sativa, but also E. vesicaria subsp. sativa or Brassica eruca L. You can obtain the
seed from non-hybrid heirloom seed companies and will often find it under the
old name Rocket or Roquette rather than the more recently common arugula. Thanks to the Food Network and other cooking
programs it has regained some of its glory as a salad herb and I am happy to
see it. If you like mixed greens this is
a great choice. Arugula can usually be harvested as early as 4 weeks after
planting from seed. The leaves of the Arugula plant add a tangy/peppery
flavor to any meal and in addition to use in salads can be a green mixed with
spinach for a base for saucy dishes instead of noodles, rice or pasta.
#2 Mandarin Twist Pot Marigold
Park Seed Company has a
great new Calendula (Pot marigold) variety that I will be trying this
year. It is called Mandarin Twist Pot
Marigold. You can get 50 seeds for 1.95
which is a great price. This will add a
nice splash of color to a green herb landscape and you get all the medicinal
benefits as well. According to Parks,
this is a compact but very well-branched and free-flowering variety with double
blooms of deep, rich orange. They stand out brilliantly in any setting, and
hold well in garden or vase. Blooming all summer and well into fall on
easy-care, floriferous plants, these flowers are a joy! Remember to give these pants room when
planting as they can get 10 inches high and will spread to almost that
wide. Great in a container if you do not
overcrowd them early in the season.
#3 Passion Flower
This is a viney plant with the most glorious flowers. I have been dying to grow it for several
years, but it is not the best container plant and I just did not want to put it
out in the production garden where I would never see it (I am at the production
garden in the dark a lot.) It is a
climber and will work on a trellis along a sunny wall. The plant has medicinal properties too. You
use the whole aerial portion. Friends of mine have tinctured the
leaves and young stems, with some tendrils. The fruit can be saved for
tea and other flavorings. I posted a
blog on Passion flower back in April 2011.
#4 Hot lips red flowering sage (Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips')
This is more of an
ornamental salvia rather than a culinary one, but what a great addition to the
border or among the perennials. According to Dave’s Garden (an online source I
go to for information on hardiness zones and proper names for plants) the
common name is Autumn Sage scientific name Salvia x jamensis 'Hot
Lips' a member of the Lamiaceae family.
However he recognized that a synonym exists calling it Salvia
microphylla 'Hot Lips' (Hot Lips Little-leaf Sage) This was the name I first
discovered it under and is usually how it is listed in plant catalogs.
Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips' originally
located near the Chiapas area of Mexico and was introduced by Richard Turner of
the Strybing Arboretum in San Francisco, California. This is a very cool
looking bi-color salvia bearing red tips and white lips. In the hotter months
of summer it may have all red and all white flowers on the same plant due to
warmer night temperatures, but when the night temperature drops in the fall the
flowers will return to their bi-color state. Great for use in borders and beds.
Considered a wild (yet domesticated) this plant is was
supposedly introduced to Richard Turner by his maid, who brought it from her
home in Mexico. The fast-growing, 30" tall x 6' wide clump is adorned with
stunning bicolor flowers with red tips and white lips...attractive to
hummingbirds. When the nights warm in summer, the new flowers are all red with
an occasional solid white one. As fall approaches, the flowers again will be
bicolored red and white. Even if your school colors aren't red and white, this
is truly a "must-have" salvia.
It is hardy in zone 8 to 11, so if you want to grow it in the Midwest,
you will need to treat it as an annual (like Pineapple Sage.)
They love a hot, dry spot such as a concrete
driveway/sidewalk/or south-facing slope. They can tolerate a bit of moisture,
but keeping the soil wet will cause rot. I found the best price for this plant at Santa Rosa Gardens in California, but I would make sure you talk to them before
ordering if you live in the Midwest as a shipping time would be critical.
I have to admit that although I grow black stem peppermint and a fuzzy species
of spearmint in my production garden but I have never been a fan of most mint
plants, even the flavored ones like Chocolate Mint and Ginger Mint. However this year I discovered an article by
Jim Long discussing mints and discovered a hybridizer named Jim Westerfield
from Freeeburg, Illinois (about 5 hours south of me near St. Louis.) His hybrid mint plants are totally unique
and the scents are worth experimenting with. Here were two I think are worth checking into.
#5 Jim’s Candy Lemon Lime Mint
A hybrid mint created by Jim
Westerfield of Freeburg, Illinois. This
is a cross of lemon and lime mint that is the perfect flavor for me a lover of
all things lemon! The leaf margins have a reddish tinge giving them a unique
look for a mint. Hardy in zones 4 to 11 it is easy to grow and likes almost any
soil. I like anything lemon, so this is at the top of my “to try” list for
2014.
# 6 Italian Spice Mint
Another hybrid of Jim Westerfield of
Freeburg, IL this mint has hints of oregano and marjoram. The craftsman says it reminds him of the
spicy aroma of the Italian grocery store he worked in as a child. A savory mint, this can be added to butter,
roasted garlic and cream then tossed with angel hair pasta. It is an excellent pasta seasoning and
considered excellent in any Italian dish. This one looks more like a traditional mint, making it a garden surprise for
anyone who touches it as the mint scent is very faint. Hardy in zones 4 to 11, like all mints it
will do well in most soil types. It does
require full sun.
#7 White Anise Hyssop (Agastache Foeniculum ‘snow spike’)
Outsidepride.com has a has a white Anise hyssop called snow spike that is worth adding to your
garden. Anise Hyssop is a large showy
herb with a great scent and wonderful ability to attract pollinators. Bees, especially bumble bees love it. I have always grown the traditional blue
Anise hyssop, but when I was crafting a moon garden I decided this plant with
white flowers would be a great accent in the silver leaf border I was
creating. Check it out yourself!
Agastache Foeniculum 'Snow Spike' has tall flower spikes that
are full of white little flowers that bloom at different times. The white Anise
Hyssop plant usually reaches 24 inches in height. The licorice-like scent is soothing and
refreshing in tea. The flowers are very
nice for cutting and adding to fresh flower arrangements. Growing Hyssop from
seed is easy and rewarding. Anise Hyssop seeds can be directly started outdoors
in a prepared seedbed. Press the herb seeds into the soil but do not cover
them. The white Hyssop plant is not picky about the soil, but it does prefer to
be in full sun to partial shade.
# 8 Nettle
Nettle is an under grown herb. Although since it can cause contact dermatitis
in its natural plant state, I understand why.
However, once cut and dried or cooked the sting is removed and the plant
has many medicinal qualities. The pretty
white flowers of Devil's Nettle (Achillea var. m.) make
it a pretty addition to an herb garden (avoid this if you have small children
in your garden or skin sensitivities.) I
keep my nettle plants in a separate bed so that I am properly suited-up before
harvesting. It likes drier conditions so
you can grow it in a rock garden. A tea made from this herb is useful for
stomach ailments. The tea is also good for severe colds. Craft the tea by
boiling 1 ounce of dried leaves with one pint of water and sweetening with
honey. A hardy perennial for zones 5-10 you can easily grow this plant in the Midwest. You can pick up the seeds for this plant at Seedman.com
# 9 Sweet Annie (Artemisa annua)
With the herb of
the year being Artemesia, I had to put at least one Artemesia plant in my
list. Sweet Annie is an excellent multi
use herb for all gardens. A graceful and sweetly fragrant annual with tall
stems 4'-7' tall, with fine bright green ferny foliage. Though most often grown
for fresh and dried arrangements and wreath making (it holds color and
fragrance very well) it also makes a graceful accent in the back of a flowerbed
or a pretty quick screen, especially behind other container plantings.
"Sweet Annie" has a wide variety of uses both medicinal and for
handcrafting and makes a nice addition to potpourri and sachets.
This is a tall ferny green plant that grows to over seven feet high and four
feet wide in one year! Excellent for back borders or any area that you want to
give a tropical look and feel. Sweet Annie has thick strong woody stems and
branches out like a shrub. The flowers are tiny and olive green and can't
really be seen unless you look hard. However Sweet Annie is grown for its
foliage and mostly for its lovely aromatic scent which can fill the whole
garden when the breeze rustles it branches. It has been used for centuries in
its dried form in wreaths and other aroma projects. Sweet Annie is one of
the best natural air fresheners around. Have an aroma you want to get rid of?
Just wave a sprig of Sweet Annie in the air and it freshens the whole area with
a sweet appealing smell eliminating anything else. Don't use air fresheners
with unknown chemical ingredients use a natural herb to do the work for you.
The plant dries very well and the will last for years all you have to do is
gently move a piece and the aroma bursts forth. It is excellent for use in
wreaths and other aroma projects.
#10 Feverfew (Chrysanthemum parthenium)
This plant is a
must for anyone suffering from migraine headaches. It will not cure migraines,
but as long as the herb is taken regularly it will keep them from coming back
as often. Feverfew inhibits blood clotting and is beneficial for persons with
cardiovascular diseases. Take after consulting with a physician. Make a tea by
boiling two teaspoons of dried leaves per cup of water and let steep for 15
minutes. This perennial plant hearty in zones 5 to 9 and will grow best in full
sun.
I found this plant during my research into good herbs and
plants to grow on the farm (we intend to have sheep and I was researching ways
that having sheep could benefit my herb garden.) Pasturing sheep on mint makes a manure that
is very good for herbs by the way! This
plant popped up as a protein alternative for range animals. I use it with my “Prairie Pile.” I worked many years as a volunteer at a
Prairie restoration and as a result I collected seeds (accidentally mostly) on
my clothing. I tossed all these into a
compost mound on the corner of my herb garden property and now have an interesting
pile of native prairie plants. I added
this one to the pile when I had a chance to get a live plant.
#11 Wild Bergamot or
Wild Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa)
This wildflower in the mint
family (Lamiaceae) is widespread and abundant as a native plant in much of
North America. It
is perennial with bright lavender blooms and a spicy scent. Used by Native Americans
to soothe bronchial complaints and ease colds.
Bees love it and are attracted to it.
It is an herbaceous perennial that grows from slender
creeping rhizomes, thus commonly occurring in large clumps. The plants are
typically up to 3 ft tall, with a few erect branches. Its leaves are about
2-3 in long, lance-shaped, and toothed. Its compact purple flower clusters are
solitary at the ends of branches. Each cluster is about 1.5 in (4 cm)
long, containing about 20–50 flowers. The light purple color of the flowers is a great foil to the traditional Bergamot which is deep red. Wild bergamot often grows in rich soils
in dry fields, thickets, and clearings, usually on limy soil. The plants
generally flower from June to September.
Monarda fistulosa ranges from Quebec to
the Northwest Territories and British Columbia, south to Georgia
and Texas. My interest in it started
because it is considered a medicinal plant by many Native
Americans including the Menominee, the Ojibwe, and the Winnebago
(Ho-Chunk). It was used most commonly to treat colds, and was frequently
made into a tea. Native who grow
medicinal plants do rely on it during
the cold and flu season. The tea may be sweetened with honey, as
it tends to be quite strong.
#12 Italian Everlasting or Curry Plant (Helichrysum italicum)
As the name suggests, the narrow,
silvery-grey leaves of this splendid, dense, dwarf sub-shrub, growing to 2 feet
tall by 3 feet wide, smell strongly of curry.
Though the leaves are edible, it
is really not used for cooking, rather for its ornamental appeal and the
essential oil derived from the plant.
An easy to care for perennial that prefers poor soil and will thrive in
rock gardens and xeriscapes. It is hardy only to zone 8 but is not considered frost tender, so I think one could grow it in
a container or a sheltered place and have it last well into the fall, but I
would still treat it as an annual. It
features clusters of yellow blooms in Summer
that retain their color after picking and are used in dried flower
arrangements. The plant is the source
for the famous Helichrysum Essential Oil. The plant produces an oil from its
blossoms which are used for medicinal purposes. It is anti-inflammatory,
fungicidal, and astringent. It soothes burns and raw chapped skin. It is used
as a fixative in perfumes and has an intense fragrance.
Bonus Plant –
Illinois Bundle flower (Desmanthus illinoensis) Another good
drought tolerant plant (can you tell I have not had the rain I wanted the last
two growing seasons!?) This one prospers in meadows, roadsides, and tall grass
prairie plantings. It produces fruit in the form of dark-brown clusters of
pods. Due to it being high in protein, it is readily eaten by livestock and
wildlife. Fixes high amounts of nitrogen in the soil and can rejuvenate
worn-out soil. It also attracts bees, butterflies and birds.
Illinois bundleflower is rated by some authorities as our
most important native legume and is included in range revegetation programs
since the species is readily eaten by livestock. The seeds contain 38 percent
protein on a dry weight basis, which compares favorably with soybeans. Seeds
are desirable for wild birds. The plant is considered a nutritious and
palatable browse for wildlife. Pawnee Indians used leaf tea as wash for
itching. Hopi used seeds placed in eye for conjunctivitis. A perennial
growing to 3-6 ft. tall with cream colored flowers. Hardy to zone 5 this plant has
fern-like foliage. To reduce moisture loss, the compound leaves fold together
at night, and they close partially during hot sunny days During the morning and
evening, when sunlight is less intense, the compound leaves orient themselves
in the direction of the sun in order to maximize the reception of its
light.
You can get quality seed for this plant from Prairie Moon Nursery located in southwest Minnesota. They specialize in Prairie plants of
the Midwest and originated here in Illinois!
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