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Herbs Are Not Confined To Herb Gardens.

Spanish lavender is as herbal as English lavender.

While waiting for my white mocha at the White Raven coffee shop, I noticed white sage smudge sticks (incense) for sale. I also noticed that white sage is a component of at least one of the many herbal teas available. Although white is my favorite color, I am doubtful that it would be one of my favorite flavors. White sage seems to me to be much too pungent. I suppose that I should at least try it to satisfy my curiosity. Otherwise, the many other herbal teas included more docile but equally compelling herbs like sunflower petals, cactus flowers, chamomile, lavender, mint, catnip and various geraniums.

My mocha was ready too quickly, before I could investigate all of the herbal teas. Since I needed to get out of the way at the counter, I went to peruse the incense, where I again noticed some familiar herbs, like various sages, lavender, rosemary and bay laurel. A few plants that I do not commonly think of as herbs are common components of incense as well, such as juniper, cedar and pine. This was all too baffling; so I took my mocha to a table out front by a roadside garden, where I noticed some of the exact same herbs that I came outside to get away from!

All these fancy herbs and incenses and girly boutique beverages are simply not my cup of tea. Although at the White Raven, I know better than to be surprised by what might be in an excellent tea. Regardless, the garden out front is still more my style, and reminds me of how so many utilitarian herbs can also be very appealing ornamentals.

Rosemary, lavender and several of the sages are actually quite common in ordinary landscapes, whether or not anyone even notices that they have herbal merit. Some types of creeping thyme are sometimes used as ground cover in small areas, particularly around pavers or stepping stones where they release their fragrance if lightly trampled. Santolina and various yarrows and scented geraniums are less ordinary, but are similarly grown more often for their aesthetic value than as herbs. In my own garden, I really do not know what yarrow is good for. I like to add geranium leaves to sun tea, even if it makes it a girly boutique beverage.

Some herbs are almost too happy in my garden. The feverfew, chamomile and nasturtiums (my favorites!) that grew from seed from Renee’s Garden two years ago have spread outside of their area. I actually gave my mints away before they could escape. The catnip is confined to a hanging pot by the neighbor’s cat who gets sufficiently overindulgent to eradicate any self sown seedlings below. I never would have guessed that an inebriated cat could be so useful! Calendula, chive and oregano have all been grown from seed and become happily naturalized. 

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Feverfew

Feverfew blooms with many tiny daisies.

Historical herbal applications were the origin of its now silly name. Feverfew, Tanacetum parthenium, is a relative of chamomile. Its leaves are useful for herbal tea like floral buds of chamomile. Feverfew is delightfully aromatic, although some may disagree about how delightful it is. Some believe that it can repel unwanted insects, but may also repel bees.

Feverfew is likely more popular for its floral display than its aromatic foliage. Its abundant small composite blooms are very similar to those of chamomile. They are nearly as wide as three quarters of an inch. Their yellow centers are a bit flatter. Their ray florets (petals) are a bit wider. They bloom on open trusses that hover loosely above their basal foliage.

Feverfew has lime green foliage with a fine texture. It can stand almost two feet high with bloom standing a bit higher. It migrates slowly, but can slowly get where it should not be. Pruning scraps can root as cuttings. Feverfew prefers rich soil but does not need it. Good sun exposure and even watering are more important. ‘Aureum’ is bright greenish yellow.

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Spanish Lavender

Spanish lavender blooms with bows on top.

It is neither as variable as the many varieties of English lavender, nor as traditional as French lavender, but Spanish lavender, Lavandula stoechas, has the most unusual flower spikes. These short plump spikes are less than two inches long, but are topped with one or two pairs of distended terminal bracts that are almost as long; like simple little packages with big ornate bows. The flower spikes get their color from densely set bracts that surround the minute flowers, and can be various shades of purple or purplish pink or even grayish white. The large terminal bracts are lighter shades of the same colors.

Bloom begins during warm spring weather and continues into summer. Flower may stay close to foliage on stems less than two inches long, or may stand more than six inches above the foliage. The aromatic grayish leaves are narrow and about an inch long.

Mature plants may be three feet wide, and nearly as tall. Aggressive shearing after bloom promotes secondary bloom later, and keeps plants compact. Without pruning, old plants eventually die out in the center.

All lavenders want good drainage and good exposure, but do not want mulch or fertilizer. Inadequate drainage, crowding or mulch can promote rot. Fertilizer can inhibit bloom. Once established, lavenders do not need much water. 

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Aromatic Foliage Is An Acquired Taste

Foliar aromas and flavors that are useful for culinary application deters many grazing animals.

The infinite variety of colors, fragrances, flavors and even textures that plants use to solicit the help of wildlife is amazing. Flower color, fragrance and sometimes texture are customized to attract very specific pollinators, and guide them to where they are needed. Many flowers direct and reward their pollinators with flavorful nectar. Fruit color, flavor and aroma attract specific animals to take the fruit, and disperse the seeds within. There is no end to what plants will do for their friends. We are merely secondary beneficiaries.

It is ironic that we also enjoy aromas and flavors that are instead designed to be objectionable to plundering herbivores. For example, the appealingly pungent foliage of most herbs is actually intended to repel grazing animals or feeding insects. We not only exploit these herbs for culinary purposes, but also to add their aromas to our gardens.

Lavender, mint, rosemary and the various thymes and sages are the most popular herbs that are attractive both aromatically and visually, whether or not we actually use them in the kitchen. Rosemary is actually a common and practical ground cover for large areas. Thyme is a good ground cover for smaller areas, and stays low enough to be grown around stepping stones where it becomes even more aromatic if stepped on.

Grecian or sweet bay is another herb that actually grows into a sizeable but practical evergreen tree. The native bay laurel is a bit too large to be as practical where space is limited, but is even more pungent. Although generally not useful as herbs, the various cypresses, pines, cedars and eucalypti are appreciated for their aromatic foliage as well. Incense cedar is particularly pungent.

Two of my favorite types of plants, junipers and geraniums, are among the more common aromatic shrubbery. Although actually considered to be perennials, zonal, ivy and of course, scented geraniums, can be used as small shrubbery or small scale ground cover. Junipers of course, range from ground covers to shrubbery to small trees.

Rockrose, breath of Heaven (Coleonema spp.) and myrtle are all quite aromatic. The old fashioned myrtle that gets considerably larger than the modern compact variety is even more aromatic. Lantana is an aromatic ground cover or low mounding shrubbery.

The aromas of aromatic foliage are strongest as fresh new foliage emerges in spring, and particularly after spring rain. Some people like to put aromatic plants where they will be slightly in the way, since foliage relinquishes its aroma more readily when slapped with a gate, bumped, or otherwise disturbed. 

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Catnip?

Is this actually catnip?

Is this catnip, Nepeta cataria? Again, I am baffled by something that should be very easy to identify. It certainly resembles catnip visually. It almost smells like catnip. If I did not get it from a small curbside garden that Rhody and others of his species leave messages for each other in, I would have confirmed that it tastes like catnip. Perhaps I should be more than adequately convinced that it actually is as I suspect.

Nonetheless, I am not yet convinced. Catnip is rare here. I know of no one who grows it. Those who have tried ultimately found it destroyed by frolicking cats. It really should be grown in hanging pots that cats can not reach. It seems unlikely that it could survive for long within a curbside garden near where a few cats live. It also seems unlikely that it would spontaneously appear where it had not been planted intentionally. Only small succulents were planted below a large camellia within its particular small garden. All the small weeds that grow nearby are common.

Regardless, I could not ignore a branched stem of this questionably identified species that had broken off and was laying limply over undamaged foliage. Obviously, it needed to be removed. Obviously, I obliged. I brought it back and processed it into several small cuttings. I collected the scraps of leaves and internodes for an associate to take to a feline acquaintance of his for possible confirmation of its slightly questionable identity. I await the assessment, although it will be from someone who can not decide to stay inside or go outside after meowing incessantly for someone to open a door. A second or more opinions may be necessary from other members of this innately indecisive species if the first attempt at confirmation is unsuccessful.

The foliage certainly resembles that of catnip.

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Horridculture – Bay

Umbellularia californica is NOT Laurus nobilis.

Bay grows wild here. It is native. It is also known as bay tree, laurel, bay laurel, spice tree, pepperwood, myrtlewood, Pacific myrtle, Oregon myrtle and California bay. All these different common names demonstrate why simple botanical nomenclature is useful. In that regard, this native bay is Umbellularia californica.

Bay is also native to the Mediterranean region. Of course, it is a different species, Laurus nobilis. Like the bay that is native here, it is also known as bay tree, laurel and bay laurel. Furthermore, it is known as Grecian bay, true laurel and sweet bay, although it is not at all sweet.

Laurus nobilis is a common culinary herb though. Umbellularia californica is not. That does not mean that Umbellularia californica can not be useful as such. It merely means that it is not commonly used as such, and is very different from the bay that genuinely is. Some of us here in California and southwestern Oregon actually do sometimes find culinary applications for it.

Umbellularia california has a much more pungent and stronger flavor than Laurus nobilis. Although it has potential to be useful for similar applications, it is by no means a substitute, and should certainly not be used in comparable proportions. Most of us who use it are aware of the differences, and know how to use it, generally quite sparingly.

The problem is that fresh foliage of Umbellularia californica is sometimes available as culinary bay from supermarkets, and is typically labeled as sweet bay, true laurel or Grecian bay. This is no problem for those of us who recognize it, but we would not purchase it from a market while we can get it for free from the wild. Those who purchase it likely do so because they believe that it is genuine Laurus nobilis.

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Sage

Some cultivars of culinary sage are more colorful for home gardens.

The sage that is most popularly grown for herbal and culinary uses (Salvia officinalis) is originally from the Mediterranean region, so is right at home in much of California. Like the various lavenders and some of the other related herbs, it is a shrubby perennial that behaves like a woody shrub, but lives only a few years like some perennials. Lower stems can be layered (buried where they touch the ground so that they form roots and grow into new plants) to replace older plants before they die.

Modern cultivars are quite variable with purplish, pink, pale yellow or pale white coloration or variegation to new foliage, as well as lower growth habit. The original sage gets almost two feet tall and broad, with very aromatic gray foliage.  The narrowly oblong leaves are nearly two and a half inches long and one inch wide. The flowers that bloom in late spring or summer are typically pale blue, but can be purple, pink or white.

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Culinary Herbs With Landscape Appeal

Rosemary is more common in common landscapes than within dedicated herb gardens.

Because of the unusually mild weather this past winter, many plants are waking up from winter dormancy early. The shrubby herbs like sage, rosemary, lavender and tarragon are already outfitted with fresh new foliage that will soon obscure the foliage that lingered through winter. Those that have not yet bloomed may do so sooner than expected.

New herb plants can be added to the garden any time now. Even if rain resumes (or actually ‘starts’), there should not be enough to cause new plants to rot, particularly since the warming weather will keep plants growing faster than the root rot that can kill them through cool and damp winter weather. Sage, tarragon, marjoram, mint and thyme are easier to grow from small plants. Dill, cilantro and basil are easier to grow from seed sown directly into the garden. Oregano, fennel and chives can be grown by either means.

Many of the woody herbs, like rosemary and the many varieties of lavender, are commonly used in landscaping, so can be found in even the most basic nurseries that do not feature a selection of other herbs. Because almost all herbs have sensitive root systems, they should be planted while small. The smaller 1 gallon plants are easier to grow (as well as less expensive) than the larger 5 gallon plants are. However, sweet bay is an exception that does not mind being planted as a 5 gallon or even larger tree where it needs to look mature now, even if only a few leaves get used in the kitchen. Low growing rosemary is a common ground cover. Upright varieties can be shorn into small hedges. Thyme makes a nice small scale ground cover between stepping stones, where it shares its fragrance when stepped on.

Chives, oregano, parsley, mint and thyme are not often marketed as common landscape stock, but are visually appealing enough to appear in the landscape. Herbs that are not so visually appealing can be planted in a separate herb garden, among vegetables in a vegetable garden, or simply out of the way. Basil, cilantro, tarragon, dill, sage and marjoram can be too unkempt at times. Basil and cilantro look good most of the time, but then get harvested in large enough quantities to leave bald spots. Fennel can be a striking foliage plant for a while as long as no one minds that it will eventually get harvested.

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Grecian Bay

Grecian bay does not get as massive as the native bay laurel.

The native bay laurel should not be confused with the Grecian or sweet bay. Despite the similarities, the native bay laurel grows into a large tree. The foliage can be used as seasoning like Grecian bay, but has a very different and much more pungent flavor. It can often be found fresh in markets, labeled as Grecian or sweet bay, and has likely ruined all sorts of recipes.

Grecian or sweet bay,  Laurus nobilis, stays much smaller much longer. It takes many years to grow to thirty feet tall, often with many trunks flaring out from the center. Trees that are nearly twice as tall are ancient. Because of slow growth, Grecian bay can be happy in large containers as long as it is pruned to stay proportionate to the confined root system.

The three or four inch long, and inch or so wide leaves of Grecian bay can be difficult to distinguish from those of bay laurel. The minor differences are that Grecian bay leaves have slightly undulate margins with a few small and sometimes barely perceptible serrations (teeth) that bay laurel lacks. The leaf apexes of Grecian bay leaves are typically a bit more blunt. For culinary purposes, it is important to be aware that dried leaves and fresh leaves have very different flavors.

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Rosemary

Trailing rosemary cascades over retaining walls.

It is as familiar for culinary application as it is for home gardens, even with its new name. Rosmarinus officinalis is now known as Salvia rosmarinus, but the common name is still just rosemary. Like many Mediterranean culinary herbs, it is a member of the Lamiaceae Family. Since it is native to Mediterranean regions, it is quite happy within local climates. 

While many culinary cultivars of rosemary are shrubby or upright, the most popular home garden cultivars are trailing types. Trailing rosemary disperses its woody stems laterally, but can eventually get deeper than two feet. Shrubbier cultivars get at least twice as high in less time. The finely textured dark green foliage is evergreen and pungently aromatic.

Bloom is generally most profuse from late spring through the middle of summer, but may never really stop. It can continue in sparser sporadic phases whenever the weather gets warm, and even throughout the year. The tiny flowers are various shades of blue. Purple, white and pale pink bloom is very rare. Bloom is appealing to bees and other pollinators, including hummingbirds.