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Four Favorite Herbs
All About Rosemary
This shrub is versatile, tough and
oh so fragrant
Carol Saville
Rosemary means "dew of the sea," an appropriate name for this popular garden herb, watered by the ocean mists in its native habitat along the arid coastline of the Mediterranean.
Because of rosemary's long history — literary, cosmetic, culinary and medicinal — an herb garden without rosemary is unthinkable. But this versatile evergreen needn't be relegated only to the herb garden.
"Rosemary forms extraordinary hedges and can be clipped into fancy topiary — even bonsai for those with the patience," says Northern California landscape designer Rosalind Creasy. "It's a gleaming focal point in the perennial garden or mixed border," she adds. Rosemary is a must in a fragrance garden, and it's the cornerstone of a drought-tolerant garden. The prostrate forms look bountiful in containers and hanging baskets, and in the mild-winter USDA Hardiness Zones 9 and 10, they create an impressive evergreen ground cover. A tender perennial in colder climates, rosemary must spend the winter indoors, where good air circulation is a must for survival.
How to Grow Rosemary
Rosemary and its cultivars are best started from plants. When grown from seed, germination is slow with variable results. Plants can be set out in the spring when the weather has warmed in zones 1 through 9, and in spring or fall in zone 10.
All rosemaries require full sun, but in the warmer climates they will accept some light shade. They thrive in a light, well-drained, average garden soil with a pH range of 5 to 8. During the growing season, pinch back growth tips two or three inches to promote bushy plants; cut back hard only in early spring to allow the new growth time to mature.
Most rosemary varieties are reliably hardy to only 20°F (zone 9); however, gardeners in cold-winter areas can successfully grow rosemary indoors in a container with a fast-draining potting soil. Bring the plants indoors at least several weeks before your area's first frost date. Feed the potted rosemary regularly with fish emulsion and provide good air circulation to ward off harmful mildew.
A Selection of Rosemaries
Rosmarinus officinalis is the classic culinary, upright rosemary with opposite, needlelike gray-green leaves that are 1/2- to 11/2-inches long with powdery white undersides. The plant bears two-lipped pale blue flowers in little clusters toward the end of the branches. This evergreen shrub grows three to five feet tall.
R. officinalis 'Majorca Pink' is from the Balearic Islands in the Spanish Mediterranean. Similar in growth to (R. officinalis), it has shorter resinous leaves and lovely pink flowers. Planted next to one of the blue-flowering varieties, its amethyst-pink flowers stand out vividly.
R. officinalis 'Tuscan Blue' is a tall-growing upright rosemary, with branches that can reach six feet tall that grow dramatically from the base of the plant. Used for hedges to border small fields in Tuscany, 'Tuscan Blue' is a handsome plant with exceptionally dark blue flower spikes and highly aromatic pale green leaves that lend themselves to cooking and drying. Along with the other tall rosemaries, it is more suitable for growing in warmer climates, but it can also be grown in short-season regions.
"During our growing season from May to October, both 'Tuscan Blue' and 'Miss Jessopp' grow 1-1/2 feet tall and wide," notes Louise Hyde, owner, with her husband, Cy, of Well-Sweep Herb Farm in northern New Jersey. Peter Borchard, of Companion Plants, a specialty herb nursery in Athens, Ohio, concurs. "During the summer, 'Tuscan Blue' can put on four feet of growth before bringing it indoors for the winter," he says. "It can be potted up in a five-gallon container and placed in a sunny room with good air circulation until spring."
R. officinalis 'Miss Jessopp's Upright' is named after the English gardener Miss Euphemia Jessopp. In 1957, a cutting from a plant growing at Sissinghurst Castle was propagated by the plantswoman Elizabeth de Forest in her Santa Barbara, California, garden, and this rosemary was then introduced into the nursery trade. Hardy to zone 8, it can grow from five to eight feet tall and has slate blue flowers and highly aromatic dark gray-green leaves.
R. officinalis 'Arp' is the introduction of the distinguished plantswoman, garden author and herb afficionado, Madalene Hill of Roundtop, Texas. In 1987 she discovered an extremely hardy rosemary growing in the hamlet of Arp, in northeast Texas. She introduced it into the nursery trade via the National Herb Garden in Washington, D.C., where it was first grown. 'Arp', along with another of her cold-hardy rosemary discoveries, R. officinalis 'Hill Hardy', is one of the hardiest rosemaries, surviving the winter with protection to zone 6. 'Arp' grows from three to five feet tall, has light blue to almost white flowers and has thick, widely spaced, fragrant leaves grayer than (R. officinalis). It requires excellent drainage.
R. officinalis 'Prostratus' grows one to two feet tall and three to eight feet wide with 3/4-inch, glossy dark green leaves that have a mild, piney fragrance. The flowers are a delicate lavender-blue. Another excellent prostrate rosemary is the vigorous grower and bloomer, (R. officinalis) 'Lockwood de Forest', a California cultivar introduced from a seedling discovered in the Santa Barbara garden of the de Forest family in the 1940s. It has lighter leaves and deeper blue flowers than 'Prostratus'.
R. officinalis angustifolius — pine-scented rosemary — is from Corsica and is not considered culinary. It smells like a Christmas tree and grows as tall as a small one, from 2-1/2 to 4 feet, with slender, needle-shaped leaves and dark blue flowers. It is hardy to 25°F (zone 9). A choice cultivar is 'Benenden Blue', a semiprostrate shrub that grows to three feet tall, with a curious growth habit: its initially erect branches arch, then begin to gracefully grow sideways.
Carole Saville is a food and garden witer based in Albany, California.
Bountiful Basil
Deborah WechslerThis essential herb offers a world of scents and flavors
Years ago, when I was a novice gardener living in the city and yearning for the country, I noticed a garden in a tiny front yard and complimented the elderly gardener on his beautiful basil. He gave me some seeds, which had come from his family in Sicily. Since then, my garden has never been without a generous planting of basil. Here in North Carolina, I grow it both to market to restaurants and for my family's use. No other herb is so exuberant and so useful. You may pick a sprig of rosemary or thyme, or a few fronds of parsley or dill, but you'll pick an armload of basil.
Basil Basics
Start this tender annual indoors four to six weeks before you intend to set the plants out. Herb nurseryman Tom DeBaggio of Arlington, Virginia, recommends waiting until night temperatures are above 55°F and not mulching until the soil is thoroughly warmed up.
Basil likes a fertile soil, though it tolerates a wide range of pH (4.5 to 6.5). Although some folks insist that the flavor is better if basil isn't fertilized, grows and looks better if it's fed at planting time, and again during the season, perhaps after a heavy picking. Supplemental irrigation can double yields, Simon reports.
Like most herbs, basil has few pests. Japanese beetles can easily be kept off with spunbonded polyester row covers. If slugs are a problem on new transplants, try using a barrier of copper flashing.
A devestating disease, fusarium wilt of basil, reached North America via infected seed in the 1990s. Symptoms include sudden wilting and leaf drop, accompanied by dark streaks on the stems, usually in weather above 80°F. If you notice the symptoms, quickly dig up the infected plant, along with all soil around the roots, and discard it. If part of your garden becomes infected, avoid spreading the disease by moving soil around on your tools or tiller, and consider growing your basil in containers. You can also try your luck with a fusarium-resistant variety, such as 'Nufar'.
Basil is also susceptible to a few bacterial rots that show up on stems or leaf clusters, usually in cool, wet weather, in winter greenhouse production, or late in the season. Planting in well-drained soil, spacing plants so they dry out after they're watered, and practicing good garden sanitation are the keys to control.
Harvest and Storage
The optimum time to harvest basil is just before it flowers. Many fresh-market growers here in North Carolina like to pick just the tip clusters; stemless and succulent, these are preferred by restaurant buyers. But if you continually pick this way, your plants may start flowering almost simultaneously with new leaf formation. Basil is programmed to initiate flowering when it has six pairs of leaves on a stalk," says Tom DeBaggio, "so I like to cut it back to two leaves per stem. Don't let it get past four pairs. You can harvest the entire plant about every three weeks, and at the end of the season there will be 12 to 24 lateral branches."
In my own garden, I tend to follow a combination method: pinching off the top clusters for sale or home use, and then when the flowers are starting to get ahead of me, cutting the plants way back for a pesto- or vinegar-making session. I repeat this progression several times during the season.
Studies done at Michigan State University by horticulturist Diana Dostol have shown that basil actually keeps longest if it is picked as late in the day as possible. Dostol also worked on post-harvest storage. "If you simply put basil in a perforated plastic bag at room temperature," she says, "it will keep for 10 to 14 days." The optimum storage temperature is 60°F. "At refrigerator temperature, which is about 41°F," says Dostol, "basil only keeps two to three days."
I like to keep a few stems in a jar of water on the kitchen counter. They last a long time, they are right there when I need a few leaves, and they may conveniently root some plants for winter. "If you store basil stems in water," advises Dostol, "treat them like cut flowers, changing the water frequently. You can also add something like lemon juice to the water to bring down the pH and retard bacterial growth."
Basil's bountiful production can be both a delight and challenge. In my family, when the lettuce is all gone, basil's not just an herb, it becomes our main leafy green. A midsummer salad consists of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and a huge handful of basil. Every year, I put bags or yogurt cups of pesto in the freezer and chip off chunks as needed for the ultimate winter convenience meal. I also make basil vinegar and dry the leaves for cool-weather cooking. Then basil's evocative summertime smell fills my house, and I can practically feel the su on my back, hear the leaves rustling and taste the ripe tomatoes warm in the garden.
A Guide to the Culinary Basils
Ocimum basilicum includes a number of different basils most commonly used for cooking.
Sweet basil
Your basic basil, with large leaves and white flowers. The Genovese variety (names include 'Sweet Genovese' and 'Genovese' or 'Genova Profumitissima') is particularly nice, with a very pleasing flavor preferred for pestos. I've also found it a vigorous, luxuriant grower, slow to bolt.
Lettuce leaf (O. b. crispum)
A short, wide plant with thick, very crinkled leaves; slow to bolt. Other varieties include 'Mammoth' and 'Napoletano'; 'Green Ruffles' is similar. The flavor is sweet, and not as strong as the other sweet basils, making it especially good for tossing into salads. The leaves can also be used to wrap fish, chicken or a rice stuffing for grilling.
Dwarf or bush basils (O. b. minimum)
These shorter varieties ('Spicy Globe', 'Piccolo Verde', 'Fino Verde' or 'Fine Green') bear small, narrow leaves with a sweeter, less pungent smell than the large-leaf types. It sounds like a great nuisance to pick all those tiny leaves off, but actually the stems are quite soft and succulent, so that you can chop up the sprigs, stems and all. The delicate flavor tends to wash out in long cooking, so add the leaves at the end or use them raw.
Opal basils
These O. basilicum hybrids include 'Dark Opal' (a 1962 All-America Selections winner) and 'Purple Ruffles' (also an AAS winner in 1987). The purple varieties can be quite beautiful, but they are far less vigorous growers and there has been a noticeable falloff in the purpleness of both the above varieties since their introduction, with more and more green or piebald plants. Breeders have recently begun a reselection process to produce seed stock for more purely purple plants. 'Rubin', released in 1993, is a reselection of 'Dark Opal' for a more consistent dark coloration.
Exotic Basils
Some of these are Ocimum basilicum, some are other basil species, and some no one really knows for sure. One name can cover many quite different varieties. Some are available as seed; others only as plants.
Lemon basil (O. b. americanum or alternatively, O. b. citriodorum)
Generally has small, light green leaves and a distinctive lemony aroma. O. b. 'Mrs. Burns' is a more vigorous selection with larger leaves and a powerful lemon scent. Try it in pesto, salad dressings, sauces, fish dishes and desserts.
Licorice (or anise) basil and cinnamon basil
Handsome, tallish varieties of O. basilicum with dark foliage and flowers and distinctive spicy flavors. Cinnamon basil makes a good jelly.
Thai, East Indian, Puerto Rican and Cuban basils are among those gathered from other parts of the world, and often expressly suited to creating the flavors of their local cuisines.
Deborah Wechsler is a garden writer based in Pittsboro, North Carolina.
Photography by Suzanne DeJohn/National Gardening Association
Brilliant Bee Balms
Holly Shimizu These showy native plants make a healthful tea, too
Looking out my front window, I am struck by the many reasons I love bee balms (Monarda spp.). I can clip young leaves to brew herbal tea, or harvest the flowers to add to a salad.
Butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, and other nectar-seeking creatures covet the tubular flowers on rounded flower heads, which are brilliant additions to late-summer herb gardens and flower borders. Moreover, several varieties with distinctive colors and unique shapes are now more readily available. I've combined several in my own edible landscape border, and the sight is impressive. The more I grow bee balms, the more I discover new virtues of these remarkable plants.
Our ancestors understood that bee balm is both good-looking and good for you. In Colonial times, it was important enough to be planted near front doors, where it was easy to see and easy to harvest. Later settlers used Oswego tea (M. didyma), also called bergamot, in place of true bergamot (a citrus) to make a version of Earl Grey tea.
Knowledge of bee balm's virtues stretches back still further. From Native Americans, early European settlers learned how to treat colds with a tea made of equal amounts of spotted horsemint (M. punctata) and boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum). In fact, from 1820 to 1882, spotted horsemint was listed in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia, the 19th-century equivalent of today's Physician's Desk Reference. Catawba Indians used bee balm tea to treat backaches. Cherokees combined the leaves and flowering tops of wild bergamot (M. fistulosa) and M. didyma to treat colds, stomach complaints, colic and gas, measles, flu, and heart troubles. Many tribes made a poultice of the leaves to treat headaches.
Current research reinforces the traditional wisdom. Dr. James Duke, retired United States Department of Agriculture ethnobotanist, notes that bee balms, like several of their mint family relatives, are rich in antioxidants (nutrients that protect human cells from damage caused by highly reactive and destructive "free radicals") and thymol (a chemical compound used to treat bacteria, fungus, and intestinal worms, and a key ingredient of Listerine mouthwash and similar antiseptic preparations). Duke recommends drinking a cup of bee balm tea each day to ensure a healthful supply of antioxidants.
Make bee balm tea by adding 1/2 cup of fresh (or 1/4 cup of dried) bee balm leaves and flowers to a tea bag or tea ball. Pour in boiling water and allow to steep for 4 to 5 minutes. Flavor to taste with honey.
You can also use leaves and flowers of bee balm to flavor fruit punch. Use the fresh flowers to add color to salads, or use either dried flowers or leaves to flavor turkey, chicken, or pork.
Know, Grow, and Landscape with Bee Balm
These members of the mint family form bushy, leafy clumps that grow 1-1/2- to 4-feet tall. The oval, dark green leaves have toothed edges, and have a strong scent of mint with overtones of other herbs, some rose-flavored, some lemony. Like all mints, stems are distinctly four-sided. In summer and fall, tight clusters of long, tubular, and nectar-rich flowers appear atop stems. Depending upon the variety, flowers are pink, white, blue, violet, purple, or scarlet.
Perennial clumps spread by underground rhizomes. They're not as invasive as mints, but can overwhelm a nearby lavender, for instance. Annual bee balms do not spread by rhizomes.
Bee balms are native to North America, from Vermont to Florida, and from Texas to British Columbia. Few plants make so little demand on the gardener. Annual bee balms do seem to prefer sandy, acidic soils and full sun, but perennial kinds thrive in a range of soils. Most grow best given full sun or partial shade, reasonably fertile and moist soil, and a compost mulch.
Propagate annuals from seed sown in place in late spring. Increase perennials either from seed sown in a cold frame in early spring, or (better) from division in fall or spring of established clusters. Set transplants about 10 inches apart. Plants tend to thin or die in the center as they grow outward, a habit that makes division necessary every three to four years.
Bee balms are not long-lived where winters are mild, or where summers are long and hot. Most kinds grow best in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 through 8. The one serious pest of Monarda didyma, mildew, is exacerbated wherever summers are hot and dry. The best bet is to plant mildew-resistant varieties (see following section), or any of the other species that are not susceptible.
Combine bee balms with other herbs, vegetables, and roses in borders, cutting gardens, containers, and naturalistic settings. They are handsome summer- and fall-bloomers, and clumps look good near water. Their flowers are long-lasting and striking in arrangements. Both leaves and flowers are used in potpourris and tussie-mussies (a bouquet of herbs).
A Roundup of Bee Balms for the Garden
Of the dozen or so identified bee balm species, the following five and their varieties are the most useful for gardeners.
Lemon bee balm (M. citriodora). Annual, all zones; can be grown as a short-lived perennial in mild-winter regions (zones 8 to 11). As its name implies, this one — native to the southern and southwestern United States — is noted for its citrus scent. It is one of the shorter types (2 1/2 to 3 feet tall), which makes it perfect for borders. Bloom season is long, hummingbirds love the pale lavender flowers, and blooms make excellent arrangements.
'Lambada' is a striking new variety of M. citriodora from Holland. It produces large, multiple tufted whorls of lavender-rose tubular flowers that extend up the stem in fringed puffs of color.
Bee balm, bergamot, Oswego tea (M. didyma). Perennial; zones 4 through 9. This hardy plant, common in woodlands in the Northeast, is the dominant bee balm. The name Oswego tea comes from the English botanist Peter Collinson, who named the newly discovered plant in 1745 for the place where the seeds were collected, Oswego, New York. This plant became well known after the Shakers in northern New York recommended using the leaves for tea. Its brilliant crimson flowers atop 3- to 4-foot stems are excellent for attracting ruby-throated hummingbirds and sphinx moths (which behave much like hummingbirds).
Plants grow best if given partial shade and moist, organic-rich soil. But they are prone to mildew by summer's end. If your plants are prematurely afflicted, cut them back to the base no later than midsummer to encourage new leaf growth. A better tack is planting only newer, mildew-resistant varieties (see below).
• 'Alba' and 'Snow White' — large white flowers
• 'Blue Stocking' — violet flowers with a tube that gives nectar only to large bees with a long proboscis
• 'Cambridge Scarlet' — bright red flowers
• 'Croftway Pink' — clear pink flowers that are faintly scented
• 'Gardenview Scarlet' — red flowers
• 'Jacob Kline' — mildew-resistant with intense red flowers
• 'Marshall's Delight' — pink and mildew-resistant
• 'Violet Queen' — an early bloomer with lavender flowers
Generally the varieties with red flowers prefer more shade and moisture, while those with lavender or white flowers do best in sunnier, drier conditions. (Many of these named varieties of M. didyma are hybrids of M. clinopodia, M. didyma, and M. fistulosa. Some botanists refer to the entire group as M. media.)
Wild bergamot (M. fistulosa). Perennial; zones 3 through 9. Wild bergamot (no relation to true bergamot, a citrus) grows in dry, open woodlands and wood margins, primarily in eastern North America. It thrives in places that have cool summers, conditions typical in the heart of its native range from New England to Georgia. Compared with other bee balms, wild bergamot is less showy, stems are more noticeably four-sided, and leaves are a little hairier, more sweetly fragrant, and less toothed than those of M. didyma. Lavender-pink flowers come in late summer, the newest flower developing above the older ones. Height is 3 to 4 feet.
'Rose;', a new variety, is notable for smelling and tasting in all its parts like an old-fashioned rose. It's an ideal fragrance and flavor substitute for rose geranium where that plant isn't hardy. The closely related M. f. menthifolia grows in western North America. When dried, it substitutes well for oregano.
M. pringlei. Annual or short-lived perennial; all zones. Though this stunning bee balm reaches only 18 inches tall, bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds cover it throughout its long blooming season that begins in late spring or early summer and continues until frost. Its glossy, dark green mounds of foliage remain green during the winter in zones 7 to 11. This species does not get powdery mildew.
Spotted horsemint (M. punctata). Annual or short-lived perennial; all zones. This 2-foot plant is extraordinary in bloom, producing tiers of showy pink bracts, and dense whorls of purple-spotted yellow flowers. Bloom starts in early summer and lasts until frost. Start plants from seed sown in place in early spring. Plants tolerate dry soil (even prefer sandy soil), and rarely suffer from powdery mildew. Spotted horsemint contains the greatest concentration of thymol. Holly Shimizu is the director of the U.S. National Arboretum and an herb specialist. Photography by Suzanne DeJohn/National Gardening Association
Growing Sage
National Gardening Association Editors
Sage is for more than seasoning your Thanksgiving turkey. Harvest fresh leaves from your kitchen garden to flavor meat and bean dishes, or toss the blossoms into salad! You can even wire dried sprigs to a frame to create an aromatic wreath or swag. Choosing Sage for Your Garden Sages encompass a large group of plants, although just a few are considered to be good culinary herbs. The most familiar of these is garden sage (Salvia officinalis), a hardy perennial characterized by its soft, gray-green foliage and spikes of light-colored spring flowers. Plants can get quite tall and floppy, but the dwarf form (Salvia officinalis var. nana) has a more compact growth habit. Its flavor equals that of the standard variety, but it is not as hardy.
Some cultivars of garden sage are as at home in the perennial border as in the kitchen garden, thanks to their stunning leaf color. Three outstanding varieties are purple sage (S.o. cv. Purpurescens), golden sage (S.o. cv. Aurea), and tricolor sage (S.o. cv. Tricolor). These tend to be less hardy than regular sage. Growing Sage You can start seed indoors up to eight weeks before your last frost date. If you sow seeds right in the garden, do so up to two weeks before the last frost date. Use fresh seed, as it doesn’t store well. You can also start plants from root cuttings from established plants. Set plants or thin seedlings to stand 24 to 30 inches apart. Sage thrives in full sun and well-drained soil. Young plants need a steady moisture supply until they start growing vigorously.
Each spring, prune out the woodiest stems and spent flower stalks. Stop harvesting early in the fall to encourage the plant to harden off for the winter. After a few years, plants become quite woody and less productive. Plan a year ahead to replace them. Harvest and Storage Harvest lightly during the first year to allow this perennial plant to become established. In the following couple of years, you may be able to harvest an entire plant two or three times. When harvesting, leave a few stalks in place to allow the plant to rejuvenate.
If you wish to dry sage, hang stalks in a shady, well-ventilated area until the leaves crumble easily, then store in tightly lidded jars. Sage keeps its flavor better if stored in the freezer. Freeze leaves or stalks on a tray, then move the leaves into a zippered bag or container. Some cooks blend the leaves with oil, pack the ground mixture into ice cube trays to freeze, and then transfer the cubes to a container.
Photograph by Suzanne DeJohn/National Gardening Association
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