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Herb Gardening Becoming More Popular
Herbs grow in popularity
Old favorites and more exotic varieties taste and look great
By DEBBIE ARRINGTON, Sacramento Bee
When it comes to herbs, we’ve gone from parsley and chives to a new world of flavors.
“People are asking for shiso and ginger root,” said Meg Gray, buyer for Green Acres nursery in Sacramento, Calif. “Stevia is at the top of everyone’s list.”
Herbs spice up our meals and gardens. And as interest in global cuisines grows, so does our appetite for ethnically diverse herbs.
With increased interest in cooking at home, gardeners also are growing more of their own herbs, saving money while adding fresh flavor.
“You can get a whole plant for what it costs for a few sprigs of basil in the supermarket,” Gray said. “And you’ll have fresh herbs all summer — or longer.”
And herbs of late also have spiked sales for nurserymen as novice and experienced gardeners dive into them as an easy entry to edible landscaping.
“It goes hand in hand with interest in vegetable gardening and growing your own food,” said Janet Simkins of Sierra Nursery in Roseville, Calif. “Independent nurseries, such as ours, sell herbs side by side with vegetables. Even if you don’t have room for a vegetable garden, you can put a few herbs in a pot and get some satisfaction, too.”
It’s not just about food.
“We’re seeing increased interest, not just for culinary, but also for drought-tolerant landscaping and hummingbird and butterfly gardening,” said Rose Loveall, owner of the Morningsun Herb Farm in Vacaville, Calif.
The trend is national. As with vegetable gardening, some experts attribute this to first lady Michelle Obama and the White House garden with its herb-filled borders.
“Interest in herbs has been growing steadily the last few years,” said George Ball, chairman and CEO of Burpee, the mail-order giant. “But this year, herbs are all the rage. Herb orders really took off right after the late-March news reports about the 2011 White House garden.”
Using sales, surveys and other proprietary data, Burpee reports that herb gardens represent the top garden trend for the 2011 season, followed closely by raised-bed gardens and container vegetable gardens.
Herbs also fulfill another trend. Said Ball: “Today’s garden consumers look for plants that perform double duty: Plants delicious to taste and pleasing to look at.”
In general, herbs require little care while offering almost instant rewards.
“Most herbs are exceptionally easy to grow, and fun because they inspire and transform your cooking,” said Chelsey Fields, manager of Burpee’s edible division.
“Herbs are low-maintenance,” she added. “Some bright sun and water will keep the plants producing. The different tastes, flower colors and leaf types create a wonderfully interesting garden.”
Herb gardens also can be kid-pleasers, getting children interested in gardening as well as eating fresh, homegrown food.
“Herbs attract all kinds of beneficial insects that will delight young entomologist-gardeners,” Fields said. “The best thing is that kids help grow what’s for dinner.”
The easiest to grow are best for beginners: Rosemary, oregano, basil, lavender and parsley.
“Try the easy ones first,” said Gray, who grows about a dozen herbs in her own garden. “Thyme and rosemary — they’ll give you confidence to try other things. They’re not intimidating. And they’re evergreen; they last year-round. Your success rate is much greater, and that gives you confidence to try other things.”
Another easy herb: Bay. Simkins, for example, grows a bay laurel bush in a 1-gallon can — just enough for a constant supply of bay leaves.
But herb gardeners can be adventurous, with requests to match.
Loveall grows hundreds of varieties at her Morningsun Herb Farm. She’s been getting many requests for epazote, stevia, lemon grass and holy basil.
Epazote, an annual native to Mexico, is a must for beans and Mexican sauces. A South American native, stevia is much sweeter than sugar — with almost no calories — and has become a popular sugar substitute. Lemon grass is a mainstay in Thai cooking. Holy basil has a distinct flavor that stands out from other basils.
“Lemongrass, which is easy to grow, is very pretty in the garden and has citronella oil in the plant to help ward off mosquitoes,” Loveall said. “Vietnamese coriander, or rau rum (Polygonum odoratum), is a great substitute for cilantro; very hardy in a shady spot in the garden, and you can harvest all summer.”
Which brings Loveall to one popular request that doesn’t grow well in Sacramento summers: Cilantro.
“Cilantro is a cool-season annual, so don’t bother planting it in the summer months,” Loveall said.
“Capers are very popular now,” she added. “They need lots of sun and not too much water. Goji berries are suddenly very popular. Variegated nonblooming basil (Pesto perpetuo), which has a great flavor, is a good choice for busy people who don’t have time to pinch back the flowers.”
Variegated anything is a hit in the herb aisle as gardeners gravitate to oregano, sage and thyme with interesting leaves.
Simkins has her own offbeat favorites. “Lovage has a really strong celery flavor and you can use the seed, too,” she said. “Not too many people know about that one yet. It’s green and upright, but can take up a lot of space.
“Lemon verbena always smells beautiful,” she added. “But it needs regular pruning to keep it compact.”
Sacramento-area nurseries have seen a run on French tarragon, a must for flavored vinegars and sauces. Mexican tarragon, which is actually a member of the marigold family, is easier to grow and has cute yellow flowers.
The variety of herbs available has never been better.
“We have nine different mints, four different oreganos, three different tarragons and a long list of thymes — English, silver, lemon, lime, caraway and so on,” Gray said of Green Acres’ stock. “Each has its own distinct flavor and characteristics — and fans. It’s been wonderful this year with a lot of interest. We keep bringing in more and more.”
In addition to their culinary attributes, herbs also can be just plain pretty as ornamentals. That makes herbs ideal for mixing into flower beds (or containers), as well as the vegetable garden.
“Pineapple sage is a beautiful plant,” Gray said. “So are borage and rue; I like rue because it keeps cats and dogs out of the garden.”
Shiso — a Japanese favorite also known as perilla — may be the hottest of the hot new herbs. A member of the mint family, shiso boasts bright red, green or purple leaves with a wasabi burn.
“They also call it beefsteak plant,” Simkins said. “Believe it or not, that’s what it tastes like.”
Planting herbs together in a container or patch near the kitchen door makes them accessible and easy to use for cooks.
“In one pot, you can put together a salsa herb garden or an Italian herb garden or a teapot garden (with herbs for teas),” Gray said. “Just plant something — and make it something you’ll use and enjoy.”
Perennial Herbs
Many of my perennial herbs are grown in 2 x4′ Square Foot Garden boxes. Mints are planted in their individual pots so they won’t take over my garden. I also have peppermint in a larger area from which it cannot escape. I use peppermint more and since it is next to the house it may also be a good insect/rodent repellant – although my cat is a good rodent repellant.
One of my perennial boxes contains oregano, dwarf oregano, lemon thyme, English thyme, Bronze fennel, and French tarragon. The other box has chives, garlic chives, sorrel, anise hyssop, and lovage. I planted lemongrass there for the summer hoping that it would increase in size. Towards fall I will pot it and bring it back indoors. Some herbs are perennial in warmer climates but not in my climate (zone 6). Lemongrass is one of these.
Anyone know how to get the individual lemongrass stalks to increase in thickness?
I also grow lemon verbena, scented geraniums, and bay in pots which I bring outdoors after the temperature is over 45 F and return them to house in the fall when it is predicted to drop below 45. In addition I have two lemon trees, a navel orange, grapefruit, and lime that also enjoy the summer outdoors.
In other parts of the yard I have golden sage, lavenders, silver thyme, catnip, creeping thymes as well as common and unusual edibles.
I look forward to increasing my collection to more than what it was a couple moves ago when I had 14 varieties of mint and several thymes and oreganos among other plants.
Seed Catalogs & Garden Planning
All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space!
Smithsonian Handbooks: Herbs (Smithsonian Handbooks)
The Pleasure of Herbs: A Month-by-Month Guide to Growing, Using, and Enjoying Herbs
Growing & Using Herbs Successfully (Garden Way Book)
My favorite magazines include:
Herb Companion
Organic Gardening
One of my favorite sources for herb plants and seeds:
Richters
Herb Gardening 