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One of the best parts of summer is being able to shop from your garden. Fresh vegetables, fruit, and plenty of flavourful herbs. While many of the herbs we like are either annual or tender in our climate, there are a handful that, if given the right conditions, are reliably perennial here.
Sage (Salvia officianalis), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), and oregano (Oreganum vulgare) are three of the most indispensable herbs in your herbal arsenal. While there are many different varieties available, stick with the straight species for best flavour and hardiness. All delight in, and in fact demand, excellent drainage. They thrive in sunny, hot, dry, locations and respond well to continual snipping. Leaves can be harvested throughout the season and dry well.
French tarragon (Artemesia dracunculus) is a tall bushy plant easily grown in full sun and well-drained soil. It makes a lovely green foil amongst flowering perennials and is reputed to be a beneficial companion. French tarragon was selected for its anise-like pungent aroma and flavour but rarely flowers and sets seed. It must be started from either stem or rhizomatous root cuttings to retain these characteristics. Harvest and dry leaves for use in winter soups and stews.
Sage grows as a low mound while thyme and oregano will carpet the ground. Wait until growth resumes in spring before doing any pruning. Sage and thyme are semi-woody sub-shrubs so will become increasingly woody and need replacing over time.
Mint is a favourite summer herb but, beware, it spreads by fleshy white rhizomes that creep amazingly fast just below the soil surface. There are many delicious and worthwhile varieties available, but their hardiness listing is usually conservative. Don’t be fooled: all mint should be contained in a growing space despite what the zone rating states.
Despite its world-dominating tendencies, mint has numerous culinary uses and thrives in partial to full sun conditions. It responds well to regular harvesting which helps prevent it from flowering, though the flowers are adored by small flying insects. Interesting fact: different varieties need to be separated from each other as they take on each other’s flavours, losing their profiles.
English lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) is one of the hardiest and popular ornamental herbs to grow. It loves our hot dry summers but dislikes our cold, wet, clay soils. The trick to success is to give lavender very gritty, extremely well-drained soil such as found along sidewalks and paved areas. It is a woody sub-shrub and short-lived, so plants will need replacing every three to four years. Wait for growth to resume in spring before doing any pruning.
Lavender looks fabulous as a low hedge around an xeric flower or herb garden. Harvest the floral spikes before the small flowers open. Hang small bunches or rub the individual buds off onto a screen to dry. Lavender shortbread is to die for.
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are one of the hardiest herbs for the prairie garden. One of the first to pop into growth in spring, their straight narrow green leaves have a mild onion flavour and are delicious in dressings or sprinkled over risotto or baby potatoes. Give them full sun and moderately dry conditions and they will respond with lush growth and, eventually, mauve pompom-shaped flowers beloved by bees. Composed of edible individual florets, the flowers make a lovely soft purple herb vinegar or pretty herb butter.
Once flowering has finished, cut the plant right back to the ground and it will regrow with fresh aromatic new leaves. Chives are prolific self-seeders so cutting back before seed-set is highly recommended!
Lovage is an unusual, extremely hardy herb that deserves to be more widely grown. Preferring full sun to light shade, it sends out fresh green shoots in early spring and grows rapidly to 1.2 x 1.2 m by summer’s end. All parts of the plant are edible: young stems and leaves can be substituted for celery or shredded and used in soups and stews, seeds can be used in baking, and roots can be braised. What’s not to love?
Easily grown in average garden conditions, it makes a fabulous green backdrop for ornamental perennials and small shrubs. Leaves and stems can be harvested throughout the season and frozen, while seeds can be dried for winter use. The deciduous foliage should be left in place to protect the crown over winter.
Tuck a few hardy perennial herbs into the garden this year. They will reward you with abundant harvests to enhance your year-round culinary genius.
Elaine Rude writes for the Calgary Horticultural Society.