Week 50 > You are reading Week 51 - December 18th, 2023 > Week 52

Powerful Scents

We cultivate herbs for culinary and medicinal purposes, as well as for their fragrance, and although there is often overlap between the three categories, certain herbs are valued specifically for their potent scents.

From the invigorating peppermint to the calming catmint, the mint family is vast and highly fragrant. It even includes unexpected members like hyssop, lavender, and patchouli.

Anise hyssop, which is neither anise nor hyssop, has an intense licorice scent, stirred by the lightest breeze on hot summer afternoons.

The perfume of holy basil, if you've never planted it, can only be described as divine. I don't even know what to compare it to. I've been looking for its seeds or plants ever since and alas I've come short so far.

If you're a fan of Earl Gray tea, you might be interested to know that bee balm is also known as false bergamot.

Finally, chamomile and yarrow, whose characteristic green and earthy scents bring peace and healing with every breath.

Perennial Herbs

Many herbs we replant every year are not genuine annual plants.

If parsley and dill survive the winter, they spend their second year growing seeds. Parsley has umbels too, but unlike dill it remains green during mild winters.

Lemon verbena, lavender, and rosemary thrive in warm climates, growing into sizeable woody shrubs that live for a decade or more.

Lemon balm and mint, which can withstand zone three conditions, are not only impossible to kill, but they also grow larger with each passing year.

Chives are short-lived perennials, just like their cousins, the garlics and the onions. We just don't think of them that way because we eat their bulbs.

Creeping thyme is said to have a long lifespan and flourish in infertile soils, wherever that actually occurs.

The highly scented marjoram, although delicate in appearance, is a high maintenance warm climate perennial.

Sage is a very tough woody shrub, hardy to zone four. Although it's meant to be a short-lived perennial, I've had it for nearly ten years and it keeps thriving.

Last, lovage. It demands particular conditions to grow. It likes just the right amount of shade, just the right soil, but when it thrives, you'll know it, because its clumps will grow huge, over 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide, so allow for that when you choose its spot.

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