What! NO herb afficianados this summer?

Slow posts in the herb forum this year.... If I remember last year was popping.

Here goes....
Post your favorite herbs this season...
Old time favorite or a new find...
and why is it a favorite?

I'll take the first one.

My discovery for this year (and I'm in love) is pennyroyal ( Mentha pulegium) European pennyroyal.

I love the delicate structure of the leaves, the trailing habitat of the plant. The delightful fragrance of leaves when rubbed. The insect repellant nature of the plant. It is reputed to repel mosquitoes when rubbed on skin and if crushed leaves are rolled up in a bandana and tied around a dogs' neck reputed to repel fleas. How wonderful can it get... And it blooms too...

New to me this year but I don't believe I will ever be without...

My favorite herbs this season have all been common weeds. I'm out to discover the virtues of local and wild herbs. I've actually got some plantain growing in my herb garden now and I working on incorporating it into my first aid kit as it has ant-microbial and anti-inflamitory properties.

It's such great fun!! My yard has been taken over by all the usefull weeds I can't bare to pull out.

Me, stevia.. Cuz I want it and I can't get it to germinate for me. :) Guess one always wants what they can't get. Though another kind DG soul is send me one. So I will finally get my little kitty paws on a stevia. :)

Renwings ~ I can appreciate the weeds. In the spring I start IDing the wildflowers to find an amazing number of them serve herbal purposes. This spring I found Cleavers, Baptista, Heal-all, Mullien, St Andrews Cross just to name a few. I truly think all things were put here for a reason, even the weeds.

lcosden ~ I followed your post on the Stevia seeds... good luck with your plant. I want you to know I have added one to try to my list that was mentioned in that thread. The sweet aztec herb. It has me tempted. You will have to let us know how you liked the Stevia after you play with it... pod

Podster, I have to admit that I want to try lippia too. But I heard some people say that lippia has stronger flavor than stevia.. Do you have stevia or lippia. Please let me know which one has stronger flavor and which one is sweeter...

Right now I am not growing either one. I grew Stevia in the past and picked mine up as a plant. I dried the leaves and still have some in the pantry. Bear in mind I am a "sweets" fiend when I say I found it to be quite an intense sweet taste. I think only a minimal amount would be necessary to sweeten. I really have not experimented and no experience with lippia. Neither one is commerically available here and I need to start early next year to add these to my herb collection.

BTW, I don't really notice a "green" flavor in the dried Stevia herb...

I tried Stevia once and could not get it to flourish. It just limped along like a sad little three legged puppy. I keep meaning to try it again. I really did like it.

Pod - I have found Heal-All and Mullein too here. My neighbor likes to grow weeds like I do, but for a different reason!! He is a really nice guy, he came over to chat one day and I pointed out a weed of his that i wanted to move to my yard. Comfrey! He tilted his head at me after I explained why I wanted it and said, "Are you some kind of witch doctor?" That was really a first for me!
All horticultural prima donnas and delectable vegis were weeds once too! I noticed that from year to year some of these herbs are flourishing and more numerous than others. I'm taking the hint and acting accordingly!
I've also found that if you give plantain some room and nice soil, they get HUGE! They have started to look downright ornamental.

renwings.. LOL.. three legged puppy indeed.. Hopefully, my plant does not turn out like that.. :) And if you want to come to NY, I have plenty of weeds for you.. New construction, we're trying to get rid of the weeds and grow some grass.. Not so easy..

Renwings ~ aka witch doctor lol~ seems like in some years some of the plants thrive more than others. Bugs too!
A wildflower/weedherbal that I got IDd last fall got me hooked on some others that aren't weeds yet lol. I found a skullcap. Love it and am trying a variety of them. Maybe in time they will become weeds... : ))

I guess that is the fallout of my current fascination. All the wild herbs I'm cultivating are going to wreak havoc later!! They'll be everywhere I don't want them.

So does the Pennyroyal have a distinctive minty smell or a general minty smell?
I found some of this stuff (linky below) at a nursery this year and it has a really unique mint smell.

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/58794/

I have a Mints reference book and it is listed in it but I am not familiar with that one. That sounds and looks pretty...

The pennyroyal has a delicate fragrance ~ rather minty. It may be stronger but we have been really wet. I notice the fragrance of the herbs are not as strong when the moisture levels are up...

My all time favorite is Thyme--especially English and French Provencal and lemon thyme. Not only are they so fragrant and flavorful, but they are very pretty on the ground in flower or not n flower. I tried growing many different kinds, but only a few are hardy here, namely English and lemon thymes and mamgenta-flowered creeping thyme. The creeping have a tendancy to die out in the heat of summers here. Disappointing.

This year, I tried a bunch of spicy basils and naturtiums, first time. The nasties have varigated foilage and the brightest, hottest colored flowers I've seen--deep orange-red, orangish yellow, and bright yellow. The flowers are supposed to be edible and smell like tobasco. I haven't tried them in a salad yet...I want to try Evening Primrose next.

I grew pennyroyal before and it was a vigorous spreader (invasive, if you don't like spreaders.) It is a lovely ground cover, though, and is supposed to be a mosquito repellent. It is best in a pot on a patio. Enjoy!!



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Ohhh I had lemon thyme and loved it but then I have a "lemon" weakness. I think it did not like our heat tho and went to that great compost pile in the sky. lol

So far, the pennyroyal is in hanging baskets. Although, soil here is pretty hard for things to invade... If it endures and reappears next spring, I find it endearing.

FoxnFirefly, I MISS VA. I moved to NY to get a yard and realized the things I want to plant (persimmon, citrus, etc) need at least zone 7.. Sigh... Such is life...

But I got my stevia today!!! I love it. It's sweet and the flavor is very mild. I am so going to use it for everything..

Be sure and let that Stevia grow... lol Don't be grazing too much! : )

Steevia is foreign to me. I'll have to give it a try next spring. It doesn't sound "easy", though.

Icosden--VA is still here. You're welcome home!! Good thing we Virginians can grow a wide range of delicacies---I have a patch of raspberries, an avenue of blueberries and a jungle of blackberries, beautyberry, and the ever-changing herb garden. I wanted to put in a quince, but think they'll outgrow their space. We have an expanse of wild violets and other flowering "weeds" the weed-eaters would love.

I think folks in NY only have spruce trees and pet deer, unless they have a greenhouse!!

Lol.. I know.. I'm have a hard time staying away from the stevia. Yum.. Can you tell I have a sweet tooth?? :) It's like candy...

And Foxnfirefly, you are so right.. We have deers up the wazoo here.. They've been chomping on my hostas. I had to move my hostas and other plants to the porch. I have strawberries and blueberries that I keep on the back deck too. I wish we were warmer so I can grow things as perennials instead of annuals.. **sigh**

The conversation about Stevia is convincing me to give it a try! Given my northern latitude, I'll try it in a container. My favorite herb this year is basil. I planted Bush Spicy Globe, Genovese, and Napoletano from seeds and they all survived. That's why they are my favorite this year. I especially like the Napoletano, which I think has a better flavor than Genovese and I harvested the seeds from my first plant last year. Overall, my favorites are lavender and lemon verbena. I have 5 types of lavender this year. It's amazing how many different types are in the world.

I'm sorry not to be posting here more lately... got a couple of projects going on, including some herb how-to articles for the soon to be announced new daily garden article feature here at DG... hopefully that'll bring more people to the herb forum! :-)

Lemon Verbena is new for me this year, and I love it! I need to do some pruning and shaping on my plant... it's in a big (12") pot with lemon basil and lemon thyme... :-)

I'm trying a couple of new (to me) creeping thymes this year, 'Rose Petal' Thyme and 'White Flowering Thyme', also giving 'Spicy Orange Thyme' another try since losing it over the winter a couple of years back. I really like the different textures of creeping thymes, and the ones with good scents are a nice bonus! (Some creepers, like coconut thyme, just don't have any scent at all.. but they're still good for ground covers.)

I have to try new basils each year also, and I'm liking 'Sicilian basil' (less anise flavor than my Italian Genovese, but still a strongly flavored culinary basil), but DH doesn't think much of it. Still, I'm harvesting it with my Genovese, and I think the combination works just fine. 'Lettuce Leaf' basil is an attractive plant, with big leaves and a very mild flavor, just as advertised. Nice to toss into a salad, but I won't bother adding it to sauce or anything.

Whoops -- company pulling up -- GTG!

Critter, Congrats!! You'll be just fab at article writing.. I'll look forward to your stuff.. :)

Thanks, Iscoden! I'm having fun, but between trying to get that underway and sorting out the way too many irises I indulged in last weekend, I haven't had time to do a lot of posting or starting new threads. I'll try to be better about that next month!

Oh, but I did start some threads over in the MidAtlantic forum about the plant swap I'm hosting on Sept. 8.... how far away is Pawling from MD? ;-)

(not trying to derail this great thread... please post any responses or chat about the swap over in the MidAtlantic forum, thanks!)

Derail away ~ I always find your posts informative and herbally educational. (sometimes even tempting : ) Look forward to the articles you are writing but of course I'm already hooked on the Herbs forum... lol

BTW, glad you like the lemon verbena. I think it is one of the wonderful lemon herbs.

Another new one here that is struggling with our heat and humidity is French Tarragon. I love the fragrance and the zing. I am amazed to walk past it and catch the fragrance. Hope to get it established... fingers x'd...

podster, have you tried growing your French tarragon next to the comfrey so that the comfrey can shade and cool it in the summer? Mine does well in the heatwaves because the others shade it at that time.

Love lemon verbena and French tarragon for cooking! The sage, thyme, italian parsley and genovese basil are also getting a lot of use. Lovage is good to have on hand for soups. It dries well too. Tastes rather like celery.

We added an insectary and medicinal herb bed to our community garden. Most of the plants were donations. I still need to procure some Tulsi seeds to have that as an item. There are 3 types of Tulsi - Rama Tulsi, Vana Tulsi and Krishna Tulsi. They produce essential oils that bolster the immune system. In the heat of summer, they become fragrant with these oils and give off the scent to protect the environs.

Elecampange is another attractive and worthy herb. I like to candy the roots in honey as a cough medicine.

Humm... Think Tulsi and Elecampagne sounds interesting... Got to find more info on those.

Tulsi is Holy Basil

Horizon Herbs carries the seeds for all three of the Asiatic varieties:
https://www.horizonherbs.com/search.asp?mode=results

http://www.tulsi.com/

http://hinduism.about.com/od/ayurveda/a/tulsibenefits.htm

G_M ~ what types of plants for the insectary?

insectary... I hope that means natural pesticide or bug deterrant.. :)

It means planting the types of plants that attract pollinators and other beneficial insects.
Most beneficial predators, like ladybugs and lacewings, need pollen and nectar as well as the bugs they eat. If you don't havet the right blooms (or spray with Good Bug Chow) in the garden, they'll fly away searching for the rest of their diet.

Some planting ideas here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insectary_plants
http://www.eartheasy.com/grow_garden_insectary.htm

I thought it meant otherwise also ~ but those are great links. Most informative ~ Thank you!

OOhh... So insectary guru, which flowers do you recommend for attacting ladybugs and lacewings? I always thought that we had to buy them to put in our yard.. I want to get some beneficial bugs since I've got lots of buggies for them to eat.. :) But I also like pretty scented flowers too.. Don't suppose it works that way huh...

My favorite herbs are Italian Genovese Basil, Thai Sweet Basil, Holy basil, garlic chives, rosemary, thyme and parsley. Oh and oregano. I don't know how I managed to cook in the days before I had fresh herbs.

My stevia was terrible in a pot but is thriving in the ground. I put pennyroyal in one of those little metal sculpture little girls and it's growing down her back like hair. I need to cut her bangs.

My french tarragon is surviving, though since I pulled up some stuff that was shading it I fear it won't last long. But it's taking, and are the horehound and astragalus. My six mints are doing well (all in pots), as are feverfew and comfrey. The catnip is suffering in the heat, but the lemon balm and valerian have had a population explosion! And the other atomic herb for me this year is pineapple sage. The common sage is not happy, whether from the heat or too much water, I don't know. But the pineapple is almost scary. I'm glad it's not carnivorous.

"I'm glad it's not carnivorous."

ROFLOL!

My catnip was tall and blooming like mad, but I cut it way back yesterday so it wouldn't fling quite so many seeds around.

"I'm glad it's not carnivorous."

That's too funny.. My lettuce bolted and it's like 4ft tall and my husband is avoiding cuz he thinks it is scary. He thinks it's looking for revenge on us for picking it's leaves.. lol...

Am simply too busy working, or sleeping, to post much, podster. (Am working 7 nights @ wk., often 12 hrs. per shift, 'til Oct.)
But the herbs are being harvested, my bumper crops this year were sweetgrass and meadowsweet, and my least successful efforts were growing tea bushes, (camellia sinensis) and red bergamot....
Will try the bergamot & tea next year in containers, in case the culprit is this durned (soil virus?) that affects most of my imported plants, their first season here....

Geez, 4 ft tall lettuce!! It sounds like the Sandman is coming and taking the village!! LOL!!

Well, it's somewhat comforting to know that others have had/are having trouble with tarragon. I thought that I just could not find good plants, anymore or there was something wrong with our soil/climate, because they aren't readily available at local nurseries lately and the ones that are, look pathetic and don't grow. For the past couple of years that I bought potted plants locally, they died a short time after transplanting. Bunny rabbits or black thumb? The first time, I ever got one I had a wonderful plant that produced a luscious harvest of fresh leaves all summer long. That jewel came from a very respectable nursery in Maryland. Sigh* Beginners' luck. I think where you get your tarragon counts maybe. This seems to be the case with particular plants in the nursery business, like lousy geraniums and rose mosaic stock.

Cyra ~ how can you keep that up ~ some magic herb potions? Please let us in on the secret. I would hate to miss my favorite time of the year but I bet you find it soothing and relaxing to come home and tend to the herbs.

Brigidlily ~ I love the pennyroyal hair idea. This is my first year with it and I love it.

One pot of catnip suffered death by drowning... the drain holes were not sufficient with all our rain. The other one is doing well, at least till the felines find it.

My lemon balm is blooming and I love nibbling the blooms but also hope for seeds and volunteers. I an fond of this one.

Beware the "maneating" lettuce... LOL

I totally agree with my husband's irrational reaction to the "maneating" lettuce. :)

Well, you could always point out that lettuce leaves are much softer to wear than fig leaves........."you'd look really good in a little green, dear"...............(must say with twinkle in eyes)....................