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Re: perennial herbs

>
>Does anyone have any suggestions for edible herbs?  I have the typical
>ones--chives, oregano , marjoram, rosemary, thyme, and several annuals also.
> I'd just like some ideas for something new.  
>
>I live in Zone 8b.  Very humid and normally lots of rain in the summer.

I love Lovage (and it loves me!)[ Levisticum officinale]  It is a 
perennial in the same family as celery and looks like a very robust 
celery as it grows, but it has a flavor more like cilantro. I have used 
it for salsa and it is delicious. Being a perennial, it doesn't bolt like 
cilantro( the famous 1 week growing season.) It is not fussy about soil 
but does like sun.

In Z8b you may be able to keep Lemongrass as a perennial [Cymopogon] and 
its cousin Palmarosa[Cymopogon martinii aka Geranium Grass] Lemongrass is 
used in Thai cooking and has a light lemony flavor. Palmarosa smells like 
rose geranium and I guess it could be used for cooking....?

How about a vine? Hops! Humulus lupulus  esp the "aurea," golden-leaved 
hops; a sturdy and prolific perennial vine.

Horehound [Marrubhium off.] is familiar to anyone who had throat lozenges 
or humbugs as a child; it is also a lovely silvery herb.

Orris root, a fixative used for potpourri, is made from the root of Iris 
florentina which has greyish-blue standards and falls.

Epazote [Chenopodium ambrosiodes] is a must for anyone who loves Mexican 
cooking- it is an annual.

Even in my Z5 kitchen, I wouldn't be without Bay [Laurilus nobilis] a 
shrub that I have to grow in a pot but it is worth the effort- fresh 
Bayleaf is a wonderful herb and puts its dessicated commercial siblings 
to shame.

Tarragon [Artemisia dracunculus sativa] be sure to get French Tarragon 
_not Russian T._ this cannot be propagated from seed but should do well 
in your zone- luscious with eggs and cheese dishes.

I haven't included any medicinal herbs in this list but I hope I've given 
you some ideas.

Cheers,



Polly M. Law

Illustrator/Gardener/Teapot Collector

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<Insolitores Res Contiguerunt>

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