Late summer and fall can be a good time to plant perennial herbs
By Lorraine Kiefer
I can hardly believe that it is the middle of August! Like the squirrels I am starting to stockpile some extras in the freezer or jars. Although it is hard to believe the evenings will get a bit cooler, we often like to sip a warm beverage as we work, read, write or relax. I like to add a sprig or two of herbs to a cup or tea or coffee. Lemon balm in a pot with an Earl Gray tea bag is good and wards off a cold.
Wouldn't it be nice to have a little herb area in the sun near the kitchen door where you could snip fragrant pieces of fresh green herbs for tea. This garden would be pretty, fragrant, useful and alive about nine months of the year. Late summer and fall can be a good time to plant perennial herbs. You can even do this garden in a series of large pots for a deck or patio and bring them in near a sliding glass door for winter.
Some herbs are known for their health value and are grown to use for upset stomachs, the onset of a cold or to help one sleep. I know that a tangy pot of lemon balm tea with a slice of lemon will really help ward off a cold. Ice this during the summer for a refreshing drink. Our patch of lemon balm grows under holly trees. We pick and pick and pick from spring to late fall and also dry bunches for winter tea.
Pick sprigs of herb and just rubber band 6 to 10-inch stems together and hang in a dry spot indoors. When they are crisp place them in brown paper lunch bags and write name and date on bag. Store in a cabinet where it is dry so they will not mold. Then just add a sprig or two of the dry to your pot of tea. It is hard to tell one how much to use, this is matter of personal taste. You will soon develop your own formula for herb tea.
At left, Lemon Balm is easy to grow and makes a healthy tea (or iced tea) with a distinct lemon aroma. This is truly an immune boosting tea and one that dispels colds when they are just beginning. At right, Chamomile tea -- pick the golden flowers any time the white petals appear. The following list will discuss just a few of the favorite herb teas:
Chamomile -- This sweet and also pretty herb is known as the relaxing herb. It is one of the ingredients in most "night time" teas. German chamomile is the self-seeding annual variety with the most flowers to pick for teas. It needs full sun but will grow well in most soils as long there is drainage. You can grow chamomile in containers on a balcony, but it doesn't do well indoors. Chamomile does well in my sandy soils in good sun, but in order to grow all summer it needs plenty of water during the hottest parts of the summer. For tea, pick the golden flowers any time the white petals appear. Use fresh or place on paper towel or screen for a few days to dry, store in paper bags or clean jars. Just be sure they are really dry before closing in a jar.
Anise hyssop -- This plant has a licorice flavor and the square of the labiate family. The tall spikes of purple-blue flowers are really nice in any perennial garden and attract butterflies and honey bees. The plants are hardy and also reseed so you will have quite a few if you allow them to come back up. It prefers full sun and a rich soil, but here it has grown in sand and in the shade. Both the leaves and flowers of this plant for delicious licorice-flavored tea.
Lemon verbena -- People all over love this tea with its wonderful fresh, lemony scent. It is most often added to other teas to impart a lemon scent and flavor. Here in the Delaware Valley we have to either bring this one in or treat it as an annual. When I bring them indoors for the winter they most often lose their leaves in January (these can be collected and used for tea), but they soon will send out new leaves from what looked like dead branches. They need full sun and make a wonderful patio plant in a very large pot.They look so lush and full now and can be cut back and the leaves dried.
Bee Balm (Monarda) -- This herb makes a naturally citrus flavored sweet tea. Colonial people learned of this plant from the natives. Legend tells us that it was the tea used after the local 'Greenwich' N.J. tea party as well as after the Boston Tea Party as a form of rebellion. We often call this plant bergamot since it smells like the fruit from the Mediterranean plant of that name. But since a Spanish botanist named monarda in the late 1500s found it, it is correctly named Monarda. Attractive red, pink, or white flowers that look wonderful in the garden and attracts hummingbirds is another plus for this hardy perennial. You can use both the leaves and flowers for tea.
Orange mint -- Orange mint has a pleasant citrus fragrance and flavor. One of the nicest things about this plant is that it isn't as invasive as most mints. If you're worried you can plant it in a container, but it grows much better in the ground. This mint likes partial to full sun,but will grow in most shade too. It flourishes in fairly rich soil, with lots of water. It is very pretty in the garden as it has deep green purple-tinged leaves and stems and spikes of lavender bloom. Butterflies love the nectar in the blooms. There are many other varieties of mint each with it's distinct taste -- spearmint, peppermint, apple mint or even chocolate mint.
Lemon Balm -- This is probably my favorite of all the tea herbs. It is easy to grow and readily reseeds and makes a very healthy tea with a distinct lemon aroma. We grow it out back under holly trees where it is the best ground cover ever, keeping out weeds and yielding plenty of foliage for tea. This is truly an immune boosting tea and one that dispels colds when they are just beginning. Plant some now!
Rose Hips -- Colorful rose hips will make a citrus-tasting tea that is rich in vitamin C. Add to any tea for flavor and vitamins! Most rose plants will create 'hips' but Rugosa roses produce the largest ones. The hips are actually seedpods that form at the base of the rose blooms. To make tea with rose hips slice them in half before steeping. You may also add the fragrant petals to tea. Rugosa roses are hardy and cold tolerant and do not need spray which is important consideration for tea plants. These roses will grow just about anywhere in the sun. Plant now.
Lavender -- Lavender is useful in any sunny garden and the butterflies like it too. Although it is not often used for tea, it can be added to Earl Gray for a party tea. It does make a floral tasting tea that also blends well with other herbs (like chamomile). Plant now.
There are hundreds more herbs to grow for tea. Take some time to study them this fall. I will teach a six-week herb class on harvesting and using herbs through Rowan College at Gloucester County. This class is held at Triple Oaks Nursery in Franklinville and begins on Sept. 7. Enroll Harvesting and Using Herbs or call the college.
The herb society of America South Jersey unit has a meeting Sept. 18 about making herbal salves at 1 p.m. at the Franklin Township Community Center.
Lorraine Kiefer is the owner and operator of Triple Oaks Nursery in Franklinville. She can also be reached by e-mail at Lorraine@tripleoaks.