By Maryann Readal Garlic, Alllium sativum, is The Herb Society’s Herb of the Month for September. This is the time to get excited about garlic if you want to grow it, since fall is the ideal time to plant it for harvesting in early summer of next year. Garlic is in the Amaryllidaceae family along with chives ..read more

By Erin Holden These days, when I meet people for the first time, it might seem to them that I have no other interests besides plants. Which, of course, isn’t true; I have many other interests, and some of them came before I ever heard the siren song of chlorophyll. But now that I’m a ..read more

By Maryann Readal Roselle hibiscus is The Herb Society’s Herb of the Month for July. With its bright red calyces, green leaves, red stems, and cream-colored, okra-like flowers, Hibiscus sabdariffa is also known as red zinger, red sorrel, sour tea, Florida cranberry, and roselle. It makes an unusual and striking accent plant in the garden ..read more

By Chrissy Moore Recently, I attended the annual conference of The Herb Society of America outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It’s always an enjoyable experience interacting with old “herbie” friends from around the country, while also making connections with new-found kindred spirits. A recurring theme for the event was “finding your people,” and in this case ..read more

By Peggy Riccio Mint is a great plant to have, as long as you grow it in containers. It is very versatile — there are so many uses, plus it is easy to propagate and make gift plants. Hardy to Zone 5, they survive the winters well in containers here in Virginia.  There are about 30 different species of mint and about 500 to 600 different varieties. Most mints are not native to the United States but have become naturalized. They seldom grow true from seed and will cross pollinate so vegetative propagation is the preferred method. Mints prefer either morning sun and afternoon shade or a ligh ..read more

By Maryann Readal The Herb Society’s Herb of the Month for July is savory, Satureja spp. Summer savory, Satureja hortensis, is the annual version of this herb, and Satureja montana, winter savory, is the perennial one. Another particularly pleasing species is Satureja spicigera, a creeping type that produces a nice groundcover and has great flavor. There are about 52 species (Herb Society of America, 2015) in the genus Satureja, which is in Lamiaceae or the mint family. Both summer and winter savory have a peppery taste with the winter plant having a slightly stronger flavor. Both are used in ..read more

By Susan Belsinger I fell in love with basil upon my first bite of pesto in bella Italia back in the early 70s. The aroma and taste of Ocimum basilicum ‘Genoa Green’ or ‘Genovese’ caught me unaware and captivated me—and I began to grow and cook with it. I learned the art of making pesto with a mortar and pestle from an Italian aristocrat in the hills of Tuscany. In 1980 when Carolyn Dille and I were writing Cooking with Herbs, we met herb grower Thomas DeBaggio. We three became fast friends and enthusiasts about all things herbal, Italian, and involving good food and writing. In 1995, Tom invi ..read more

By Beth Schreibman Gehring “White coral bells upon a slender stalk, Lilies of the valley dress my garden walk. Oh, don’t you wish that you could hear them ring? That will happen only when the fairies sing.” – Traditional Folk Song Surely, many of you cherish this beautiful children’s round, its authorship lost to time; its timeless melody, ethereal in nature, much like the lily of the valley itself. As a child, I sang this with my siblings, and now, I eagerly anticipate singing it with my grandson, Wolfie, for the very first time in my garden. When the lilies bloom, I’ll beckon my husband ou ..read more

By Maryann Readal The Herb Society’s Herb of the Month for May is lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, which is one of almost 50 species of lavender (Blankespoor, 2022). It is also called Lavandula officinalis and English lavender, although it is not native to England. Lavendula angustifolia is native to countries surrounding the Mediterranean. L. angustifolia is the species most used for medicinal and culinary purposes. The word lavender is derived from the Latin word “lavare” which means to wash. It is an herb that prefers a sunny, dry climate and is the most winter hardy lavender, growing as a ..read more

By Katherine Schlosser With encouragement from the HSA Native Herb Conservation Committee and the GreenBridges project, our HSA Board of Directors joined more than 200 other national organizations and submitted a Resolution to the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives to recognize April 2024 as National Native Plant Month. This is the 4th year of this effort to promote America’s many beautiful and useful native plants. It occurred to some of us, under the influence of bright Spring colors, singing birds, and tantalizing warm breezes, that PICNICS would be a perfect way to celebrate ..read more