The Ease of Evergreen Herbs

If beauty isn’t enough for you, and you desire more from your containers, flowerbeds and landscapes, evergreen herbs will appease you.   You don’t need to be an expert gardener or a chef to enjoy the ease of growing herbs. Evergreen herbs are low maintenance. They can take a beating in our Northwest weather.

 

 

There are three categories of herbs: perennial, annual and evergreen. Perennial herbs come back ever year, but will go dormant in the winter. Annual herbs live only one season and must be reseeded/replanted.   Evergreen herbs provide year-round foliage and seasonal flowers. This makes evergreen herbs a fantastic addition to any herb garden, adding structure and shape year round. Evergreen herbs are also a creative addition to flowerbeds and containers.

 

 

In the case of most herbs, you want to plant evergreen herbs in a sunny spot with well drained soil. Evergreen herbs need a slow release fertilizer that has a balanced N-P-K.   Most can be pruned at any time which allows for year round harvesting for those who want to use the herbs for more than an aescetic purpose.   If you want to grow evergreen herbs for cooking, plant the herbs in a container outside, near your kitchen door where it will receive rain, or in a close by flowerbed. You will be more apt to use the herbs if you can keep from getting soaked while preparing your dinner.

 

 

If you don’t harvest your evergreen herbs you will still want to prune them regularly for shape and the health of the plant. When you prune, remove any damaged or diseased parts. Try to prune lightly throughout the growing season. You can always freeze or dry the extra for future use.  Do any major pruning in two parts: once in winter and once in early spring.

 

 

Evergreen herbs are typically available year round. There are many different types of evergreen herbs. For every type of evergreen herb there are also different varieties available.   Here are a few of our favorite evergreen herbs.

 

 

This is a large category. At Al’s Garden Center we grow both evergreen and deciduous varieties. Deciduous sages are typically more upright and host beautiful blooms and fragrant foliage. They are also a little more temperamental and are not a culinary herb unlike their evergreen cousins, Salvia officinalis. This traditional culinary variety is a Mediterranean herb. It grows best in a dry, sunny location and is good for drought tolerant landscape designs. It will also adapt to growing areas that only have sun in the mornings or afternoons. Lucky for us in the Northwest, it doesn’t mind our rains. 

 

Two of the most popular varieties of evergreen sage are purple sage and tricolor sage. Purple sage has fuzzy, thick silver and purple leaves and light purple flowers. Tricolor sage has fuzzy variegated leaves of white, yellow and green. Tricolor has small white flowers.   With their great evergreen color, both varieties have become extremely popular additions to container designs.

 

 

There are so many varieties of lavender, making them one of the most popular herbs. Like the other evergreen herbs, they are very easy to care for. French chefs in and around Provence, France have been incorporating this herb into their cuisine for many centuries. In the United States, it has become popular for it’s aromatic flowers and foliage. The fragrant flower spikes are traditionally dried and used in storage to keep clothing fresh and deter moths. Lavender is also used in aromatherapy to help with relaxation.

 

Lavender is a beautiful addition to a container or a landscape. As a Mediterranean plant, after being established, lavender is great for drought tolerant designs.

 

The name rosemary has nothing to do with the rose or the name Mary. Its Latin name is rosmarinus, which means “dew of the sea”.   Also native to the Mediterranean region, rosemary is one of the most popular cooking herbs. Its fragrant gray-green, needle-like leaves are found in many chicken and lamb dishes. Rosemary has a woody trunk and branches. Some upright varieties can grow to be nice sized shrubs if allowed. There are also trailing varieties that look and work fabulously in containers. The white, pink, purple, or blue flowers will bloom up the young, new branches. 

 

 

Thyme, pronounced “Time”, can be found throughout history. It was used for embalming in Ancient Egypt. Ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense, believing it gave them courage. It was used throughout Europe to purify rooms and ward off nightmares. Thyme is most widely used in French, Italian and Lebanese cooking. It retains its flavor when dried better than many other herb.

 

Like rosemary, thyme has upright varieties and creeping varieties. Their small evergreen leaves of the low mounting thyme makes a beautiful addition to rock gardens, flowerbeds and containers.   Thyme has also been bred for use as a high-traffic, groundcover for pathways. Stepping on thyme groundcover releases the fragrance and doesn’t harm the plant. The upright varieties are best to use for flavoring.

 

Sage, lavender, rosemary and thyme can also be grown indoors as houseplants. Grow them near a sunny window and water when needed. This way, they are very handy when you cook.

 

These are just a few of our selections of evergreen herbs for those of you who enjoy multipurpose plants. You can contact any of our stores to learn more about our available varieties, and begin planning a four season garden.