In the kingdom of plants, culinary herbs occupy a special place in its complicated hierarchy, combining usefulness in the kitchen with many other valuable qualities, including an ability to support human health, and attract pollinators, as well as to be both ornamental and highly aromatic.
A shining example is rosemary, one of the very first plants that I found room for in the sunny, stony, sharply drained beds around our little farmhouse. Tucked into the ground next to the latter’s old stone walls, it has flourished ever since, providing numerous fresh pickings no matter what the time of year.
According to ancient folklore, planting this shrubby, scented, long-lived, evergreen species next to your front door helps to ward away evil. Believe that as you may, ease of picking is another very good reason to plant it close to an entrance, as is the opportunity this gives to enjoy the drifting scent of rosemary’s sun-baked foliage on a hot summer’s day.
Famed for its rich, complex flavour, the plant’s resinous, almost camphorous-smelling, needle-like leaves are delicious whether added to a Sunday roast, used as a topping on ciabatta, or mixed through a herby butter. Rosemary’s small, edible, pollinator-friendly flowers can be used as a pretty garnish in salads and stir-fries. Decorative and long-flowering, its resilient foliage also provides a welcome splash of silver-green on even the darkest of winter days.
Along with these many laudable qualities, it’s prized for other reasons. “Rosemary for remembrance”, goes the saying, alluding to the plant’s long history of use outside the kitchen, both as a purifying herb as well as a symbol of immortality and rebirth. The ancient Greeks and Romans, for example, placed rosemary in the tombs of loved ones, while it was also used in the funeral flowers of England’s Queen Elizabeth II.
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Modern scientific studies also show that consuming it - or simply inhaling the distinctive scent of its freshly crushed leaves – can measurably improve memory and cognitive function – proof that rosemary’s use as a mood-boosting herb is much more than just ritualistic.
For centuries, this hardy, drought-resistant, Mediterranean herb’s Latin name was Rosmarinus officinalis, “rosmarinus” being a reference to its preference for growing in coastal parts of southern Europe. But beady-eyed taxonomists, noting its similarities to members of the sage family, have recently rechristened it Salvia rosmarinus.
Expensive to buy but easy to grow, several different varieties are readily available from most good Irish garden centres. For a large statuesque plant that will slowly reach an average height and spread of 2m, seek out Salvia rosmarinus “Miss Jessopp’s Upright”. Alternatively, for a low, trailing rosemary bush ideal for growing along a sunny bank, the top of a retaining wall or in a large pot, Salvia rosmarinus “Blue Cascade” or Salvia rosmarinus “Prostratus Group” are just the ticket.
‘Long valued as a healing plant, sage’s large, felty leaves are rich in Vitamin A and C and can be easily used to make a health-boosting tea, as well as being delicious in stews, stuffings and other savoury dishes’
Rosemary can also be used to make a charming, informal, evergreen hedge, or to interplant among other drought-tolerant, heat-loving ornamentals in a sunny gravel bed. In this case, suitable planting partners include calamint, lavender, Mexican fleabane, cistus, artemisia, santolina, nerine, euphorbia, echinops, ornamental varieties of sage, and bearded iris.
Now, as temperatures begin to rise and day lengths to stretch, is an excellent time of year to plant it. Just make sure to choose a south- or west-facing spot in full sun and to give it a very free-draining soil or compost lightened with generous handfuls of horticultural grit.
Of course, rosemary also combines wonderfully with other sun-loving, shrubby culinary herbs such as sage, origanum, marjoram, winter savory and thyme, all of which enjoy similar growing conditions. Just avoid planting any of these Mediterranean species into a humus-rich, fertile soil, or mulching the plants with manure or garden compost, which will only predispose them to disease as well as diminish their distinctive flavours and aromas.
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All these drought-resistant, hardy, shrubby herbs also do very well in raised beds, pots, tubs, or even in a generous-sized window box, making them a great choice for the smallest of kitchen gardens where growing space is at a premium.
For maximum visual impact, try to include some varieties known for their colourful edible foliage, such as the very decorative, purple-leaved, culinary sage (Salvia officinalis “Purpurascens”), and gold-and green Salvia officinalis “Icterina”. Long valued as a healing plant, sage’s large, felty leaves are rich in Vitamin A and C and can be easily used to make a health-boosting tea, as well as being delicious in stews, stuffings and other savoury dishes.
The same goes for culinary thyme, another shrubby sun-lover from the Mediterranean region with evergreen or semi-evergreen foliage. Particularly decorative varieties include the golden-leaved creeping thyme, Thymus pulegioides; the exceptionally long-flowering, very flavoursome Thymus vulgaris “Jekka”; and the smart, yellow-and-green leaved Thymus “Lemon Variegated”.
As for oregano and marjoram, bear in mind that these two shrubby, sun-loving, flavour-packed herbs are easily confused (botanically speaking, both are in fact species of origanum). To confuse matters even further, not all kinds of oregano are suitable for culinary use; the popular, very ornamental variety known as Origanum ”Rosenkuppel”, for example, is grown primarily for its decorative flowers.
Of those varieties prized for their culinary use, seek out the compact, clump-forming golden marjoram (Origanum vulgare “Aureum”); Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum); and common oregano (Origanum vulgare), whose small, richly aromatic leaves pack a powerfully flavoursome punch whether used fresh or dried, while their pretty clusters of small, edible pink flowers are irresistible to pollinating insects. On a warm, still summer’s day, it’s not unusual to see a dozen or more butterflies feeding from just one plant – yet more proof of the magic of these versatile, ultra-useful Mediterranean natives.
This week in the garden
Check the stakes of young trees to make sure they aren’t chafing or damaging the trunks in any way, either loosening or removing any that have become too tight.
Seedlings raised under cover from seed sown earlier this spring will now be at the stage where they need to be pricked out into cellular trays or individual small pots to produce strong, healthy transplants. Do this quickly, using a pencil to gently lever out their individual root systems while handling them by their leaves (never their brittle stems) and tucking them into their new containers. Then water them gently and place them in a bright, frost-free, sheltered spot, out of direct sunshine while they recover.
Dates for your diary
The Alpine Garden Society Annual Show: Saturday, April 5th, Cabinteely Community School, Johnstown Road, Dublin 18. A range of plant exhibits, society plant sales, and commercial nursery plant stalls. alpinegardensociety.ie
Festival of Gardens and Nature: Saturday, May 3rd and Sunday, May 4th, Ballintubbert Gardens & House, Stradbally, Co Laois. With a host of guest speakers including Nigel Slater, Fergus Garrett, Catherine FitzGerald, Andrea Brunsendorf, Rory O’Connell, Giuliana Furci, Amelia Raben, Charlie Harpur, Kitty Scully, Dominic West, Sally O’Halloran, Sean Pritchard, Seán Ronayne, Tom Stuart-Smith, Darina Allen, Diarmuid Gavin and Jamie Walton. festivalofgardensandnature.com
