| Angelica, Queen of the Plus-Size Herbs |
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By Lindsay Bond Tottens
Scripps Howard News Service "Average" is fine for some things -- temperature, grade point, even Dow Jones. But plants have minds of their own (so to speak), and "average" isn't nearly good enough for some. At an average height, angelica would be just another herb, competing with, and most likely losing ground to, more useful plants like basil, tarragon and chives. By soaring to six feet, however, she aims for "above average" marks. Way above average. And in that rarefied atmosphere shared only with a big beautiful few, angelica reigns as queen of the plus-size herbs. Don't plant her at the back doorstep. There will never be room. This bold biennial wants her own personal space against the side of a garage (or barn, if yours is a country garden), at the back of a perennial border or next to a tall fence. Angelica begins as a small dense rosette of leaves, either from seeds or transplants, but quickly grows into a substantial green mound. It's in her second, and usually final, year that the mound swells to immense proportions -- up to four feet across -- and shoots skyward a thick stem topped with frilly cream-colored flowers in mid summer. Not one to conform to rigid rules, angelica will sometimes return for a third season. This behavior is more likely to occur if flower stalks are removed before they go to seed. Use angelica's anise-flavored stems for flavoring teas or baked goods. Or just enjoy this bold brassy lady for the architectural interest she can bring to a large garden. Castor bean is another herb that's over the top in every way -- size, color, and blooms. Dark maroon leaves, up to three feet across, swell into an enormous tropical bush by late summer. Strictly an annual, castor bean begins in spring as a large hard seed, sown directly in the ground or started indoors to get a jump on the season. If the summer is hot enough, and long enough -- in USDA Zone 5b the odds are about 50-50 -- gardeners will be rewarded with spikes of red and yellow flowers, followed by unusual spiny seedpods. Why bother with such hugely opinionated plants at all when there's such a host of politer herbs available? To make a statement, of course. At just the right place, in just the right garden -- preferably a large one. But -- WOW -- what an impact one of these beauties can make if carefully inserted into a small seasonal vignette or patio garden! Bold leaves on big plants help to relieve the tension of too much medium-fine foliage. A big beautiful specimen can indicate a turn in a path, anchor a wide bed, or provide a frame for a distant view. Many large handsome perennial flowers can serve the same purpose, but herbs have the dual role of being useful as well. Essential oils and strong fragrances make most of them unpalatable to deer. Since large gardens are often located in deer territory, this twist may help deer-proof some beds. The lacy foliage of sweet fennel stands six feet tall, in delicate contrast to the plants around it. Especially attractive is the bronze-leaved form, which shows up a little better if planted in small drifts. The foliage hangs like a filigreed mist above its neighbors. All parts of sweet fennel are edible -- seeds, foliage, and, by season's end, the swollen roots. This herb imparts a lightly sweet anise flavor -- some say with nutty overtones -- to breads and baked goods, salads, and stews. Start sweet fennel from seeds or transplants. Seeds germinate readily -- perhaps too readily -- when sown directly into warm garden soil. Harvest the seed heads as they mature to reduce the number that self-sow. Still, you'll never get them all (but you'll never have to buy more seeds), so prepare to weed in spring when the seedlings are very small, before their taproots gain a foothold. If it's the bronze form you prefer, cull the greener seedlings in favor of those with darker foliage. Plant lovage just once -- once will probably be enough -- and its hardy perennial root will insure a lifetime supply of this pungent herb. Lovage looks, and tastes, like celery on steroids. Bigger, better, bolder. And much easier to grow. Lovage will quickly reach four feet, then grow even taller once the plant is well established and growing in full sun. And finally, mullein. Just a roadside weed to many, but pluck it from its highway habitat (figuratively speaking -- don't dig plants along the road!) and the huge furry gray leaves with five-foot yellow flower spikes transform it into a handsome garden biennial. Uses for mullein are strictly medicinal, and nearly all historical (coughs, congestions, tuberculosis), but its beauty persists in this over-the-counter age and provides reason enough for us to include it in this list of big, beautiful herbs. (Lindsay Bond Totten, a horticulturist, writes about gardening for Scripps Howard News Service.)
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