Born to be wild

By Carissa Wills-DeMello

If you’ve got any sort of green thumb, then you’re surely delighted by the awakening of spring and by the plants rising from their winter slumber. For many of us, spring time means one thing more than any other: gardening. From juicy melons to bright cut flowers, the gardening options are endless. Gardening tantalizes our senses, gets our blood moving, and connects us with the cycles of nature here in New England.

For those who want a gardening experience that is manageable and meaningful, focusing on a theme each year may serve you well. Perhaps last year you focused on planting perennial pollinator plants, and this year you’ll fall in love with annual vegetables. How about herbs? Herbs are a gardener’s dream – they can serve as medicine and culinary flavor, pollinator attractors, and cut flowers. They’re sort of a jack-of-all-trades class of plants!

While herbs are often quite resilient and easy to grow, studies have even shown that when herbs experience a bit of stress, their flavor and medicinal compounds can be enhanced. So those who’ve struggled getting their garden going in the past might do well starting with herbs. Do I have your attention now? Let’s get planning!

Stewarding the “wild”

One beautifully simple way to grow an herb garden is to start with what you already have. Go ahead: grab a pen and paper, and possibly a field guide or an herbalist friend. Stroll your yard. Which plants already live there? Which tend to thrive and where? This exercise firstly can serve as an assessment of your growing conditions. But even more so, this can be your jumping off point to “tending the wild.”

A multitude of beautiful medicinal and edible herbs can be found wild throughout New England: Yarrow, Saint John’s Wort, Violet, Mullein, Nettles, and Dandelion, to name a few. Befriending the wild plants that you already share your home with is a powerful way to connect with the land around you. You may be surprised by the profound effects on your spirit!

While every yard will host a different array of wild herbs, depending on your soil type, sun exposure, and annual climate variations, here’s a few that are quite common and worth befriending:

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

Proliferates in sunny, compacted soil, by roadsides and in backyards. Mullein is a hardy, self-seeding biennial. In year one, mullein will present as a basil florette of furry leaves. In year two, this king of wild herbs will shoot up to eye level or taller, and burst forth with countless yellow blossoms. Why love mullein? The best reason: because bees love it. Sit among the mullein in the wee hours of the morning and you’ll be delighted by their gentle buzzing as they gather pollen from the multitude of flowers. As for human uses, the flowers can be sun-infused into olive oil as an earache remedy, and the leaves make a potent (and tasty) tea for expelling congestion.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Named after the mythical Achilles, yarrow is associated with much folklore. It’s the plant of warriors and protection, and it happens to grow wild here in New England. If you happen to find a patch, dote on it! Yarrow is a gorgeous perennial flower, with feathery leaves and intricate umbelliferous flowers in shades of pink and white. Yarrow is best known as a “styptic” and anti-microbial. Crush the flowers and apply as a poultice to stop bleeding or prevent infection on minor cuts. Steeped as a light tea, yarrow has long been known to aid the body in lowering fevers and to gently stimulate digestion.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinalis)

One of the very best wild foods, dandelion is so much more than the troublesome flower it’s been made out to be! The young leaves can be plucked and enjoyed in a multitude of ways – sauteed, diced in salads, mixed into soups, blended into sauces. The leaves contain a higher Vitamin A content than carrots, as well as protein, iron, minerals, and other bioavailable nutrients. Medicinally, as a food or tea, they gently support the kidneys and stimulate the digestive system – talk about the perfect spring food! And if you’re dead set on ridding your yard of dandelion, skip the herbicide and dig up the roots. Once roasted they can be simmered to make a delicious, smoky tea.

Cultivating your Plot

Tending the wilds and foraging at home isn’t necessarily everyone’s gardening style. And that’s okay! For those that prefer order in their yard, you have a wide variety of options for cultivating a plot of herbs in your garden.

Jenny Prior, herbalist and owner of Jenny Prior Herbal, suggests that “if you’re planting an herb garden I think it’s important to plant herbs that like the same kind of ‘home’ together. I plant my annual herbs in one bed with annual flowers and my perennial herbs in another bed or in the perennial landscape. It just makes life easier for me – you can disagree! Gardening is wonderful that way.”

Regardless of whether you choose annuals or perennials, most herbs will enjoy well-draining soil and sunshine. Once you’ve chosen your location and your herbs are growing, make sure you actually harvest them! Frequent harvesting actually stimulates the growth of herbs. Mary Blue, renowned herbalist, herb farmer, and owner of Farmacy Herbs in Providence, explains, “if the soil is too rich, the plants get lazy and they don’t produce the compounds we adore them for – those resinous pungent oils! So don’t be afraid to let them go a couple of days between waterings. Often with those plants you won’t know you’re overwatering until it’s too late.”

As for which herbs to start with, why just stick to the common herbs like basil or cilantro? Here are a fun and unusual few worth giving a try:

Calendula (Calendula officinalis)

This continually blooming little flower is practically sunshine incarnate. “I never run out of work for calendula and love how cheery it is,” explains Prior. “Last year I had a whole bed devoted to it and I harvested until October.” The flowers range from deep orange to a glowing yellow, and the more you pick them, the more they grow! Save your calendula for beautiful wintertime teas, or infuse them fresh into oil for a traditional skin-soothing remedy. “The plant contains large amounts of iodine and manganese, as well as carotene,” instructs Mary Blue, “and all of these attributes promote the regeneration of skin cells.”

Hops (Humulus lupulus)

Hops isn’t just for beer – it’s for beauty, medicine, and pollinators, too! Jenny Prior shares that, “It is a perennial herb climber that is overlooked as a good landscape plant. It is a vigorous and attractive climber and the flowers are gorgeous and prized by beer makers and herbalists alike. I dry the flowers and make tea or infused vinegar. It’s very bitter so it must be mixed with something like mint or lemon balm.” Come fall, the long, sticky vines make for great decorative wreath material.

Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

As a member of the mint family, anise hyssop has all the characteristics we know and love, plus the added beauty of gorgeous purple flowers! It is easy to grow, prolific, delicious, and useful. It’s a favorite of Mary Blue on her West Greenwich herb farm “for its very sweet taste, making it a great addition to desserts, chocolates and beverages, jams, jellies, ice cream, whipped cream, and infused honeys,” she explained. “Research has shown that the essential oil of anise hyssop has antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. The essential oil contains limonene, a compound that has been found to neutralize stomach acid and promote a healthy digestive tract.“ This is another herb that thrives through harvesting – snip it about one third of the way down it’s stalk and watch it bloom back all summer long!

Excited to learn more about growing and working with herbs? Both Jenny Prior and Mary Blue offer ways to get your hands dirty and your mind learning. Prior offers an herbal CSA subscription box, with fresh and dried herbs and homemade herb products – check out @jennypriorherbals on social media and her website jennypriorherbals.com in April. You can also find her at Peckham’s Greenhouse in Little Compton. They have loads of great seeds and supplies, and the staff is always happy to help new gardeners choose things that will be successful.

As for Mary Blue, you can find her at the annual Rhode Island Herb Fest from September 18-20 this fall. At the festival you can learn everything herbal, from the seed to the remedy, from practicing herbalists and herb farmers. She also hosts an annual “Herbal Foundations” educational program each May to October, online and in person at Farmacy Herbs in Providence.