The Withered Herb Nursery is awakening from its long winter slumber!   I am  propagating a variety of culinary and medicinal herbs and playing with sedums.  I will provide updates and photos (and probably some lessons learned) through my blog.

I am selling potted culinary, medicinal & tea herbs at the Hood River Farmers’ Market on Thursdays from 4-7pm during the months of June and July. Plants are potted in 4 inch pots, 1 gal pots and decorative planters. At this time, we are not shipping live plants.

Culinary Herb Starter Six Pack

Everyone deserves a culinary herb garden!  The six pack offers a choice of  young starts of the following herbs: silver thyme, chives, oregano, winter savory, garlic chives, rosemary, salad burnet, basil and dill.  The starts can be planted outdoors or potted for an indoor herb garden.  The young perennials will need about 3 years to grow to full size but you can start using fresh leaves and flowers during the first year while the annuals will bloom all summer as long as you clip the flowers. Just don’t cut all the leaves off! Herbs are incredibly easy to grow: 4-6 hours of daily sunshine, regular watering (more needed during the first year and for indoor herbs) and occasional pruning.  Healthy garden soil is ideal; amend heavy clay with an organic compost or composted manure.  Since you will be using the herbs in your food or teas, avoid using pesticides and other toxic chemicals. Most pests avoid herbs because they don’t like the aromatic oils. Deer visit my yard regularly but walk right past the unprotected herb garden.

May 2012 – Current Inventory of Potted Herbs (A = annual; B = biennial; P = perennial; TP = tender perennial; will not tolerate cold or frost)

  • Basil - Genovese (A) – A favorite summer herb used fresh in pestos, salads, on sliced tomatoes. Can be dried for winter use. Available late June
  • Basil – Purple Ruffles (A) – beautiful & tasty!  Available late June
  • Mammoth Basil (A) - largest leaf available; great for salads or wrapping other goodies Available late June
  • Lemon Basil  (A)- A wonderful flavor!  Available late June
  • Christmas Basil (A) – Lovely! Available late June
  • Silver Thyme (P) – A basic culinary herb with a subtle taste used fresh or dried in just about everything. Especially good with veggies, poultry, and seafood.  Also makes a wonderful edging plant.  .
  • Spearmint (P) – Strongly flavored mint that will take over where ever it lives, so plant it in a large pot or barrel to keep it under control.  Wonderful tea and mainstay of taboulleah!
  • Lemon Balm (P) – A light lemony mint flavor that makes a wonderful calming tea. Will also take over unless controlled.
  • Chives (P) –  Perfect for garnishing food, offering a mild onion taste.  Does not cook or freeze well.
  • Garlic Chives (P) – Light garlic flavor and scent.
  • Dill (A) – Adds a strong and distinctive taste to potatoes, fish, veggies, pickles and salads.  Dries easily, maintaining its flavor well.
  • Oregano (P) – A mandatory herb for Italian dishes.  Dries well so grow several plants to carry you through the winter.
  • Salad burnet (P) – Small delicate leaves offer a mild cucumber taste to salads. Infuse it in vinegar for gourmet treat.
  • Winter savory (P) – A lesser known herb staple that enhances beans and meats. Easy to grow and dry.
  • Italian Parsley (B) – Flat leaf parsley is more than a garnish! A regular in pestos, parsley will add a light flavor if sprinkled on potatoes and veggies. Not very good dried. Available late June
  • Tuscan Blue Rosemary – Culinary staple and ancient medicinal; good for memory enhancement & clarity.
  • Borage (A; but reseeds easily)
  • Clary Sage (P)
  • Anise Hyssop (P)  Great bee plant!  Licorice-scented leaves and flowers make a refreshing tea.
  • Marshmallow (TP) Another ancient medicinal and the original source of the white culinary  sugary goo!
  • Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris) (P) Diverse medicinal useful for simple home remedies.
  • Skullcap (P) – Medicinal used as a nerve tonic; powerful sedative. NOT to be used during pregnancy.
  • Indian Hemp (Apocynum cannibinum) (P) – Fiber plant; useful for making string
  • Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) (P) – Western native; bee and butterfly plant; variety of human uses.
  • Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) (P) – Sweat-inducer as old time remedy for fever. Also used to stimulate white blood cells.