June 2006

The summer solstice has just passed, the days will begin to get shorter. But, we still have a long, lazy summer in front of us. Even if you live where it is really hot and, at times, uncomfortable, summer is still a time to savor. What other time of year yields such fragrant flowers, lush growth and so many herbs for your use? So long as you can keep your gardens, containers and plantings hydrated during the simmering summer heat, herbs, especially, will reward you with a wealth of flavors, even flowers, as well as lovely forms to admire as they grow.

Harvesting your herbs is important, not only so you can use them, but also to keep the plants in good shape. I know I have mentioned harvesting basil on a regular basis helps keep it from flowering and also keeps fresh new growth coming on. Our other favorite herbs appreciate being pruned through harvesting. Oregano has just passed flowering here, and I have cut it back and used its leaves, along with some rosemary and chives, in a flavored vinegar. I have dried some of the leaves to have it handy in the kitchen for those times when a pinch of dried oregano is just the thing.

Were it not for the hoards of grasshoppers that are eating almost everything in sight, I would be pruning and using leaves from my hyssop which I planted out this past spring. Hyssop is an underused herb, in my opinion. Hyssopus officinalis is a semi-evergreen perennial which eventually is fairly woody at the base, has small, narrow leaves and spikes of bluish purple flowers in mid summer.

Once considered holy and used for cleaning sacred places, hyssop was a popular strewing herb in the Middle Ages. It was also smoked, as tobacco.
Hyssop is a favorite of bees and butterflies, and it can take full sun, so is perfect for a butterfly garden. It only grows to about 2 feet at the most, so it can go toward the front of a border. Due to the small leaves, hyssop lends itself to severe pruning, and is sometimes used in a formal herbal knot garden, alternated with grey santolina for a color contrast. Left to grow naturally, however, hyssop forms a somewhat sprawling clump, but does not run or invade new areas.

Hyssop leaves are very aromatic and can be used in pot pourri and even added sparingly to salads, drinks and vegetable dishes. The flavor is somewhat bitter, minty with an overtone of sage.

Medicinally, there are a variety of conditions that hyssop has been used to treat such as coughs, upper respiratory infections and congestion. It has been used topically to help heal cuts and bruises. Oil distilled from the flowers is used in perfume.

**There is a warning in one source, The Herb Society of America Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses by Deni Bown, that excessive use of the essential oil of hyssop may cause epileptic fits and death. The oil is subject to legal restrictions in some countries.**

That said, hyssop is perfectly safe for most people to use in tea, salads and as a poultice for cuts and bruises. Please contact an informed herbalist or do more research on your own if you are interested in using any herb medicinally.

Harvest the leaves and flowering tops as the buds open and dry them to use in infusions, syrup, liquid extracts and tinctures.

Hyssop is easy to grow from seed sowed in the spring or fall for early spring planting. You can set cuttings from semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer or fall. To keep your plant neat, spring pruning is recommended. In early spring, even before leaves have come back, you can prune your hyssop plant to a nice, even shape and then leave it grow until you want to cut parts for flowers arrangements or other uses.

If you have been to The Herb Cottage web site within the last 6 weeks or so, you will notice a major change. I am no longer selling plants from the web site. The decision to close my mail order business was a difficult one. In the end, however, I decided I was spending too much time on the business and not taking enough time to smell the roses, taste the herbs and enjoy the world around me out here on this farm that has so much to offer.

I will keep my web site up and running as a source for information on herbs, especially gardening with herbs, using your herbs, as well as heirloom vegetables, gardening in the south and resources for you to find the best plants, seeds and more on the Internet. If you are in Texas, you can still find me at shows and markets or come on out to the farm and purchase herbs and other plants right from the source. Better call first, though, because I might be out fishing or off visiting another gardening friend somewhere.

Visit my Events page to see where I might show up next.

I want to thank all of you who have been so supportive of The Herb Cottage and bought plants from me and have told me how they are doing in your own garden... or how they are not doing.. as the case may be. Please feel free to contact me with your own favorite web sites and together we can make another great resource on the Internet for all to use.

I have started a "blog" or web diary, but I have not added much lately. If you visit it, you are welcome to add your own comments and start a dialogue.

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. -Joseph Addison, essayist and poet (1672-1719)

Until next time,
Good Growing to You,


Cindy Meredith, proprietor

The Herb Cottage
442 CR 233
Hallettsville, TX 77964
phone & fax: 979-562-2153