Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ ‘Herb Army’ has new focus
Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens volunteers Katie Stoddard, Phyllis Clay and Nancy Natter label herbs for the Friends’ Spring Plant Sale. (Photos by Graham Yelton / courtesy of Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens)
For many years, the herbs volunteer growing group, or “Herb Army,” was known for having one of the largest quantities of plant offerings at the Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ annual Spring Plant Sales. “We always had upward of 10,000 to 12,000 pots of herbs for the spring sale,” says group leader Donna Taylor.
During the past two years, as the Herb Army adapted to COVID’s ups and downs, the launch of the Friends’ online plant sales and return of in-person plant sales to the gardens, they saw an opportunity to refine their growing list. “We decided it was time to focus on hard-to-find plants,” Taylor says. “Our plan is to offer fewer herbs – closer to 4,000 this year – but they will be very choice herbs.”
The Herb Army will offer new varieties they’ve been excited to discover, alongside tried-and-true bestsellers at Spring Plant Sale 2022. “In essence, we are paying greater attention to what we are growing,” she says. “We’ve met, we’ve talked, we’ve planned, and we believe we have chosen the best, the most special herbs – our favorites over the years.”
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Led by master gardeners and united by their passion for their plant group’s culinary, aromatic and therapeutic delights, the Herb Army – now about two dozen members strong – finds success in dividing and conquering the tasks at hand.
“The group’s nickname goes way back,” Taylor says. “The original members saw themselves as little ants, all busily working toward a common goal. There’s a lot of spirit – we are attracting new members eager to learn, and it continues to be a very fun group.”
Over time, many of the group’s members have gravitated toward particular types of herbs, becoming experts in growing them. Tapped as “chairs” of their herb specialties, they identify varieties that thrive in the region, teach new group members about their specialty and share growing tips based on long experience at the sale each April.
Herb experts’ recommendations for Spring Plant Sale 2022
Cool lavender blush salvia: “This is a new salvia,” says salvia chairperson Diana Jones, who test-grows new finds in her home garden. “It’s anise-scented sage. It’s also called Salvia guaranitica. It has pinkish lavender flowers. They bloom prolifically from early summer to first frost and are hardy here to 15 degrees.”
Cool lavender blush salvia. (contributed)
African blue basil: “This variety of basil is prized primarily for its ability to attract bees and pollinators,” says Taylor. “Beekeepers love this plant. It’s a vigorous grower. It is edible but has an unusual flavor.”
African blue basil. (contributed)
Lemon verbena: “This is one of my favorites right now!” says Kathy Sherrer, who specializes in lemon-scented herbs. “We had none of this last year for sale because we were not at the gardens (because of COVID) at the time it needed to be propagated. It’s wonderfully fragrant. Just brush by it, and wow, the smell! It has culinary uses such as teas, salad dressings and desserts (like pound cake). Some want it for medicinal purposes also. And it’s a beautiful plant!”
Lemon verbena. (contributed)
Lemongrass: “I like lemongrass because it’s different,” says Jerri Barnhill, who took an interest in growing the Gardens’ lemongrass seven years ago. “It’s used in a lot of Asian dishes, and a lot of people use it for cooking and in their yards for decoration. What’s important is that you plant it in really good soil. It needs some help along the way like we all do, but it’s easy to grow and unique at the garden sale.”
Lemongrass. (contributed)
Pineapple sage: “Red-flowered pineapple sage is one of our favorites,” says Jones. “You can use the leaves for putting in salads or teas. It’s pineapple-scented and pineapple-flavored, just really pretty. You can walk by and pinch and smell, and I like to do that.”
Pineapple sage. (contributed)
‘Gorizia’ rosemary: “This variety of rosemary is a favorite of American herbalist Tom DeBaggio, who consulted with his family in Italy and named Gorizia the best culinary rosemary,” says rosemary chair Mimi Boston. “This upright, shrubby plant has larger than usual leaves, or needles, with complex flavor.”
‘Gorizia’ rosemary. (contributed)
‘Tuscan blue’ rosemary: “This is another wonderful rosemary,” says Boston. “It is upright and a beautiful blue bloomer.”
‘Tuscan blue’ rosemary. (contributed)
Mint: “This year we are focusing our efforts on four select varieties: ‘Kentucky Colonel,’ ‘Mojito,’ ‘Madeline Hill’ and ‘Peppermint,’” says Taylor. “They are each distinctive in their own way — it can be hard to choose!”
Mojito mint. (contributed)
Shopping the sale is a chance to discover and learn about unusual varieties of herbs like these and many other types of plants grown by the Friends’ other volunteer growing groups, says Herb Army volunteer Katie Stoddard, whose specialty is scented geraniums. “That is what is so fun about the plant sales we have at the gardens,“ Stoddard said. “A lot of what we offer, you can’t easily find. I think that’s why gardeners and garden lovers can’t wait to get into the sale, year after year.”
The Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens Spring Plant Sale 2022 takes place at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens April 8 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for members and April 9 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the public.
This story originally appeared in The Garden Dirt magazine from Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
