Subject: Re: herbs

From: [email-masked]
Date: 1 Dec 94 22:49:31 MDT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Seales) writes:
> In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Conrad
> Richter) writes:
> 
>>If I had to pick herbs that are intersection of 
>>   1) productive herbs
>>   2) medicinal herbs
>>   3) culinary herbs
>>   4) ornamental herbs 
> 
>>(i.e. herbs with all four characteristics) then one that some that come 
>>to mind are bergamot (bee balm), lavender, Apothecary's rose, black 
>>hollyhock, calendula (pot marigold), but I am sure others will come up 
>>with more candidates. 

> Also horehound, fennel, spearmint (etc), saffron crocus, and garlic.

I'm just a lurker here and this is likely to offend some purists, but
when I moved into my house a couple years ago I stuck some clumps of
herbs donated from friends into the ground, added a couple 69 cent
grocery store 2" plants, and scattered seeds from one of those cans
of mixed herbs.  Then I waited to see what would happen (this is 
incredibly passive gardening, but it works for a dual-career family
with lazy children).  What has happened is that the agressive hardy
types have taken over.  Some are perrenial and some are annuals
that evidently reseed themselves.  My favorites are : tarragon (because
I love cooking with it and it's tall and bright), oregano (because
different varieties are peacefully coexisting and some have nice
flowers), sage (because of its silvery green leaves with the purple
flowers), dill (because I like the umbrella shapes).  My thyme is
healthy but is being overpowered by the big guys.  Calendula seeds
>from  another friend produced a few plants last year but cheerfully
invaded another section of the garden this year and bloomed through
the late fall (in this cold northern Utah mountain climate).  

I'd love to grow fennel but haven't seen any around here.  Is it hardy?
Any hints?

[email-masked]