Lovage
Lovage is one of those herbs that people always pass up. They ask what it is and when I tell them it’s lovage and it tastes like celery, they just keep on walking. They shouldn’t. Lovage is much more than a celery wannabe.
Lovage (Levisticum officinale) is a member of the carrot family and is native to southern Europe. It was so valued in ancient times that the Romans brought it with them when they colonized Great Britain where it has naturalized. The British, in turn, brought it to North America when they were settling the continent and it has naturalized here also.
Lovage is a perennial herb that is hardy as far north as zone 3. It prefers sun but will tolerate a little shade. Unlike Mediterranean herbs which grow in poor soils, lovage needs the rich soil found in most gardens. Good drainage is a must. Keep seedlings well-watered. Mature plants require less water because they have developed a long tap root which can access water found deeper in the soil. Lovage can reach a height of up to 6 feet.
Propagation by division is the preferred method. Divide the crowns in the spring. Lovage can be grown from seed but it is a little more difficult. The seed must be fresh. Ideally, you should harvest your seed and plant it immediately. But be patient! The seeds have a long germination period. Transplant your seedlings in the fall to their permanent home. Less desirable is waiting until spring to transplant them.
All parts of the plant are edible. The leaves are used in soups and salads while the stems can be used like celery. Beware! Lovage tastes much stronger than celery, so use half as much as you would celery. The stems and seeds can be candied for a sweet snack. In fact, Queen Victoria always carried some candied lovage seeds to satisfy her sweet tooth. Lovage seeds can be substituted for celery seeds in recipes or ground up and used as a spice, similar to fennel seeds. The roots used to be used medicinally, but in modern times are eaten as a vegetable in Europe or grated into salads.
Lovage loses its flavor when dried, so it is recommended that you briefly blanch the leaves and stems and then freeze them instead for use during the winter before the plant has dies back to the ground in the fall.
Historically, lovage has been much more than a medicinal herb. It has been used in love potions, cordials, as a breath freshener as well as air freshener, and as a facial cleanser. Charlemagne was said to have liked lovage so much that he ordered it grown in all of the gardens on his estate. So add this “royal” herb to your herb garden and grow a little history!
29 Comments on “Lovage”
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I think it’s fantastic. Grows well in large pots if you’re worried about invasive spreading. Hollow stems are a fantastic “celery flavored” straw for use in cocktails like a special Bloody Mary. If you like celery you’ll love lovage!
Hi, I have a question about dividing the lovage. I know your articles say in the spring. My plant is already about 4 feet tall, is it too late to divide it? Also, to divide the plant do you dig it up and divide the roots like you would a host plant? I also read someplace that you should divide the plant every so often as they only have an 8 year life span, doing this expands the generations of the plant-correct?
P.S. My sister and I love the Rugter’s plant sale we are members and go on the pre-sale Thursday afternoon event. BIG thank you 🙂
Regards,
Cynthia
So glad you enjoy the plant sale and hapy to hear that you are members and take advantage of our pre-sale! Yes, you should dig up the lovage and divide it just like any other perennial. It’s a little late now to do so. Better to wait until the fall. Division should be done in the early spring when the plant has just started growing or in the fall when it is going dormant and stopped growing. Most perennials only live 7 to 9 years which is why you want to keep dividing them and preserving the newest growth.
My lovage from last year has come back. Larger now but it still doesn’t look heathy. The leaves are not opening up wide and flat but have a partially shriveled look about them even though they don’t eventually shrivel . It’s as if the leaves don’t want to unfold. They are in deep soil with plenty of north carolina sun, rain and fertilizer. Any advice?
Cut back on the fertilizer! Herbs prefer “poor” soil with few nutrients. Fertilizing them, i.e. overfeeding them, can kill them. The only fertilizer that you should be using is compost. Apply some in the spring only.
Thankyou for the lovage advise, I’ve tried with seed but didnt realise they could take a bit longer, so maybe next year I’ll have lots popping up – a friend gave me this last year and I absolutely love it, would never buy or grow celery again as the lovage is sooooo unique and does well here in Scotland – wasn’t sure if it could be split but now that I know I’ll have a border of them next year, sadly mine will never make it 4 feet tall as I add it to many vegan/veggie dishes, hence need more – you should make a wee salad dish for your next show so folks can actually taste it as you know how peeps can be, afraid of the unknown and will stick with the same old until they are shown something better and its so much easier to grow than celery – keep up the good work herb lady from the strawberry lady in Scotland
The more you cut it and use it the more it grows…. I cut the thickest branches close to the root, put them in the a food processor with olive oil and then freeze the paste in small cubes ( using an ice tray) which I use thru the winter in soups or ciorba ( ciorba is a Romanian sour soup ) . This herb could be considered the national herb of Romania – one of the most sought and treasured herbs by Romanians.
Thank you for sharing your tradition.
I am struggling to grow this plant here in Canada. I have two plants- one in the garden, started from seeds, that unfortunately harvest it during its first year and it is now in her second year, very thin and not heathy at all. How can i make sure and how to treat it next year to make sure it will become sense and big? Should I cut it down an inch fr ground now that the winter is coming?
The second one in a large pot and that one was started from roots. This grew very nice and I brought it inside as the cold might freeze it roots and kill it. I see it turning yellow, dieing out and I am wondering if I should cut it to ground or just let it die out and hopefully come back in spring? I would love those leaves to be used in my recipes but I would do whatever it takes to save the plant 😉.
If you have any advice please share it 😊
My first impression is that your lovage is probably not getting enough sunlight. I have seen it over and over. Morning sun only or afternoon sun only is not sufficient and results in plants that are exactly as you describe: thin and unhealthy. Lovage, like most herbs, requires full sun which is defined as 6 to 8 hours per day. Think of it like your vegetable garden: it needs sun all day long. My other thought is that your soil may not be draining enough. Again, like most herbs, lovage requires well-drained soil. If you have very clay soil, add some sand to help with the drainage. By the way, this is probaby why your lovage grown in a container did so well: the potting soil drained better that the soil in your garden.
As for your question about your containerized lovage, it is normal at this time of year for lovage to die back. It is going dormant for the winter. Cut off the dying foliage. It will regrow in the spring.
I grow up having this plant in Moldova , my mom was using it in almost everything what she was cooking, now I decided to give it a try to grow it but my main question it is if I will have any success in gardening zone 11, more specifically in the Florida Keys ? Thank you
Hi Angela, unfortunately lovage will not survive in tropical climates. It will only grow as far south as zone 8.
I bought a small container of lovage and want to plant it. I have plenty of space but am concerned about it spreading and getting out of control. Is there a way to control it from spreading? I assume it has rizomes that spread.
Hi Peggy, lovage is a member of the carrot family so it grows like a carrot with a long taproot rather than spreading by rhizomes. The crown of the plant will get wider, but it will not spread all over your garden. If the crown becomes too wide, simply dig it up and divide it into pieces, then replant the pieces or give some away to your gardening friends. You don’t have to worry about it becoming a nuisance.
My neighbor planted 2 lovage plants in her new raised bed last year. Both plants overwintered and came back this year very healthy. We live in Zone 5a.
I divided one one of the lovage a few weeks ago (late May). I realize it wasn’t a good time to do this. Several stalks on my neighbor’s plant withered, as well as my new transplant. We both are simply watering and now each lovage seem on the mend.
Great advice, thank you. Is it normal for lovage to have no scent? My plant has regrown this spring but has absolutely no scent at all. I’m beginning to wonder if the business I bought it off sold me something other than lovage!
I have never known lovage to have a scent. As long as your plant has its distinctive celery like flavor, it is authentic.
Lovage definitely has a specific scent, that’s why we use it in soups, for the wonderful specific aroma. We would not use celery as it doesn’t impart any smell to the final dish….
Will lovage grow in st. Petersburg area of Florida?
Unfortunately, no. Lovage needs a period of cold dormancy, i.e. winter. It will not survive in areas where there are no winters.
Hello. I’m in Ontario, Canada and my lovage plant has already gone into seed and it’s only the end of June. Should I be cutting it down below the seeds? We received this plant in the spring and it was quite large so we divided it. It’s very healthy looking but I thought it wouldn’t go into seed until the fall. And to harvest the leaves as needed, do I just take off individual leaves or cut it back like you would with parsley? Is it possible to send you a picture if it?
Lovage is a perennial so it won’t die after producing seed like annuals. I would cut off the seed stem and continue harvesting until fall. You can harvest individual leavess or leaves plus stems depending on what you need for your recipe.
Should I put in bone meal when I move my lovage from a container to the garden this month.
There is no need to add any soil amendments for your herbs. They prefer growing in poor soil. A little compost in the spring is all they need.
My lovage is two years old and is growing in a five gallon pail. There are two of them which I will probably divide next season. It is early May in Southeastern Pennsylvania 6B (?). They are bolting and will be flowering probably within one week. I think I should remove the bolting stems, but I’m not sure. Isn’t it too early in the season for them to bolt?? It hasn’t been super warm outside yet this year. Thank you
Lovage is a perennial so it doesn’t matter when it bolts. It will continue growing. Personally, I remove the bolting stems.
I’m looking to grow lovage in zone 7a in the US. Summers I my location are very hot. I’m torn between planting in full sun, which is often quite harsh and very hot and in a location that is shaded most of the day but with great bright light exposure – opposite sides of my small yard. What do you suggest?
Lovage is from southern Europe which I believe is zone 8 so I don’t think that your summers would be too hot for it. You can safely grow it in full sun.