I was late ordering seeds this year, so I was late doing my wintersowing. It’s not too late though. As long as the nighttime temperatures remain in the 40s F, seeds can be sown. This year I’m sowing 5 different herbs, 4 of which I have grown before. The new one for me is skullcap, a medicinal herb. I don’t normally grow medicinal herbs, but this one is supposed to have beautiful flowers which will be a nice fit in my flower beds.
Here’s what I’m growing:
Clary Sage
Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea) a biennial and traditional medicinal herb. I grow it for its spectacular flowers. I’m going to have to be careful, though. It is a prolific reseeder. I have only a tiny space to garden in, so I will have to aggressively deadhead this one to prevent it from taking over.
Foxglove
Wild Purple Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is another biennial and traditional medicinal herb. Since I am no longer able to find the seeds, I’m using a mixture of purchased and saved seeds that are 3 and 4 years old. Flower seeds are not normally viable after 1 year, but since this is an herb and a native plant, I’m hoping that it is tougher and at least a few of the seeds will still germinate.
German Chamomile
German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) is an easy to grow annual. I’ve only grown this once many years ago in less than ideal conditions. Too much shade, I think. I’m adding it to my sunny garden this year and am looking forward to drinking chamomile tea.
Great Blue Lobelia
Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) is a native plant and was used medicinally by the Native Americans. I was introduced to it years ago when it unexpectedly appeared in my garden, probably courtesy of the backyard birds. It never did well for me. A little research tells me that it likes it wet, so I will be trying it both in my front garden (sunny and dryer) and my new back garden (northern exposure and wetter).
Baikal Skullcap
Baikal Skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis) is a perennial that has long been used in Chinese medicine, known as huang-qin. There is also an American native plant called skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) which is a different plant but in the same family. It is also used medicinally.