Flowering herbs add spice to the home garden

By Ted Schaaf
Gardens on Spring Creek

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The days of large formal flower gardens are gone. Smaller, more intimate gardens are taking their place. It appears even flowers must multi-task these days. No longer can flowers provide just color. They must satisfy the senses of sight, smell and taste.

Herbs are plants that have a useful purpose. They are especially suited for gardening in extreme climates. Read on for a list of my favorites.

Bulbs

Ornamental onion (Allium giganteum) - These tall, showy onions bloom very late in the spring. Their softball size flowers bloom on tall stems adding architectural interest to the garden. They make wonderful cut or dried flowers.

Saffron (Crocus sativus) - Different from its spring-blooming cousin, the saffron crocus blooms in the fall. Harvest the rich orange threads inside the beautiful purple flowers to use in rice dishes, breads and cakes. Saffron rolls were a favorite of my grandmother.

Teas

Bee balm (Monarda didyma) - A member of the mint family, its tubular flowers look like shaggy heads and attract pollinators to the garden. Look for hybrids like 'Coral Reef' as it has shown to be resistant to powdery mildew at the Gardens. Native Americans introduced bee balm to colonial settlers.

Chamomile (Chamaemilum nobile) - Small edible daisies add to the charm of this plant. The feathery leaves give off a wonderful fruity scent. For gleaming hair, steep a cup of dried daisies in 2 cups of water and pour over wet hair. A cup of chamomile tea before bed is my best advice for those suffering from insomnia.

Wildflowers

Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) - Purple coneflowers are true American wildflowers. They produce large daisy-like blooms with eye-catching, spiky cones. These flowers attract butterflies. Birds will feed on the seed heads. My favorite is the narrow-leaved coneflower (Echinacea angusifolia). These coneflowers bear narrow, drooping ray flowers. Their roots are used in herbal extracts and aid in boosting the immune system.

Gay feather (Liatris spicata) is the most popular form of Liatris. This plant's striking, feather-like lavender flowers are held high on tall stems. One of the best butterfly plants, it provides nectar for migrating butterflies. Gay feathers are often used as cut flowers. In colonial times, herbal extracts taken from the roots were used as an attempted cure for venereal disease. A Colorado wildflower, its purple blooms grace our foothills each fall.

Hummers

Sunset hyssop (Agastache rupestris) - Planted in the Children's Garden, it flowers in late summer and is one of my favorites. Stunning, tubular flowers are held above delicate leaves that smell like root beer. Hummingbirds will swarm to this plant. A true xeric plant, the sunset hyssop is at home in our western landscapes.

Mealy-cup sage (Salvia farinacea) - An annual, it is one of many sages grown for its flowers. Spiky tubular flowers bloom nonstop throughout the season, even surviving several light frosts. Nectar-rich blossoms are appealing to hummingbirds. A bit slow to reach its full splendor, it's well worth the wait. The 'Victoria Blue' variety is always included in my annual plantings.

Groundcovers

Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) - This flower is planted above our rock wall in the Children's Garden. A very easy-care perennial, the plant is covered in a solid swath of pale pink flowers that bloom sporadically through the first frost. Soapwort is famous for the sudsy wash water made from its roots and stems. Cut it back after it flowers to retain a tidy form.

St. John's Wort (Hypericum calycinum) - "Wort" is an old English word meaning plant. This variety, best known as an herbal extract used to relieve depression, is an evergreen sub-shrub named after John the Baptist. Its large yellow, stamen-filled flowers were said to "bleed" on the anniversary of the saint's beheading. When crushed, the flowers turn blood red due to glands near their edge that seep reddish oil. St. John's Wort competes well with shallow-rooted trees. In Colorado, expect it to die back to the ground each fall.

If you'd like to see these and many other flowering herbs, stop by the Gardens on Spring Creek. We'd love to show them to you.

Happy gardening!

Ted Schaaf is the horticulturist for Fort Collins' Gardens on Spring Creek, located off Centre Avenue about a half mile south of Prospect Road.