Organic Herb Lovage Crown

Lovage
levisticum officinale

Lovage is a very stately herb to grow with plants reaching up to 2m tall. The stems are strong and upright with many large, lobed, grey-green leaves giving good coverage. The leaves are very aromatic with a smell like celery, parsley or even parsnip. Lovage flowers are small in dense yellow clusters and are excellent for encouraging beneficial insects into your garden. Lovage has a long history of use as a culinary and medicinal herb.

How to grow:
Lovage likes a rich moist soil and will grow in full sun or partial shade. Lovage grows best in soil that does not regularly become waterlogged. Plants need a distance of between 75 and 90cm apart, with 30cm between rows. Plant the crowns just below the soil surface and cover with 2.5cm of rich soil or compost. Once planted water regularly during dry spells. Plants will die back in the autumn, remove any dead leaves and give them a mulch with home made compost. Some leaves can be harvested in the first year, but allow the plants to establish for a season before harvesting stems or roots.

Pests and diseases:
The plants can be effected by aphids but this is usually not a big problem. You can squish them with your thumb and finger or leave them to attract beneficial insects like hoverflies and ladybirds.

How to use:
The leaves, roots, stems and seeds were all used in cooking. Lovage was once used as a pot herb. In times when food could be scarce a number of nutritious and flavoursome herbs were used in place of vegetables in soups and stews to give bulk, flavour and nutrients. The flavour is much stronger than either celery or parsley so use it sparingly at first. The stems can be candied, like Angelica and the seeds used in cakes and biscuits as well as cordials and liqueurs. The leaf also has a deodorising effect and can be used in the bath or put in your shoes!