Hardy Herbs
Ash Barsody, Anoka County Extension Master Gardener
If you’re anything like me, you might take great joy in growing edibles in your garden. But you also might like to reduce the amount of work your garden takes by growing perennials. In Minnesota, we are limited by what will reliably perennialize in our zone, but there are still some hardy herb options that will keep on giving year after year.
The northern half of Minnesota is considered zone 3, while the southern half is zone 4. Zone 4 does have a few more options available, but even gardeners in the far north of the state can reliably grow a few perennial herbs. Mints are tough to kill, even when you want to, and come in many different flavors like spearmint, chocolate and orange. Mints will reproduce by roots and runners, so unless you have a contained space or one in which you don’t mind having a delicious smelling ground cover, you might want to keep that one in a pot. Catnip will also produce throughout zone 3, providing both tea for human consumption and a euphoric effect for feline consumption. Chives, both the hollow-leaf onion type and the flat-leaf garlic type, will continue to grow bigger clumps year after year and will withstand a brutal harvest with little ill effect. Catnip and chives will also put out flowers that are highly attractive to pollinators. For zone 4, other options include lemon balm and Roman chamomile, both of which produce great teas.
There are also several herbs that, while technically annuals, will mimic perennials by reseeding themselves. Dill and borage are the repeat offenders in my garden, both with scented foliage for adding to your cooking. Borage flowers are edible and make a lovely addition to a colorful drink. Cilantro is a relatively short-lived plant that bolts in hot weather and becomes bitter and unpalatable, so the fact that it readily drops seed helps extend your cilantro harvest by providing multiple sowings. Calendula, aka pot marigold, and German chamomile are two more tea options that have been known to survive over winter in seed form.
Lastly, the USDA hardiness zones have been slowly shifting north and getting warmer. There are some spots in Minnesota that are now considered zone 5 and, even in areas that are still zone 4, some zone 5 plants may be considered marginally hardy with protection from winter winds. Sage, oregano, thyme, parsley, savory and lovage are all options that may overwinter, taking planting location into account. Sheltered corners or planting close to a house can give a zone 5 plant enough protection to survive winter, especially if a winter is unseasonably mild. Snow cover can provide an insulating blanket, and never underestimate the power of keeping plants well-watered up until a hard freeze to help prevent winter kill. Ultimately, a good attitude is the best: if a plant doesn’t make it, it just wasn’t meant to be in that particular spot. But if it does, lucky you!
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