Very cool!

It does have a wonderful flavor (like celery to the max!) and is a wonderful plant for the back of an herb garden - as said, it can get big. It is rather hardy and has no special needs. It does seem to prefer moisture over dryness so it wouldn't be a good partner for your dry loving Mediterranean herbs like sage, thyme, and lavender.

DancingLemons, I'm glad it is working out so well for you! It is always nice to hear when herbs new to someone's garden turn out to be such a success. :)

FataMorgana

I love lovage too! Google apple lovage chutney recipe. You'll like that as well.

Coolage! After a year or two, when the plants get big, you can cut the stems, which are hollow, and use them as Bloody Mary straws.

Be sure to plant enough for the black swallowtail caterpillars to have their share! They are a certainty on any plant in the Apiaceae family (lovage, parsely, dill, etc.) in my garden.

I like it too. It's good in soups or chopped finely and added to coleslaw.

This is the second year I've enjoyed my lovage plant. Such an amazing herb- I don't know why more people don't grow it.

I'm wondering if I need to do anything to it for winter though. We've had our first freeze, and they will continue into the overnights for the foreseable future. Should I trim the plant back now or just leave it be and wait for spring?

The reason we do not grow it here in the south is it does not like our climate.

I've tried growing lovage before and I cannot get the seeds to germinate. Tried several methods, including wintersowing, to no avail. I've never seen the plants offered at my local garden centers.

I believe this is one you need to have fresh seed for.

FataMorgana

gosh, I can't remember where I got the seed. I started some in a large plastic pot late in the season. My husband put the pots under the barn but they still got some sunlight. The next spring a couple of plants sprouted. I planted one in the herb garden next to our kitchen porch. The plant is at the back on the west side so it doesn't get full sun even though the bed faces south. On the south edge I can grow sage. It's amazing how a few feet can make a difference to plants that have different growing requirements.

It got huge during the growing season then died back after blossoming. Then after awhile it re-grew. I should be trying some for turkey stuffing and soups. I only used a little bit last spring.

I bought lovage seeds from richters and got 100% germination from the 7 I started in the papertowel method.

Sadly - Only 1 has survived - they are very slow growers and I forgot about them once or twice. but I think this one will make it. Going to keep it inside and in the mud room on milder days and plant it out next spring.

I haven't tried it, but I wonder if winter sowing would work well for lovage? I winter sowed angelica with terrific results. Maybe I'll have to try it...

FataMorgana

Does anyone grow lovage for swallowtails. I just purchased seeds. I understand that they attract bees, which is my main reason for purchasing the seeds. Since it like bog conditions can it be planted in full shade?

I saw a wonderful crop of Lovage a few years ago in Live Oak, Florida. It is listed on Dave's Garden as a plant that will gow in this zone. I have a few seeds that I am going to put in the ground soon.

Thank you for the Live Oak, Florida lovage info. When you saw that pretty crop of it, was it winter or summer? I tried growing lovage in north central Texas a few years back. The lovage limped along until the heat hit in June-July, then died before the end of August. Sigh.

ME love LOVAGE, too! Just got turned onto it a couple years ago. Thankfully, I have three or four established. Good way, if seed fails you, is to transplant from a fully established one during the summer. Oh my, I don't even buy celery (full of pesticides) from the store any more. Drys so well and retains flavor. Like Swiss Chard, it doesn't have the respect it deserves!

I purchased my lovage in 2009 as a plant, mail order from Companion Plants in Ohio. It was a very hot, dry summer and I had a difficult time getting it started outside despite watering. I bought 2 plants which both died after planting. Then bought 2 more and one survived. The plant is really big, so one is all you need unless you plan to sell at the farmer's market or use at a restaurant. Mine is planted next to the foundation of our porch, and is somewhat under the eaves of the house, so it gets some protection from our cold winters. The leaves and stems die off every winter and it grows back from the roots every spring.

I let my lovage go outside and it froze, but I brought it back in and it started growing (the 2 sorrels did not come back).

It is still very small, just 3 springs with a couple leaves each..too tiny for me to try a sample....

Anyone know how big it will get by the end of summer? I wanted to plant it in an out of the way place, but wooried it won't get enough sun if it stays tiny for a few years.

Lovage's size really depends upon how happy it is with its location. I've had them get 5+' tall and 3+' wide when happy but a mere fraction of that when they are not.

Most perennials take about 3 years to reach their full size.

FataMorgana

I've had lovage in my garden for many years - it returns reliably in zone 2. It gets huge, at least five feet tall and several feet wide. I hack it ruthlessly or it would take over the whole area!

wow Donna! I'm impressed with anyone gardening in zone 2. Glad Lovage is working for you!

I can't wait for my first harvest.....still only 4" high, so I'll wait a month or so to take a little sprig.

We live in Jacksonville FL and we've been trying to grow lovage every year, just this year we got some and froze. But we make a lot of home made soups and that stuff is not going to last. If someone here can grow it for us up north and ship it frozen to us, we will make it worthwhile.

Not frozen, but you can order dried lovage online.

I have dried, but it's not the same thing.