Planting

Will Perennial Herbs Return in Spring?

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For the last two weeks the herb and flower beds have been calling to me. I’ve been wanting to clear them out of the leaves that were allowed to accumulate there for protection from winter weather. Perennial herbs may or may not survive in our location in the mountains. It all depends on the severity of the Winter and whether the plants were protected long enough into Spring from freezing temperatures.

Leaves cover the herbs horehound, lemon-thyme, thyme and tarragon.
Peeking out from leaf cover from the top moving counter-clockwise are the herbs horehound, lemon-thyme, thyme and tarragon (surprise!).

Here in Central Pennsylvania we have a frost-free date in the middle of May so we try not to plant anything but cold crops until after that date. It’s just not worth the risk of forgetting to bring in pots on a cold night that might erase all the time and energy spent on planting those pretty posies. Instead, we turn our attention to prepping the garden for receiving its first plants and picking up sticks in the yards so the lawn mower will be happy.

Historically, we’ve had record freezing temperatures well into the month of May but the forecast for the next 10 days shows lows only getting down into the 50s. Now that it seems warm enough outside we can rake out the flower and herb beds. The leaves were purposefully kept there covering up the herbs that are supposed to be perennial. Once they’re uncovered we’ll be able to figure out which plants survived and which ones need to be replaced this year.

I’m curious what other people do to overwinter their perennial herbs. We are surrounded by a forest so it’s simple for us to rake leaves over the plants to hold in the earth’s warmth.

Perennial anise hyssop.
Perennial anise hyssop.
Perennial lemon balm.
Perennial lemon balm.

A couple of hardy perennial herbs return each year in the garden where they receive no protection from Winter’s icy grip. Lemon balm and anise hyssop roots bring back these fast-growing herbs in early Spring. Their numerous seeds are sought after by goldfinches and dark-eyed juncos who visit us in the cold months, but the leftover seeds will produce many small plants in the vicinity of the mother plants.

We use leaves as a kind of mulch in our flower and herb beds, so some of the leaves will stay around the base of the plants when we rake out the beds.

Repel Garden Pests with Hot Pepper Flakes

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Ground peppers in a mason jar.
Store ground peppers in a mason jar in a cool, dark place.

Sprinkling hot pepper flakes around your favorite plants, be they flowers or vegetables, may just save them from the nibbling pests that visit flower beds and gardens. Rabbits, squirrels, deer and even slugs may be deterred from eating your prized plant leaves when they taste a little heat. Hot peppers are easy to use and they can be a safe, natural repellent.

Hot peppers may or may not be to your liking, but the flakes are easily washed off leaves and vegetables so you don’t have to ingest any if they bother your tongue or tummy.

It’s so easy to “make” hot pepper flakes. Here’s how we did it….

  • Grow peppers in a garden – it doesn’t matter what kind as long as they are hot.
  • Harvest peppers near the end of the growing season.
  • String them up for drying or lay the peppers out on a tray for a couple of weeks.
  • Collect the dried peppers and remove strings if used for tying.
  • Cut off the stems and toss the rest of the dried peppers into a blender.
  • Cap the blender and grind the peppers to flakes or smaller.
  • Transfer the hot pepper flakes to a container with a perforated lid.
  • Sprinkle the flakes all around the plants that you want to protect.
  • Enjoy your flowers and vegetables!

Dried peppers in a grinder or blender.
Take the stems and caps off the hot peppers before grinding in a blender.

ground hot peppers
Ground hot peppers in a mason jar.

Hot peppers can be used as a safe, natural repellent. Rabbits, deer and squirrels do not repeatedly eat spicy hot food, so they won’t go out of their way to come back to your flower beds once you sprinkle on the hot pepper flakes. Give it a try!