Early Spring Herbs
If spring is coming, the chives are close behind.
By Aspasia Bissas
February/March 2004
Toronto, Ontario—It never ceases to amaze me how anything as apparently delicate as an herb actually can be so strong and resilient. At a time of year when the earth hasn’t yet warmed from winter’s chill and more timid plants remain well-hidden until warmer days signal safety, a variety of herbs are already greeting me from under last season’s dead foliage in our messy garden beds.
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The chives invariably are first, poking spindly green shoots through the barely thawed earth. When I see chives (Allium schoenoprasum), I know spring is here — though the temperature outside might not yet feel precisely balmy. In years past, it would have been difficult to decide whether to harvest the lovely purple flowers to make chive vinegar, or leave them to add color to the landscape. Last year, however, I finally smartened up and added a few new plants throughout the yard. This year, I’m also adding white-flowered garlic chives (A. tuberosum) to the collection.
Almost as quick as the chives to emerge, yet far more surprising, is oregano (Origanum vulgare). Given its origins in a hot, dry climate — albeit in the mountains — I wonder what it thinks it’s doing coming up so early in our damp and icy Ontario spring. My plants are actually the offspring of a sprig that was brought here directly from Greece, and they produce many of their own offspring each year, seeding themselves everywhere from the lawn to the rock path. This wonderfully aromatic and flavorful oregano is a welcome sight during these cold and often gray days.
Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) also arrives early, though not so early that a decent-sized sprig can be harvested for the traditional May Bowl (spiced wine or punch served on May Day). I’ve heard that in damp areas, woodruff can become a rampant weed, but in the dry, deep shade under my numerous pine and spruce trees, it is the perfect groundcover. Every year it spreads a little more, adding beautiful foliage and subtle flowers to what would otherwise be a barren area. When dried, the leaves smell of vanilla and are a lovely addition to sachets and potpourri.