Lovage is, in my opinion, the most wonderful and useful yet underrated herb there is. I mean, what’s not to love?

Photo by Yashima

A perennial from Zone 7b all the way up to Zone 3a, it’s a plant it once and have it for years kind of plant. It can be grown in partial shade to full sun, giving you plenty of placement options, and although not really an ornamental plant, it has pleasant shiny medium green leaves supported on hollow stalks. The flowers are large and almost graphic in nature-sort of like a Queen Anne’s lace, and they turn into interesting looking seed heads.*

Photo by Foreby

And the flavor! Lovage leaves taste like celery. Now that might not seem like a big deal to you, but let me just tell you-it’s a handy thing to have around! I cannot count how many times I’ve decided to cook a recipe and found I need celery. My options used to be either to do without or to buy an entire bunch of celery and then wind up tossing half of it out weeks later, unused.

Lovage makes a fantastic substitute for celery. Since you are using the leaves and not a thick celery stalk, the bulk is different. The flavor of the Lovage is stronger than celery so be sparing to start with. I use it chopped finely in green salads, potato salad, soups, casseroles, stirfries. . . anywhere that you might use celery. Just step outside and snip a few leaves with your scissors, then chop or snip them into the dish.

I’ve even successfully frozen Lovage leaves to use in the winter. I chopped the leaves, laid them out on wax paper, frozen them and then tossed them into a bag. They clumped up a bit, but I just broke off a small clump and either threw in the dish or defrosted briefly by placing in a small strainer and running some water over it.

The only real detraction I see to Lovage is it’s size. It will start out as a small plant, dying back each winter. As the root system grows the plant will grow larger each year. The typical height is 3-4 feet, but they can grow up to 6 feet tall. So try to pick a place where the height won’t be a problem, plant your Lovage, and enjoy!

Plant Profile:

Category: Herb

Height: 36-48 inches

Spacing: 18-24 inches

Zones: 7b-3a

Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade

Bloom Time: Mid Summer

*Note: The seed heads of Lovage are frequently sold as “celery seed” in your local grocery store spice aisle.

Jenn is the Gardening Diva.  A full time
mom to Princess (7) and Buddy (5) and wife to Yankee Bill, Jenn considers herself to be a fulltime frugalite and aspiring gardener.  You can see
Jenn wearing her other hat and blogging about living a good life on a
budget at Frugal Upstate.