By Debbie Wey and Gardening On The Cay
Achieving an attractive landscape in Tega Cay can be challenging. Heavy deer pressure, rabbits, voles, and slugs challenge us all.
Growing herbs may be the perfect solution. Susan Poel, a member of the Charlotte Herb Society and Master Gardener, gave her presentation “Adventures in Herbs” at the February meeting of Gardening on the Cay. Herbs not only deter deer, rabbits, and other pests, but herbs also provide food for pollinators, as well as pretty flowers and foliage for culinary uses. Poel transformed a difficult area of her yard into an attractive herb garden using heat and drought-tolerant, pollinator-friendly, perennial herbs. Poel’s favorites are listed below with links to fact sheets on the Clemson and N.C. State Extension websites.
Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) is a native plant that has mint and licorice-scented foliage. Its long purple flower spikes attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Artemisia varieties add silver accents to the garden. Silver King Artemisia (Artemisia ludoviciana) has a felt-like texture and segmented foliage, and Southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum) is fragrant.
Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) is aromatic, and the flowers come in so many colors.
Catmint (Nepeta) is easy to grow and blooms the whole summer in blue, pink, or white, and pollinators love it. It spreads, so choose wisely where you plant it.
Chamomile is in the daisy family and is very fragrant. Roman Chamomile is a creeping perennial with smaller flowers and a bitter taste. German Chamomile is an annual, grows taller, has larger flowers, and tastes sweeter.
Chives should be planted among other plants you want to protect from deer and rabbits. Onion Chives (Allium schoenoprasum L.) produce beautiful edible flowers and a sweet onion taste. Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum) have a mild garlic taste and attract pollinators.
Fennel repels deer, and Bronze fennel (Foeniculum vulgare ‘Rubrum’) is a beautiful burgundy color.
Lavender comes in many varieties. Grosso has dark blue flowers and is very fragrant. Provence has light blue flowers and is best for cooking. Phenomenal lavender grows fast, flowers longer, and produces more flowers than other lavenders. It is well adapted to heat and humidity. Give it plenty of room.
Golden Oregano makes a good ground cover but is not for cooking. Greek Oregano makes a small, mounding plant and is good for cooking and drying for winter use.
Rosemary comes in several varieties and stays green in winter. Tuscan Blue Rosemary gets large, so give it room. Salem Rosemary grows more upright than Tuscan Blue. Prostrate Rosemary makes a beautiful trailer for pots and over walls.
Garden Sage reaches 3-4 ft tall, stays green in winter, and the leaves and flowers are edible. Maraschino Sage grows 2-3 feet tall, and the red flowers taste like cherries.
Dark blue salvia grows 2-3 feet tall, and the flowers are so pretty.
Creeping thyme is a ground cover with dark pink flowers. Lemon thyme is a ground cover that can be used in sweet dishes. It is also a pretty spiller for container planting. Oregano thyme is a mounding plant used for savory cooking.
Winter savory can be used as a ground cover and stays green in winter.
Yarrow can be planted in flower beds, between vegetable rows, and in other areas to discourage deer from browsing. Yarrow has flat umbels of different colors. It can be used in rice and soups. Yarrow spreads.
Herbs that can take part sun include basil, dill, sage, golden sage, and lemon grass.
