Plant · P-607

Lovage

Levisticum officinale

Lovage is a tall, long-lived perennial that tastes like celery in every part - leaf and stem raw or cooked, seed for a stronger version of the same flavor, and root cooked as a vegetable once the plant is a couple of years old. One clump keeps supplying that flavor for years without replanting, doing the work of an annual crop from a permanent spot in the bed. Its flowers stand well above most beds and draw bees and hoverflies, and it is described as a good companion plant that improves the health and flavor of others nearby. It self-seeds readily and can naturalize if the seed heads are left to ripen, so cutting them back before they shed keeps a planting from spreading beyond where it is wanted.