Omaha's Herbal Oasis
In the heart of Nebraska, plant lovers can explore herbs from
around the world.
by Sylvia Forbes
Herb Quarterly, Summer 2006
During the summertime at the Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha,
Nebraska, enticing aromas of lavender, mint, and scented geraniums waft through
the air, while bees busily collect nectar, buzzing away at their jobs. The
uncluttered, spacious setting, along with an open, prairie-style arbor overhead
and wide brick pathways provide a lovely setting for the myriad herbs on
display. Many visitors find the herb garden a restful place to stop and enjoy
some sunshine, and to reflect on the many ways these plants have been used over
the centuries.
The wonderful herbs at Lauritzen Gardens, "Omaha's
Botanical Center," flourish thanks to the many volunteer hours put in by
members of the Omaha Herb Society. The OHS got involved with the creation of the
herb garden in 1994, while Lauritzen Gardens was still in its early stages of
development. Tudy Fosmer, president of the Society at the time, read about the
upcoming botanical garden in the newspaper and wanted to get involved. She
discussed ideas with other OHS members, and they enthusiastically agreed to
offer their expertise to create an herb display garden within the larger
botanical garden. Fosmer contacted the Lauritzen Gardens' board, which
immediately approved the idea. The OHS picked a sunny, flat spot for the herb
garden's location and started fundraising and working on a design.
Carol Gephard, an herb society member, created the original
design. She placed eight herb beds along the edge of a spacious brick plaza,
with three additional, diamond-shaped beds situated in the middle as focal
points. A large wooden arbor was placed at the back of the plaza, where a
variety of vines now grow, to serve as a striking backdrop. Not only did the
plaza provide an attractive setting, it also helped raise money. Donors could
purchase bricks for $100 each, and, in return, their names were engraved on the
brick before it was installed in the walkway.
"One brick said 'Diana, will you marry me?'" Fosmer
recalls with a smile. "But that's not the end of the story. Later, the guy
bought a second brick, which he had engraved 'She said yes.'"
With literally hundreds of fragrant, tasty, medicinal, useful,
and unusual herbs to choose from, the OHS had a hard time deciding how to plant
the herb garden. Eventually the society gave each of the herb beds a theme:
silver, tea, fragrant, knot, language of herbs, medicinal, dyer's, vine,
culinary, ethnic culinary, and "et cetera," which holds plants that
didn't fit in with a theme and surplus plants from the various beds. Because
many herbs have multiple uses, the OHS had some flexibility in planting, placing
several herbs in more than one bed.
Tastes From Around the World
The culinary herb bed includes many tasty herbs that are
familiar to most people, such as parsley, rosemary, garlic, thyme, chives,
oregano, tarragon, cilantro, spearmint, ginger, and sorrel. The bed includes
multiple varieties of basil and sage, as well. People who love to cook with
herbs, but have never attempted to grow them, especially love seeing these
favorite "ingredients" in their natural form.
In a clever spurt of imagination, the society chose to create an
"ethnic culinary" garden, planting herbs found in the cuisines of
countries around the world. According to Fosmer, the original plan for the bed
was to feature the herbs of one country each year, but with so many fascinating
plants, the herb society decided to grow herbs from several different countries
at a time.
More familiar plants were included this year, such as yarrow (Achillea
millefolium), chives (Allium schoenoprasum), garlic chives (Allium
tuberosum), chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium), false basil (Perilla
frutescens), Vietnamese coriander (Polygonum odoratum), dwarf winter
savory (Satureja Montana 'nana'), and English winter thyme (Thymus
vulgaris).
Fosmer points out several, more unusual herbs growing in this
garden, ones she refers to as "conversation starters" -- plants that
frequently visitor questions. Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus), a 5-foot tall
plant with spiny, grayish-green leaves and multiple, large-headed flower stalks,
commands attention with its large size. A cousin of the artihoke, cardoon's
unopened flower heads and stalks can be steamed and eaten. Dyers often use the
leaves to color fibers. More recently, scientists have found that the plant
contains chemical compounds that stimulate the gall bladder, detoxify the liver,
and reduce cholesterol.
Ramie (Boehmeria nivea), another large plant, can grow up
to six feet tall. Native to Asia, it's one of the oldest known fiber crops. The
large, bumpy green leaves and vase-like form give it an unusual and striking
appearance.
The "walking" or Egyptian onion (Allium cepa)
is another fun plant that grows in the herb garden. Rather than flowers, bunches
of small bulblets form at the top of the stem, which grow larger and sprout,
eventually bending the stem too the ground with their weight. These bulblets
take root in the soil, starting new plants that seem to have "walked"
from the original planting location.
One of the more unusual herbs in the garden, Mounjean tea (Nashia
inaguensis) is a small evergreen shrub native to the Bahamas that boasts
fragrant, tiny leaves that add vanilla flavor to tea. Nashia requires moist soil
and warm conditions and gardeners often grow it in a pot as a bonsai so that it
can be taken indoors for the winter. Other less common varieties to look for
include golden licorice (Helichrysum petiolare 'limelight'), dyer's
green-weed (Genista tinctoria), three-leaved Akebia (Akebia trifoliata),
Indian physic (Gillenia trifoliata), and golden hops (Humulus lupulus
'aureus').
When the weather warms up in spring, out come the big 16-inch
planters, adding even more variety to the garden. Tender herbs, such as lemon
verbena (Aloysia triphylla), sweet bay (Laurus nobilis), and
several varieties of lavenders add visual and olfactory appeal.
Busier Than Bees
When not digging in the soil, OHS members find many other ways to help out in
the garden. "We offer free plant walks, usually on the third Thursday of
each month. They usually last about an hour and focus on one topic,"
explains Fosmer. "In March, we teach an herb workshop, where we talk about
different herbs and how to grow and use them. The Garden offers a fun summer
camp for kids called 'Smelly Plants,' in which we participate, too."
Lauritzen Gardens has three big festivals each year, Spring into Spring, Art
in Bloom (held in August), and Autumn Ambience. "These are big events for
the Omaha Herb Society, too, because we always participate. As volunteers, we
set up tables and demonstrations out in the herb garden and answer questions
about herbs. We may highlight the herbs from the tea bed one time and make
several herbal teas for visitors to taste, or showcase the dye plans by putting
out wool dyed using plants from the dye bed. At the fall festival, we gather
bunches of dried and fresh herbs and make herbal corsages for every visitor. The
corsages are so popular that several society members make [them] all day to keep
up with the demand. We make thousands of corsages during that festival
weekend."
Being a member of OHS is not all work; they know how to have fun, too. Some
meetings have followed a creative theme, such as their potluck, which featured
dishes inspired by herbs used in Colonial times, and their pizza party, which
incorporated fresh herb blends. They have even created miniature fairy gardens.
"There's no better way to learn about the herbs than to actually taste them
or work with them," says Fosmer.
An Ever-Changing Garden
One thing is certain: The herb garden is always in flux. As the months go by,
different herbs grow, flower, and fruit. Some herbs flourish, while a few don't
make it. Replacing dead plants, trying new ones -- the garden constantly
changes.
The Society also has a few planned changes. "We'd love to expand,"
explains Fosmer. "With all the things we haul out to the herb garden for
every event, we've decided it might be nice to build a little harvest shed,
where we can store tools, or open during events as an herbal display station.
We'd like to add more beds onto the end of the garden, too." Fosmer echoes
the sentiment of all the herb lovers in the Omaha Herb Society when she says,
"There's always just one more herb to grow."
Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha's Botanical Center, is located at 100 Bancroft
Street, Omaha, NE 68108. For more information visit
222.omahabotanicalgardens.org or call 402-346-4002.
Need a few gardening tips? From paperbark maple and tricolor beech to
crabapple and toad lily, the Gardens' website offers helpful advice. Just visit
222.omahabotanicalgardens.org/Gardening_Tips.
Bluebird Nursery in nearby Clarkson and The Fragrant Path in Fort Calhoun
supply most of the herbs at Lauritzen Gardsin. "We like to buy from them
because they have the same climate, so we have a better chance of getting herbs
that will do well here," explains Fosmer. Bluebird has been very generous,
donating many of the plants at the garden since its inception.
Allow yourself time to experience the garden. Go slowly, sit, stroll, relax,
and enjoy the day. Study and admire the flowers, plants, shrubs, trees, grasses,
seeds, colors, shapes, textures, landscape, sky, ponds, insects, and birds.
Observe the weather, soil, and light conditions and feel the elements of the
day. Listen to the sounds of nature's orchestra. --- Lauritzen Gardens etiquette
Natural Health Hut
