It’s always fantastic when you have plants that look beautiful in the garden, and work really well in the kitchen.
For readers who enjoy Mexican cooking, the good news is that three of the top four Mexican culinary herbs fall in this culinary/horticultural category: Mexican oregano, hoya santa, Mexican marigold mint, and cilantro.
Mexican oregano (Poliomentha longiflora) is an evergreen that grows three feet tall, and blooms with a light pink to lavender flower from spring to frost. This flowering perennial has a spicy oregano flavor and can be quite drought-tolerant when established. It can look beautiful in a landscape with salvias, lantanas, and Mexican mint marigold.
Hoya santa (Piper auritum) is a large leaf herbaceous perennial herb that has a curious root beer flavor to its leaf.This plant can grow from full shade to full sun depending on how much water it gets. Its large leaf and size will give a tropical look to the landscape. The leaves are used to wrap fish fillets or chicken breasts which you then bake in the oven or steam.
In Mexico, its leaves are an essential ingredient in green mole. In Guatemala, it is used to make traditional tamales wrapped in banana leaves. Hoya santa is popular along the east coast of Mexico. Closer to home, it can be found on the menu of the excellent Fonda San Miguel up in Austin.
Mexican marigold mint (Tagetes lucida) grows from spring to fall and has an anise flavor to its leaf. This perennial is easily grown, blooms heavily in the fall, and is a good substitute in recipes for the more fussy French tarragon – which can be very difficult to cultivate.
Cilantro may not be the best plant for your landscape, but this essential Mexican herb is easily grown if you pick the right season. It loves the cooler weather of fall and winter. Planted in late September or early October, it will flourish and produce flavorful leaves throughout the winter.
Cilantro will, however, bolt and bloom in the spring, ending its life cycle. For a heat-tolerant plant which has a similar flavor you might try Vietnamese cilantro, known as Rau Rum. This plant thrives in the heat.
What’s the best butterfly plant for Central Texas gardens?
People ask me this a lot at the nursery. The answer, without question, is lantana. The cool thing is that lantanas come in a multitude of colors and sizes. Some stay low and act as perennial groundcovers. A great example is gold mound or new gold, which is less than a foot tall, but can spread as much as three feet wide. It has a beautiful dark yellow to gold color.
Some varieties such as Irene will grow to only two feet, and the native variety (Lantana horrida) can grow to four feet or more. There are a multitude of colors to check out. Look for the lucky and patriot series. The colors run from reds to tangerines to yellows to purples to whites. A fun color is confetti, which has all the colors mixed in one flower cluster. The butterflies seem to be attracted to all.
Happy gardening, everyone!
If you have a question for Chris, send it via email to iathyme@yahoo.com. Or mail a postcard to It’s About Thyme: 11726 Manchaca Road, Austin, TX 78748
www.itsaboutthyme.com
