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Ornamental Apiaceae
Plants & Gardens News | Volume 22, Number 3 | Fall 2007/Winter 2008
by Barbara Lawton Perry
Eryngium x 'Sapphire Blue' (Illustration by Bobbi Angell)
The Apiaceae, or carrot family, also known as Umbelliferae, consists of numerous popular herbs, vegetables, and spices long known for their culinary and medicinal virtues. In medieval times, certain umbels were considered to have supernatural properties: Hanging dill (Anethum graveolens) or fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) over your doorway was thought to keep witches and evil spirits away. European farmers fed caraway (Carum carvi) to their fowl, believing that would keep them from straying. The Iroquois used the umbels of Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carota), to cure gynecological disorders and the plant's roots to treat skin ailments.
Unfortunately, Daucus carota seems to have lost its herbal allure and is now considered an invasive weed in many states. Like many families, the Apiaceae have their black sheep. Fool's parsley (Aethusa cynapium) and water hemlock (Cicuta maculata) are two of the deadliest plants in the world. Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) has dispatched many a mortal—not least poor Socrates.
Excluding, of course, the toxic and invasive members of Apiaceae, you can add great dimension to your garden by incorporating umbelliferous plants. More and more gardeners are using edible Apiaceae for ornamental purposes, adding such attractive herbs as parsley and dill to mixed ornamental beds, borders, and containers. The often fernlike foliage of umbelliferous plants makes a pleasant contrast to plants with bulkier, bolder foliage, and their umbrella-like flower heads have an irresistible symmetry that enhances not only the garden but also fresh and dried arrangements. Invent your own combinations based on some of the recommendations that follow.
Aciphylla (bayonet plants, speargrass)
Bayonet plants (Aciphylla species) have spine-tipped leaves that look more like stiff grass blades than the more common ferny foliage of most Apiaceae. Small, starlike summer flowers of white, yellowish green, or gold grow in numerous compound umbels up to 15 inches in diameter. Only a few species are commonly cultivated. Golden Spaniard (Aciphylla aurea), a favorite species hardy to USDA Zone 5, grows 40 inches tall or more and just as wide. It has dense yellow and green leaves and large, dramatic umbels of brownish-gold flowers.
Angelica
The root of dong dang gui (Angelica acutiloba), an Asian native fairly new to our gardens, has long been used medicinally in China and Japan to treat gynecological problems and aid digestion. Its white-flowered umbels are very fragrant and, along with the ferny foliage, add to the appeal of this plant for ornamental beds and borders. Hardy to Zone 4, it will grow 30 to 40 inches tall.
Garden angelica (Angelica archangelica), elegant at the back of a border or as a specimen plant, is the best-known member of this genus. Spectacular and aromatic, it grows up to 7 feet tall with bright green, deeply divided and textured foliage. Early summer umbels of small lime-green flowers crown the plant. Zones 4 to 9.
Purple parsnip (Angelica gigas) is noted for its large bulbous, dark purple leaf sheaths, which sharply contrast with the pale green leaves. This 3-foot-tall biennial has fall- blooming beet-red flower heads up to 4 inches in diameter. Zones 4 to 9.
Angelica pachycarpa is a top pick for ornamental beds and borders with its rich glossy green, pinnate leaves and large white-flowered compound umbels that appear in the summer. Hardy only to Zone 8, this plant is a great choice for southern gardens.
Astrantia (masterwort, Hattie's pincushion)
Simple umbels of delicate flowers appear like starbursts on masterworts from May through October. Astrantia major, A. maxima, and A. minor are the three species most commonly grown as ornamentals. Good plants for sites with sun to dappled shade, they serve well alongside pools and as shrubby plants for woodland gardens.
Greater masterwort (Astrantia major) enjoys much garden interest. It reaches more than 30 inches in height and comes in a number of handsome cultivars such as 'Hadspen Blood', 'Margery Fish', 'Rubra', and 'Sunningdale Variegated' as well as more recent introductions such as 'Buckland' and 'Roma'. Zones 4 to 7.
Bupleurum (thorowax)
Many thorowax (Bupleurum) species are good choices for growing against garden walls and fences. The genus includes several fairly commonly cultivated species. The small flowers of Bupleurum umbels, often surrounded by ornamental bracts, are most often yellow, though they may have overtones of red or green. Their leaves are simple and entire, unlike most plants of the parsley family.
Shrubby hare's ear (Bupleurum fruticosum) is a large dense, evergreen shrub with domed umbels with yellow summer flowers. Hardy only to Zone 7, it is salt tolerant and thus a good choice for seaside gardens. Bupleurum longifolium ssp. aureum, hardy to Zone 3, is a knockout. Its golden flowers have green centers, and prominent bright yellow bracts frame each umbel.
Eryngium (sea holly, eryngo)
Sea hollies (Eryngium species) are not used nearly enough in American gardens. My favorite ornamental of the Apiaceae, they are striking plants of unusual structure. Their leaves are often deeply divided, oval to cordate, and most sea hollies have spiny basal leaves. The umbels have large bracts and flower heads that are crowded into dense, domed thimble shapes. Flowers are often white or blue and are outstanding in arrangements. Tolerant of salt spray, they're good choices for seaside gardens.
Alpine sea holly (Eryngium alpinum), with bluish-green foliage and flowers of a strong blue with prominent blue bracts has tremendous flower power. There are several good cultivars. Zones 6 to 9.
Amethyst sea holly (Eryngium amethystinum) is noted for its cold hardiness and its steely-blue to amethyst umbels, which appear in summer with prominent silver-green bracts atop silver-blue stems. Zones 3 to 8.
Another sea holly, Miss Willmott's ghost (Eryngium giganteum), is large, up to 4 feet tall and striking with steel-blue flowers crowned by large silver-gray bracts. 'Silver Ghost' is a good shorter cultivar that grows up to 2 feet tall. Zones 4 to 9.
Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) is a North American prairie species. It has greenish-white flowers and grows 4 to 5 feet tall. Not as spectacular as other sea hollies, it nonetheless enjoys great popularity among fans of American native plants. Zones 4 to 9.
Eryngium x 'Sapphire Blue' is a recent sterile hybrid of Eryngium planum that has bluish-green foliage and sizeable flowers that last all summer long. The flowers appear green in May and by June turn an intense silvery blue. Zones 5 to 9.
Hydrocotyle (pennywort)
Pennyworts (Hydrocotyle species) are favorites of water gardeners, with the exception of the weedy lawn pennywort (H. sibthorpioides). These umbels grow only 4 to 6 inches tall and form low semi-evergreen mats of foliage that can provide desired shade to water surfaces. The round leaves, quite unlike the ferny foliage of most species in the carrot family, have petioles that grow from under the centers. Small umbels appear in spring to summer bearing tiny white flowers. Hardy to Zone 6, these great plants for aquariums and garden pools do not need to be rooted and instead float, offering shelter to young fish.
Myrrhis (sweet cicely)
Myrrhis odorata deserves more use as an ornamental. A handsome choice for shady gardens, this herb has fernlike leaves that are oblong and deeply toothed. In early summer, white flowers appear in large inverted, compound umbels. Elegant in texture and design, these hairy perennials are tall (2 to 6 feet) and make attractive backgrounds for bleeding hearts and other woodland favorites. Zones 5 to 8.
Selinum (milk parsley)
Milk parsley (Selinum wallichianum), originally from India, Pakistan, and China, is noted for its very fine feathery foliage, red stems, and handsome, white-flowered summer umbels. It grows in tidy upright clumps up to 5 feet in height. In the garden, it mixes well with salvias, chrysanthemums, and coneflowers. Zones 4 to 7.
Plant Sources:
www.magicgardenseeds.com Well-Sweep Herb Farm
205 Mount Bethel Road
Port Murray, New Jersey 07865
908-852-5390
www.wellsweep.com
Barbara Perry Lawton's most recent book is Parsleys, Fennels, and Queen Anne's Lace: Herbs and Ornamentals from the Umbel Family (Timber Press, 2007).