Flat-leafed parsley

Thanks Hb... I plan to do just that! ... and the same for my artichoke roots.

Last year I brought a planter with thyme, basil, rosemary and flat-leafed parsley onto the porch, which has plastic panels that we use to close it down in the winter but is unheated. The rosemary and parsley lived; the basil and thyme didn't. This year I'm going to bring the tenderer ones inside so I can have herbs all winter...

Hi, ya'll,
I'm doing edible landscaping in the yard, and my plans have called for a border of parsley that would grow in front of three Nandinas.

Any suggestions on varieties that would do well in a bed on the south side of the yard?

Thanks!

I have actually had flat-leaved parsley over-winter outside here in zone 8a - even down into the upper 20s for a few nights, but I don't know how cold it could go without dying. Do you have a sunny window in the house? I might try that first.
Samantha

One sunny window... and the cats have staked their claim!

Darius,

Leave the parsley from this year in the garden. It will produce again next year and go to seed. Plant some new parsley next year so that you have plants going to seed the following year. You want to get your bi-annuals into a cycle where something is going to seed every year and something is producing great parsley in that same year but not seeding until the next. With luck you should have constant production for a long time to come! I got some flat leaf parsley from a friend and I have never seen parsley reseed the way that variety does! Hopefully yours will do the same.

Cool, Thanks!

Hmmm, mine never does that! I was surprised to find my thyme and tarragon coming back this spring, but I think they resprouted from roots, not seeds.

gg, my thyme and French tarragon are perennials, and come back every year. In fact, French tarragon cannot be grown from seed.

I did grow my French tarragon from seed originally, I'm pretty sure. Or maybe it WAS something I bought; I've had it for several years so I'm not positive. I know I've sown seeds for it in the past. Rosemary is supposed to be a perennial but only my Arp variety, I think it is, survives our winters outside.

My spring parsley always overwinters and we are in 7a. If you can get it going in fall you will have more tender pickings but it might not survive winter.

Maybe I'm thinking of French thyme, and it's Russian tarragon that I've sown seeds for, without the addition of "Russian" on the envelope. Or maybe I got it as a plant. In any case, it's nice to know that those are perennials!

I put in a couple more French tarragon and culinary thyme plants this year. Mine tend to get leggy and sparse after 3-4 years... probably I don't cut them back as often as I should. I don't exactly have a Mediterranean climate either.

gardadore, the 3-4 new flat leaf parsleys I put in this year grew like gangbusters, better than any I have ever grown. They are still looking great despite chilly nights, so I have hopes they will re-sprout and seed next spring.

Darius, was it any special variety of flat-leafed parsley?

Unfortunately, the parsley wasn't marked. I'm not even sure where I got it. Might have come from the Farmer's Market, or even a local ag store (really no better than big box stores).

I have English Thyme growing just outside my back door. It's in deep shade most of the day, is never watered or fertilized and the dogs constantly run through it. Each year it spreads a little further, and why it still lives I don't know.

Hb, I have a short sorta creeping thyme like that (not a real creeping thyme). Thrives in total neglect. It's edible but has a lousy taste.

Darius,

I see you are in a colder zone than I am so can't promise seeds that drop next year will germinate for you but it's worth a try. I have a curly parsley that has never reseeded well. It depends on the winter and the soil they fall on, I think. I always plant new seeds and plants each spring to make sure I have something! This year I am overwhelmed with parsley, both curly and flat-leaved. Some curly parsley stalks from last year went to seed this year and I have sprinkled them around but there are no guarantees. If they don't come up next spring I will just put in new plants or start some inside. Fortunately parsley is cheap to replace!!
I also planted some new French tarragon plants this year as I lost all of my old ones last winter. They had been around for several years. Hopefully the new ones will come back again next year. They can get leggy, it's true, but are one of my favorite herbs, especially in chicken dishes.

darius - fortunately, the Thyme I have has a great flavor. I use it when cooking beef - really punches-up the flavor of hamburger.

Good for you, HB! I do have some terrific tasting thyme, and I use it in a lot of things.

gardadore, I'll keep my fingers crossed for seeds! I don't do curly parsley since I never have company where I might garnish a dish with it.