Info on sweet Herbals to grow for the coming season?

In researching herbs for the coming growing year, two I have been looking at are "sweeteners".

The first is Stevia rebaudiana... an interesting note from Companion Plants https://home.frognet.net/~complants/secure/cart/aa-af.htm on this herb says

If I remember earlier discussions, the "easy to grow" part will be disputed. At least from seeds.

Some glowing reviews given for Lippia dulcis or Sweet Aztec herb had me shopping for this plant till I uncovered this info ~ Sounds like an easy care plant and although I am not a rat, I have already lost over half of my thryoid so I am reticent about this plant for consumption purposes. I may just want to grow this one for appearance, it sounds charming.

I have a fair selection of Herbal reference books and find further information on both of these is lacking. So I am asking...

Does anyone have any input on these sweeteners or any other sweeteners available in plant form?
Do you use either of the above?
Or do you have any other information on them?

TIA ~ pod

I grow stevia down here in Tucson. It's actually quite easy, at least here, to grow. It goes completely dormant during the winter and I don't bother covering it. I just let it go. Dormancy is good for perennial herb plants and when I was the herb garden horticulturist at the botanical garden here my predescessor (sp??) insisted on covering it in winter to protect it from frost. It never looked good and it was a lot of work to cover it every night. One night I just spaced it out and it froze. I had no choice but to tuck it behind the greenhouse and hope for the best. The plant came back wonderfully and looked better than it ever had. Of course, I never covered it again and it has never disappointed me. I grow it in a container and water it every other day, two times, for 4 minutes each (morning and after dinner) during summer. In the winter I cut back significantly on watering as the plant is dormant and I don't want it to rot out. If it's going to freeze I'll deep water it in the morning before the freeze. The plant is a bit sprawly and flowers in late summer. It's still flowering now but the leaves are beginning to brown at the edges, a sign that it's getting colder. It's never frozen beyond hope, even last year when we had the BIG FREEZE. I don't trim off the dead growth until the danger of frost has passed. Warm weather in winter could encourage it to start sprouting prematurely. These sprouts would die in a freeze and then the plant may not recover. I'm not sure what your weather is like where you live but we do have some freezing nights here during the winter. Daytime temps range in the 60s or very low 70s most of the time, sometimes in the 50s. Anyway, I find this plant very easy to grow, quite forgiving. BTW, I grow it in partial shade with a bit more sun in the afternoon but it's always dappled, never full on.

Hope this is helpful.

Momherb

Thanks for the info ~ I find that partial shade is necessary here too. Did you start your Stevia from seed, cuttings or plant?

I am amazed at how winter resilient most herbs really are.

You know, I don't usually bother with seeds or cuttings unless the plant is terribly hard to come by. I just don't have the patience nor the time for it. Stevia is usually readily available from local nurseries here but you can also order it on line.

I think new herb growers tend to over protect herbs, not realizing how strong they are. I am a firm believer of allowing plants to go through their natural cycles rather than giving them so much care that they grow all season. They thrive during dormancy. It's Mother Nature's way of self pruning!

Momherb

Interesting perspective... I am one of those "new" growers I guess. 8 /

I found that very thing out with tyme last year. I had and have my best clump ever, and its one I left totally alone. Granted im in FL, but we still get a freeze or two. Im just exploding to get my order n and start my new herb garden this year. Im going with buying in plant frm, at least for now. I have been reading thru old threads, Im still not sure where a good place to purchase these would be. I like to buy as close to FL as I can, or as close to FL weather as I can. If the best herbs are in alaska tho, and everyone has had good luck, alaska it would be.

I agree, I always look for a southern locale on seeds/plants. And anxious to get started too LOL

My stevia plants did pretty well, then got leggy and I've cut them WAY back. I'm just going to leave them alone and see if they come back in the spring. It's hard to garden with ALL my fingers crossed... I'll certainly post what happens. I got a small pot of it, I THINK from HD but I'm not sure. It's more and more available. It's out in the herb circle, with some shade provided by a rose on one side and pineapple sage on the other.

HI Brigidlily! Glad to hear from you. Tell me, did you mulch the Stevia plants well for winter? I'll be curious to know the outcome. The more I learn, I find many of the herbs are far more cold hardy than I first thought.

I don't know much about stevia, so let us know how yours do over winter. I think I'm in zone 5 but it has gotten to be more like zone 6...wonder if I could grow it here.

Yes, at least growing it as an annual. That is what I have done in the past here.

I haven't mulched anything yet, it hasn't gotten very cold here. Supposed to hit the 30s this weekend, though, so I'll stack something nice over at least the stevia. Thanks for reminding me.

If only they were heat- and humidity- hardy!

Ahhh ~ if only I were "cold hardy"! Grrrr!

I am amazed how little coverage these herbs get in my herb books. Apparently they are relatively new on the scene.

It seems to me that I never heard of stevia untill maybe 3 years ago. Things become popular and then "disappear", too. I couldn't find lemon verbena plants in the nursery here last year. Forunately, I have an old plant. But, I would've liked to have another one.

We are way too rural for L. verbena... I mail ordered mine. The Stevia I have occasionally found in the larger garden centers. L. verbena ~ never.

bridiglily...Stevia IS heat and humidity tolerant. It comes from the Amazon region. Don't be too concerned with too much sun or rain. The plant should survive.

I hope you're right, LostIndian. It was pretty well shaded and seemed fine this year. Just hoping it comes back in the spring. Always have to consider microclimates, too.

(And, unfortunately, what the builders did to the soil... if I didn't have raised beds...)