The Hardy Perennial Herb That Will Flourish In Your Shady Garden

Flowering herbs outside of those we typically find in our spice cabinets are often forgotten. That's a shame, because plants like sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata) have so much more to offer. This perennial herb with pretty white flowers thrives in shade or partial shade, making it a great choice where few other herbs — or flowering perennials, for that matter — will flourish. The plant is so hardy, in fact, that it will even grow in full sun if you keep its soil moist enough.

With a height and spread of up to 4 feet, sweet cicely can easily be mistaken for a flowering bush, although its dark, fernlike leaves lend it a delicate beauty. The foliage is prized for its licorice scent and flavor. Sweet cicely's individual, tiny flowers grow in clumps, giving an impression of creamy drifts of larger blooms. In the fall, sweet cicely's foliage turns golden, and the plant produces edible anise-flavored seeds.

Consider adding sweet cicely to the back of your ornamental garden bed. It also softens fence lines and adds old-world charm to north-facing or tree-lined areas. If your yard borders the woods, sweet cicely makes a useful transitional plant, with its fern-like leaves blending into the edges of the forest and brightening gloom with its white blooms. Of course, the perennial can also hold pride of place in a thriving herb garden, whether you categorize it as culinary, scented, or even a traditional medicinal!

As a fairly carefree perennial herb, sweet cicely grows best in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 7. Its natural habitat is moist shade, although it can tolerate sun if given regular watering or a naturally damp area in which to grow. If provided with a deep enough pot, the bushy perennial can even act as a fragrant herb that will make your patio smell good during the growing season. Set the large container in a shady nook on your patio or deck as backdrop to smaller herbs and flowers.

Although slow to establish itself at first, sweet cicely spreads robustly over time. You can grow this perennial herb with pretty white flowers from seed, although freshly-gathered seeds will tend to give you the best germination rates. The herb will also grow when planted as a seedling, or by dividing a generous friend's sweet cicely clump. Once established, it also self-seeds freely, so if you've planted more delicately-rooted plants nearby, be vigilant about pulling out unwanted baby cicelies.

In general, sweet cicely isn't bothered by pests or diseases. When you're growing the perennial plant as a culinary herb, the leaves will be tastier if you remove the flowers — that is, if you can stand to sacrifice the pretty white blooms! Aside from its ornamental, fragrance, and culinary uses, sweet cicely also attracts beneficial insects such as the pest-fighting hover fly. The flowers themselves are attractive to pollinating bees.