Lovage (Levisticum officinale) is a robust perennial herb in the carrot family, related to celery, parsley, and dill, and native to the mountains of the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia. Every part of the plant above ground carries a strong, concentrated celery flavor, and gardeners use the leaves, the hollow stalks, and the seeds in turn as the season progresses. Unlike most kitchen herbs, lovage behaves like a permanent border plant rather than something tucked into a small bed, since a single established clump reaches 4 to 6 feet tall and spreads wide enough to shade out anything planted too close. It's an easy, forgiving plant once settled in, and in zone 6b it comes back reliably every spring from the same thick root for many years running.
Sowing and planting
Lovage is most often started from seed, though buying a nursery division or a potted plant gets you a harvest sooner, since seed-grown plants take a full season to size up. Seed germinates slowly and unevenly without a cold period first, so either sow outdoors in fall and let winter do the stratifying, or sow indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost after giving the seed 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator. In zone 6b, direct-sow in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked, or set out transplants after the last frost, usually mid to late April.
Choose the planting spot carefully, since lovage is a long-term resident that resents being moved once its root is established. Give it rich, well-drained soil worked with compost, and space plants a full 24 inches (60 cm) apart to account for the size the clump will reach by its second or third year. Full sun produces the most compact, sturdy growth, but part shade suits lovage well too, particularly in hot afternoon sun, and can delay the summer bolt to flower. Plant divisions or transplants at the same depth they were growing, and water in well.
Growing on
Water regularly through the first season while the root system develops; established plants handle short dry spells but grow lusher and more tender with consistent moisture, especially through summer heat. A yearly topdressing of compost in early spring, when new growth first pushes through the ground, is usually all the feeding lovage needs, since overly rich soil mostly produces oversized, coarse stalks rather than better flavor.
Once a clump is a couple of years old, it sends up a tall flowering stalk in early summer. Cut this stalk out as soon as you see it unless you want seed, since flowering diverts the plant's energy away from leaf production and the remaining foliage can turn coarse and bitter afterward. Mulch around the base going into winter in colder pockets of the garden, though established plants generally shrug off a Kentucky winter without any protection. Every few years, lift and divide an overgrown clump in early spring to keep it vigorous and to create new plants for other parts of the garden.
Harvesting
Start picking individual leaves and young stalks once the plant has put on a flush of growth in spring, generally within 60 to 70 days of the first shoots appearing; established plants can be harvested lightly from in their first year and more heavily from their second year on. Cut outer leaves and stalks close to the base with scissors or a sharp knife, taking no more than a third of the plant at a time so it keeps producing through the season. Flavor is strongest in the stalks and young leaves; older, larger leaves turn coarse and slightly bitter as the season advances.
If you let a clump flower, the seed that follows is worth collecting too: let seed heads dry and turn brown on the plant, then cut and finish drying them indoors in a paper bag before shaking the seed free. Fresh leaves keep only a few days in the refrigerator, but lovage dries and freezes well, and the dried leaves retain a surprising amount of their celery punch for use through winter.
Problems and pests
Small, ragged holes in the leaves
Leaf miners and the occasional caterpillar chew holes or tunnel between leaf layers, leaving papery trails or ragged edges on the foliage. Pick off and destroy affected leaves as you notice them; established lovage produces enough foliage that light damage rarely needs more than this.
Clusters of small insects on new growth
Aphids gather on tender new shoots and the undersides of young leaves, especially in spring, leaving behind sticky residue and sometimes curled growth. A strong jet of water knocks most of them off, and a soap spray handles persistent clusters; the plant's vigorous growth usually outpaces minor infestations on its own.
Powdery white coating on the leaves
Powdery mildew shows up as a dusty white film on foliage, usually in humid weather or where air circulation is poor between crowded plants. Thin out dense growth to improve airflow and water at the soil line rather than overhead; badly affected leaves can simply be cut out and discarded.
Stalks turning soft and mushy at the base
Crown rot sets in where the soil stays waterlogged around the base of the plant, particularly in heavy, poorly drained ground. Avoid planting lovage in low spots that collect water, and work compost into the soil before planting to improve drainage; a badly rotted crown usually doesn't recover and is best dug out and replaced.
Plant bolts and turns bitter early
A hot, dry spell or a particularly sunny spot can push an established clump to send up its flowering stalk earlier than usual, after which the remaining leaves coarsen and lose some of their mild appeal. Cut the flower stalk out as soon as it appears, keep the plant watered through hot spells, and consider part shade for next year if this happens regularly.
Varieties worth growing
- Common lovage – The species itself is what's sold by nearly every seed company; no widely grown improved cultivars exist, so straight species seed or divisions are the standard planting.
- Young leaves for soups and stocks – The mildest, most tender part of the plant, used in place of or alongside celery in broths, soups, and stews.
- Blanched stalks – Hollow stalks can be used like celery sticks, candied, or even hollowed out and used as a drinking straw for savory cocktails such as a Bloody Mary.
- Seed for baking and pickling – Dried lovage seed has a flavor close to celery seed and works well in bread, crackers, and pickling brines.
- Scotch lovage (Ligusticum scoticum) – A smaller, coastal relative with a milder flavor, worth growing alongside true lovage where a more compact plant is wanted.
- Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum) – Another celery-flavored Apiaceae relative, biennial rather than perennial, sometimes grown as a companion crop for a similar but distinct flavor.