THE 7 TYPES OF PERENNIAL AROMATIC PLANTS THAT LIVE ALL YEAR ROUND - LIFESTYLE

The 7 perennial aromatic plants that resist the cold

Each plant has very specific characteristics: there are purely decorative ones, others are grown for medicinal purposes and then there are those we use in the kitchen when we want to give a touch of class to dishes. Let's not forget that some species are particularly suitable for indoor environments where there is a high presence of chemical and harmful substances: discover in the video which are the best indoor plants that purify the air in the house.

Perennial aromatic plants: a vegetable garden on the balcony at Km 0

We all have in this period (or have had in the past) an aromatic plant at home, on the balcony, on the terrace, in the garden, or directly in the kitchen, to be taken when necessary. In summer it is very nice to open the window and take some thyme leaf and basil, depending on availability Aromatic plants are very easy to grow and given the diversity of the foliage they are also very suitable as decorative plants, especially if it is a flowering plant.
If kept in the right way, these green friends can keep us company for several years and are also very useful in the kitchen, to give an extra touch to our summer and winter dishes or to prepare delicious decoctions and herbal teas with our hands.

In this article we will focus on perennial and therefore evergreen aromatic plants, which withstand the harshest climates. For each specimen we will go to see the advice for cultivation, the required exposure, the preferred position, the frequency of watering and the main properties.
Although each has certain characteristics, all have the great advantage of being extremely resistant plants (therefore they are able to survive at different temperatures) and that they adapt to very small contexts, perfect for town houses as well as those in the countryside with large spaces. outdoors for cultivation.

Ready to create your own vegetable garden even in the apartment? Here is our top 7 for aromatic perennials.

Laurel

The laurel is commonly called Lauro (Laurus nobilis) and is a plant with ancient origins, whose medicinal properties date back to ancient Rome.
As a perennial it is fantastic: easy to grow, extremely fragrant and versatile for traditional autumn or winter recipes. It is a shrub with glossy leaves whose color is dark green, and the shape is characteristic, a little elongated with wavy margins. The aroma is given off by the leaves and it is this part of the shrub that is used in cooking to flavor meat and to enhance the flavor of soups.

Laurel is an evergreen aromatic plant that resists the cold well, but it must be taken into account in the period of frosts because these can still cause damage. In the cold months, therefore, to protect it, place it in a place sheltered from frost and wind.

Where does laurel thrive? Its ideal climate is that of the Mediterranean where it is possible to see it both as a shrub and as a real tree. It can therefore be grown both in the garden and in large pots and is perfect as a fragrant perennial. You can also choose it to form a hedge, but in this case remember to carry out annual pruning.

The laurel is at the top of our list of evergreen aromatic plants because it does not have great demands and can adapt according to your needs: small plant for gastronomic use or plant for ornamental purposes. The only care it requires to grow well is the soil that must be well drained (we recommend the use of expanded clay). As for the exposure, the laurel loves sunny areas, therefore all those outdoor areas facing south. or West are fine.

Property
Laurel is a plant rich in vitamins; its leaves contain vitamin C, A and folic acid. The shrub has anti-inflammatory, digestive and analgesic properties and that is why its leaves and berries can be cooked to treat ailments. stomach, relieve colds and treat rheumatism.

Rosemary

Our second choice against the cold of winter is the aromatic plant of rosemary because it creates few problems and has excellent resistance, even if left outdoors in the coldest months.
Rosemary is one of the best known aromatic plants and in fact grows well practically everywhere, with the exception of high mountain areas, where very cold winds blow which do not go very well with its nature.

Rosemary is an evergreen shrub of Mediterranean origin, widely used in the kitchen to flavor meat, potatoes and all those winter-style dishes, such as risotto. It is grown in pots and in the garden, where it is characterized by a beautiful growth in height. Its foliage is characteristic, of long and thin needles that grow thickly. The rosemary plant has a woody stem and in spring it produces beautiful purple flowers, very decorative and beautiful to look at!

Like laurel, this aromatic plant also loves the sun, so prefer areas with good sun exposure for your 0 km garden.

Property
Rosemary is a shrub with aphrodisiac action, but it is also useful under the phytotherapeutic aspect; with the intake of decoctions it is possible to cure colds and coughs, and it seems that it also helps to fight depression.

Juniper

There are several varieties of juniper, but perhaps the best known in our area is the common juniper (Juniperus). It is a conifer with few needs that is satisfied with moderate watering and fertilizing. In nature it is a plant that is quite large - between 2 and 4 meters high and with a diameter of up to 4 meters - but if grown in pots it has a decidedly more contained appearance.
Junipernus has needle-like leaves and is in our top of aromatic perennials because it is very resistant to the most disparate temperatures. It also has very small flowers and round / oval shaped fruits with a characteristic green color during the first years, blue in color starting from the third.
These are the berries, the aromatic part of the plant: their intense aroma is highly appreciated on the table and is in fact chosen for marinating, for flavoring roasts and for game. In the kitchen, the use of juniper berries must be limited to the preparation of dishes, because it is not recommended to ingest them, which is also advisable for bay leaves!
Another common use of juniper is decorative; the plant is used to embellish parks or small groves.

Property
The essential oil with emollient properties is obtained from juniper berries and leaves. Thanks to this plant you can relieve general ailments directly at home, in the form of herbal tea.

See also: 25 design pots for balconies and gardens

Now I cry her!

Anise

Not all types of anise are evergreen, so be careful when choosing the herb when you go to the nursery. In nature we find 3 types of anise, two of which are classified as evergreen, while the third is an annual.
The "star anise (Illicium verum) and peppered anise (Xanthoxylum piperitium) it's perennial aromatic, but green anise (Pimpinella anisum) is annual.

Anise has no indigenous origins, but comes from East Asia where it was exported centuries ago for its phytotherapeutic qualities.

Probably the best known species in Italy is the star anise, known for the particular star shape of the fruits, extremely fragrant. In fact, anise is a tropical and evergreen plant, which in nature reaches 10 meters in height.
It resists the cold moderately well, but having a tropical origin it loves sunny positions and climates where the summers are quite long.
It is possible to grow a star anise plant too on the balcony, in pot, for which it is advisable to water it occasionally. It prefers well-drained and dry soils.

The other variety of perennial anise is the peppery, originally from China and belonging to the Rutaceae family.
Unlike the starry sister, it is a small shrub of up to 60cm with yellowish-white flowers.
To unite it to the aforementioned variety are the fruits, always star-shaped and with elongated seeds.

Anise is often found in Christmas recipes as a spice, in which the dried fruit is used, to give the preparation an unmistakable flavor, close to the smell of fennel but with notes that recall mint.
With this aromatic they also produce spirits and liqueurs, see Sambuca and Absinthe.

Property
Plant appreciated in phytotherapy because it can reduce flatulence, nausea and vomiting.

Sage

In gardening, sage is one of the most valuable perennial products to buy. There salvia officinalis it is an evergreen shrub plant very often chosen to embellish balconies throughout Italy and to be used in the kitchen and in herbal medicine mixed with other herbs and spices.

It is found throughout the Mediterranean and is characterized by lignified stems at the base and lanceolate green-gray leaves. The flowers, when present, are tubular and purple in color tending to blue with flowering in June and July. blooms, sage looks a lot like lavender!
It is a perennial aromatic, easy to grow in the garden and very resistant both in the garden and in pots. When the cold arrives, the plant slows down its production by delivering smaller leaves, which will tend to enlarge with the summer. Although it appears to "stand still" during the winter months, salvia officinalis is not actually dead, but is in a kind of hibernation. Only with the arrival of spring does it recover and it is possible to dry its leaves. It is the leaves that have the aromatic part: use them in the kitchen by removing them directly from your garden on the balcony from spring to autumn. Fantastic for flavoring your dishes or to prepare herbal teas with antispasmodic, antiseptic and balsamic properties with your own hands (in herbal medicine there are sage-based infusions that help fight pain caused by the menstrual cycle!).

How is sage treated? Watering it a little and pruning it periodically, preferably after flowering. Over time it tends to become woody and produce fewer leaves, so we recommend renewing it periodically.
The ideal exposure is always in full sun, in this way it can grow quickly and you can also have an abundant flowering.

Property
Healing against spasms and relaxing.

Tarragon

Tarragon is a small herbaceous whose scientific name is Artemisia dracunculus. Belonging to the family of Compositae, tarragon is one of the perennial aromatic plants from the East, where it grows spontaneously even at very low temperatures: in Russia, Central Asia and Siberia.

In Europe it is already cultivated and it is rare to see it in nature. With its bushy appearance it is perfect as a plant for the vegetable garden on the balcony or in the garden; you can easily recognize it because it has long and thin leaves of a bright green color with small yellow flowers gathered in panicle inflorescences. The aromatic part of this herbaceous is the leaves and in fact the foliage of this plant is also used to create imaginative recipes, perhaps to flavor fish, poultry and to prepare sauces.

Tarragon is sown in spring, but if you are a beginner it is recommended to approach it with a cultivation in pot rather than germinating, which is not as simple as the maintenance of an already grown plant. Nevertheless, the aromatic remains an easy vegetable to grow; it needs warm and sunny environments and a slightly sandy soil. For irrigation, remember to wet the soil only when the earth is dry, because it is a plant that fears stagnation of water. .
The cold is not a big problem for the herb, but if the temperature drops too much, it is good to repair the jar from the frosts. Every three years it is better to renew the plant because it tends to age prematurely and its leaves lose a bit of moisture every year. aroma.

Property
Tarragon is a perennial aromatic plant rich in vitamin A and mineral salts and is appreciated as an infusion to relieve sore throat and to stimulate appetite.

Mint

We conclude our ranking of perennial aromatic plants with another herbaceous species, mint.
Very widespread in the center and in the South, the spice finds fertile ground for growth in cool places, such as the woods. Far from being difficult to grow at home, mint is a very fragrant choice for embellishing your terrace or garden.
When it is planted in the garden it tends to develop in an intrusive way, so it is better to think of the pot option that allows you to have a nice aromatic bush without overgrowth.

Mint has an erect and branched purple or green stem, from where small twigs and fragrant leaves will then develop. These are opposite, elliptical and serrated. The flowers, on the other hand, are white or pink-purple.

The aromatics do not require special care: irrigations are only needed in case of drought and the exposure must be sunny.
Is in the kitchen? Mint has a very particular aroma but is still chosen for making summer drinks or making cakes with a fresh taste. There are several species of mint: among the best known are the peppermint, the mint and the Roman.

Property
Digestive, antiseptic and refreshing. All qualities very sought after in the warm months.