The Heritage Herb Garden at the Ozark Folk Center graces the park visually with colors and textures; scents the air with sweet and pungent aromas and helps us to interpret the history of the human use of plants. 

Precipitation has increased while daylight hours have shortened and daily average temperatures are steadily falling. On sunny days, there is still much to do in the herb garden. Though specimen plants are going dormant, we can still see the overall space they take in the garden. Winter greenery carpets the earth. Chickweed, henbit and a host of little annual grasses appear innocent in their youth. These, alongside violets and white asters, both perennial wildflowers, snuggle up tightly to the roots of more desirable herbs. Plants that benefit from occasional division, such as Echinacea (purple and yellow coneflower), oregano and the mints are dormant enough to be extracted from the soil, hacked into pieces and replanted. Volunteer seedlings of parsley and nigella can be transplanted now.

Chickweed has small, pointed leaves that grow on stems that hug the ground and grow from a center point and by, early spring, become quite long in every direction. I value this wild immigrant weed as a salad and potherb. It also makes a good poultice and salve for inflamed skin conditions. Nonetheless, it is not good to leave it to grow all over perennial plants. The same is true of henbit and the other early spring greens. These plants hold moisture and keep the ground shaded, wet and cold in the spring when warmth and quick drying are better. Root them out and compost them now. Think of this as early spring-cleaning.

As you assess your garden, look carefully at the invaders growing within the drip line of your ‘pets’ and establish some personal space for them. Draw an imaginary circle, six inches outside the drip line of specimen plants and remove all of the weeds and fallen leaves from that circle to insure good air circulation and nutrient availability.

Violets are a good example of sneaky, space invaders. Sure, violet flowers are harbingers of spring. We can eat the flowers and the leaves and get a good dose of vitamin C when we do it. The rhizomes can be washed and crushed to make a poultice for hot wounds. Those same rhizomes steal nutrients and water and grow leaves that block air circulation from the plants you choose for your garden. Dig them out from the comfort zone of your plants now, before they start blooming and steal your heart.

Echinacea and Salvia are just two of the many desirable plants that have dispersed ripe seed this summer and may have seedlings growing inside the garden boundaries. This is the time to move them to an area where they can grow to their full potential rather than crowding the smaller space around your specimen plants.

Perennials that have been grown in the same place for over three years can benefit from division. Echinacea, Salvia (which includes garden sage), thyme, and many others, are plants that grow larger by crown expansion. The older, inner crown exhausts the nutrients in the soil which leads to the demise of these established herbs.

To divide a plant, evaluate and decide how many new plant starts it will make. Then dig the new planting holes, mix in some compost and bring the water hose to the new site. Insert your sharp spade into the ground around the outer drip line to cut the roots. Keep the spade at a ninety-degree angle to the soil surface and cut straight down. After the circle has been cut all the way around the plant, start around the circle again, this time, gently tilting the spade handle towards you. This action lifts the root ball out of the earth. Sever any remaining roots that resist the lifting. Divide the plant by placing the spade edge at the line of division. Jump straight down onto the spade as many times as it takes to create the new plants. A sharp hatchet or ax can also be used for this purpose.

Quickly transplant the divisions to the new holes. Be sure that they are planted at the same depth as they grew originally. Push soil and compost around the roots. Add water. Add more back fill, being careful not to leave air pockets. Add more water, even if it is raining. Adjust the plant to be sure it is not planted too deep and insure that no roots are left exposed to the air. Mulch the surface around the new plantings. Finally, fill the original, now vacant hole, with excess soil and compost left over from the new planting site.

The garden gals here are working outside on pretty days and inside the greenhouse on inclement days. There is so much to do and to learn. Wednesdays are volunteer days, all the year round. If you would like to come help out and learn gardening skills, please give Tina Marie a call at (870) 269-3851, or contact the gardeners from the website, www.ozarkfolkcenter.com. And, if I don’t see you in the future, I will see you in the pasture.