Does anybody have any suggestions on perennial herbs that can grow in the humid south. I live in Zone 8 in central Mississippi.
I bought an Arp Rosemary plant and a Blue Spire Rosemary plant. They’re worth a shot I guess?
Thank you for your time.
Rosemary loves it here in zone 8 eastern NC, but mind you I have sandy to loamy soil, not clay.
Sage, lemon balm, thyme and lemon thyme, oregano, chocolate mint, peppermint, any kind of mint really, and cat nip are carefree. Egyptian walking onions and chives are also perfectly happy here. Lemon verbena I think it’s borderline hardy.
Annuals are a mixed bag. Parsley and cilantro are pointless to grow imo since they’re so cheap, but regardless, parsley, dill, cilantro, and anything similar are fine but they bolt very quickly so you’ll need to plan on multiple plantings. Fennel seems to do well, but it and dill really seem to have a lot of swallowtail butterfly pressure. Which is fine by me, I like swallowtails, but it does mean you probably will need to plant extra. Basil is bulletproof, full sun, all the heat. Thai and lemon basil are superb and worth trying if you haven’t had them before. Basil does tend to flower and seed a lot though, so your might want to keep them trimmed for more and fresher leaves.
Lavender does ok, but I’ve not seen any that ever looked completely happy. Might be able to grow bay leaves, never tried myself. Not a culinary herb but since we’re talking aromatic stuff, several species of Eucalyptus like it here in the South. E. camphora is really tough and can handle damp soil. Wilson Bros Garden sells a fair number is different kinds.
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One thing I learned. Plant rosemary high. It does not like wet feet. Any mint will do great. Walking onions like suggested above do fine. I have hundreds of walking onions and they grow year round although they struggle in the summer heat they always recover once it cools down
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Thank you for y’all’s help.
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