Sweet Cicely is blooming just inside the gate. The blossoms are pleasing to the senses, sweet smelling and subtle. A self-fertile plant, the flowers are hermaphrodite, so it spreads easily. You would never suspect this from looking at a seedling the first year. It is a small innocent looking thing, but if it is happy growing, watch out, it can invade! I've found it establishing itself as far as 800 feet away from the original mother plant! But it is a plant worth growing. I have heard it referred to as..."garden good 'n plenty." The seeds are somewhat shaped like the candy, and when they are just starting to ripen, you can pop them in your mouth for a burst of licorice flavor! (and one is just plenty for me!) A fly fisherman once told me that he uses the fern-like leaves of Sweet Cicely to keep the gnats away, by making a hat or crown out of them. He said it was an old Indian trick. So, I have tried it out once or twice and found it to be somewhat ineffectual. That and I feel rather silly when the neighbor drives by and sees me walking around with a crown of Sweet Cicely ferns around my head....
5 comments:
I've never heard of sweet cicely. I looked it up and saw that it is a close relative of something called Aniseroot, both of the Osmorhiza family. Interesting.
I tried the crown of tansy as I use to make a spray out of it for the horse but it was so strong it gave me a headache!
Just the name of Sweet Cicely is wonderful, but the plant is amazing!
Thanks for sharing about this lovely sounding plant! I'll have to see if it's available in this area.
We too grow Sweet Cicely here in Wales and indeed it grows wild in areas; the young leaves are eaten in salads. I loved the idea of it made into a crown :)
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