Description
Rhizomes of an aromatic perennial herb, costmary has culinary and medical uses. It was often grown in herb gardens in the past. Currently, it seems to have fallen out of favor. The herb has a small balsamic aroma and grows upright to a height of 3–6 feet. Yellow and button-like, the flowers bloom in September and October every year. Costmary belongs to the family Aster, or Asteraceae. The fruit is an achene that is 5–10 mm in size, with a pappus that resembles a crown that is 0.2–0.4 mm in diameter.
Habitat
The plant is indigenous to Western Asia and Southern Europe. Throughout the 16th and 18th centuries, was employed as a laxative, diuretic, and antipyretic throughout Europe. The plant was wrapped in bundles with lavender to scent bedding, and it was used to make potpourri.
Uses
As the name implies, alecost was occasionally used in instead of hops for making beer, though it was still a viable option. Young leaves have a strong flavor, so be careful when chopping them up and adding them to salads. Alecost was a medication used to treat catarrh. Useful for making potpourri as well.
Plant Care and Fertilizer
The herb’s name, Alecost, comes from the English who flavored their ales with it. Full sun is preferable to partial shade for Costmary. If the plant is cultivated in the shadow, it will only develop leaves and no flowers. Its roots are shallow, and it likes its soil to be dry yet well-drained.
Once planted, costmary requires little maintenance—it seldom ever needs to be watered or fertilized. Place a minimum of 12 inches (31 cm) separating every plant. Divide the costmary every two to three years to keep the plant from growing too large and lanky. Pull the rhizomes apart with your hands, split them with a knife or use a shovel after you have dug the clump in the spring or autumn. Divisions can be given away or replanted.
Cultural Conditions:
- Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture: Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand
- Soil pH: Acid (<6.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage: Good Drainage, Moist, Occasionally Dry
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