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A giant lovage plant grows by my front porch — partly because it’s a good spot, mostly because the deer won’t touch it. I’ve had it there for at least twelve years and it comes back thicker every spring without much fuss from me.
Also because lovage tastes like celery and celery is notoriously difficult to grow in a short season garden. I dry tons of it becasue lovage fills that gap beautifully — a handful of dried leaves added to a winter soup or stew gives you that deep, savory celery flavor without having to coax a finicky plant through a Montana summer.
If you’ve never grown lovage before, it’s worth finding a spot for it. And if you’ve got it growing and aren’t sure what to do with it all, here’s where to start.
What is Lovage?
Lovage (Levisticum officinale) is a tall, bold perennial herb with a flavor that sits somewhere between celery and parsley — deeply savory, a little grassy, and surprisingly powerful for something that grows so effortlessly. Both the leaves and stems are edible and useful, and the seeds can be used as a spice.
It’s one of those herbs that most gardeners haven’t tried but quickly wonder how they managed without once they do.
Growing Lovage
I bought my first lovage plant at a farmer’s market years ago and tucked it in by the front porch where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade. It took to that spot immediately and has come back every spring since without any fuss. Truly, I mostly ignore it only giving it water occasionally through the hottest and driest spells of summer.
Lovage is a hardy perennial that grows well in zones 3 through 9, which makes it a reliable choice for cold climate gardens. It tolerates part shade better than many herbs — useful if your sunniest spots are already spoken for. Give it average garden soil and reasonable moisture and it will largely take care of itself.
The one thing worth knowing before you plant it is the height. Lovage gets tall — easily four to six feet by midsummer — so it belongs at the back of the border where it won’t shade out smaller plants. It dies back completely in winter and returns reliably in spring, coming back a little thicker each year. Divide it every few years to keep it productive and you’ll always have more than enough to harvest and share.
When your plant starts to get big and you want to harvest the leaves – cut the stalks before the plant flowers. Cut the stalks about an inch from the ground. Most climates will be able to have multiple harvests per season.
You can ;eave some to flower and go to seed. The flowers are loved by pollinators of all types. After the flowers go to seed. Gather the seed heads an use the seeds as you would celery seed. I use it pickles most often.
Cooking with Lovage
The easiest way to think about lovage in the kitchen is as a celery substitute — anywhere you’d use celery for flavor, lovage will do the job and then some. The flavor is more concentrated than celery so a little goes a long way.
Soups and Stocks
This is where lovage really earns its place. Add a few fresh stems or a pinch of dried leaves to soups, stews, and homemade stocks for a deep savory backbone. It’s particularly good in potato soup, bean soups, and any broth based dish that benefits from that celery note.
As a Celery Substitute
Use fresh lovage leaves anywhere a recipe calls for celery — in salads, slaws, stuffing, or cooked into dishes. Remember the flavor is stronger so start with less than you think you need and adjust from there.
It will not have the same texture, obviously, but it will give you the flavor. Choose when the flavor is more important than the texture for this substitution to be best.
Drinks
Lovage has a long history as a cocktail herb — a single stem makes a distinctive stirrer for a Bloody Mary and the leaves can be muddled into summer drinks for a savory herbal note.
Preserving Lovage
The growing season for lovage is generous but winter comes fast. Preserving it means you have that celery flavor on hand all year long. Here are three simple ways to do it:
How to Dry Lovage: Drying is the simplest and most practical way to preserve lovage for winter cooking. A jar of dried lovage on the spice rack is one of the most useful things in a cold season kitchen.
Lovage Infused Vinegar: A simple infusion that brings lovage’s savory flavor into salad dressings, marinades, and more. Easy to make and a lovely thing to have on the shelf.
Lovage Salt: Blending lovage with salt is one of the easiest preserves you can make and one of the most useful — a finishing salt that brings both seasoning and herbal flavor to everything it touches. It also makes for great gifts for all your foodie friends.
This is one of those plants that rewards the gardener who gives it a chance. Twelve years in, I’m still glad it found that spot by the porch.
Perfectly timed. I accidentally bought lovage plants, thinking I’d grabbed parsley (it was raining; that’s my excuse) and I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with it.
Other than move it. If it gets that tall, it may need a place in my perennial flower bed.
Wow, 3 lovage plants is a lot. I have and am overrun by it. They take up a lot of space as they get older. First year they don’t get so tall, after that look out. Enjoy! That lovage salt does make a great gift.
This spring I transplanted some Solomon Seal next to the lovage. The intent was to let the lovage shade the other plant after it was finished blooming. It worked beautifully.
I bought a lovage plant 10 years ago for .99 cents as I was on a quest to save plants
I usually dry a bunch and use it in soups, like cucumber cream soup or stocks.
Your post definitely renewed my interest of lovage because I was about to dig it out but ecided against it.
I have some in the dehydrator now and plan to make some lovage salt , lovage vinegar and even some lovage sachet to keep my closets fresh…I love that crisp and fresh smell.
Thank you!
I had planted lovage and thought it died but this year it is up. Glad to know it will sort of spread. I couldn’t remember planting celery. Thanks for the tips.
All the lovage I grew from seed and transplanted died (a critter got to them). I want to just get one bunch of it going, because I would love to dry it and have it on hand for soups. Hopefully I have better luck next spring!
I got some lovage seeds in my seed of the month club membership and didn’t really know what it was. I’m glad I happened upon this post! Thanks
It’s great stuff but it gets huge and prolific. I wonder how well it would do your heat, though? I look forward to reading about your adventures with it.
Hello Kathie, I am addicted to giving food as presents and was looking for a better presentation of colour in an organic Kelp Salt I have been experimenting with.I think some Lovage would add aroma / colour / great taste if used carefully and also visual impact as I would not shred it as small as the Kelp. SO – thank you for the information.
Oh I’m so glad to know this came in handy for you. Also yum!
I am going to cut the Lovage, let it dry naturally until crisp then shred it into the Kelp Salt mix.I decided to trey the seaweed, in this instance Kelp because of the high iodine content which apparently some people need for their health. Will let you know how it turns out , Regards, Michelle.
I can’t wait to hear the results.
Love the salt idea. I will dry some to make it. I chop it and put it in salads…oh yah!
have you tried to make a Kimchi style mix with lovage yet?
Wonder whether that preserves its flavor better then drying it?
I haven’t tried it.
Great when a leaf or two is put into a beef gravy.
My favourite herb! Love it in chicken soups, gravies, salads, even lasagne!
In addition to your fine suggestions (and those of your readers), may I add a helpful way to provide habitat for our native pollinators? I had purchased some bamboo–5/16″ in diameter. The small purchased bundle had almost none that were even close to 5/16–the desired size for solitary bees to deposit eggs & pollen. While cutting back my lovage, it dawned on me that I had the perfect medium in which to place inside my bee frames. Cut into approximately 6″ pieces and secured in place, they became a favorite place for our native bees to do their important work–and they’re free!
What a great idea!
I have been growing one lovage plant for two years. It’s about 3’ tall. I usually use it with 5-6 other herbs and make Frankfurter Green sauce. It’s absolutely delicious with hard boiled eggs or schnitzel and boiled potatoes. I’m going to try your salt idea.
Use the stalks for Bloody Mary straws!