Angelica archangelica
My Angelica plant is in full flower at the moment and the bees are loving it.
It’s a biennial member of the Apiaceae (carrot) family and I bought it as a young plant last year.
I wasn’t intending to eat it, I just loved the plant and didn’t have a spot for it in the garden. I was vaguely aware the stems could be crystallised for cake decorations but I knew I’d have to go on a serious time management course before I’d even contemplate that kind of thing.
Angelica archangelica
But it turns out that my new allotment neighbour uses Angelica in cooking (in cakes, stems candied as a sweet snack) so some leaves and stems will be making their way over to her soon. I may even try throwing some of the leaves into a simmering pot of rhubarb as it allegedly cuts through the rhubarb’s acidity and reduces the amount of sugar needed.
And finally I’ll collect some seeds and plant them straight away. My previous attempts at germinating Angelica seed (bought seed, rather than collected) ended in failure and I’m now wondering if freshness of seed was an issue.
Germination aside, Angelica was fairly easy to grow on my clay soil. After planting last summer it put on lots of leafy growth before the foliage died back over winter. I wasn’t sure if it would reappear because I didn’t protect the crown over winter (neglect and disorganisation on my part, I had meant to) but it popped up in early spring.
It didn’t grow as tall as the specimen that inspired me to grow it (at Capel Manor College, Gunnersbury), perhaps reaching just under 1.5m. But it’s still a majestic, stately plant and I love its strong architectural form. I’ve since discovered they like moist soil and watering regularly is not one of my strong points……….
Advertisement
A very interesting and useful post, particularly the culinary uses of the plant. I’ve often wondered about growing Angelica – for structure and interest rather than food use. I want to start growing rhubarb so perhaps I could marry the two together!
Hi Caro, many thanks for the kind comments. If you manage to grow Angelica from seed, do let me know – I’ve tried twice and failed! Not giving up yet though, will try again
Rhubarb and Angelica sound like a good combination.
I’m not familiar with angelica but it looks like a really unusual plant. You’ve sparked my interest, thanks for the post.
Hi Sarah, it’s a good talking point on the allotment!