Substitute for celery. Great in soups, salads, especially potato salad, sauces. Yellow flower.

Like full sun. Heights up to 5 feet. Zones 6 – 9. Tolerates partial shade. Fertile, moist, but well drained soil. Perennial. Prune away flowers to encourage vegetative growth. Each spring; mulch with compost or well-rotted manure. Replace plants every four to five years. Flowers June to July, tiny greenish yellow flowers in umbels. Mainly trouble-free. Occasionally it may be attacked by caterpillars, remove and destroy if found. Once established, harvest leaves as needed for fresh use. In fall, bunch foliage and stems and hang to dry. Or blanch small bunches before freezing for winter use. Seeds are ripe and ready to harvest when the fruits begin to split open. Dig roots in late fall, wash and slice in ½ inch pieces and dry before storing. The leaves, stems, and seeds all have a savory celery-like flavor. Lovage is recommended as a trap crop to lure tomato hornworms away from tomatoes, handpick the pests or cut off and destroy infested foliage. The umbels of tiny greenish yellow flowers attract parasitic and predaceous insects to the garden and the bushy plants provide shelter for predatory insects. A single plant may be all you need as a trap crop. Plant it at the back of the ornamental border for an eye-catching accent. Lovage is always used fresh as the flavor diminishes when the herb is dried. Lovage is a heavy feeder, so prepare the beds with lots of composed manure. Additional fertilizing may be necessary to maintain adequate production. Space plants at least 36 inches apart. Lovage is hardy and will survive even severe winters. In midsummer, long flower stalks form. Cut these back so the plant will produce more leaves. In the 3^rd year, divide the roots, the plant will then grown with more vigor. First year plants will grow only about a foot tall and only small harvest can be made, In the second year, the plants can grow up to 6 feet tall and yields will be greatly increased. Harvest by cutting the side branches off the main stem. Bunching is easier if the stems are long.