Matricaria recutita foliage and flower buds

The German chamomile has self-sown and will be blooming soon. At this young age, you can really see the family resemblance to pineapple weed (Matricaria discoidea).

Coriandrum sativum 'Slow Bolt' seedlings

I never got around to sowing my cilantro (aka coriander) seeds, but luckily it seeded itself last year!

Cilantro is one of those flavours people either love or hate. I love it.

Tussilago farfara: flowers

Caution: invasive Tussilago farafara, known in English as "coltsfoot" and in French as pas d'âne, is a perennial native to Eurasia. I had never seen it before and was intrigued by its apparent absence of leaves; apparently a rosette of broad leaves will emerge later on; their shape reminded whoever thought of the common names of a colt's foot or donkey's foot.

The Invasive Exotic Species Ranking for Southern Ontario rates coltsfoot as Category 4 ("Exotic species that do not pose a serious threat to natural areas unless they are competing directly with more desirable vegetation.")

Coltsfoot has traditionally been used medicinally, but is toxic in large doses. Also, European Journal of Pediatrics reported a case of an infant who developed hepatic veno-occlusive disease after regular consumption of what his parents thought was coltsfoot, but was actually Adenostyles alliariae, which shows the importance of being cautious about gathering and self-treating with wild plants.

I photographed these plants at the University of Toronto downtown campus on St. George north of College.

Petroselinum crispum: at winter's end

Petroselinum crispum, known in English as parsley and in French as persil, is a common biennial herb native to the Mediterannean.

I never thought of parsley as an evergreen, but it has stayed a bright green through the winter, despite having spent months crushed under snow!

Rosmarinus officinalis: in bloom!

Rosmarinus officinalis, known in English as rosemary and in French as romarin, is a tender woody perennial native to the Mediterranean region. Its fragrant, greyish, thin, needle-like leaves are used as a culinary herb. The flowers are pale blue.

Rosemary is not hardy enough to survive Toronto winters. It can be grown in the garden as an annual, which I tried last year. It never got very large, 30 cm at best, and of course it's dead now. Rosemary can also be grown as a houseplant, though some find it a struggle. My first boyfriend managed to quickly kill the rosemary plant he tried growing in his dorm room for sentimental reasons, probably a combination of insufficient light and too much heat in the winter. (I married him anyway.)

The rosemary plant at my parents' house on the other hand lived for years. It too never got very big, about 30 cm, and never bloomed. My budgie enjoyed nibbling on it.

The rosemary in the photo is the biggest, most beautiful rosemary plant I have ever seen, and the first time I have seen rosemary in bloom in real life! It's growing in the Allan Garden's conservatory. I'm not sure if it's even possible to grow a rosemary plant this big (well over a metre) in Toronto without a greenhouse.

If you want to see it in person, after entering the centre greenhouse go through the door on the left to the next greenhouse (the one with the pool and the statue of Leda and the swan). The rosemary is in the centre bed.

Ambitious indoor gardeners in Toronto may be inspired by this goregous rosemary bonsai! If I had a sunny window I'd like to try this myself.

Echinacea purpurea: winter

Echinacea purpurea, known in English as eastern purple coneflower and in French as echinacée pourpre or rudbeckie pourpre, is a perennial native to eastern North America. It is used as a herbal medicine and is becoming popular as an ornamental plant. The flowers are like big purplish-pink daisies with conical brown centres.

The seedheads, which are like spiky dark brown balls, remain ornamental in winter (until the snow gets too deep).

Nepeta cataria: seeds

Nepeta cataria, known in English as catnip and in French as cataire, chataire, or herbe aux chats, is a fragrant perennial in the mint family, native to Europe, Asia, and Africa. Although it has spikes of small white flowers, it is most often grown for its foliage, which many cats enjoy as a recreational "drug".

This is my first year growing catnip. Since the seed packet says it may be sown in fall or spring, I assume it will be fine wintersown. The seeds are quite small and dark brown.

Coriandrum sativum: flowers

Coriandrum sativum, known in English as "cilantro", "Chinese parsley", or "coriander", and in French as coriandre, is an annual herb native to southwest Asia and north Africa. Its leaves are deliciously (or revoltingly, to some people) fragrant, and its seeds are an important ingredient in Indian cooking. By the time it bolts, like in this photo, the leaves are no longer good for eating, but the delicate flowers are pretty and there are the seeds to look forward to. I find that cilantro self-seeds to some extent.

Matricaria recutita: flowers

Matricaria recutita, known in English as German chamomile, garden chamomile, or wild chamomile, and in French as camomille vraie, camomille sauvage, camomille allemande, or matricaire, is an annual native to Eurasia. The flowers are like tiny white daisies with spherical yellow centres, and have a lovely scent, like pineapple.

I got the seeds whence these plants grew from Florabunda Seeds, an Ontario nursury specializing in heirloom seeds.

Lavandula angustifolia: flowers

Lavandula angustifolia, known in English as true lavender or English lavender and in French as lavande vraie is a small (in Toronto, at least) perennial shrub native to the western Mediterranean, especially northern Spain. It is famous for its fragrant greyish-green foliage and small light purple flowers.

Although lavender can grow to be 1 or 2 metres high, here in Toronto I find that it dies back quite a bit each year and is seldom as tall as 50 cm. It is considered evergreen but in Toronto the foliage, while it stays on all winter, dies and turns grey.