Rue the Day: An Easy Herb for Growing In the Garden

To 'Rue the Day' is to feel regret, remorse, or sorrow, but I promise you will not rue the day if you grow rue. Most all plants growing can be considered herbs if they have a use, either medically or culinary. Rue, aka Ruta graveloens is definitely an herb. "It was first mentioned by Turner in his Herbal in 1562 and has since become one of the best known and widely grown simples for medicinal and home uses." (Botanical.com) I found a great deal of information about rue from the Botanical.com website. History can be very interesting when it involves plants-okay everybody with me say, "Yeah right!" Anyhow, as herbs go, rue is a neat one.

I picked my little specimen up while on a garden tour in Hopkinsville a few years ago. I don't think I've ever seen it in a big box store (my kind of store), but I am sure it would be easily accessible at nurseries specializing in herbs, such as my friend Diann's Herbal Greenhouse here in Clarksville.

My rue has happily grown in a partly shaded area for about four years now. The one thing it does have good going for it (not its light conditions as most herbs need full sun) is the fact the area is well drained since it is in a raised bed on the upside of a slight slope. This herb would not like wet feet. It is a sub shrub, meaning it does not die back to the ground like herbaceous perennials. It behaves like lavender and 'Powis Castle' artemesia in my garden. It even is semi-evergreen and has nice blue gray foliage that provides some structure all year. The bloom is pictured above. It is not fancy at all, but hey, it is a bloom.

I have read that if the oil of a bruised or damaged rue leaf gets on your skin, it can cause skin irritation. This has not happened to me. Good thing since the poison ivy does enough damage as it is now. If I did ever get a rash from the rue, I might indeed rue the day I planted it....

in the garden....