The native herb row resides next to our stone fruit row. Left photo all green understory waking up in May. Right photo Monarda and Echinacea in full bloom in July.

Last year we transitioned one of our alley cropped rows to a native medicinal herb row at our Learning Orchard. In this blog, Caro talks about the layout and flowering times of these beautiful plants!

In 2025 we planted a new herb row featuring native flowering plants that would grow in the understory of the orchard, converting what had been an alley cropping row that had been used for growing annual crops since 2021. Our hope is to not only show our partner sites what kind of native medicine or culinary plants could work in their orchards but also to nurture a diverse orchard ecology.

In our first full season we’ve noticed how these plants have progressed and found that they are slowly spreading and showing their competitive side. The row is established in the following way:

Early blooms

The first plant to kick off the year was the Angelica (Angelica atropurpurea).  Since it’s only it’s first year it grew only about 16” with a thick and stable base. Angelica is an umbel has umbel shaped flower, similar to yarrow and fennel. Like other umbels, it helps attract predatory insects help keep a balance in the orchard.  This plant didn’t expand very much and wasn’t searching for sunlight like others. At the end of its flowering season in early July it started to disperse seeds, which the birds were happy to receive. This plant was transplanted as a sprout from our nursery and could grow more plants after the winter cold stratification. 

Angelica in different stages of its flowering cycle, a great plant for attracting beneficial insects.

At the west most end of the bed, the second plant to shoot up quickly was the Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa). This plant is very tolerant to shade and grew beautifully under the plum tree which fruited for the first time this year. The black cohosh plant also ended its flowering period in early July, giving us these talll white “candles” of fuzzy flowers. We planted 6 different rhizomes and only one flowered of the six. This is most likely due to it being its first year and we look forward to seeing it spread out this fall. 

Black Cohosh flowering under the plum tree. This plant is happy in full shade!

Summer bloom

As we approached the summer solstice (June 20th) we saw flower buds emerge on the shrubby Solstice Wort or St. Johns Wort, (Hypericum perforatum), flowering then turning into black seed pods. Around the same time in late June we saw the Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) and Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) begin to flower quickly with different hues of purples and pinks. These two plants very clearly wanted to reach for more sun, twisting their stocks to do so. 

Of all the plants in the herb row, these will have the longest flowering time, now reaching their first full month of flowering which will continue into fall. Growing and spreading between each other’s roots, these plants have seemed to be closest companions.  We had to do some maintenance on the echinacea because it was growing and stacking on top of each other. 

Within the purple flowers we had the Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) start to flower at the start of July. This bloom will be much shorter lived as it has mostly turned to seed into the end of the month. An interesting observation that we had was that the Scarlet Bee Balm (Monarda didyma), seen last year as growing tall and abundantly, mostly surrendered to the competition from its purple flowered cousin Wild Bergamot. 

End of summer bloom

“Fireworks” goldenrod in May then September while flowering

The last of our blooms to start will be the Golden Rod (Solidago rugosa), located in the middle of the row. We have selected the ‘Fireworks’ variety which began its blooming period mid September. It’s one of the last blooms of the year, so will welcome hungry insects who are now missing the abundance of summer.

While these herbs are continuing to grow and fill in the row and we look forward to seeing their expansion over the next 6 months into spring 2026. Like with other shrubs and perennial plants at PLOW they help encourage establishment of beneficial insect populations. In addition to pollinators, they will also help bring in  predatory and parasitic insects for a balanced ecosystem. We’ve been practicing harvesting aerial parts of the echinacea and bee balm leaves and flowers and drying them in our high tunnel to distribute with our regular annual crop distribution.

This herb row is dedicated to Nyambi Royster beloved herbalist, mother and land steward. May this row serve to honor her legacy as a plant teacher in Philadelphia and be a living landmark honoring her deep relationship with healing plants.

DISCLAIMER

The information presented on this website is for informational, reference, and educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as a substitute for diagnosis and treatment by a health care professional. Always consult a healthcare professional or medical doctor when suffering from any health ailment, disease, illness, or injury, or before attempting any traditional or folk remedies. Keep all plants away from children. As with any natural product, they can be toxic if misused. 

The Philadelphia Orchard Project stresses that you should not consume parts of any wild edible plants, herbs, weeds, trees,​ or bushes until you have verified with your health professional that they are safe for you. As with any new foods that you wish to try, it is best to introduce them slowly into your diet in small amounts.

This POP Blog was written by Orchard Coordinator Carolina Torres.

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