Myrrhis

Common names for M. odorata include Sweet Cicely, British Myrrh and Sweet Chervil. This lovely perennial has fernlike foliage and produces many bunches of white flowers atop 2- to 3-foot, hollow stems. The flowers and leaves smell and taste like Anise. This plant grows wild in many parts of Europe.

Pot Cultivation

Sweet Cicely should be planted in fertile, organic soil in a position with light to moderate shade. They start growing in early spring and continue until heavy frost. Don't cut Sweet Cicely in the first year of growth unless you are growing it as an annual. Add the sweet fresh leaves and tender stem tips to salads, along with the flowers and immature seeds; or chop them and use small amounts in soups or mixed vegetables. You can also cook the stems and leaves and add the juice to fruit pies or cobblers. Dried seeds give a scent to potpourris resembling Anise.

Propagation

The best time to direct-seed is in the fall, when freshly harvested seeds are available. If you are going to start them in the spring, mix them with moist peat moss and set them in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 days. After that, grow them indoors in peat pots throughout the summer and transplant them to the garden in the autumn.