I am wondering if realise what a large plant lovage can become. It will grow to 5 or 6 feet and develops a large fanged tap root. It also spreads. It is usually grown as a back of the border plant and would seem to me unsuitable for container growing in anything much smaller than an oil drum. Dappled shade is fine.

Lovage is a large plant as flora says and one that I do not expect will do well in a container in the long term. The ground would be best.

I've grown lovage for about 15 years and never had it spread, but different growing conditions yield different results.

It is a magnificent back of the border plant as flora notes. I find the foliage and shape of the plant interesting. I personally like different leaf shapes and arrangements in the garden. I took a class once titled "Healing Gardens." It was grossly mis-titled. It should have been "My love affair with petunias" or "I can't stand to see plants without blooms in the garden." The woman teaching it had to have a sea of blooms always.

Plants like lovage can offer structure and interest to gardens without showy blooms. Of course, it also has its tasty goodness to offer!

FataMorgana

That's interesting about the spreading Fatamorgana. The clump I know best is on a neighbouring allotment and has developed into a large patch from one original plant. It's not rampant but over the years it has covered an area about 15 x 15 feet. Of course, as you say, the conditions here are different. It never goes short of water and the winter is not so long nor so cold. And the summers I suspect are cooler and damper. By the way, you are clearly on my wavelength about colour in the garden. Green is the most important one!

I suspected my soil or weather had much to do with seeing different spreading characteristics. My soil is very heavy clay and my weather is one of changeability and extremes. We can have weeks of rain or weeks of no rain. Summer temps top out at high 90's F and winter can be as low as -10 F. Heck, just a few weeks back we had temperatures with lows at night of 49 F and the next week the high temps were 95 F. And the joke here is that we only have 2 weeks of summer and about 6 months of winter.

I suspect the conditions like this is what caused many of the native plants here to require cold stratification to break the seed dormancy. This way their germination is timed to take place in the spring when conditions would be easier for young seedlings.

And yes, I love green in the garden. I don't see a "sea of green." I see the distinct leaves shapes, plant shapes, shades of green, and more. While I do enjoy blooms, I find the foliage just as interesting and enjoyable.

FataMorgana

flora uk & fatamorgana,

Thanks to both of you for your answers. I will let these two plants grow a wee bit and then move the one which is most robust. The other may or may not get a permanent place in my garden. I am in Virginia where we have summer high in the 90-100+ degree range and winter low in the 10-20 degree range. The location where lovage will end up is in part shade on the north end of our yard. It will be in good green company there. I did not think a container was suitable but had to try!

Cheers,
DL

It might have to have a really big self-watering box, but the lovage might grow well enough to keep for several years. I'm in north Texas, and my poor, in-ground, dappled shaded, on the north side of the house, lovage is about the same size as when I planted it, some months ago. It just really hates the summer weather here. I knew this was the most likely outcome, but wanted to try the plant. It might have been happier to have been planted in an 18 gallon yard bucker/laundry tub and wagged in and out of the house during the heat.