Herb Society returns to Beechwood Farms in Fox Chapel with spring sale after pandemic-related break

Members of the Western PA Unit of the Herb Society of America will be back in action for their annual spring plant sale after a two-year covid-related break.

“After two years with no sale, it will be great to see and talk with friends and gardeners once again,” club member Rob Marshall said.

The event will feature dozens of hard-to-find varieties, handmade products, vendors and information on growing herbs.

Unit Chairperson Rin Babson said the nonprofit’s signature Ruby Glow Tea will be among the items for sale, along with a collection of hand-decorated planters and specialty herbs to be used for pizza and in other culinary dishes.

“We will have traditional products as well as wonderful gardening and herb books,” Babson said.

“There will also be a special section of members’ gently used house and garden items.”

Herbal art vendor, Eileen Yeager, will be on hand with her wares too.

The sale is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 7 at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve in Fox Chapel.

A pre-order form is available on the club’s website, www.herbsociety.org.

Specialty plants, from anise hyssop to basil to mint, are available. Items will be bagged for curbside pickup from 2 to 4:30 p.m. May 6 at Beechwood Farms, as well as the morning of the sale.

Proceeds benefit the educational programs and projects of the unit.

Founded in 1958, the mission of the Western PA Unit is to further the knowledge and use of herbs, and to promote cultural, civic and educational projects relating to herbs, according to the group’s website.

The unit has a long and storied history, including early members Mary Lawrence, whose family built Hartwood Acres, and Rachel Hunt, a founding member, whose love of nature inspired the 1961 dedication of the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Mellon University.

Membership is open to the public, and meetings are hosted from 10 a.m. to noon the third Monday of the month from September through June at Beechwood Farms.

“There has been a growing interest in the importance of native plants and their inclusion in our public and home gardens, so Beechwood Farms is a perfect match for us,” Babson said.

The Herb Society launches its spring season in April by maintaining the Elizabethan Herb Garden and Shakespeare Garden in Mellon Park in Pittsburgh’s East End. Members also assist with the Medicinal Herbs and Dye Gardens at Old Economy Village in Ambridge.

The club also provides culinary herb plants to the Lauri Ann West Community Center along Powers Run Road in O’Hara.

At the upcoming sale, members will highlight the featured Herb of the Year — the heartsease (wild pansy) that flowers from May to August with vibrant hues of yellow, blue and purple.

Also featured will be the Notable Native Herb for 2022 — the Goldenseal (Hydrastis Canadensis). Traditionally used to treat skin disorders and digestive problems, the perennial is recognized by its yellow knotted root and purple stem.

Marshall said that for some, a new obsession are the newer basil varieties from Rutgers University. They are DMR, or downy mildew resistant.

“They are very exciting for cooks and gardeners,” he said.