Sweet Cicely Seeds

You can grow Sweet Cicely for its aromatic, edible parts, including a leafy green herb that can be used as a natural sweetener or a salad ingredient, and its anise-flavored seeds and roots. It's also beneficial for pollinators, such as bees, and adds aesthetic value to woodland gardens, especially those designed in a cottage style.

Sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata) is an underrated plant deserving of more attention as a culinary herb and as a sugar saver. The sweet, anise-flavoured leaves and stalks are used as a sweetener in desserts, saving as much as half the sugar. Because it has no calories, sweet cicely is a good alternative in sugarreduced diets. Sweet cicely is tolerated well by diabetics.

Also known as Myrhh, this is grown in the garden both as an herb and flowering perennial. Foliage is bright green and almost fernlike in appearance, with a strong flavor and smell of sweet licorice. Large umbels of tiny white flowers appear in early summer, followed by shiny black seeds. Prune back hard after flowering to rejuvenate the leaves. Excellent for specimen effect in the June border.

Useful gardening information

Sweet cicely may be sown directly in the garden outdoors in summer or autumn. Plant deeper than you would in a seed box, about 1/2" deep, but keep the spacing of the seeds the same.
Rodents love to eat the seeds, so protect seeds by laying a 1/4" mesh wire screen over the seeded area. Cover the screen with a mulch and leave on until early spring. before germination begins.

Links to useful information on the web:

Sweet Cicely History, Benefits and Uses

HR114 Sweet Cicely ( Myrrhis odorata )

A hardy perennial growing to 2-3 ft. Prefers moist, but well drained soil and shade or at least partial shade. White flowers are very aromatic. Fresh leaves used in salads. Seeds used in pastries and salads. Peeled roots are grated and eaten raw or steamed. Tea made from cicely is considered to be an excellent tonic and is considered a mild laxative.
Parts of plant to use for tea: Leaves
Taste: Has a sweet, anise flavor.

Note: These seeds need to be cold statified before sowing. We recommend using the Seedman's Cold Stratification Kits for cold stratification.

Package of 10 seeds $2.75

All seed packets listed on this page are in stock and ready to ship.