Lovage
Levisticum officinale
Also called Love parsley and Maggi plant
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitONE PLANT IS ENOUGH FOR A STREET. It reaches two metres, tastes of concentrated celery, and a single leaf will flavour a whole pan — people plant three and spend years regretting it. Cut it to the ground in June for a second flush of young leaves.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Every 5 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Feed
- Every 45 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Very hardy RHS H7, to -25°C
- Size
- 2 m tall · 1 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- Western Asia
Is it safe for pets and people?
Affects dogs, cats, horses. Signs: sensitivity to sunlight, and stomach upset.
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
ASPCA lists this exact binomial as toxic to dogs, cats and horses, despite it being a culinary herb. Grow it where an animal will not graze it.
Checked against ASPCA on 2026-09-22.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- Pale winding tunnels inside the leaf, visible when it is held to the light, with a dark speck at the end of each. Pick those leaves off; it is a celery relative and gets the celery pests.Leaf miner · pest
- Dozens of seedlings all round the parent the following spring. Cut the umbel off as soon as it has finished flowering — one plant is genuinely enough.Seeding everywhere · disorder