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It’s thyme for the first Herb Day this Saturday

Find out all you ever wanted to know about parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme at the Baton Rouge Unit of the Herb Society of America’s first Herb Day this Saturday, March 5, at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden.

The event will feature four classes and a cooking demonstration inside the Ione E. Burden Conference Center. At 9:30 a.m., Kitty Bull will teach attendees how to create fairy gardens, and a 10:15 a.m. class will highlight edible native plants. Stephen Beck will talk about propagating citrus and nut trees from cuttings and other methods in a class at 11 a.m., and Kathleen Harrington will show how to make herbal incense at 11:45 a.m. Finally, at 12:45 a.m., cookbook author Cynthia LeJeune Nobles will demonstrate recipes made with peppers, which are the herb of the year.

Also in the Conference Center, hundreds of herb plants will be available for sale, along with native plants propagated by the Capital Area Native Plant Society. Gardening experts will be on hand to answer questions and offer planting advice. At a “tea room” in the Conference Center, English and herbal teas will be offered along with proper accompaniments including scones, short breads and cookies. In the Steele Burden Memorial Orangerie, merchants will offer homemade jams and jellies, fairy garden furniture, gardening tools, art and more, and on the Orangerie lawn will be more plants, birdhouses, and vinegars and oils infused with herbs.

There’s even something for the youngest garden enthusiasts, with kids’ activities in the Children’s Garden throughout the day.

The event will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For details, check out the event’s Facebook page.