When to plant lovage?
- Botanical name
- Levisticum officinale
- Family
- Apiaceae
Lovage is planted from April to June. It is harvested from April to July. It is cut back from October to November.
Lovage is a perennial plant. The edible parts are the roots, leaves, flowers and seeds.
The spacing of 30 centimetres holds for freshly planted stock. Over the years lovage spreads to 100 centimetres across, so the room for a grown plant is measured out at planting and it never goes in rows. One plant covers a household, and its height puts it at the back edge of the bed.
Young leaves are cut as needed until lovage flowers, because after that they turn bitter. The root is dug separately, in winter and from a plant that has stood in the bed for several years.
Lovage dies down to the ground by itself in autumn, so the cutting back clears away dead stems only. They come off after the first frost, or they stand through the winter and go in spring, before the plant comes up.
Lovage through the year
- planting
- harvest
- cutting back
In short
Growing conditions
Is lovage toxic to cats and dogs?
Yes. Toxic to cats and dogs.
Pests and diseases
Listed here is every problem for which the sources name this plant as a host. The problems are not listed in order of how common they are.
- Signs
- Holes appear in the middle of the leaf rather than along the edge, young plants are eaten down to the ground, and there are slimy trails in the morning. On low-growing fruit there are gnawed pits.
- Prevention
- Remove the hiding places beside the bed: boards, stones, dense weeds. Water in the morning and not in the evening, so that the night is dry. Spread a band of coarse sand or gravel around the bed. Cover young plants with fleece. Pick them off at night, which is still the most effective measure.
- What to do
- Baits with iron phosphate are held to carry less risk for pets and children. Put them out in bands beside the bed, not scattered over the whole surface.
Check the registration and the label before use.
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Related plants
The plants below are in the same botanical family (Apiaceae).
Sources about the plant: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants, BUND Region Hannover, GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, NC State Extension Plant Toolbox, Royal Horticultural Society, University of Georgia Extension, University of New Hampshire Extension, Wikidata. Checked between 14 and 28 August 2026. The problem descriptions also draw on: University of Maryland Extension, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension.