What is Rue?

If is a perennial herbaceous and it grows in the zones 5-9. It grows to the height of 12 to 15 inches. In the catholic Latin American cultures, rue is considered to be a scared herb. A lot of the time, rue is referred to as a herb of-grace, and it is used in religious rituals. This herb is believed to offer protection for health and well-being.

The flowers of the rue are yellow. Rue blooms during the middle to late summer.

Rue is a native to the Mediterranean regions, where it likes to grow in disturbed soil. It likes to grow in both hot and cool climates. Rue will tolerate some wet environments as well as arid ones.

The seeds needs to be stratified for 1 week before planting to encourage better germination. It takes 7 to 10 days to germinate after sowing the rue seeds indoors. This would help the seeds to germinate if the room temperature is extra warm like 70 degree  F.  The plants can be transplanted outside when spring weather is well settled. Rues grows in clumps, of the plants need to be space 10 to 12 inches apart. Rue needs to have light to moderate amounts of water. Rue like to have full sun to grow in and it does not need any special soil needs.

Rue helps in deterring pest insects in the garden. It is good to plant this herb where whiteflies, aphids, and trips and present.

The aerial parts of the rue are harvested from middle to late summer. The upper half of the plant is harvest by using snips or scissors. The aerial parts of the rue are dried. Because of the volatile oils that are contained in the leaves, some fair-skinned people may notice some skin irritation, so it would be wise to wear gloves when harvesting and processing rue.