Angelica ∗ the 10 best care and planting tips (Angelica)

Plant angelica properly

Plant Angelica in a sunny, nutrient-rich and fresh and moist location. No other umbelliferae should have been cultivated here in the previous 4-5 years in order to counteract the accumulation of diseases and pests. While the root ball of the young plant is soaked with water, prepare the soil to be fine-crumbly and free of weeds or stones. The planting itself is completed in no time:

Dig a spacious planting pit to enrich the excavation with compost and horn shavings (€ 6.39 on Amazon *)
Pot the young Angelica and pull the root ball slightly apart with your hands
While maintaining the previous planting depth, insert the angelica and water it generously

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A mulch layer from comfrey leaves, leaves or grass clippings makes a valuable contribution to the growth process. In dry weather, the freshly planted Angelica is watered regularly so that the roots can quickly gain a foothold.

Care tips

Even during planting, the focus is on providing angelica with an abundant supply of water and nutrients. These two aspects also function as supporting pillars of professional cultivation in the further care program. This is how growth and flowering proceed as desired:

Weed weeds thoroughly every few days between the date of planting and mid-July until the leaves cover the ground
Young Angelica shoot several times for a bushy, well branched and compact growth
If it does not rain, water it repeatedly and generously without causing waterlogging
From May until the end of the flowering period, fertilize every 14 days with compost, bark humus and comfrey manure

If you regularly mulch with grass clippings, nettle and comfrey leaves or leaves, this will keep the soil moist and warm for longer.

Which location is suitable?

In the sunny to partially shaded location, you will enjoy an impressive Angelica and bring in a rich harvest. In combination with a fresh and moist soil, rich in nutrients and equipped with a vital soil life, angelica proves its good reputation as a medicinal, aromatic and ornamental plant. Please consider the crop rotation for umbellifers and only choose a location where no other member of this family has settled in the previous 4-5 years.

The correct planting distance

Adjust the planting distance to the width and height, create a harmonious and seamless appearance of angelica in the bed. So that the spacious Angelica can present itself in perfection, we have put together a brief overview of the planting distances for the most popular species:

Red angelica with a height of 80-100 cm: Plant distance 100 cm
Large angelica with a height of 100-150 cm: plant spacing 150 cm
Real angelica with a height of 150-250 cm: Plant distance 200-250 cm

What soil does the plant need?

So that angelica can develop the enormous biomass, a nutrient-rich, humus-rich and fresh-moist soil is required. The sunnier the location, the more balanced the soil should be supplied with water, without the risk of waterlogging. Angelica therefore feels at home in the nutritious bottom of a pond.

What is the best time to plant?

Planting time for a young plant in a container is during the entire frost-free gardening season. Angelica gets the best conditions for a splendid growth when planting in the sun-warmed soil from August to October. Then you can look forward to the flower balls of the biennial plant as early as next summer, harvest aromatic leaves and rich stems.

When is the flowering time?

Angelica species usually present their unsophisticated flowering in the second year of growth, only to then die off. The real angelica (Angelica archangelica) starts with a flowering period from June to August. Magnificent specimens, like the purple angelica (Angelica sylvestris), take a little time and bloom from July to September. The lateral umbels underline the impressive habitus with green, white, pink or red sepals.

Cut angelica properly

After her first and only flowering, Angelica goes into seed to gradually die off. If seeding in the garden is not desired, cut off the flower balls in good time. Otherwise, wait until this process is completed to cut angelica close to the ground. The pruning for the harvest starts well before the flowering period. The stems are beautifully tender for candying if they are cut at the time the inflorescences sprout. Shortly before flowering, the leaves are at the zenith of their valuable content and are cut for use as medicinal and culinary herbs.

Pour angelica

Don't let angelica thirst, because drought stress can mean a premature end to plant life. On dry summer days, water in the early morning hours if necessary and again in the late evening. The moisture content of the substrate should be checked daily in the bucket so that the surface can be watered immediately if the surface is dry. If there is clear frost in winter, provide the plant with a good sip of water on mild days.

Fertilize angelica properly

In order to develop the huge biomass, the soil does not completely cover the high demand for nutrients. So fertilize Angelica in the bed from April / May until the end of flowering every 14 days with compost and horn shavings. Since the plant is explicitly hungry for potassium, add comfrey manure to the compost. Weekly fertilization with a liquid, organic preparation is recommended in the large bucket.

Overwinter

Angelica is completely hardy. Real angelica can withstand temperatures down to - 40 degrees Celsius without any problems. Decorative varieties still offer cold temperatures of up to - 28 degrees. Therefore, no special precautions need to be taken in the bed. However, keep the weather under observation for clear frost. In freezing cold without snowfall, the plant can come under drought stress. Therefore, water Angelica on mild days in winter.

Propagate angelica

Before Angelica dies, she diligently cares for lots of offspring by means of seeding. Ideally, you should let nature run free and later simply leave out too many seedlings. There is also the option of digging out seedlings from a height of 10-15 cm in order to plant them in the desired location. Last but not least, sowing serves as a classic method of propagating Angelica. This is how it can be grown behind glass from mid-February to early April:

Place the fresh seeds in a bag with damp sand and seal
For 4 to 6 weeks deposit in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator
Then sow in seed soil and cover with vermiculite
Keep constantly moist in the indoor greenhouse at 25 to 30 degrees Celsius
After emergence lower the temperature to 16 degrees Celsius

Cultivation by sowing from the beginning of July is also possible, provided that you aim to plant in August. In this case, however, the previous stratification cannot be dispensed with.

Angelica in a pot

The care of Angelica in the pot proves to be far more time-consuming than in the bed. Since the plant requires water almost every day in the summer and needs to be fertilized regularly, only a few hobby gardeners opt for this version of the attitude. Choose a container that offers enough space for the mighty beet root. As a substrate, we recommend a high-quality compost-based potted plant soil, which is filled in over a drainage made of potsherds or grit (€ 44.95 at Amazon *). So that there is no wind throw, an appropriately protected location should be chosen for the mighty Angelica. Last but not least, the additional effort for a successful wintering speaks for a bed culture. So that the root ball does not freeze through in the exposed position of the pot,it should be wrapped in foil and placed on insulating material.

Is angelica poisonous?

Regardless of its highly praised medicinal properties and the aromatic taste of its flowers, leaves, stems and roots, there is still a toxic risk in the care and planting work. If the skin comes into contact with the plant sap with simultaneous sun exposure, a phototoxic skin reaction is to be feared. Therefore, always wear gloves when handling angelica in the open air or in the sun-drenched kitchen.

Angelica does not bloom

Don't be surprised if angelica doesn't show off its large ball flowers in the first year. In the first year of standing, the biennial plant concentrates on developing sufficient leaf mass. Only in the following year will the necessary plant energy be available to bloom in white, pink or red. As a result, the plant dies after it has taken care of suitable offspring by self-sowing.

How and when is angelica harvested?

As a rule of thumb for harvesting Angelica, once the plant is in bloom, the quality of leaves, stems and roots will suffer immensely. So harvest angelica as follows:

Harvest angelica stems as soon as the inflorescence sprouts in spring
Cut off the aromatic leaves just before flowering
The best time to harvest the roots is also before flowering

Once you have the valuable seeds in your sights, wait for them to ripen and hold a paper sack under the massive cones. Vigorous shaking will drop the nutritious seeds into it. When harvesting the roots, make sure that no more than 5 percent of the green parts of the plant mix with them in order to maintain the desired quality.

By which characteristics can angelica be identified?

Anyone looking for angelica in the wild should be familiar with the optical characteristics. Look out for the following traits that clearly identify a plant as Angelica:

Large, ball-shaped umbels in greenish-white, pink or red
Angelica blooms from May to September
Mighty flower stems, hollow inside, up to 200 cm high
Leaves appear two or three pinnate, with a light green blade

Include your nose in the detection of angelica, because the flowers give off a pleasant honey scent. If you break off a stalk and rub it between your gloved fingers, it smells of musk and oranges.

Nice varieties

Vicar's Mead (Angelica sylvestris): Premium variety with pink flowers and majestic stature; Height 90-120 cm
Solveig (Angelica archangelica): Real angelica scores with high healing properties and delicious taste; Growth height 250 cm
Big angelica (Angelica giga): Magnificent specimen with dome-like flowers in deep red; Growth height up to 160 cm