Salad Burnet

Salad burnet is an easy-to-grow perennial herb valued for its fresh, cucumber-like flavour and long harvest season. It's one of the first greens to emerge in spring and often stays productive well into fall, making it a reliable addition to any edible garden. Salad burnet can even be semi-evergreen in mild climates. Tough, drought-tolerant, and adaptable, it thrives in a wide range of conditions with very little maintenance.

The small, scalloped leaves have a mild, refreshing taste that works beautifully in salads, sandwiches, and cold drinks. Unlike many herbs, salad burnet holds its flavour even in warmer weather, allowing for continuous harvesting without the bitterness that affects other greens. The leaves are best picked young and used fresh.

Beyond its culinary use, salad burnet is a compact and attractive plant, forming tidy clumps with delicate foliage and interesting flower spikes. It's well suited to raised beds, borders, containers, or in-ground growing, and makes a great low-maintenance choice for gardeners looking to add some perennial greens to their edible plant collection.

Common names: Salad Burnet, Burnet, Garden Burnet

Edible: Leaves
Harvest timing: All growing season, but best from March-June and September-November

Scientific name: Sanguisorba minor
Light requirements: Full sun (ideal) or part shade
Full-grown size: 1-2' tall x 1-2' wide
Hardiness: Zone 4
Pollination: Self-fertile
Wildlife: Attracts pollinators. Deer resistant. 
Origin: Native to Europe, Northern Africa and Western Asia
Noteworthy: Edible leaves all growing season. Drought tolerant.