Organizers canceled an annual event last year in Dubuque due to COVID-19 concerns and were not sure what to expect when planning this year’s edition back in March.
Turns out, Sunday’s Herbfest flourished at the Dubuque Arboretum & Botanical Gardens.
“I am amazed,” said Fran Hedeman, one of the organizers of the event with the Herb Society of Dubuque. “We didn’t know how many people would show up.”
About 30 people circulated between the arboretum’s herb garden and a series of nearby tables set up on the arboretum’s grounds about one hour into the four-hour event.
While Hedeman and other society members gave tours of the garden, others staffed the tables, offering bagged herbal treats, handcrafted items for sale, information on herbs and free sample plants.
“We had to totally cancel it last year,” Hedeman said of the event.
Then, organizers had to decide in March whether to hold the event this summer.
“Who knew what it would be like now,” Hedeman said. “We just decided we would do everything outside.”
Previous events featured tables indoors at the arboretum.
Clayton and Allison Stoffel, of Madison, Wis., visited the tables and learned more about various herbs.
“It’s really neat,” Allison Stoffel said. “We don’t bake with herbs, so it’s nice to see what can be done with them. It’s also nice that (the event) is outside.”
Hedeman said interest in gardening in general grew during pandemic-related closures and other restrictions in 2020, and that growing herbs is a good introduction to the hobby of gardening.
“People can grow them in pots and in whatever space they have,” she said. “Most herbs adapt readily to growing in a pot. Some are better in a pot, because they don’t invade your whole garden — like mint.”
Hedeman encourages beginning herb gardeners to start small.
“If you (plant) a lot and it becomes overwhelming, it can be discouraging,” she said. “Start with a few plants and see what you like.”
Hedeman’s tours of the arboretum’s herb garden highlighted the variety of roles herbs have played throughout the centuries of their cultivation.
“It’s fun to share the stories of the herbs and their histories,” she said. “(In the herb garden) we have culinary (herbs), scented or aromatic and medicinal. We have plants used for dyeing fabrics. We have teas. We have edible flowers.”
Sunday’s festival helped show that Hedeman’s society is recovering from the pandemic, too.
“We lost some people during the pandemic because they didn’t feel safe,” she said. “We held all of our meetings outdoors last year and we have had a meeting indoors this year.”
Hedeman said a core group of 15 helped organize this year’s festival.
“This (event) is nice and festive and it’s nice for us all to be together,” Hedeman said.
June 28, 2021 at 01:00PM
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Dubuque's Herbfest flourishes after year's enforced hiatus | Tri-state News | telegraphherald.com - telegraphherald.com
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