642 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



An Herb Garden 



BERTHA HERBERT HAMMOND 



<t'~r^O own a bit of garden, to scratch it with a hoe, 

 I to plant seeds and watch their renewal of life 

 — this is the most common delight of the race, 

 the most satisfactory thing one can do." — Warner. 



For those persons who are fortunate enough to have 

 "a bit of ground,"' but who. though they have a garden, 

 are too busy to devote much time to the culture of 

 flowers, the making of an herb garden will solve the 

 problem, for herbs are easy to grow, are fragrant, 

 quaintly beautiful throughout the entire growing season, 

 and when partially neglected, produce an abundant crop 

 of useful seeds and foliage. 



People who are aware of the many purposes for which 

 herbs are valuable, find it rather difficult to understand 

 how it has come about that a class of plants once so 

 highly prized, and the usual adjunct of every old-fash- 

 ioned garden, should have passed into obscurity so com- 

 pletely, that even the names of many of the old-time 

 favorites are not familiar to the present generation. 



In the olden days no housewife of note would dream 

 of trying to get along without her bed of culinary and 

 medicinal herbs, which were used freely during the 

 season in their green state, and carefully gathered and 

 cured for the flavoring of festive Winter dinners, and 

 for the brewing of aromatic teas and simple home-made 

 soothing syrups. 



We frequently hear favorable comments on the French 

 and German modes of cooking. These Europeans are 

 not our superiors in the art of cooking, but with their 

 capacity for taking pains and their appreciation and 

 frequent use of the many dift'erent varieties of culinary 

 herbs for flavoring, garnishing, and coloring, they are 

 able to render highly tempting and appetizing dishes 

 which through other methods might have been insipid. In 

 France, where the housewife is famed for her frugality, 

 the ragout or stew is universally served, but the sameness 

 is avoided by the variety in flavoring, and this inexpensive 

 but well-cooked dish makes a savory meal, incidentally 

 exemplifving the sentiment expressed in Proverbs 15:7, 

 "Better a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox 

 and hatred therewith." 



At present the herbs used by the ordinary American 

 family are parsley, sage, thyme, mint and possibly a few 

 others, such as dill and tarragon for pickling and pre- 

 serving. However, to most of us, such herbs as balm, 

 borage, angelica and hyssop are merely names. Through 

 poetical references the names of some of the old-fashioned 

 herbs are quite familiar, as 



"Lavender whose spikes of azure bloom 

 Shall be erewhile in arid bundles bound. 

 To lurk midst her labors of the loom, 

 And crown her kerchiefs clean with mickle sweet 



perfume." — Shenstone. 



As we know, lavender was greatly esteemed by the 

 dames of long ago to perfume the chests of home-spun 

 linen and to ward ofif flies and insects. Rosemary was 

 used at weddings to denote fidelity; it was also con- 

 sidered as an emblem of remembrance. Shakespeare in 

 his writings mentions a number of herbs, and probably 

 knew the sentimental meanings of the period, as "There's 

 rosemary for you, that's for remembrance." (Ophelia.) 



As soon as the resourceful and ever alert American 

 housewife fully realizes that tasty meals may readily be 

 secured by profiting by this valuable experience of the 



cooks of nations famous for their success in the gas- 

 tronomical art, there will be a demand for a greater 

 number of herbs and consequently there will follow a 

 revival of the so-called old-fashioned herb garden. But 

 aside from an utilitarian point of view, many of the 

 varieties of herbs are interesting and pretty. 



The drooping leaves of the tansy are as lace-like as 

 those of the fern, and the fragrant sprays of Sweet Fennel 

 are excellent for use as greenery with cut flowers. The 

 dainty flowers of the coriander add delicacy, and the 

 foliage and flowers of basil, fragrance to a bouquet. 



As many of the most desired herbs are perennials, a 

 bed once established requires little care or attention, and 

 will last for years, so that one who has a corner of the 

 garden to spare may with little time and efTort enjoy, 

 besides their quaint beauty, the luxury of fresh home- 

 raised herbs, to which the half-wilted, and far from 

 attractive looking bunches frequently seen in the markets, 

 can bear no favorable comparison. 



Nearly all the kinds of herbs may be raised from 

 seeds, sown out of doors, but as many of these seeds 

 are small, the chances of having success are greatly 

 increased if in the Spring the little seeds are planted into 

 shallow boxes either indoors or out, and the seedlings 

 transplanted when they are thrifty. Young plants of 

 some of the more common varieties may be obtained from 

 florists, and are, of course, less trouble than raising them 

 from seed. If one already has some plants large enough, 

 new plants may be secured by the making of cuttings or 

 by division of roots. Mint, which delights in a wet 

 location, may be readily rooted in water in a vase or any 

 other receptacle, but as it naturally spreads rapidly there 

 is not the slightest difficulty in having enough of this 

 herb for making mint sauce and for use as a flavor for 

 confection. 



Those herbs whose foliage is to be used should be 

 gathered just before the plants come into bloom, prefer- 

 ably in the morning after the dew is gone and before the 

 hot midday sun has decreased the quantity of aromatic 

 oil secreted in the leaves. 



With caraway, anise, dill, coriander and other kinds 

 whose seeds are used, the ripe seed heads should be cut 

 on a sunny day, placed on a cloth-covered frame and put 

 where there is a circulation of warm, dry air, until they 

 are dry enough to thrash out. To avoid spoliation 

 neither foliage or seeds should be stirred until thoroughly 

 dry. 



DELPHINIUMS 



(Continued from paj^e 641 ) 



are starting into growth, though it may l)e carried out 

 successfully in late Sunmier, but not in late Autumn. 

 The plants should be cut down about ten days before- 

 hand. They start growth afresh, and are then ready to 

 divide and replant. Do not omit to water overhead and 

 shade after replanting in late Summer. 



Every hardy plant catalog contains a lengthy list of 

 varieties. Perfection, pale blue and heliotrope, is very 

 well named. Rci'. E. Lascellcs is purple, blue, with 

 prominent white center. Duke of Coniiaus:ht. King of 

 Dclphiniiinis. Carm-cn. Lantartine. Moerhetmi (white), 

 Persimmon (sky blue), The Alake (royal blue) and the 

 exquisite Belladonna (Cambridge blue) are all grand 

 border varieties. — The Garden. 



