IRISH GARDENING 



VOLUME X\II 

 No. 194 



Editor -J. W. Besant 



A MONTHLY JOLRXAI. DE\'OTED TO THE 



AD\'ANCEMEXT OF HORTICL'LTL RF, ,VND 



ARBORICULTURE L\ IRELAND 



APRIL 

 1922 



Some Aromatic Plants and Shrubs* 



I ON.SIDERING liow visitors 

 to (jur gardens appreciate 

 sprigs of sweet-snie!liiig 

 plants " to take home with 

 them." it is surprising how 

 few of these plants are 

 L'Kiwn in the average 

 LMrilen. Of smaller shrubs, 

 Kosi-mary, Lavender, and 

 Tliynie are quite common, 

 and, of larger shrubs, the 

 Bay and tlie Myrtle are 

 most frequently met 



with. But many other 

 ])lains with aromatic foli- 

 age are rarely found except in " old-fashioned 

 gardens," and one regrets that many more of them 

 are not generally grown. A considerable number 

 are evergreen, and one appreciates these in the 

 dull winter months; others, in addition to their 

 aroma, have the added charm of beauty of flower. 

 The following list does not claim to be exhaustive, 

 but it contains most of the aromatic-foliaged 

 plants to be found in cultivation. 



In addition to the common Lavender, with its 

 lilac flowers, there is a dwarf form — var. ncnni- 

 compacta, with deep blue flowers; var. alha, with 

 white flowers, and var. ('riappenlmll, eonipact, 

 with deep lavender flowers. One also occasionally 

 meets with L. stwrhds, with larger flowers, L. 

 dentdta, with fringed foliage, and L. lunatn, with 

 wonderful woolly foliage, and not very hardy. 



Of Rosemarys, there is the type, a floppy bush. 

 It. officinalis. Var. sirirta — a compact, upright 

 form. Forms with gold and silver variegated 

 foliage, and the delightful var. prostrata, which 

 hugs the surface of rocks, and is rarely out of 

 flower. 



The common Sage, SaU-ia officiiudis, has golden 

 and tri-coloured variegated forms, and a form, 

 var. rrispa, with curled foliage. There are many 

 Salvias, not all aronuitic or hardy; but two of the 

 shi'ubby kinds, .V. candelohrum and .'>'. Gregii 

 (the Rosemary-scented Sage) are hardy in most 

 gardens. 



Ilyssopiis offcinalis—ihe common hyssop— has 

 blue and, more rarely, red or white, flowers. 



The Thymes give us many interesting small 

 plants. Of the common Thyme, T. viduans, there 

 is also a variegated form. Of T. sei-pylluin " wilcl 

 Thyme," there are forms with white, purple, and 

 scarlet flowers, the last— var. coccineus, is particai- 

 larly attractive. These are all prostrate mats, ho 

 is var. lanuginosus, with woolly foliage and lilac- 

 pink flowers. 

 Var. c-/f/iorfon(S— the vci liena-scented thyme- 



makes a stouter procmnbent bush, and is rejjre- 

 sented by green, and gold, silver, and tri-coloured 

 variegated forms. Of reputed species, T. nticanx, 

 T. Zipjus, and T. lunreolatus are prostrate carpets 

 of erect, wiry, green foliaged stems. T. eric-ifolius 

 is taller, with loose, erect branches, T. erertus and 

 T. strirtiis are rigid bushes — the former round and 

 the latter fastigiate, and like a dwarf juniper. T. 

 (jflonitissimus is one of the best, bearing a profu- 

 sion of pink flowers on large, loose heads. T. 

 hirsutvs is a small woolly tuft, and T. Herha- 

 harona is a creeper, smelling strongly of Caraway 

 seeds. 



The Origanum.s — " Marjorams " — are fragrant 

 herbs, mostly with pretty flowers. O. Dictarnnus — 

 "Dittany" — with drooping pink flow-ers, O. pul- 

 vlinnn — sub-shrubby — with silver leaves and 

 pink flowers, 0. vtilijare uuieum, and 0. hybri- 

 (luiii are possibly the pick, and all these are 

 hardy. But in certain favoured localities near the 

 sea and elsewhere under glass (in winter) one 

 meets with one of the most fragrant of all shrub- 

 lets — a low bush of light grey-green foliage, 

 woody stems, and inconspicuous flowers. This is 

 known in Ireland as " 0. species." It is not, alas ' 

 fully hardy; but every portion of it — green or 

 dry — is deliciously aromatic, and I prefer it to 

 Lavender for household use. 



Mentha piperita — " peppermint "—is well 

 known. M. ratundifolia—" pineapple mint "— 

 has also a silver variegated form. J/. 7^e(,|.i <>.)■— a 

 tiny caipeter from Corsica — has an even stronger 

 odour of peppermint. 



Mellissa officin(iU.i—" Balm "—is nearly related 

 to Cahtmiiitlia, of which C. alpiiui and C. (irandi- 

 fiora are wiry creepers with purple flowers. 



Micromeria — " pepper nettle " — has a rather 

 pungent odour. .1/. croaticu, M. rjra'ca, and M. 

 Boutjlasi are all worth growing. 



One must not overlook the old-fashioned Ber- 

 gamot, Monurda didijma, with its crimson, scarlet, 

 or rose flowers. This is frequently disappearing 

 from gardens, from the failure of its possessor to 

 realise that Moiwnla feeds only on the surface: it 

 soon exhausts the surface soil, and needs constant 

 replanting in fresh soil. 



Anthemis.—lhe Chamomiles have pungent 

 rather than aromatic foliage, but the Artemisias 

 —" wormwoods "—are often intensely aromatic. 

 A. C'amphorata and A. Geiiipi are good examples. 

 Mi/rrhis odoratu—" Sweet Cicily "—is crown m 

 most herb gardens; it has pretty fern-like foliage 

 and white flowers; but Chrysanthemum halsamifa 

 — " Costmary "—which was once largely gro\vn 

 for its green". sciMited foliage, is now rarely seen. 



