HOW ABOUT HERBS 



l\issie Mussie 



TANYA JACKSON 



. . . Here's flow'rs for you: 



Hot lavender, mints, savory, marjoram. 



The marigold, that goes to bed wi' th' sun. 



And with him rises weeping. These are flow'rs 



Of middle summer, and 1 think they are given 



To men of middle age. 



—William Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale, IV, iv 



February, with Valentine's Day, 

 is a time to express our feelings 

 to lovers, family members, and 

 friends — each in different ways. An 

 old-fashioned expression of affec- 

 tion is the Tussie Mussie, a bou- 

 quet in which the herbs and flow- 

 ers do the talking. It is usually 

 small, often with a rose at the cen- 

 ter, and edged with scented leaves 

 or a circle of lace. The stems are 

 tied with a ribbon. 



I asked my husband not to 

 bring me a heart full of candy this 

 year. I hope he brings me flowers 

 in a little Tussie Mussie and I'll 

 read a message into the bouquet. 



Red roses, of course, symbolize 

 true love. They've been the main- 

 stay of the language of flowers for 

 centuries. I'll accept them with 

 great joy. 



I'd love to receive blue flax. It 

 stands for appreciation. 



Borage would signify his cour- 

 age — our courage, actually — to stick 

 together all these years. And the 

 bouquet needs sprigs of rosemary for 

 the pleasures of memory. In nearly 

 forty years of marriage, we have ac- 



crued many, both good and bad. 



Thyme stands for bravery; lav- 

 ender, for loyalty; and salvia is for 

 thoughtfulness, expressed in our 

 thoughtful treatment of one an- 

 other — an important ingredient in 

 this Valentine bouquet. Let's add 

 caraway for faithfulness and marjo- 

 ram for joy, violets for sweet na- 

 ture and mint for good cheer. 



Each color of roses has its own 

 meaning. White compliments pu- 

 rity; red, of course, declares true 

 love. But it gets involved: for ex- 

 ample, a Carolina rose declares 

 that love is dangerous. Imagine the 

 messages that could be sent. 



At one time, they were. This 

 language of flowers, which began 

 in France in the early 1800s, 

 reached its peak in England during 

 the reign of Queen Victoria. Dic- 

 tionaries of the language became 

 very popular, although some au- 

 thors found different meanings in 

 the same plants. One could express 

 devotion, passion, jealousy, and 

 other significant feelings by put- 

 ting together a few herbs and 

 flowers, but it was important that 



everyone involved was using the- 

 same dictionary! The Language of 

 Flowers by Kate Greenaway, the 

 English illustrator of children's 

 books, was first published in 1884 

 and it remains in print today to 

 serve as a guide to those who want 

 to send floral messages. 



All of this can lead you in 

 many directions. A final note 

 might be to include a love potion 

 in the Valentine package to your 

 love. The little Viola tricolor, 

 known as Heartease or Johnny 

 Jump-Up-and-Kiss-Me — named so 

 because once you plant them, they 

 seed all over the place and pop up 

 just everywhere, is the best known 

 old-fashioned herbal love potion. 

 Violas can be simmered and 

 steeped in hot water to make a tea 

 or simmered with sugar and water 

 to make a syrup which is then 

 added to tea. The results are the 

 same: love and easing of the 

 heart — joy for your loved ones. 



Tanya Jackson, a well-known area 

 herbalist, can be reached at 

 6o}-4}i-8oii. 



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