148 THE BOOK OF HERBS 



seldom comes " true " from seed but is easily raised by 

 cuttings, and it sometimes succumbs to a hard winter. 

 The other varieties are propagated by seed or by 

 cuttings taken in May or June ; the outer shoots 

 should be the ones chosen and they should be put well 

 into the ground and watered. After about three years 

 the plants begin to degenerate and new ones should be 

 set. Three kinds of Marjoram are cultivated, Winter 

 {Origanum Heracleoticum), Pot (0. Onites) and Siveet 

 Marjoram (O. Marjorana^ The last-named is not a 

 perennial. Winter and Pot Marjoram like a dry, light soil 

 and are best propagated by ofF-sets, slipping or parting 

 the roots in spring or autumn, but they may be also raised 

 from seed. Bergamot, sometimes called Bee Balm, is, 

 Robinson says, of the simplest culture, thriving or 

 flowering in any position or soil. " For its scent alone, 

 or for its handsome crimson flowers it would be well 

 worth cultivating." ^ He adds that the different varieties 

 of Monarda are admirably suited to being planted " for 

 naturalization in woods and shrubberies." Bergamot 

 may be increased by division of the roots in the spring 

 or grown from seed. 



Balm grows almost too readily and has a terrible 

 habit of spreading in all directions unless severely 

 checked. To propagate it, the roots should be divided, 

 or slips taken either in spring or autumn. 



Thyme. — Of the varieties of Serpyllum there seems no 

 end, and the number of the species of Thymus is still 

 dubious. Twelve kinds of them are offered for sale 

 in an ordinary seed list sent to me the other day, but of 

 these, few are grown in the kitchen-garden. Common 

 Thyme or Lemon Thyme are the kinds most usually culti- 

 vated. Common Thyme has long, narrow-pointed 

 leaves and Lemon Thyme is easily recognised by its 

 scent from the wild Thyme, of which it has generally 



' " English Flower Garden. " 



