THE HERB GARDEN 43 



The Ideal Herb Garden 



The ideal herb garden would have one or two 

 things in it not strictly herbs, perhaps, but im- 

 possible to exclude from that debatable ground 

 between the flower and kitchen garden where 

 mostly herbs do grow. Bergamot or bee-balm, 

 mary-gold, and sweet woodruff, each must have a 

 place in it ; so must rosemary, lavender, and myrtle. 

 Bay trees may overshadow it and the coral-fruited 

 barberry. Snow-white camomUe and the pink or 

 purple mallows must have a sunny corner, and the 

 tall tree-mallow space to spread its velvet, healing 

 leaves. Southernwood (pet -named old man or 

 lad's love) must be admitted, and so must santolina, 

 the little grey shrub better known as lavender 

 cotton, or French lavender. Of leaves there will 

 be many grey and many green, and not a few with 

 specks and flecks of gold, so that, even without 

 any flowers whatever, the borders may be gay. 



There will not be much difficulty in establishing 

 a herb garden, for herbs are not exacting; very 

 few of them want fussing over. The greatest 

 difficulty lies in getting the variety we should like 

 to have. Some we must beg from friends, others 

 we may find in cottage gardens, and a good many 



