BRILLIANTLY-COLOURED HERBS 107 



borders may be glad of the following list of plants 

 that generally have a ticket of admittance to the 

 Herb-garden. Every one of them is good for smell 

 or cure, as well as for ornament. They are : 

 Valerian, Valeriana officinalis ; Hyssop, Hyssopus 

 officinalis ; Mallows, Malva ; Chicory, Cichorium ; 

 Bergamot, Monarda ; Sweet Woodruff, Asperula 

 odorata, a perennial ; and the little Blue Woodruff, 

 which is an annual. Besides these Herbs with gay 

 flowers, we have already spoken of the brightness 

 in the Herb-border of Marigold, Borage, and Cat- 

 Mint. 



Valerian is a plant whose white or crimson 

 flowers would be attractive anywhere, and every- 

 body knows its value as a physic. The Spikenard 

 of Scripture is made from a Valerian that grows 

 in the Himalayan Banges. Cats delight in the 

 Valerian of our gardens. Occasionally my Persian 

 cat goes wild over it, gnawing at the roots like any 

 savage, though as a rule he is the best behaved 

 cat in the kingdom. 



Hyssop is a handsome evergreen shrub, with 

 purple-blue or mauve flowers, which, if not exactly 

 gay, are lively -looking enough to have a footing 

 in some flower-gardens. Along with Cat-Mint, 

 Hyssop makes a charming border, their soft in- 



