North Abing 0 

Better Herbs 41 

snub Ga udens 
Grow Home-Grown Herbs 
A tiny patch, a few plants in the wild garden or rock garden, an 
elaborate “knot garden” of home-grown herbs—it makes no differ- 
ence how many or how few—they are a source of constant delight 
and invigoration. And the herb gardener has always ahead of him 
the zest of fresh discoveries, pungencies of taste and smell, and of 
steeping his senses anew in the rich lore of earth. 
Herbs for Color in Modern Gardens 
The perennial herbs are used more and more frequently as color or 
form accents and texture in the regular garden, bringing into it the 
green and gray notes so much needed and also the fragrance which 
the modern garden so often lacks. 
Those varieties marked with an (*) are annual herbs. 

*Parsley. Petroselinum hortense. Small, fern-like, much-cut leaves. 
Excellent for a temporary broad, low edge. Leaves used for gar- 
nishing meat or fish. 
Pennyroyal. Mentha pulegium. Leaves used medicinally and in sea- 
soning. 
Rosemary. Rosmarinus officinalis. A tender woody shrub with nar- 
row, gray-green leaves, tiny bright blue flowers and spicy, nutmeg 
odor. An herb well-loved since early days. Used in potpourris, 
cooking, and medicine. 50c each; $5.00 per doz. 
Rue. Ruta graveolens. A woody, 3-ft. shrub with lovely bluish green 
leaves and yellow blossoms. The foliage can be trimmed into a 
graceful hedge plant. As an accent in the perennial border this 
“clean” shrubby perennial is invaluable. Leaves used sparingly in 
cooking. 
Santolina, Green. Santolina viridis. A dwarf compact green plant ex- 
cellent for edgings. 
Sage, Garden. Salvia officinalis. A gray-green shrubby perennial with 
very aromatic leaves and blue flowers. Invaluable in cooking. 
Sage, Meadow. Salvia pratensis. Pungent, dark blue, spring-flowering 
sage. Not of culinary use. 
*Savory, Summer. Satureia hortensis. Leaves and young shoots used 
to flavor soups, stews, and vegetables, especially string beans. 


The entrance to the mint garden. We are indebted to the Berkshire Garden Center 
of Stockbridge, Mass., for this picture. 
Savory, Winter. Satureia montana. A woody, dwarf plant with stiff 
leaves which remain nearly evergreen. Clipped, it makes a good 
border herb. Flowers white. Not as much used as summer savory 
in cooking. 
Snakeroot, Black. Cimicifuga racemosa. An old medicinal herb used 
chiefly as a nerve sedative. Effective in the shady garden. 
Sorrel, Garden. Rumex acetosa. A European pot herb frequently 
used for greens, salads, or soups. Leaves large and tender. Red 
flowers on long stems ascending from the crown of leaves. 
Southernwood. Artemisia abrotanum. An old time, woody shrub, 4 fe. 
high with pungent, lacy leaves and insignificant flowers. Dried 
branches laid in closets will keep moths away. A charming peren- 
nial for the hardy border. 
Sweetflag. Acorus calamus. A liliaceous plant decorative around pools 
or in bog gardens. Pieces of the root-stock, when boiled in 
sugar syrup, are used as a confection. 
Tansy. Tanacetum vulgare. Tall plant with fern-like leaves and yellow 
flower heads. The strongly scented, bitter leaves were once used 
in cooking, medicinally, and as a preserver of flesh. For the wild 
garden. 
Tarragon. Artemisia dracunculus. Shrubby tender stems and leaves. 
It does not flower readily, but is reproduced by root divisions. A 
favorite anise-flavored herb used in salads, to flavor salad dres- 
sings and fish sauces. This is the true French strain. 40c each; 
$4.00 per doz. 
THYMES 
Citron or Lemon Thyme. Thymus serpyllum citriodorus. Mound of 
bright green leaves with sharp, lemon fragrance, and lavender 
flowers. 
Common Thyme. Thymus vulgaris. A stiff little shrubby plant with 
fragrant leaves, much used in cookery when dried. 
Crimson Thyme. Thymus serpyllum coccineus. Crimson flowers cover- 
ing wide-spreading green mats. 
Mother-of-Thyme. Thymus serpyllum. Lilac flowers in spring rising 
from creeping mats of bright green. Tea brewed from the leaves 
beneficial in relieving headaches. 

Violet. Viola odorata. An ancient medicinal and culinary herb with 
fragrant pale purple flowers. This is the violet made famous in 
early English poetry and prose. Interesting for wild gardens. 
*Watercress. Radicula nasturtium-aquaticum. A favorite as a peppery 
“oreen” for salads or sandwiches. Must be grown in running 
water or wet mud. 
Woodruff, Sweet. Asperula odorata. A delicate ground cover with 
star-like leaves and early white flowers. The green foliage, fra- 
grant when dry, is used in wine drinks 
__ jeenoemeemmemean to sharpen the aroma. 
Wormwood, Common. Artemisia absin- 
thium. Grayish, finely cut, fragrant 
leaves. Use a spray in cooking roast 
goose. A hot tea brewed of dry leaves 
relieves colds. Useful in flower arrange- 
ments. 
Wormwood, Fringed. A. frigida. Delicate 
silvery foliage with delicious spicy odor. 
A charming herb to combine with rose- 
colored annuals. 
Wormwood, Roman. 4. pontica. A low 
lacy herb with silvery, cut foliage. It 
spreads rapidly. Also useful in flower ar- 
rangements. 
Yarrow, Woolly. Achillea tomentosa. Con- 
sidered by the western Indians, cooling 
to the skin and much used in their secret 
ceremonies. 
We offer one each of the following 
six herbs, regularly $1.80 for $1.50. 
Garden Sage 
Chive 
Spearmint 
Common Thyme 
Spike Lavender 
Applemint 

