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Herb Garden
This delightful garden has a 16th-century Elizabethan knot design at its center, surrounded by more than 300 kinds of medicinal, culinary, fragrant, and ornamental herbs.
WARNING! Don't try to use preparations found in medieval herbals without realizing the consequences! There may be poisonous properties that had not been discovered. There may be lethal combinations with modern medicines. What may be safe and enjoyable as a flavoring, condiment, or decoction could take a sinister form in large doses.
Some Plants Within the Herb Garden and Their Uses
The Herb Garden is a showcase of the delectable, aromatic, curative, novel, and just plain useful qualities of plants.
At its center is an Elizabethan knot garden that was installed in 1938 and copied from a design created in 1577. Surrounding the knot garden are more than 300 different herbs—not just the kind that chefs use or botanists call non-woody plants, but herbs in the broadest sense— small, useful plants (distinct from vegetables in that they do not represent a significant source of calories). They include species harvested for flavorings, medicines, perfumes, fibres, oils, and dyes.
During the months of June, August, and September, the Herb Garden is at its peak. A stroll through the Herb Garden reveals the many ways people have used small plants through history, from the mundane to the sublime.
History of the Herb Garden
For centuries botanic gardens have featured collections of medicinal plants, and since its beginnings in the early 1900s, BBG had clearly planned to include such a collection. A start was made in BBG's early years, but for various reasons the plans were not completed. However, in the spring of 1935, the Great Depression provided the impetus for the creation of the Herb Garden.
It was decided that Works Project Administration (WPA) laborers would prepare the area north of the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, a plot about 60 feet by 100 feet, as a garden of "medicinal and culinary herbs." BBG's landscape architect Harold A. Caparn drew up the plans, and work progressed with the goal of completion in the spring of 1936. A large part of the funds for construction of the Herb Garden was raised by the BBG Auxiliary.
To select medicinal plants for inclusion in the Herb Garden, a survey was written and sent to 100 of the era's most esteemed pharmacists, physicians, and surgeons, asking them to rate the importance of more than 500 medicinal plants. Similarly, the culinary plants were chosen by an advisory committee of representatives from the Horticultural Society of New York, the Garden Glub of America, The Herb Society of America, the Women's National Farm and Garden Association, and the federated Garden Club of New York. Elizabeth Remsen Van Brunt was named BBG's first honorary curator of culinary herbs.
By the spring of 1937, the beds were planted in accordance with Caparn's plans. The west and south beds contained the main planting of herbs used in the kitchen and for perfumery. Medicinal a.d poisonous plants occupied the remainder of the Herb Garden. There were 60 varieties of culinary herbs and 115 varieties of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants used in medicine.
In 1938, theTHerb Garden as it is now known was born. More room was made for culinary herbs and two knots were installed. An Italian wellhead, previously on the private estate of Augustus Healy, a founding patron of BBG, was displayed at the 1939 World's Fair and then situated in the Herb Garden on indefinite loan from the Brooklyn Museum of Art. A limestone rock from the People's Republic of China was placed in the culinary bed by curator Bernard Currid to adorn the watercress site he created.
As some herbs, such as rhubarb, peppermint, mustard, and Indian corn, have both culinary and medicinal uses, the plantings of the two groups were not distinct in the past. It was written in a BBG brochure, "It must be left to the purist and the brave to determine where one might begin and the other end."
The Elizabethan Knot Garden
The original Knot Garden was installed in 1938, one year after the Herb Garden was begun with WPA help. The pattern is based on an elaborate 16th-century design by Thomas Hill found in the book Mediaeval Gardens by Sir Frank Crisp. The east part of the pattern is unchanged from the original, while the west part is an adaptation. The interlacing bands of compact herbs are best viewed from the top of the stairs leading to the Overlook. As originally planted the knots consisted of sweet violet (Viola odorata), lavender cotton (Santolina chamaecyparissus), germander (Teucrium chamaedrys), and thyme (Thymus vulgaris). Today the knots are made of two varieties of English boxwood and two varieties of Japanese barberry.
The Herb Garden Today
The area surrounding the Knot Garden is now composed of seven planting beds organized by plant usage. There are two beds of culinary herbs and one bed of each of the following: medicinal plants; herbs used for aroma or in perfumery; plant curiosities; plants that people have used for drinking, smoking, and chewing; and plant sources of oils, fibers, and dyes. Plant labels emphasize common names and uses of herbs.
Culinary Herbs
Two beds of kitchen herbs are planted west of the Knot Garden. These contain many common culinary herbs, such as sage (Salvia officinalis), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), as well as some vegetables and exotic plants.
Medicinal Herbs
The collection of medicinal plants, located on the north side of the Herb Garden, reflects two trends in the current treatment of illness, both a shift away from botanically derived drugs in conventional medicine, and the increasing popularity of herbal medicine. One of the plants that is still used in pharmaceuticals is foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), from which the heart medicine digitoxin is derived. Planted near foxglove is belladona (Atropa belladonna), whose name means "beautiful woman," as it was used to dilate the pupils when that was fashionable. A member of the nightshade family, it is poisonous in large doses. In small doses, it dries respiratory passages, prevents motion sickness, and relieves cramping of the intestines and bladder.
Herbs Used for Aroma and in Perfumery
The perfumery bed is found in the northeast part of the Herb Garden. It contains many plants that are valued for their aroma, such as angelica (Angelica archangelica), a member of the carro family from Eurasia. The oil derived from its seeds and roots is used to flavor confections and liquors and to scent soaps and perfumes. The sweet-scented roots of vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides) are woven into baskets, mats, and other handicrafts, while the root oil is valuable in perfumery. The bed also contains "strewing herbs" such as tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) and holy grass (Hicrochloe odorata) that were used to cover floors and give rooms a pleasant odor.
Plant Curiosities
This bed contains plants with intriguing histories or with connections to ancient mythology. Growing here is poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), which was given to Socrates to bring about his death. Another plant curiosity is mandrake Mandragora officinarum, which is .aid to be an aphrodisiac. Also found here are some plants that have psychotropic, or mind-altering, effects when ingested.
Herbs for Drinking, Smoking, and Chewing
This patch in the southeast section of the Herb Garden contains such well-known, beloved, and economically important plants as coffee, tea, and tobacco. It is also home to chicle or chewing-gum plant (Manilkara zapota) and a cabernet sauvignon grapevine.
Sources of Oils, Fibers, and Vegetable Dyes
The south side of the Herb Garden is full of plants that have long been used for vegetable oils, fibers, and dyes. The purple perilla (Perilla frutescens 'Atropurpurea') is a member of the mint family from Asia that is used to make purple dye. Cotton, castor bean, sesame, and sunflower plants are grown here, for their seeds are the sources of commonly-used oils.
Some Plants Within the Herb Garden and Their Uses
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare): The Romans cultivated fennel as a vegetable. This biennial, native to Europe and Asia, is now found worldwide. In medieval times the entire plant—seeds, leaves, and root—was used in broths to help in weight loss. It was one of the herbs hung over the doors on Midsummer's Eve to ward off evil spirits.
Hops (Humulus lupulus): This perennial, herbaceous vine, native to Europe and Asia, is grown throughout temperate regions. Pliny referred to it as a vegetable, the young shoots being eaten like asparagus. Hops had been outlawed in England under Henry VI because they were considered to adulterate ale, which was flavored traditionally with heath, ivy, marjoram, wormwood, and yarrow. Despite Henry VI's concern, it is used in modern brewing.
Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia): This is a low-growing shrub native to the Mediterranean countries but widely cultivated, especially in England and France. The entire plant is aromatic and was used by the Greeks and Romans in bathing. The Romans never used it in garlands because it was thought to attract asps. The flowers were, and still are, used in perfume and to cure headaches.
Mint (Mentha sp.): There seem to be as many variations of mint as there have been uses for the family. The Greeks and Romans used it in baths. The Romans invented mint sauce. In the Middle Ages, it was used to whiten teeth. Peppermint (Mentha piperita is indigenous to England and has been cultivated widely in Europe and in the United States. Culpeper, the 17th-century physican and herbalist, mentioned 40 ailments mint was good for helping. The presence of menthol in volatile oils produces a cool sensation when air is drawn into the mouth.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis): The name is derived from "ros" (dew) and "marinus" (sea) because it grew by the sea. It was native to the countries surrounding the Mediterranean, being cultivated for its beauty and fragrance. It is a symbol of remembrance, used at funerals and weddings. It was good for preventing moth damage to clothes, combatting gout, stopping coughs and "weakness of the brain." It is a prime ingredient in Hungary water—used to rub on paralyzed limbs and gouty feet.
Sage (Salvia officinalis): It is native to southern Europe and now is cultivated in all temperate climates for use as a condiment or in medicine. The ancients used a preparation to darken hair. Culpeper listed a great many ills he said sage cures or eases, including kidney trouble, rheumatism, consumption, coughs, sore throats, weak memory, and the plague. Pliny said it cured serpent bites. It also gives zip to turkey dressing.
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris): The name is Greek for courage. It is a small perennial herb native to southern Europe and extensively cultivated both as a condiment and as a drug. The Sumerians used it as a poultice; the Egyptians for embalming. A Greek expression, "to smell of thyme," meant to have style, grace, and elegance. Culpeper recommended it against whooping cough, shortness of breath, to take away warts, ease sciatica, improve sight, ease gout, and settle the stomach. It contains a volatile oil that yields thymol, which is used now as an antiseptic, deodorant, anesthetic, and meat preserver. The herb is still used as a flavoring agent and condiment, as a carminative and antispasmodic, particularly in whooping cough. It is one of the herbs that make up the bouquet garni, along with chervil, bay, and parsley.
More Information
View a 360 Degrees QuickTime VR movie of the Herb Garden
Map of the Garden
The Herb Garden is indicated by the orange box. Click on the map to visit other locations in the Garden, or click here to view a larger map.
