OF THE GROWING OF HERBS
In March and in April, from morning to night,
In sowing and setting, good housewives delight;
To have in a garden or other like plot,
To trim up their house, and to furnish their pot.
The nature of flowers, dame Physic doth shew;
She teacheth them all, to be known to a few,
To set or to sow, or else sown to remove,
How that should be practised, pain if ye love.
* * * * *
Time and ages, to sow or to gather be bold,
But set to remove, when the weather is cold.
Cut all thing or gather, the moon in the wane,
But sow in encreasing or give it his bane.
Now sets do ask watering, with pot or with dish,
New sown do not so, if ye do as I wish:
Through cunning with dibble, rake, mattock and spade,
By line, and by level, the garden is made.
Who soweth too lateward, hath seldom good seed,
Who soweth too soon little better shall speed,
Apt time and the season, so diverse to hit,
Let aiér and layer, help practice and wit.
_Five hundred Points of Good Husbandry._--TUSSER.
The majority of herbs are not exacting in their requirements, but a few
foreigners thrive the better for a little protection as a start. This is
the opinion of a successful gardener on the Herb-Border in an ordinary
kitchen-garden: “As to soil and situation, I used to devote a border
entirely to Herbs, under a privet hedge, facing north-west, with a rough
marly bottom. I had a plant of most varieties I could get hold of, both
Culinary and Medicinal.”
Circumstances dictated that my own herbs should grow in a plot, rather
overshadowed, and I found that they flourished, though annuals, as a
rough rule, do best where they can get plenty of sunshine. In speaking
of their cultivation, I have divided them into three groups: Perennials,
Biennials and Annuals, and take the Perennials first.
_Tansy_ will grow in almost any soil and may be increased, either in
spring or autumn, by slips or by dividing the roots. _Lavender_ is not
always easy to please and likes a rather poor, sandy soil. When it is
rich and heavy, matters are sometimes improved by trenching the ground
and putting in chalk about a bushel to a land-yard (16 feet 6 inches by
16 feet 6 inches); lime from a kiln is also used in the same
quantity.[85] Broad-leaved and narrow-leaved are the varieties of the
purple Lavender usually sold, and, besides these, White Lavender. The
narrow-leaved is the hardiest kind and its scent is the strongest; but
the white-flowered has a very delicate fragrance. It requires care, but
is better able to stand cold in a poor, than in a rich soil. The best
way of propagating Lavender is by layering it, and this should be done
in the summer; the plants can then be taken off the spring following.
The narrow-leaved does not grow well from seed, and all kinds are shy of
striking. The best known varieties of _Artemisia_, are _Tarragon_,
_Wormwood_, and _Southernwood_, and they all prefer a dry and rather
poor soil. If Tarragon, especially, be set in a wet soil, it is likely
to be killed in the winter. Two kinds of Tarragon are usually found in
gardens; one has bluish-green, very smooth leaves and the true Tarragon
flavour, and is commonly known as French Tarragon. Russian Tarragon,
the other kind, lacks the special flavour, and bears less smooth leaves
of a fresher green shade. Runners should be taken from these plants in
the spring. Wormwood is satisfied with a shady corner and may be
propagated by seeds or cuttings. Southernwood is increased by division
of the roots in the spring.
[85] Neither lime nor chalk must be repeatedly added or the soil will
be impoverished.
_Horehound_ and _Rue_ may be coupled together as liking a shady border
and a dry, calcareous soil, and I have always heard that the latter
thrives best when the plant has been _stolen_! It is a good thing to cut
the bush down from time to time, when it will spring again with renewed
vigour. Rue may be grown from seeds or cuttings taken in the spring.
Horehound may be grown from seeds or cuttings, but is most usually
increased by dividing the roots.
_Hyssop_, _Rosemary_, and _Sage_ are natives of the south of Europe, and
the two first appreciate a light, sandy soil, and not too much sun.
Hyssop should be sowed in March or April; rooted off-sets may be taken
in these months or in August and September, or cuttings from the stems
in April or May, and these should be watered two or three times a week
till they have struck. Both Hyssop and Sage are the better for being cut
back when they have finished flowering. Loudon[86] says of Rosemary:
“The finest plants are raised from seed. Slips or cuttings of the young
shoots may be taken in the spring and summer and set in rows, two-thirds
into the ground and occasionally watered till they have struck. In the
autumn they may be transplanted.” There are four kinds of Sage: red,
green, small-leaved, or Sage of Virtue, broad-leaved or Balsamic.
Gardening books speak of the red variety as being the commonest, though
it seems to me that the common green sage is the one oftenest seen in
kitchen-gardens. Red Sage 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_
(_O. Onites_) and _Sweet 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.”[87] 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.
[86] “Encyclopædia of Gardening.”
[87] “English Flower Garden.”
_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 cultivated. 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 been considered a
variety. _Golden_ or _Variegated Thyme_ (also lemon-scented) makes a
pretty and fragrant edging to a flower-bed, but should be cut back when
it has done flowering, unless the seed is to be saved, as it becomes
straggling and untidy, and there is more danger of its being killed by
the frost than if the winter finds it compact and bushy. Thyme is
propagated by seed, by taking up rooted side-shoots, or by cuttings
taken in the spring. It thrives best in a light, rich earth, and should
be occasionally watered till well rooted.
There are two varieties of _Camomile_, the single and the
double-flowered; the first is the most valuable in medicine, but the
second is the most commonly met with. Camomile grows freely in most
soils, but seems naturally to choose gravel and sand. The roots may be
divided or, as the gardener before quoted, remarks: “Only let a plant of
it go to seed; it will take care of itself.” _Costmary_ is seldom grown.
Loudon says the whole plant has “a peculiarly agreeable odour”;
personally, the odour strikes me as exactly resembling that of mint
sauce. The plant is rather handsome, with large greyish leaves and small
deep-yellow flowers; it likes a dry soil and is increased by division of
the roots after the flowering time is over.
_Mint_, _Peppermint_ and _Penny-royal_, demand the same treatment, and
all like moisture. They are easily increased by dividing the roots in
the spring or autumn, by taking off runners in the autumn, or by
cuttings taken in the spring. The cuttings should be planted about half
way into the earth. To have really good mint, it should be transplanted
about every third year. _Green Mint_ is sometimes required in the winter
and early spring, and this may be provided by putting a few outside
runners in a pot and placing it in bottom heat. “Plant for succession
every three weeks, as forced roots soon decay.”
_Winter Savoury_ is “propagated by slips or cuttings in April or June,
planted in a shady border, and transplanted a foot apart and kept bushy
by cuttings.”[88]
[88] Abercrombie, “Every Man his own Gardener.”
_Fennel_ has become naturalised and is sometimes found growing wild by
the sea; it is usually raised from seed or increased by side off-sets of
the roots which may be taken in spring, summer or autumn. _Bugloss_ or
_Alkanet_ grows freely anywhere, but seems to prefer moisture, and it
may be increased by division of the roots or grown from seeds.
Of _Mallows_ and _Marsh Mallows_, De la Quintinye says, “They ought to
be allowed a place in our Kitchen-Gardens... they grow of their own
accord,” but he admits that it is best to “sow them in some bye-place,”
because of their propensity to spread. They are raised from seed, but
cuttings may do well, and off-sets of the root, carefully divided, are
satisfactory. _Sweet Cicely_ may be increased by dividing the roots. It
is well suited to an open shrubbery or wild garden, as well as to a
herb-border. _Elecampane_ is propagated by off-sets, taken when the
plant has done flowering; it likes a moist soil or shade, and sends up
tall spikes of bright yellow flowers. This year some of mine were over
six feet high.
_Angelica_, Abercrombie tells us, is an annual-perennial, which means
that it must be taken up and newly planted every year to be at all good,
though off-sets from the plant would continue to come up of their own
accord. It delights in moisture, and flourishes on the banks of running
streams, but will do well almost anywhere. Angelica is best raised from
seed, which, if sown in August, will grow better than if sown earlier in
the year and it will sometimes grow from cuttings. _Liquorice_ is
“propagated by cuttings of the roots. On account of the depth to which
the root strikes when the plant has room to flourish, the soil should
have a good staple of mould thirty inches or three feet in depth. Taking
the small horizontal roots of established plants, cut them into sections
six inches long. Having traced out rows a yard asunder, plant the sets
along each row at intervals of eighteen inches, covering them entirely
with mould.”[89]
[89] Abercrombie.
[Illustration: PLANTATION OF LAVENDER]
_Saffron_ will grow in any soil, but prefers a sandy one, and plenty of
sun. It is increased by seed, and by off-sets, which must be taken from
the bulb when the plant is in a state of rest. As Saffron is an
autumn-flowering plant, the time of rest is in the beginning of summer,
and the bulb should be taken up when the leaves (which appear in the
spring) begin to decay. The parent bulbs should be kept dry for a month
and then replanted, that they may have time to “establish themselves”
and flower before winter. This should be done once in three years.
_Skirrets_ are seldom eaten, but occasionally seen; they may be raised
from seed, or by off-sets from the roots taken in spring or autumn.
_Chives_ are propagated by dividing the roots either in spring or
autumn, and when the leaves are wanted they should be cut close, and
then new ones will grow up in their place.
_Sorrel_ of two kinds is cultivated, _Rumex Acetosa_ and _Rumex
Scutatus_ or _French Sorrel_; Garden Sorrel rejoices in a damp, French
Sorrel in a dry, soil. Both are most commonly increased by parting the
roots, which may be done either in spring or autumn, and the roots
planted about a foot apart and watered. Loudon says: “The finer plants
are propagated from seed,” which should be sown in March, though it may
be sown in any of the spring months, and the plants must be thinned out
when they are one or two inches high. When the stalks run up in the
summer they should be cut back occasionally.
_Herb Patience_ or _Patience Dock_ is raised from seed sown in lines and
thinned out and the leaves to be eaten must be cut young. _Burnet_ is
easily raised from seed, or increased by dividing the roots in the
spring. All the flower-stalks ought to be cut down, if they are not
required for seed. _Dandelion_, it is hardly necessary to say, is only
too easily raised from seed or by roots. Loudon says that when wanted
for the table, the leaves should be tied together and earthed up, which
will blanch them satisfactorily; otherwise, it may be grown blanched by
keeping it always in a dark place.
For obvious reasons there are obstacles to the cultivation of
_Water-cress_; a very little running water, however, will suffice, and
it may be grown from seeds or by setting roots in the shallow stream. It
should never be grown in stagnant water. Loudon quotes several
authorities on the subject of growing _Samphire_; it is difficult to
please, but this treatment was successful at Thames Ditton. The Samphire
was “placed in a sheltered, dry situation, screened from the morning
sun, protected by litter in the winter, and in the spring the soil was
sprinkled with a little powdered barilla, to console it for the lack of
its beloved sea-spray.” It is raised from seed which should be sown as
soon as it is ripe, or the roots may be divided.
In the early part of August, the young shoots should be cut back, and
the decayed flower-stems removed, on such plants as hyssop, sage,
lavender, and the like, and they will then send out new short shoots,
which will make a close, bushy head for the winter. If possible, this
should be done in damp weather. In October, the beds should be weeded;
if the plants stand at some distance from each other, the earth between
should be loosened, and if the beds are old, a little manure would be a
great advantage. Amongst close-growing herbs, digging is impossible,
but the ground must be hoed, raked and cleaned of weeds.
BIENNIALS.--_Parsley._--There are many kinds of parsley, and one
specially recommended is the triple-curled variety. All parsleys are
raised from seed, and it is a good thing to sow one bed in March and a
second in June, thus securing a continual supply all through the winter.
The plants want well thinning out, and if the weather be very dry, the
last sown should have two or three waterings with weak manure water. To
protect them from the frost, a reed-hurdle, or even a few branches of
fir, may be used, but, of course, a box-frame and light is the best.
Parsley likes a deep soil, not too rich; and a good quantity of soot
worked into it much improves the plants.
_Caraway_ is raised from seed, which should be sown in the autumn, and
it may also be sown in March or April, but the result will not be so
good. This plant likes a rich, light soil. _Dill_ should be sown in the
spring, either broadcast or in drills, six to twelve inches apart. It
may be sown in autumn, but this is not very advisable. _Clary_ is sown
in the end of March or in April, and should be transplanted to six to
twelve inches apart, when the plants are two or three inches high; it
may also be grown from cuttings.
_Rampions_ should be thinly sowed in April or May in shady borders. If
the plant is grown for use, it must not be allowed to flower, and in
this case, it should not be sown till the end of May. The plants should
be moderately watered at first (and later if the weather be very dry),
and when sufficiently grown, they should be thinned out to three or four
inches apart. The roots are fit for use in November. _Alexanders_ or
_Alisanders_, will send up shoots indefinitely, but must be sown afresh
every year if wanted for the table. The seed should be sown in drills
eighteen inches or more apart, and the plants thinned out to five or
six inches distance from each other. When they are well grown they
should be earthed up several inches on each side to blanch them.
ANNUALS.--_Anise_ and _Coriander_ like a warm, dry, light soil. If this
is not procurable, anise should be “sown in pots in heat, and removed to
a warm site in May.”[90] Coriander may be sown in February, if it be
mild and dry, and the seeds must be buried half an inch. _Cumin_ is
rarely seen; but it is advised that it should be sown in a warm, sunny
border in March or April.
[90] Loudon.
_Sweet Marjoram_ and _Summer Savory_ must both be sowed in light earth,
either in drills nine inches apart, or broadcast, when they must be
thinned out later on. The plants thinned out may be planted in another
bed at six inches distance from each other, and must be watered. _Sweet
Basil_ and _Bush Basil_ are both raised from seed sown in a hot-bed in
the end of March, and the young plants should be set a foot apart in a
warm border in May. They may be sown in an open border, but there is a
risk of their coming up at all, and a certainty, that if they do, the
plants will be late and small. Sweet Basil (_Ocymum Basilicum_) is much
the largest plant, Bush Basil (_O. Mininum_) being scarcely half the
size; both like a rich soil.
_Borage_ is raised from seed, and, if let alone, will seed itself and
come up, year after year, in the same place. It likes a dry soil.
Gardening books recommend that it should be planted in drills and
thinned, but for the sake of the picturesque, it should be dotted about
among low-growing herbs in single plants or little clumps.
_Marigolds_ should be planted in light, dry soil; they may be “sowed in
the spring, summer, or autumn, to remain or be transplanted a foot
asunder.”[91] The outer edge (near the palings) of Regent’s Park, close
to Hanover Gate, testifies to their power of seeding themselves.
Authorities differ as to whether _Finocchio_ is an annual, but at
anyrate, in England, it must be treated as one. Finocchio should be
sowed in dry, light earth, and must afterwards be thinned, or the plants
transplanted to a distance of fifteen inches between each. The swelling
stems “of some tolerable substance” must be earthed up five or six
inches, and will be blanched and tender in a fortnight’s time, and if
sowed in successive sowings, it may be eaten from June till December.
[91] Abercrombie.
_Endive_ must be sown in successive crops in July and the early part of
August, and this will produce “a sufficiency to last through the winter
and early spring. If sown earlier it runs to seed the same year; but if
early endive is required, a little white-curled variety is the best to
sow. The ground should be light and rich on a dry subsoil”; when
sufficiently grown, the plants should be thinned, and those taken out,
transplanted at a distance of ten or twelve inches apart, and watered
occasionally till they are well rooted. Endive is more easy to blanch if
sowed in trenches than in level ground. In wet weather, blanching is
best accomplished by putting a garden-pot over the plant; but, in
summer, it is better to tie the leaves together and earth them half way
up. The process will take from a week in dry weather to nearly three
weeks in wet, and the plant must be taken up soon after it is finished,
as after a few days it begins to decay. In severe frost the bed should
be covered with straw litter.
_Chervil_ is sown in August and September, and can be used in the same
autumn and through the winter; if successive crops are wanted, it may be
sown any time between the end of February and August. It should be sown
in shallow drills, and the plants left to grow as they come up. When the
leaves are two or three inches high they are ready to be used, and if
cut close, fresh leaves will shoot up in their place. _Lambs’ Lettuce_
is appreciated chiefly in the winter; it should be sown in August, and
again in September to last through the winter and early spring. Dry
fairly mellow soil will suit it, and it may be left to grow as it was
sowed.
_Rocket._--“This is an agreeable addition to cresses and mustard, early
in spring. It should be sown in a warm border in February, and during
the next months if a succession is wanted. After the first rough leaf
has appeared, thin out the plants.”[92] The _Purslanes_ are both tender
annuals, Green Purslane (_Portulaca olerecea_) being rather hardier than
Golden Purslane (_P. sativa_). They should be sowed on hot-beds in
February or March; or in a warm border, they may be sowed in drills
during fine weather in May. They should be left as they grow, and when
the leaves are gathered they must be cut low, and then a fresh crop will
appear. Purslane must be watered occasionally in very dry, hot weather.
[92] Loudon.
The above remarks pretend to being no more than bare outlines of the art
of growing certain herbs. Many of these have outlived their reputation,
and are now cultivated for no practical purpose, but for sentiment’s
sake, or for their aromatic grace, by those who “take a delight” in such
things. To these I hope these suggestions may be useful. Any person
desiring to bring a special herb to perfection is hardly likely to need
reference to one of the many admirable gardening dictionaries, for it is
not probable that he would look to an amateur for solid instruction on
such points. To conclude, Leonard Meager[93] gives some pithy directions
which it is well to bear in mind:--
“In setting herbs ever observe to leave the tops no more than a handful
above the ground, and the roots a foot under the earth.
[93] “New Art of Gardening.”
“Twine the roots of the herbs you set, unless too brittle. Gather herbs
when the sap is full in the top of them. Such herbs as you intend to
gather for drying, to keep for use all the winter, do it about
Lammas-tide; dry them in the shade that the sun draw not out their
vertue, but in a clear air and breezy wind, that no mustiness may taint
them.”
Cut all herbs just before they flower, except where the flower heads are
wanted--lavender or camomile, for instance. These should be cut just
before the flowers are fully open.