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About Hardy Shrub Roses
About Heathers
About Flowering Crabs
wildlife habitat
Annuals Biennials Perennials
Culinary Herbs
The Healing Herbs
The Fragrant Herbs
Shakespearean and Bible Herbs
Do you Really Need A Tiller
Insect Attack
Flowers for Cutting
Pruning Pointers
Houseplants Clean the Air
Recipes Fresh from the Garden
The Gold Plated Gardener
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| A Shakespearean or Biblical Herb Garden |
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| Our final answer to the question, What shall I plant in my herb garden? will explore two further possibilities. There is a certain appeal to planting a garden that includes herbs named in the Bible...or to designing a garden around the herbs mentioned by Shakespeare. Whether you are a devout believer, a literary enthusiast, or simply a fancier of herbs with a past, the idea of creating a garden featuring plants that have been cultivated and valued for hundreds, even thousands, of years has an undeniable attraction. Let’s begin with the Biblical list, since it’s the shortest and simplest. In alphabetical order, here’s a list of the herbs mentioned in the Old and New Testaments. Aloe (Aloe perryi)--Psalms 45:8, John 19:39-40. Probably the aloe vera we know as a house plant. Must be wintered indoors in our Zone 4 climate. Anise (Pimpinella anisum)--Matthew 23:23. Culinary and medicinal herb often used for flavoring. Bay (Laurus nobilis)--Psalms 37:35. The “bay leaf” we use in cooking. A tree in milder climates, here we have to bring it indoors for the winter...but it can still attain sizeable proportions in a pot. Bedstraw, lady’s (Galium verum)--Not specifically mentioned in the Bible (so purists may chooose not to include it)--tradition has it that that was the “straw” in baby Jesus’ manger, hence its common name, “Lady” being the Virgin Mary. It is true that it was gathered to stuff mattresses in medieval England. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)--Exodus 16:3, Numbers 11:7. Leaves are used for flavoring before it flowers; in this stage we know it as cilantro. Coriander seeds are also used for flavoring. Cumin (Cuminum cyminum)--Matthew 23:23. Culinary, used in Mexican cuisine. Dill (Anethum graveolens)--Isiah 28:25-7, Matthew 23:23. The familiar culinary herb. Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)--1 Kings 4:33, Exodus 12:22, Numbers 19:6, John 19:28-30. This lovely purple-spiked fragrant, culinary and medicinal herb mentioned so frequently deserves wider recognition. Mint (Mentha spicata)--Matthew 23:23. With so many to choose from, plant the mint that appeals to you. Mustard (Brassica rapa, Brassica nigra)--Mark 4:30-32. A wild annual, both culinary and medicinal. Sage (Salvia officinalis)--Exodus 12:8. Culinary, medicinal. Sorrel (Rumex scutatu, Rumex acetosas)--Numbers 9:11. A soup green and one of the “bitter herbs” of Passover. Wormwood (Artemesia absinthium)--Deuteronomy 29:18, Proverbs 5:4. Culinary, medicinal. Finally, does Myrrh (Psalms 45:8) qualify as an herb? It was a tree that grew in equatorial Africa, saplings of which the Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut imported to plant around the temple of Amon. When burned, myrrh releases a fragrance that many ancient cultures believed was pleasing to the gods. Don’t expect to cultivate it in your Zone 4/5 garden. OK, pop quiz: what herbs did Ophelia count off in Hamlet? (Right, rosemary for remembrance...as well as pansies, fennel, columbine, rue, daisies and violets.) If you have an interest in recreating an authentic Elizabethan herb garden (the subject of a different article), away to the library with you! If you merely want to capture the spirit of the times, read on. Elizabethans loved order and symmetry in their lives. (This was the period when stately country homes were built in the shape of an E to honor the queen). Thus your Shakespearean garden should be square or rectangular, and divided into symmetrical squared beds separated by walkways of turf or gravel. Even better, it should be enclosed if possible--with walls of brick or stone, hedges, or woven fencing, entered through a gate. A more practical and less daunting alternative to enclosing the garden is a low edging of boxwood, hyssop, germander, lavender, santolina or the like. Individual beds were edged as well with dwarf plants like the above, frequently clipped to an orderly level. Within the beds, plants might be grouped, circled, or laid out on a diagonal. The English of Shakespeare’s time loved their garden gewgaws. The center and focal point might be a sundial, birdbath or fountain. Statuary, or urns filled with topiary, commonly adorned the center of each bed. A bench upon which to sit and refresh the spirit would not be out of place. Frequently Elizabethan gardens were sunken, and the foliage colors and textures so designed and sheared as to give the illusion of intricate twists and knots when viewed from above. Again, check your local library if you’d like to undertake this kind of knot garden project--one picture is worth the proverbial thousand words. A few years ago, I took the trouble to research Shakespeare and prepare a list of the herbs he mentions. Alas! Had I only waited for the April/May 1995 issue of The Herb Companion, I would have found Jim and Dottie Becker’s article, “A Shakespearean Garden,” with my list. Being somewhat of a purist, I confined my original list to a relatively narrow definition of herb. Their list is broader...a tip of the hat to them for filling in the gaps. Of the 170 different plants that Shakespeare mentions in his works, the following list comprises all that can be construed as herbs. Aloe (Aloe vera)--”A Lover’s Complaint” Balm/Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)--Antony and Cleopatra Bay(Laurus nobilis)--Pericles Brier/Wild Rose (Rosa sp.)--A Midsummer Night’s Dream Broom (Cytisus scoparius)--A Midsummer Night’s Dream Burnet/Salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor)--King Henry V Calendula (Calendula officinalis)--Pericles Caraway (Carum carvi)--Henry IV, Part II Carnation (Dianthus sp.)--Winter’s Tale Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)--Henry IV, Part I Cowslip (Primula veris)--The Tempest Eringo/Sea Holly (Eryngium campestre, E. maritimum)--Merry Wives of Windsor Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)--Henry IV, Part II, Hamlet Gillyvor (Dianthus sp.)--Winter’s Tale Holly (Ilex aquifolium)--As You Like It Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)--Much Ado About Nothing Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)--Othello Lavender (any of the Lavandulas)--Winter's Tale Mallow (Malva moschata, Malva fastigiata)--Tempest Marigold (Tagetes)--Pericles, Winter's Tale Marjoram (Origanum marjorana)--Winter's Tale, King Lear Mint (any of the Mentha)---Winter's Tale, Love's Labors Lost Myrtle (Myrtus communis)--Measure for Measure Pansy/Johnny Jump-Up (Viola tricolor)--Hamlet Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)--Taming of the Shrew Poppy (Papaver somniferum)--Othello Rose (Rosa sp.)--Merry Wives of Windsor Rosemary (Rosemarius officinalis)--Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, King Lear Rue (Ruta graveloens)--Winter's Tale, Richard III Savory (Satureja hortensis, Satureja montana)--Winter's Tale Thyme (pick a thyme, any thyme)--A Midsummer Night's Dream Violet (Viola odorata)--King Henry V Wormwood (Artemesia absinthium)--Love's Labours Lost, Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet Simply because herbs are defined as “the useful plants” doesn’t imply that you have to use everything in your herb garden; herbs are also valuable for their beauty, their fragrance, their healing powers, or simply for the associations they evoke. Possibly one of the ideas in this themed series has sparked your imagination as to what can be done with herbs beyond adding them to the crockpot. In the winter months, while the gardens sleep, is the ideal time to plan for the coming summer. |
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