A Garden of Herbs

There are two things that anyone interested in herbs wants to know -- how to use herbs and how to create a traditional herb garden -- and this book is about both. After a brief history of English herb gardens and illustrations of traditional herb knot garden layouts, the book deals authoritatively with the use of herbs from agrimony to cookery of all kinds. A whole chapter is devoted to salads, others to pottages, puddings and drinks. There is a fascinating section on sweet scents from herbs and flowers -- pomanders, scented waters, powders and perfumes -- along with vital information on the picking and drying of herbs. The work concludes with a list of significant works on herbs from 1440 to 1912.