Aromatic Herb Gardens
The aroma of parsley, basil or thyme in the kitchen tells visitors that dinner is nearly ready. A sachet of lavender in a drawer invokes an image of grandmother. A pressed rose, still fragrant, is a memento of a past love. The aromatic plants in all these instances began in a garden. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
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History
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Generally we do not associate herb gardening with the Middle Ages. However, the 13th century Dominican cleric Albertus Magnus made plans for a "herber" as a place for beauty rather than utility. His design for the private herber surrounded a lawn with sweet smelling herbs like basil, rue and sage. In the next century, tenant farmers planted cottage gardens near their low-roofed houses. These gardens included fragrant herbs like lavender and sage that helped to mask the human smells of homes with no plumbing.
Memory
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In Hamlet, Ophelia tells her brother Laertes, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance," describing a tradition of throwing rosemary into graves to remember the dead. There is some research that supports this idea. In 2003, researchers from the University of Northumbria reported that oil of rosemary did enhance the memory of some study participants. Because the sense of smell is such a powerful memory trigger, landscape architects are exploring how to create aromatic herb gardens for people with memory-robbing diseases like Alzheimer's disease.
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Teaching
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A fragrant herb garden can teach children about medicine, inspire craft projects or encourage an interest in fresh food. Herbs are easy to grow outside or in pots, so kids can take an active role in choosing their favorite scents as well as responsibility for their care. Simple demonstrations will help connect the herbs to a children's interest. For example, a cooking demonstration can show how to use a few herbs to transform simple tomatoes into pizza sauce.
Sensory Garden
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Designers of sensory gardens choose elements to stimulate sight, hearing, scent and touch. These gardens are designed for wheelchair users, blind visitors, children and special needs individuals. A herb garden designed for the visually impaired can incorporate aromatic herbs to help visitors identify the plants by smell. Some plants like creeping thyme can be planted along pathways so their aroma is released when they are walked on.
Gardens to Visit
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The Fragrance Garden in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden was the first U.S. garden designed for the sight impaired. Visitors are encouraged to touch and smell the herbs and other plants. The San Francisco Botanic Garden at Golden Gate Park has a Garden of Fragrance that includes salvia, lemon verbena and laurel. The National Herb Garden at the U.S. Arboretum in Washington, D.C., has many demonstration gardens, including a Fragrance Garden that features herbs like patchouli.
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References
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden: A Short History of Herb Garden Design
- Colorado State University Extension: The Early Cottage Garden
- International Journal of Neuroscience: Aromas of Rosemary and Lavender Essential Oils Differentially Affect Cognition and Mood in Healthy Adults
- Persistence of Memory;" Wendy J. Meyer; 2007
- kidsgardening.com: Creating Herb Gardens
Resources
- Photo Credit lavender image by Alistair Dick from Fotolia.com
