Diario descriptivo de observación

During antiquity, gardens attached to temples or sacred groves were used for the cultivation of medicinal plants. Sarah Garland notes that the basic plan of these gardens was determined by the necessity of growing and tending plants within a confined space as well as pro-tecting them and providing irrigation. Accordingly, herbs and other botanicals were laid out in straight lines punctuated by paths and sys-tems of water channels or a pool, all of which was generally sur-rounded by a wall of some kind. She adds, “These practical consider-ations combined to create the formal, rectilinear garden design familiar in ancient Egyptian frescoes, early Persian and Islamic paintings, and in the Roman hortus with its tidy divisions between the vegetables and herbs, and colonnades and courtyards filled with terracotta pots of aromatic plants” (p. 120).

While many of the cultivated gardens of Imperial Rome reverted to wilderness during the Middle Ages, the few that remained in south-ern Europe provided the pattsouth-ern for the earliest monastery gardens.

There, the traditions of herb culture were refined by clerics in accor-dance with a lifestyle emphasizing self-sufficiency, an affinity for na-ture, and administering to the needs of the less fortunate. Through herb gardens, the monks were able to exchange cuttings and seeds, record the properties of plants, and create and disseminate manu-script herbals. By the Renaissance, the utilitarian herb garden had be-come increasingly popular and elaborate. The beds formed looping patterns and mazes, and were often bordered with clipped hedges of lavender or germander and pebbles or bones, and arranged in the fashionable Italianate style.

The post-Renaissance era saw the rise of physic gardens supplying medicinal herbs for apothecaries and clerics; travelers and explorers in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries provided new species (e.g., the nasturtium, the sunflower). While established models were being carried to the New World, large botanical gardens arose in Europe, at-tached to universities and medical schools in order to facilitate botan-ical and health care study.

The Romantic movement beginning in the late eighteenth century gave rise to a less formal conceptualization of herb gardens. The stud-ied carelessness and natural, asymmetrical composition of gardens then in fashion has remained an influence even up to the latest resur-gence of interest in the cultivation and use of herbs that began in the 1960s.

By the 1980s, gardening had become a national obsession in the United States. Through the 1970s, the archetypal gardener was likely to be over fifty with time and money to spare. By 1988, a cover story in Time magazine noted that 78 percent of American households had acquired the gardening habit; recent surveys indicated that the most fervent converts were thirty to forty-nine years old. Baby boomers accounted for half of the (then) record $17.5 billion spent on horticul-tural products in 1987. While much of this money was spent on

vege-Inventory of Chief Characteristics of Formal and Informal Herb Gardens

Formal Garden Plan

• Design generally follows a clear pattern with paths and beds laid out to bal-ance and complement each other.

• Geometric shapes—curves, rectangles, triangles, and circles—are often the basis of a particular plan.

• The focal point is usually the center of the garden, marked by a sundial, a seat, a large pot or statue, or visually arresting plant (e.g., ornamental tree).

• Plantings tend to be sparse with herbs spaced well apart, often in straight lines or groups; low walls or wooden planks often serve to separate spe-cies.

• A well-maintained low hedge of perennial herbs is frequently used as a tra-ditional edging.

• Communicates a sense of order and peace.

Informal Garden Plan

• Gives an impression of barely controlled abundance, of unexpected forms arising from the natural configuration of the local landscape.

• Herbs are typically grown close together; species that will not obliterate one another should be selected.

• Color and texture communicate an impressionistic, casual effect.

• Clipping and shaping should be kept to a minimum.

• Walls, paths, and other man-made features should be composed of stone, brick, or other local material.

Source: Garland, S., 1993, p. 175.

table products and other mainstream fare, Nancy Gibbs reported that herbalists had become major players within the field:

Last year 6 million households spent $46 million growing herbs, in contrast with 5 million spending $39 million the year before. Some make tea from them, some bathe in them, some swear to their healing powers. Having mastered the basic basil, rosemary and sage, gardeners move on to lovage stems, bee-balm blossoms and lemon grass. The health conscious prize herbs as a salt substitute, while the cost conscious find that pricey, herb-flavored vinegars and oils are easily made at home.

(p. 62)

By the 1990s, herb gardening had become increasingly more visi-ble on the American landscape. Many local communities were graced by educational programs and beautification projects sponsored by herb appreciation societies. Furthermore, the individual enthusiast had a wealth of information and supplies to choose from, ranging from traditional print publications to Web-based retailers.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bacon, Richard M. The Forgotten Arts: Growing, Gardening, and Cooking with Herbs. Dublin, NH: Yankee Publishing Inc., 1972.

Beckett, Kenneth A. The Garden Library: Herbs. New York: Ballantine Books, 1984.

The Beginner’s Herb Garden. Mentor, Ohio: Herb Society of America, 1983.

Bown, Deni. “Designing an Herb Garden.” In: Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 1995, pp. 20-41.

Coy, Cissie. “The Herb Gardens at Washington Cathedral.” The Herb Companion (December/January 1990/1991): 41-45.

Davies, Jill. Herbs and Herb Gardens. Aylesbury, U.K.: Shire Publications, 1983.

Garland, Sarah. “The Herb Garden.” In: The Complete Book of Herbs & Spices.

Pleasantville, NY: Reader’s Digest Association, 1993, pp. 120-157.

Gibbs, Nancy R., with Mary Cronin, James Willwerth, and O. Freidrich. “Paradise Found: America Returns to the Garden.” Time 131 (June 20, 1988): 62-71.

Halloran, Kathleen. “A National Treasure.” The Herb Companion (October/No-vember 1993): 42-48.

Hobhouse, Penelope. Gardening Through the Ages. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992.

Hopkinson, Simon, and Hopkinson, Judith. Herbs. Chester, CT: Globe Pequot Press, (Includes chapters entitled “Herb Gardens,” “Herb Garden Maintenance,”

“A Selection of Garden Herbs,” and “Gardens to Visit”), 1989.

Paterson, Allen. Herbs in the Garden. London: J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd., 1985.

Reid, Shirley. Herbs for the Home and Garden. Topsfield, MA: Salem House, 1988.

Sanecki, Kay N. History of the English Herb Garden. Foreword by Anthony Huxley. London: Ward Lock, 1992.

HERB GROWING & MARKETING NETWORK

Formed in 1990 and currently more than 2,000 members strong, the Herb Growing & Marketing Network is the largest trade associa-tion in a rapidly growing industry. It is geared to serving three distinct groups:

• Anyone interested in establishing some kind of herb business, whether its growing herbs commercially, running an herb shop, manufacturing herbal products, or maintaining a healing prac-tice

• Small- to medium-sized businesses attempting to expand sales

• Large firms desiring more exposure at minimal cost

The organization is, first and foremost, an information service. It maintains a core library of more than 3,000 books and subscribes to all relevant periodicals. It monitors relevant Internet mailing lists and searches the World Wide Web for research resources of potential value to members. Publications include an industry-wide annual re-source guide, the Herbal Green Pages; a quarterly trade journal, The Bu$iness of Herbs; national conference proceedings; and various booklets reflecting the needs and interests of the membership.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Herbworld Online Home Page: www.herbalconnection.com. Copyright 2001. 2p.

Includes the following links: “Join Now,” “Green Pages,” “Crop Shop,”

“Speakers Bureau,” “Herbalpedia,” “Herbal Exchange,” “Business Startup,”

“Recipes,” “Links To Friends,” and “Contact Us.”