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Herbs (Time-Life Encyclopedia of Gardening)
Herbs - Time-Life Encyclopedia of Gardening Author:James Underwood Crockett, Ogden Tanner, Richard Crist (Illustrator) A reawakening of interest in natural foods and natural flavorings has stimulated a resurgence of herb gardening in the United States. Today some of the most ancient of cultivated plants are once again being widely grown "for use and for delight". — The author, one of America's most distinguished horticulturalists, spells out i... more »n precise and loving detail how to grow, harvest, and use these fragrant and flavorful plants. Easy-to-follow drawings and step-by-step instructions ensure success for the herb novice and provide intriguing new techniques for the home gardener of long experience. A 60-page encyclopedic section covers 126 different herbs for the home garden, with detailed descriptions of each and expert how-to-grow instructions. Full-color photographs show many different ways to plan and plant herb gardens of unusual attractiveness, how to make the most of the handsome foliage as well as herb flavors and fragrances.
The heart of the book is to be found in tips for growing herbs successfully. For example, how to restrain those invasive species that would like to take over the garden. How to plant an indoor hanging basket of decorative trailing herbs. How to improve soil drainage with a raised bed. Whether or not to use fertilizer. How to start seeds, stem cuttings, root cuttings, root divisions, layered branches. How to contrast foliage colors for dramatic visual effects.
Not to be overlooked is the lore of these remarkable plants. Related are accounts of how medical students of the Renaissance studied medicinal herbs in the botanic gardens of Padua (and how those same gardens look today); how early herbalists came to attribute magical powers to many herbs (sometimes basing their conclusions on the shape or coloring of the foliage); how fragrant herbs were strewn on Greek and Roman floors to mask household odors in the centuries before indoor plumbing and daily baths. Described is the charming Language of Flowers, a medieval means of communicating delicate sentiments with great tact.
There is even a recipe for pesto, that favorite pasta sauce of northern Italy that gets its unique flavor from basil leaves.« less