Sweet Basil

By James Sadie

This aromatic herb is important not only in cookery but also as a medicinal plant and to bee-keepers, for it is often visited by bees. It derives its botanical name from the Greek words `ozein', meaning to smell, and `basileus', meaning king, because of its pleasant and penetrating aroma truly worthy of kings.

The commonest use of myrtle as a seasoning is somewhat unusual: the freshly-cut twigs are added to the fire when spit-roasting whole sheep. The -fragrant essential oil is liberated during the process and absorbed by the roasting meat. Fresh and dried leaves may be used also to season fatty meats, mainly roast pork. In Mediterranean countries it is customary to add myrtle to small roast birds, best of all just before serving, allowing a few minutes for the aroma to be absorbed.

According to preserved records it was eaten in medieval France and Germany. Only the fresh young leaves are used. If you wish to keep them fresh for several days it is recommended to immerse the whole plant in cold water, cover the container with a lid and place it in a cool place.

Otherwise it will grow, even in a vase of water, and lose its quality. Storing it in the refrigerator is not recommended.

They are used much the same as black pepper, in addition to which they are added also to bread and baked foods. One advantage is that they do not irritate the lining of the stomach, but on the other hand they contain some substances that are poisonous. Therefore it is recommended to use them sparingly.

In western and central Europe not only N. officirzaleean be found, but also the closely related, small-leaved species N. microphyllum, which can be used in the same way. In England nasturtium is the common name for Tropaeolum majus, cultivated for its brilliantly coloured flowers; its seeds and leaves have a pungent flavour similar to that of watercress.

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You can learn more about herbs gardening by finding tips and resources on the internet.

Tips on Drawing a Garden Plan

By Rupert Happy

Some idea of the type of garden you want may already be beginning to form in your mind. Before you start to translate your thoughts on to paper, make a rough but accurate survey of the garden.

Your garden may, on the other hand, look out on to eyesores which you want to block from sight. The immediate instinct may he to put up a harrier on the site boundary, but foreground planting can often be more effective and, being closer to the eye, will screen a wider area. The right for a barbecue. Or you could keep only main ceiling braces to serve as a frame climbing plants. The same idea can also used with an old greenhouse or co vatory from which glass has gone.

Garden design can hold the eye within the garden making a total barrier unnecessary because eyesores will simply be ignored in favour of the greater visual attraction. The problem may be less what you see as you look out, as who sees you when they look in.

One way to ensure privacy is to make a pergola to sit under, or even string wires across the width of the garden to create a real outside room. Attractive plants, such as vines or clematis, can be grown over wire or a pergola. Planting will also muffle the sound of noisy neighbours.

Other factors to think about when planning the terrace include the position of a barbecue if you want one, just where you sit to eat out, and whether the furniture will be built-in or free-standing.

Any curve you may conceive on paper will foreshorten in reality, as the eye runs from directly above it to being at the side. To explore and check this, put your eye down to paper level to get the feel of what the design will actually look like on the ground. The path's curve will always seem more extreme in three-dimensional reality than when drawn on paper

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Drawing a garden plan when planning the style of your garden is important to have a neat garden

Planting Deciduous Shrubs

By George Cabin

The best time to plant deciduous shrubs is in the autumn after they have shed their leaves. Evergreen shrubs, like conifers, are best planted in spring just before they begin to put out new shoots. They are usually transplanted with the roots encased in a ball of earth.

Native shrubs, their ornamental forms and above all related and established exotic species offer a wide selection from which to choose those suited for various sites and locations and for various purposes. Besides the standard shrubs from 1 to 3 m high, there are small or dwarf sorts of up to only 40-60 cm, especially well suited for the rock or heath garden. There are also .shrubs that are practically small trees with their height of 5-7 m.

As to the flowering period, some shrubs, bear blossoms before the onset of spring with the last remnants of snow still lying about, whereas others flower late, opening their blooms just before or after the leaves fall.

The dioecious flowers appear in the second half of April and the seeds are released from the capsules in ,June. This species multiplies well from the seed but is less easy to propagate by means of cuttings.

The purple osier is a narrowly branched upright shrub growing to a height of 2-5 m. The stems are slender and flexible, coloured greenish brown in a shady location and purplish red in a sunny aspect. The pith of older shoots is a bright yellow. The buds on the twigs arc narrowly conical, appressed, usually alternate, with at least one pair of opposite buds on each twig. The male and female flowers are borne on separate individuals and appear in early spring before the leaves, usually at the end of March. The male flower has only one double stamen with red anthers. The capsules mature at the end of May, when they split to release a number of white cottony seeds. The shrub is propagated by cuttings.

It grows near streams and water courses in both lowland and mountain areas. It is especially plentiful alongside mountain streams and often forms vast thickets on sandy and gravel alluvial deposits. The northern limit of its distribution extends as far as central Sweden. Its flexible branches are used in basket-making and cultivated varieties are grown specially for this purpose. It is also planted for short periods to improve dry sandy locations.

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In garden planning, the most common garden fences are built of standard sized boards and rails in one of a small range of traditional designs.

Rocket

By Hannah Country

Cardamom is one of the finest spices and also one of the most expensive. From Dioscorides and Pliny we know that it was used by the ancient Greeks and Romans. In the Middle Ages people believed cardamom herb had medicinal properties that would heal practically every disease.

It is the seeds of this perennial plant that are used as a spice. It is native to southern India and Sri Lanka and also raised nowadays in Central America, particularly in Guatemala. Cardamom is used mostly by the peoples who grow it as is also the case with many other herbs and spices.

The first European to see the tree growing in its native land was the Venetian merchant Marco Polo in the 13th century. When Vasco da Gama discovered the Molucca Islands the Arabian monopoly was replaced by the Portuguese and in the 17th century by the Dutch. Up until the turn of the 18th century the entire world was supplied with cloves only from the Moluccas.

The seeds of rocket are rich in oil (30%) and this is the main reason for which it is raised nowadays. The oil is obtained by pressing; it has a golden yellow colour and after being stored for several months loses its sharp, biting quality.

The terminal inflorescences with unopened buds are harvested by hand, using ladders, and then dried in the sun, which turns them a dark colour.

Cloves contain a large quantity of an essential oil that is very aromatic but loses its aroma with long storage. A good way of testing the quality is to put the spice in water; if it is of good quality it will sink or else float upright, stale cloves float flat on the surface. They are used either whole or ground to flavour sweet dishes and pastries, also in meat dishes, marinated fish. The oil has a medicinal value in that it stimulates the appetite and aids digestion; because of its high content of eugenol, it also has an antiseptic effect.

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All herb gardens are individual, both in the problems they face and the way they are planned and planted.

Meadow Mushroom

By Lisa Allison

Holland's success prompted the foundation of the English East India Company by London merchants in 1600, to which the Dutch retaliated two years later by founding the Dutch East India Company in 1602. From then on there was stiff competition between the two with each fighting for control of the spice trade. One happy outcome, however, was that Europe came to know not only Oriental spices but also silk and porcelain.

In 1524 he was appointed viceroy of India for his discoveries, which enriched Portugal and raised her to the front rank among European nations. In time Portugal had a monopoly on the lucrative trade in herbs and spices, supplying Europe with pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. The Mediterranean remained relatively unimportant as a trade route until the opening of the Suez Canal and Venice was replaced by Lisbon as the centre of commerce in herbs and spices.

Portugal's influence was extended later as far as Madagascar, Sumatra and Java, and above all to Malacca, famed spice port in the south Malay Peninsula. The island of Ternate became the centre of the spice trade and despite the persistent and often bloody defense of the native Muslims the Portuguese gradually gained a monopoly on the world spice trade.

Portugal's greatest competitors at that time were the Spaniards, who sought a shorter route to India, one that would not entail sailing round the southernmost tip of Africa. As chance would have it it was again a Portuguese - Ferndo de Magalhdes, better known as Magellan, who in the service of Spain and financed by the Spanish King Carlos V, sailed westward in 1519 with a crew of 265 and discovered a new route.

The sobriety of the early 19th century, marked by a preference for Biedermeier sweets eaten while sipping coffee or chocolate, was replaced at the end of the century by a newly revived interest in the cookery of distant lands. Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and other restaurants sprang up in Paris, London and other major European cities and have remained popular and successful to this day.

Herbs and spices have been gaining in popularity since the end of World War II - not only in restaurants but also in the household. Skilful use of herbs and spices is important in all good cookery. It is becoming a hobby for many people not only to cook with herbs and spices, but also to be able to identify fresh herbs, grow them at home or in the garden, and preserve them for winter use.

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It is garden herbs and spices that give these the flavour and piquancy that distinguishes the fare of the various nations historically, culturally and geographically.

Sage

By Vincent Alexandra

The popularity of rosemary in antiquity and the Middle Ages cannot be matched by any other plant. It was dedicated to the goddess Venus. The Romans adorned the heads of their household gods with rosemary garlands and this ancient custom was carried over into medieval times, but in a different form - the boar's head was always decked with a wreath of rosemary at the Christmas feast.

The blue-green foliage as well as the seeds were used, not only to flavour salads, vegetable omelettes and sauces served with fish, but also to treat various diseases. It was used as an antidote against poisons and to banish evil spirits. An unknown writer of the 6th century B.C. recommends: 'for the malady called lethargy, which is forgetfulness, take the herb rue, rinse it in vinegar and lay it on the brow'. In the Middle Ages it was used in making herb wines, hence the German name Weinraute.

Sage was used in combination with ginger and bay leaf to flavour wine and by itself in preparing water for washing the hands at the table during banquets.

Rosemary is an evergreen shrub reaching a height of 2 m (6 ft). It is native to the Mediterranean region. It is readily damaged by frost so should be planted in a sheltered position in the garden. It can be grown in pots and put indoors in a light, cool room or conservatory for the winter.

Sage is a Mediterranean sub-shrub, native to the area extending from Dahnatia to Macedonia. The best quality sage is from the Yugoslav coast where it covers slopes up to altitudes of 1,800 m (5,760 0). There are many varieties of sage grown on the Continent and in America. Propagation is by seed in early spring or late autumn.

The greenish-yellow flowers (1) are followed by green, lobed capsules (2). It is easy to grow in the garden, being propagated either by seed or by cuttings. Frequent cutting back of the non-woody parts will promote growth of lush foliage. The top parts should be dried at a temperature of less than 35C (95F), a process that takes as long as 8 days, and the leaves then stripped from the stems.

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You can plant herbs in any free space in your garden,pots, and window boxes.

The Spreading of Garden Plant

By Scarlett Bill

Every gardener's ambition should be to introduce plants that provide something of interest in the garden every day of the year. If you have sufficient space, it is possible to have a plant flowering every day of the year, and although this might be desirable, flowers are not the only, nor even the main, attraction of many plants.

When climbers or wall shrubs are being sited it is important to remember that the plants will have a certain amount of forward spread, and if such a plant is in a narrow border next to a path, it can impede easy passage when the plant is fully developed. A Garrya elliptica, for example, can spread forward by as much as 2m (6ft) in as little as two or three years, and reducing such a plant by pruning will substantially (kininish its overall effect. Blending the shapes and sizes of all the plants in a garden is crucial to the overall design and the effect that can he achieved. However, planting architectural conifers so that they grow together should be avoided.

A bold carpet planting or a plant that tumbles down a bank or wall can be pretty whether in flower or not, and even the twining effect of a climbing plant like wisteria as it makes its way skywards to cover even greater areas can be spectacular. Winter flowers are always a delight, of course, but winter stems and the effect of winter sunlight can be as startling and attractive as any summer flowers. Management by pruning is required to produce the best stems, but it is worth the effort.

Evergreen foliage of all kinds has always been important because it brings solidity and structure. Dark green foliage helps to show off other, lighter types, and many flowering, plants can be seen to their best against a dark backdrop. In winter the stems of birch (Betula) stand out wonderfully against a background of (lark green conifers. Gold- or silver-variegated evergreen plants can add colour and interest in their own right throughout the year, but in winter they come into their own, catching whatever winter sunshine there is and providing interest in the form of colour, contrast and shape. Finally, the value of evergreen plants to wildlife, especially as safe roosting places and, later, nesting sites for birds should never be underestimated.

As spring unfolds in the garden, leaf shape and form begin to reveal themselves. Delicate new leaves open, bringing freshness and dainty shapes in such variety that it seem as if the patterns and colours are unlimited. These are followed by flowers, which never fail to amaze with their diversity of colours.

One solution to this problem is to intersperse slow-growing plants with quicker, maybe shorter-lived perennials, so that a long-term effect can be achieved without any gaps in the planting being apparent while the main plants

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A good garden plan is necessary when you are setting up a garden.