Home and Living

Growing and harvesting herbs has been carried out for thousands of years in all cultures around the world. But in medieval Europe it was raised to a high art. Devoid of medical knowledge and technology that was known even to the Greeks, the Middle Ages depended heavily on herbs for medicines. Their practice was a mixture of experience and nonsense, but they also knew much that was valid.

Whether used for medicine, seasoning or just quiet contemplation, the Medieval herb garden was a useful and lovely place. A modern sample of what it would have been like can readily be found in New York’s Cloisters. Though constructed in the 1930s, it was designed and built to resemble its historical counterpart as closely as possible. The designers achieved their goal superlatively.

The Cloisters has several sections, with the herb garden prominently a part of the Bonnefont cloister. Over 250 species are grown there, and they thrive well even through New York’s cold winters, hot and muggy summers, and the spotty rainy seasons of Fall and Spring.

It was based on many different sources and duplicates none exactly. The result is raised beds, wattle fences and a central wellhead that are common features of any historical herb garden archetype. Surrounded by orchards and many other plants, the herbs form the centerpiece of a garden any home practitioner must envy.

Many are contained in appropriate pots resembling those one might have found in the period. They allow the herbalists to bring the more fragile ones in for the winter, when New York temperatures can dip below zero Fahrenheit and snow is not uncommon.

The herbs grown during the Middle Ages would sometimes have been used for such useless purposes as attempting to ward off evil spirits. But, their descendants provide a much more practical purpose. Even when not used in cooking and curing, these fragrant plants with lovely flowers provide an oasis of peace in a sometimes frenetic city.

At the Cloisters they are arranged in nine sections, corresponding to groupings that were common in the period. The first contains Absinthe and Thistles, the second those used for medicinal purposes, such as St. John’s Wort and Liquorice. The third houses aromatics like Lavender and Lemon Balm.

Other categories hold herbs for art and some that have purposes that today would be questionable, such as encouraging Love and Marriage, like Meadow Rue and ‘magic’ plants like Herb Robert. The last category holds those useful for cooking such as Caraway and Fennel, Parsley and Borage.

So next time you’re in the Big Apple, America’s number one city, travel uptown and visit a bit of history. The herbalists there will astound you with their encyclopedic knowledge.