A Brief Enticement Towards Gardening

            By Donna Serena da Riva

      As Spring days become warmer and longer new growth is summoned from the plants that surround us. During period times these days would be greeted with carefully crafted plans for planting; for much more than feeling of accomplishment was the harvest from the seeds sown now. The people of the Middle Ages relied extensively on food grown on their own holdings to sustain themselves for the coming seasons.  A person who did not plant wisely could face a fate worse than a weedy backyard. Although few of us in the Current Middle Ages have the time or space to plant extensive gardens, having an at least conversant knowledge of gardening practices and ways can go a long way towards providing a better understanding of the period mindset and everyday life.

      The daily lives of both prince and pauper were full of awareness of the vagaries of nature. Should Mother Nature decree a flood or drought, both would face hard times - albeit to varying degrees. Everyone would have had an opinion on what should be planted and in what quantities. Plants for food, medicine and practical applications would be cultivated in varying quantities by most every person. For the poorest a bare patch of dirt alongside a hovel could be an opportunity for growing pot-herbs to fill the bellies of their family. For the wealthy, the responsibility to maintain large fields for their dependants (both family and feudal) as well as for their tithes due to King and Church was both birthright and duty.

      Hence this article: were one to have the desire to create a Medieval or Renaissance style garden on their property in this age, how would one go about it? To look to period sources one would find many different options based on time period and locale. And, as is true today, there were different gardens to fill different needs. Assuming the noble standing that is taken for granted in the Current Middle Ages, most individuals would maintain multiple different styles of gardens on their estates. These gardens would range from fruit orchards and grain fields to vegetable and herb gardens. Also included would be gardens planted for pleasure, beauty and recreation.

      But for our purposes the simplest and most accessible of gardens will be addressed here. If one has a small patch of land that receives full sun, a kitchen garden is not far from reach. Consider first the layout of planting beds. The wisdom of 1st Century Roman writer Columella is parroted by the 16th Century English horticulturist Thomas Hyll as follows:

“…shall in handsome manner by a line set downe in the earth, be troden out into beds, and seemly borders,…into three foot of breadth, and into what length the owner or Gardener will: but to such a breadth especially troden forth, that the weeders hands may wel reach unto the midst of the same, lest they thus be going to the beds, and weeding forth the unprofitable herbs and grasse, may in the mean time tread down both the seeds shooting up, and plants above the earth. To the help of which, let the pathes between the beds be of such a reasonable breadth (as a mans foot) that they passing along by, may freely weed the on half first, and next the other half left to weed.”

Hyll goes on to paraphrase yet another Roman, this one Palladius Rutilius of the 4th Century saying that:

“The beds also ought…to be trodden out narrow, and of a length, as twelve foot long if the plot be large, and six foot broad, and the pathes of theses of a seemly breadth,… In a moist and watry Garden plot…that the beds of this same Garden be reared two foot high, for the better prospering of the seeds commit to the earth, and the plants come up. But in a dry ground, the edges of the beds raised a foot high, shall well suffice.”

This, in addition to further guidance on the size and shape of a bed, provides the evidence recommending the usage of raised beds when soil is not optimum. So, the basic recommendation is make the beds as long as you desire, but you should be able to reach well over half the width of the bed. And you should leave enough room between beds so that people can pass one another easily. Remarkably, common sense appears to withstand centuries.

      One must plan the number and orientation of beds appropriate to ones’ own property, and build according to ones’ wealth. Based on evidence supplied by art of the times, the most common method of building raised beds is with wood boards held in with wooden stakes. The thickness of the boards looks to be no more than an inch or two. There is also visual evidence in illuminations and painting of what appears to be more permanent raised beds constructed of some sort of masonry or brick. Long rectangular beds in neat rows seem to predominate, but there is evidence for square beds in some illuminations.

      Moving on to the most important part of any garden, the plants! As always, what was grown is entirely dependant upon when and where the growing was occurring. Plant introductions to Europe occurred throughout the centuries, with the Romans bringing many of their favorites along with them on their escapades. When the Romans withdrew from Europe, the cultivation of many plants disappeared in some areas only to be reintroduced in following centuries. A specific example of this can be found in England with rosemary which was brought back to England by Queen Philippa, wife of Edward III in the early 14th Century. So, what follows are lists of plants that would have been found in Kitchen Gardens (with some ornamentals thrown in, for what is a Medieval Garden without roses?) during different time periods and are readily accessible to the modern Gardener.

      From Charlemagne – 9th Century: Anise, Beet, Cabbage, Caraway, Carrot, Catmint, Celery, Chervil, Chicory, Chives, Coriander, Cucumber, Dill, Endive, Fava Bean, Fennel, Garlic, Hens and Chicks, Iris (flag), Leek, Lettuce, Lily (white) , Lovage, Love-in-a-Mist, Mint, Mustard, Onion, Parsley, Parsnip, Poppy, Radish, Rose, Rosemary, Rue, Sage, Savory, Shallot, Tarragon.

      From 14th Century Verona: Anise, Asparagus, Basil, Beet, Cabbage, Celery, Chick Pea, Cucumber, Dill, Eggplant, Fava Bean, Fennel, Garlic, Horseradish, Hyssop, Leeks, Lettuce, Lily (white), Lovage, Marjoram, Mint, Mustard, Onions, Parsley, Parsnips, Rose, Rue, Saffron, Sage, Spinach, Turnip, Violets, Watercress.

      From 14th Century Paris: Basil, Beets, Black Eyed Peas, Broad Beans, Cabbage, Tarragon, Fava Bean, Fennel, Gillyflowers (Dianthus), Hens and Chicks, Hyssop, Lavender, Leek, Lettuce, Lily (white), Marjoram, Mint, Parsley, Parsnips, Peony, Radish, Raspberries, Rosemary, Sage, Savory, Sorrel, Spinach, Turnips, Violets.

      From 16th Century London: Anise, Artichoke, Asparagus, Bachelors Button, Basil, Beets, Cabbage, Carnation, Carrots, Chamomile, Chervil, Chives, Columbine, Coriander, Cucumber, Daffodils, Daisy, Dandelion, Dill, Endive, Fava Beans, Fennel, Garlic, Hens and Chicks, Holly-Hock, Hyssop, Iris, Lavender, Leeks, Lemon Balm, Lettuce, Lily (red), Lily (white) , Lovage, Love-in-a-mist, Marigold, Marjoram, Martagon Lily, Mint, Mustard, Onions, Pansy, Parsley, Parsnip, Peony, Pinks (Dianthus), Poppy, Radish, Rose Campion, Rose, Rosemary, Rue, Saffron, Sage, Scallions, Spinach, Spring Onion, Stock, Strawberry, Sweet William, Tansy, Thyme, Tulips, Turnips, Violets.

      These lists are by no means definitive. They are simply a distillation of research to date reflecting what was recorded by the people of each time period. An item of specific note is the introductions of bulb based flowers. The Daffodil, Tulip, Martagon & Red Lilies, and certain Iris were not introduced into Europe until around the 16th century and would be inappropriate for earlier gardens. In contrast consider the dandelion, it is found only on the latest list, but is a common pot-herb dating to antiquity. Possibly it was so ubiquitous in its’ wild growth habit that it was not cultivated in formal gardens. But that should not preclude its’ inclusion in a modern recreation of Medieval Garden in that it is not commonly available in modern markets.

      Hopefully this article has awakened the slumbering green thumb in some readers. It has only scratched the surface in available information regarding period gardening practices, but sometimes a little taste is all it takes to create an addiction. For more reading check out the following books, all of which were consulted in the writing of this article.

      Hobhouse, Penelope. Plants in Garden History. Pavillion Books Limited, London. 1992.

      Landsberg, Sylvia. The Medieval Garden. Thames and Hudson, New York. 1995.

      Mabey, Richard (ed). 1577. The Gardener’s Labyrinth by Thomas Hill. Oxford University Press, New York.       1987.

      Power, Eileen (Trans.). The Goodman of Paris, A treatise on Moral and Domestic Economy by A Citizen of Paris (c. 1393).       Harcourt, Brace and Company. New York. 1928.

      Spenser, Judith. The Four Seasons of the House of Cerruti. Facts on File Publications. New York – England. 1983.