Evening star., 1939-04-08
New Role for
Vegetables
AndHerbS
Successfully Used
To Make Borders
For Flower Beds
By GAEL RENFREW.

Planted in row upon orderly row,
vegetables are the essence of grace
until pulling-up time comes. Then
a general air of untidiness envelops
the trim kitchen garden and ugly
rents may even disflgure the good
earth.
One artistic amateur has worked
out scheme to eliminate this effect
of desolation by planting her vege-
tables among her flowers. She deco
rates her formal rose plot, for ex-
ample, with border of lettuce. The
line of delicate green nesting among
the roots of the bushes, throws the
darker shade of the rose leaves into
relief and deepens the reds and
yellows of the blooms.
AS the lettuce is pulled the earth
is simply smoothed over and noth-
ing looks amiss. 1t would take an
amateur sleuth to suspect that any
thing had been tampered with!
Parsley and carrots with their
fern-like foliage lend themselves ad-
mirably to this arrangement-so do
mint and beets, although straighter-
leaved.
The graceful fronds of the tomato
plant make it the social equal of the
most formal blooms. 1t comes to
maturity, too, at time when other
Towering is past and the vivid ripen-
ing fruit adds needed color to the
outdoor scene.
For any one interested in vegetable
borders a wealth of material is at
hand in herbs There are fashions
in horticulture, as in clothes and
coiffures, and the ''yarbs" of grand
mas day are staging well-deserved
comeback.
Borders of such plants have
beauty of their own, but if small
herb garden seems more desirable
only a modicum of space is needed.
The herbs are the little folk of the
flower world. Sweet-smelling thyme
puts forth tiny sprigs of lilac, cha
momile sports miniature white dais-
les, sage with its grey-green leaves
is always decorative and lavender
can be laid like a narrow strip of
mauve mist along the ground. Law
ender is one of the herbs that have
come out of the kitchen completely
in recent times. In past centuries it
was IN demand for its flavor as well
as for its perfume!
Fortunate, indeed, is the hostess
who can 60 into her own back yard
and pluck piquancy for ordinary
meals. If she has put basil in with
her tomatoes her salads will have
certain superiority. Basil, the
kings plant" or "herbe royale" as
1t has long been known, is said to
have a way of its own with tomatoes,
bringing out their flavor with mys-
terious skill. This no doubt ac-
counts for the generous use to which
the Italians put it in their spaghetti
sauces.
Sage, sweet marjoram, savory and
thyme are most familiar in the roles
of poultry stuf11ngs and forcemeats,
but they belong equally in soups,
salads, sauces and omelettes, and
are easy to grow
Parsley and mint, which stand
ace high for decoration and flavor
ing, are grand things to have in
any garden. They can be cultivated
in tiny patch or as border. So
can sage, whose very meaning is ito
be in good health" Ito heal" for the
word is not from the same root as
wise. According to an old adage,
How can man die in whose gar
den sage is growing?"
Another important sphere in
which the use of herbs is being re-
vived is that of herb teas, or tisanes,
as they are called in France, where
they are in general use. They are
served for refreshments in the aft
ernoon and as "nightcaps" at bed
time.
After all, it should not be diff
cult to go to sleep on potion dis
titled from verbena, balm, hore-
hound, pennyroyal, celery seed,
orange flower or other poetic in
gradients. The very names are
soothing to strained nerves!