Eleanour Sinclair Rohde & Aromatic Plants etc.,

Found -- this pamphlet from the 1930s put out by Eleanour Sinclair Rohde (1881 -1950.) As Wikipedia notes, she had a fairly standard house but an enormous garden where it appears she sold plants (mostly aromatic -with ESR it was all about scent) by mail order and possibly to visitors. She was the author of several now sought after works on gardening, especially The Scented Garden (1937) and A Garden of Herbs (1920). In World War 2 she published a useful work that was reprinted several times The War-Time Vegetable Garden (1941).

AROMATIC PLANTS, BEE PLANTS AND HERBS.




The finely shredded leaves of all plants marked * are a wholesome addition to salads and turn a dull salad into an interesting one.



*ALECOST OR COSTMARY.
(Tanacetum balsamitum).

Aromatic flavour. Used since Saxon times for flavouring ale, etc. 4-ft. Plants 6d. each.

*ANGELICA.
(Angelica archangelica).

Leaves have same flavour as stalks. Recipe for candying stalks sent with plants.
Plants 6d. Seedlings 2d. each.

*ARTEMISIAS.

     *LADS LOVE OR OLD MAN.
          (A. abrotanum).
Plants 6d. each.
For centuries a favourite in cottage gardens. Aromatic yet sweet scent.


     *TARRAGON.
   (A. dracunculus).
Plants 1/6 each.
True French Tarragon. Invaluable for salads.

     *WORMWOOD.
     (A. absinthium).
6d. each.
A decorative plant 3—4 feet. 6d. each.

     OLD LADY.      (A. borealis).
Plants 6d. each.
Delicate greyish foliage. A rampant grower. 15 inches.

     LADY'S MAID.    (A. chamaemelifolia).
Plants, 6d. each.
Delicate green foliage.

ANISE.
(Pimpinella anisum).
Packet seed 3d.
Used on the continent for flavouring liqueurs.

*BALM.
(Melissa officinalis).
Plants 4d. each.
Imparts an aromatic and lemon flavour to soups, salads, etc.

*BASILS.

     SWEET BASIL.
Packet seed 4d.
(Ocynmm basilicum). Aromatic scent and flavour.

     BUSH BASIL.
Packet seed 4d.
(Ocymum minimum). Clove-like flavour.
          Used formerly not only for flavouring but also as strewing herbs and to make sweet washing waters. “The physic al properties are to procure a cheerful and merry heart."

*BERGAMOTS.
Plants 9d. each. Rare Pink Bergamot 2/-.
Monarda didyma. Aromatic scent and flavour. Cambridge Scarlet. Rose Queen. Violacea superb. Parma.
Plants 9d each.
Monarda fistulosa. Mauve flowers.
Packet mixed eesd (not Pink Form), 6d. Seed germinates very slowly.

BLESSED THISTLE.
(Carduus benedictus).
Packet seed 3d.
The curious flowers have an architectural beauty. Extolled as a sovereign remedy for the Plague in Thomas Brasbridge’s Poore Man’s Jewell (1578). Immortalised in Margaret’s jesting prescription for Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing.

*BORAGE.
(Borago officinalis).
Packet seed 4d.
One of the loveliest and quaintest annuals. John Evelyn said “it would revive the hypochondriac and cheer the hard student.”

CAMPHOR PLANT.
(Chrysanthemum balsamita).
Plants 6d. each.
The scent of the leaves is indistinguishable from that of camphor. Decorative and unusual. 3 feet.

CARAWAY.
Packet seed 4d.
Try the Tudor dish of roast apples with Caraway Seeds.

*CATMINT.
(Nepeta cataria).
Plants 6d. each.
Catmint Tea was a favourite with cottagers as late as Victorian times.

CHAMOMILE.
(Anthemis nobilis).
Plants 6d. each.
For carpeting and Chamomile walks. Drake probably played his game of bowls on a Chamomile lawn. Plants, 6d. each. Double form (particularly attractive).

CHERVIL.
(Anthriscus cerefolium).
Packet seed 3d. Plants 3d.
Annual. Seed should be sown as soon as ripe. It is usually best to procure a few plants and then they seed themselves. Seedlings transplant perfectly. Few herbs are in such constant request in French kitchens as Chervil.

*CHIVES.
(Allium schoenoprasum).
Plants 6d. each.
Make a decorative edging. Finely chopped leaves, apart from their uses as a salad herb, are a good addition to an omelette.

CLARY.
(Salvia sclarea).
Plants 6d. each.
The true Vatician strain. Grows four to five feet high and with its mauve flowers and large pink bracts is an ideal plant to associate with Delphinums. The pink bracts continue decorative long after the flowers have faded.

COMFREY.
(Symphytum officinale).
Plants 6d. each.
Remains in flower for quite three months. Makes an effective background for Wallflowers.

CORIANDER.
(Carirandum sativum).
“And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna and it was like Coriander seed” (Exodus xvi, 31). One of the daintiest and most attractive of the Umbelliferae. Seeds when green have a most disagreeable smell but pleasingly aromatic when ripe.
Packet seed 3d.

CUMIN.
(Carum carvi).
Packet seed 3d.
A favourite spice in the Middle Ages.

*DILL.
(Anethum graveolens).
Packet seed 3d.
The name is derived from the old Norse dilla ("to lull"). For centuries a decoction of the leaves was a popular remedy for soothing children to sleep. Very aromatic pleasant taste.

*FENNELS.
Foeniculum dulce. (Florence Fennel or Finocchio). Swollen stem bases are eaten.
Packet seed 3d.
Packet seed 3d. Plants 6d. each.
F. officinale. A handsomer plant than the common Fennel.
Packet seed 3d. Plants 6d each.
F. vulgare. Used in the Middle Ages for "slimming."

GARLIC.
(Allium sativum).
Per quarter pound 4d.
Each bulb consists of about 10 cloves. These should be planted 2 inches deep, 6 inches apart, in early April.

HOREHOUND.
(Marrubium vulgare).
One of the bitterest herbs. Name derived from the Hebrew marob "bitter juice." Horehound candy was a favourite remedy for colds. "Drink Horehound hot from the fire if you are poisoned by your stepmother." (Walafred Strabo. The Little Garden. Ninth century).
*HYSSOP.
Plants 6d each.
Blue and pink flowered kinds. Decorative and old fashioned. Flowers are continually haunted by bees.

LAVENDERS.
Plants 9d each
L. spica.
Plants 9d each
L. spica alba.
Plants 9d each
Munstead variety.
Plants 9d each
Old Dutch.
Plants 9d each
Wallhampton Giant. Tallet growing variety.

*LOVAGE
(Ligusticum officinale).
Plants 6d each.
Handsome and leaves are curiously flavored (a combination of Parsley, Celery and the rind of a sweet pear).

*MARJORAMS.
Plants 6d each.
Pot Marjoram (Origanum onites). Excellent for flavoring.
Packet seed 3d.
Sweet Marjoram (Origanum majorana). Best treated as an annual.

*MARIGOLD
(Calendula officinalis).
Packet seed 3d.
Petals are a good addition to soups as well as salads.

MELILOT.
(Melitotus officinalis).
Packet Seed 3d. Plants 6d each.
Grows six to seven feet high in garden soil. Is invaluable for bees. Associates delightfully with Anchusa.

*MINTS.
Plants 6d each.
Apple Mint—7 feet. Big clumps are very decorative in flower.
Plants 6d each.
M. Citrata and other varieties

*NEPETA grandiflora.
Plants 1/- each.
One of the loveliest blue-flowered perennials. Established plants make clumps over three feet high and as much across. In flower early June to October. Continually haunted by bees and butterflies. Associates charmingly with scarlet and mauve Bergamots, in mixture.

PENNYROYAL.
(Mentha pulegium).
Plants 4d each.
Decorative in flower, especially the upright form.
Rare upright form 1/- each.

RAMPION.
Packet seed 3d.
Annual.

*ROSEMARY.
(Rosmarinus officinalis).
Plants 1/- each. Miss Jessup’s Upright 1/6 each.
In flower six months in mild parts.

*RUE
(Ruta graveolens).
Plants 9d each.
One of the most decorate sub-shrubs.

*SAGE.
(Salvia officinalis).
Plants 6d each.
Non-floriferous variety.
Plants 6d each.
Floriferous variety.
Plants 6d each.
Red variety.

*SAVORY.
Packet seed 3d.
*SUMMER SAVORY. (Satureia hortensis). Aromatic scent and flavour.
Plants 6d each.
*WINTER SAVORY. (Satureia montana). A charming sub-shrub.
*SWEET CICELY. (Myrrhis odorata).
Plants 6d each.
The whole plant including the root is very aromatic.

TANSY.
(Tanacetum vulgare).
Plants 1/- each.
The old fashioned curled kind that is almost lost to cultivation.

THYMES.
Plants 6d each.
Garden Thyme, Lemon Thyme, Golden Thyme, T. serpyllum. etc.

*WOAD.
(Isatis tinctoria).
Plants 6d each.
Used by the Ancient Britons for staining or tattooing themselves blue.


UNCOMMON VEGETABLES
Directions for cultivation sent with seeds.

ASPARAGUS PEA.
(Lotus tetragonolobus).
Packet 6d.
Decorative habit of growth, reddish-brown flowers and rectangular pods. Pods should be gathered when an inch long. Cook whole and serve with melted butter poured over.

CALABRESE.
Packet 6d.
A Broccoli that forms heads like a Cauliflower but green. Has a delicate delicious flavour. Side flowering shoots should be gathered with stalks six inches long as the stalks have an Asparagus-like flavour.

CAPE GOOSEBERRY.
Packet seed 6d.
Physalis Golden Nugget. In fruit can be used for decorating salads. Turn back the calyces to form a handle and dip the fruit in soft sugar.

CELERIAC.
Packet seed 6d.
Giant Prague. Generally regarded as the best variety. A vegetable that is much appreciated on the continent. Roots left in the ground remain in perfect condition through the winter and flavour nuttier than that of stored roots.

CHICORY.
Packet seed 6d.
Large rooted variety. On the continent the roots cooked like Parsnips are much appreciated.

CHINESE ARTICHOKE.
(Stachys tuberifera).
Needs a warm well drained soil. Best to lift the tubers as required. Boil for ten minutes, then fry in butter and serve on slices of thin buttered toast, or dip in egg and breadcrumbs and fry.

CHINESE MUSTARD.
Packet seed 6d.
A true Mustard but large-leaved and mild of flavour. Thin to 6 inches apart and use like Spinach.

CHOU DE RUSSIE.
Packet seed 6d.
A very hardy Kale with thick leaves suggestive of a deer's antlers. Vivid green and excellent flavour. May be described as the aristocrat of the Kales.

CORN SALAD.
Packet Seed 6d.
Large leaved variety.

COUVE TRONCHUDA.
(Brassica oleracea costata).
Packet seed 6d.
An aristocrat of the Cabbage tribe. Introduced from Portugal in 1821. Mid ribs of the leaves are cooked like Seakale. Needs a rich soil.

GOLDEN OR AUSTRALIAN CRESS.
(Lepidum sativum).
The colour of this Cress makes it useful for garnishing. Also a pleasant addition to salads.

GOLDEN THISTLE.
(Scolymus hispanicus).
Roots have a distinctive and excellent flavour. Makes a delicious soup if cooked roots are rubbed through a sieve, 'bound' with yolk of egg and a little cream added before serving.

*GOOD KING HENRY.
(Chenopodium bonus Henricus).
Still popular in out of the way parts of Lincolnshire as a substitute for Spinach.
Plants 6d. each.

HAMBURG PARSLEY.
(Carum petroselinum fusiformis).
Packet 6d.
Makes roots the size of a largish Carrot. Has a unique flavour. Grated raw (it grates to the consistency of milled nuts), and mixed with mayonnaise it is a good winter salad. Can be cooked in the same way as Carrot.

KOHL-RABI (syn. Knol-Kohl).
Packet seed 6d.
A good catch-crop and very popular on the continent.

PEA BEAN.
This vegetable is now attracting a great deal of attention. We have grown it for five years. It is not a hybrid as the name suggests, for Peas and Beans do not hybridise. Has a most delicious flavour, rather suggestive of the mange-tout Pea but far superior. Gather when peas can be felt in pods but before they are too large. Slice peas and pods together. Boil or steam with a little melted butter.
Packet 1/-

PE-TSAI.
(Brassica pekinensis).
Packet 6d.
A Cabbage that looks like a Lettuce and can be eaten raw. Autumn sowing is preferable. Sown in spring it is apt to run to seed.

POKEWEED.
(Phytolacca decandra).
Plants 1/- each.
Introduced three centuries ago as a decorative plant and reintroduced recently by M. André Simon (President of the Wine and Food Society). Young shoots are eaten in Spring. Have an unusual and delicate flavour.

                            ONIONS FOR SALADS.


POTATO ONION.
Pound 1/-
A variety of the common Onion that multiplies itself by offsets from the parent plant in the same way as the Potato. Suitable for growing only in mild parts.

TREE ONION or cocktail onion.
Pound 2/-
Also a variety of the common onion. Has diminutive bulbs both at the roots and tops of the stems. 3 feet.

*WELSH ONION.
(Allium fistulosum).
Plants 6d each. Packet seed 1/-
A native of Siberia and hardy in the bleakest parts. Perennial. Forms no bulb. The leaves are invaluable for salads etc., being ready to gather weeks before Chives are available.

RADISH.
(Raphanus sativus).
Packet seed 6d.
Black Spanish (round or long). The best radish for flavour. Excellent raw or cooked. Roots are the size of potatoes.
Packet seed 6d.
Long White Icicle. Excellent for Salads.

SKIRRET.
(Sium sisarum).
Plants 1/- each.
Unlike most root vegetabtes, is perennial. Interesting to grow for its historical associations.

SOYA BEAN.
(Glycine hispida).
Packet seed 6d.
Culture same as French Bean. Grows two feet high and is very prolific. Pods edible when green.

SUGAR BEET.
Packet 6d.
Excellent as vegetable, also for Soups. Variety, Wanzleben (richest in sugar).
Cream of Beet Recipe sent with seed.

SQUASHES.
Packets 6d. each.
Seed of the best American kinds.

Squash Pie. Equal parts cooked Squash and cooked Apple. To each quart of this mixture allow a quart of creamy milk, cup of brown sugar, raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste, the whites of five eggs beaten stiffly and yolks of three. Mix well. Line a deep pie dish with puff paste. Bake till custard is set. Serve with cream.

Baked Squash or Marrow. Do not peel. Wrap in buttered paper and bake till tender. Take out seeds. Remove most of the pulp and mix it with equal quantities tomato pulp and grafted cheese and a little butter. Put mixture back in shell and heat thoroughly. Serve in shell.
VEGETABLE MARROWS.
Packets 6d. each.
Cocozelle, Pen-y-byd, Table Dainty and Orange.


The Plan of a Bee Garden is reproduced by kind permission from an article on "The Making of a Bee Garden," by E. S. R,, in The Times, 4th January, 1939.


HERBS AND HERB GARDENING,
By ELEANOUR SINCLAIR ROHDE.
Medici Society, 8/6.
"Scholarly, poetic and extremely practical.”—The Observer.

VEGETABLE CULTIVATION AND COOKERY,
By ELEANOUR SINCLAIR ROHDE,
Medici Society, 7/6.

"It is impossible to endorse too urgently her chapters on cultivation or to commend too highly her theory of really constructive manuring, her exhaustive instructions for the cultivation of individual vegetables.”—Punch.

"Whatever aspect of the garden Miss Rohde chooses to write upon she never fails to impress the reader with her own enthusiasm and love for her subject which is combined with a most unusual and comprehensive knowledge of detail.”—Field.


TERMS.—Cash must be sent with all orders. Goods to the value of 5/- and over will be sent carriage paid. With orders less than 5/- please send 6d. to cover postage and packing. Orders for seeds, sent post free. Orders should be addressed to:—
ELEANOUR SINCLAIR ROHDE,
CRANHAM LODGE,
REIGATE, SURREY.

Cherchefelle Press, 26 Church Street, Reigate.

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