If I want to build an old school herb and medicinals garden, what should I put in it?

[ConfuciousSayWhat]

I've always wanted one. So I'm going to turn a corner of the garden into one. Any recommendations what to put in it? Anything old world or unusual I should look out for?

If you are anywhere near Buckfast Abbey (Devon) they have a lovely physic garden which has a free open day on Fri 1st July. With a talk re growing medicinal herbs from the head gardener.

Do you know what OP, your thread has really inspired me! I have a few varieties of mint, fennel, parsley, foxglove already, if you would like me to send you some samples/ seeds I am quite happy to do so if you PM me.

I think most old herbs are ok with 'put in the ground and hope', but a lot will taste stronger if the soil is well-drained (so add some grit/sand, especially if you have clay soil). I have never had much luck with bergamot, to be fair.

Lemon verbena and ginger are not hardy - lemon verbena is best in a large pot, so you can bring it in (or into a porch) in the winter. I've had it survive -1, but only just, and really it doesn't like the cold.

Kate West has a book called The Real Witches Garden. In amongst the Pagan stuff are a lot of handy guides to growing medicinal herbs.
In fact pagan websites will probably have a lot of info. Just make sure you look at British sites as the US ones aren't that helpful for growing zones (assuming you're over here!)

I've tried bergamot 3 times and had sod all luck by the way!

Are you preparing this in case you accidentally time travel, so that you can recognise medicinal herbs and become renowned as a medicine woman?

I have often thought that if I accidentally time travelled, I would be a shit-hot medicine woman.

I comfort myself with the knowledge that being burned as a witch is actually quite rare, so ...

serin thank you. That's very kind of you
Trills no I'm just trying to make best use of my garden and try different remedies for ailments modern medication has been shit with

Ramsons is coming up all over my garden again, I put it in a soup with nettles. It is meant to be good for lowering blood pressure but the addition of a stock cube probably negates that. I think it can be used to make antiseptics too if you don't mind stinking of garlic!

Lavender
Tansy
Wormwood
Comfrey
Yarrow
in addition to the suggestions above.

Have a look in Culpeper's Herbal

Robins.. - love your name BTW and yes I do plan on candying it, I absolutely love the stuff and find it so hard to find.

This thread has also given me some ideas about what to plant so I'll have to think about what I'm likely to use the most.

I know it's not a herb but I would love to start growing a Quince tree.

For smell-nice-and-eat-plants I recommend scented Pelargonium/geraniums - specifically the citrus varieties. Also cornflower and borage.

Confucious....No problem, if you would like me to send Ramsons bulbs too just let me know.

Robins....I am in awe! Candied Angelica!!

My neighbour has a quince hedge, every year I nick one and keep it in my pocket/bag for a couple of weeks just to sniff it! Love the smell.

I feel it's ok to confess that here

Just to say tansy is a bit invasive... Like mint it is better in a pot!

I am (in q good way) at all of the medicinal plants being grown here. I would love to have a lovely traditional herb garden but most of my herbs don't take, the soil is very wet and clayish. I have some Tansy seeds ready to go but have an awful feeling that as soon as I put the seedlings down outside they'll whither!
I comfort myself with a bit of foraging in summer...

I've just planted some borage. I have no idea what it will be like when it's grown but apparently it's edible and bees love it.

Ooh how lovely. I've brought medicinal herbs back from the canaries to turn into tinctures.

Definitely hawthorn( crateagus) it's a great blood cleanser.

I take it every day and you can't beat calendula and hypericum tincture for wounds .
nettle great innard cleanser.
Wish I had the space

I'm getting really excited at the prospect of getting this going now I'll owe you all seeds and cuttings etc if I manage it

There is a fab garden at Alnwick Castle that has lots of medicinal and deadly plants!
www.alnwickgarden.com/explore/whats-here/the-poison-garden

I've ruled out pennyroyal and rue based on what I've read on wiki

Nah robins, you'd just be hanged - burning was for heretics, not witches

Oh good grief, thank you soooo much for this post OP. I'm planning to exactly the same, but in large pots to protect them from The Dog, who is the sole reason for having to re-do my garden in the first place .

Dowser how do you work hawthorn, it'll be all over the place here in a month or so, I'd love to make use of it

I have been making a few rounds of nettle tea over the last few weeks. Simmer it up with a bit of lemon balm or mint. Also throwing it in with cabbage for family dinners, like granny used to do for a spring tonic. Not that they eat it it mind.

Pennyroyal, tansy and wormwood were all used to end pregnancies. You'd have to use a fuck load of them, but maybe proceed with caution there just in case. I think Wormwood is very toxic though, I'd avoid.
Bergamot is a citrus fruit, I'm not sure you'd be able to grow it here.
You'd definitely want lavender, chamomile, Rosemary, peppermint, fennel.

Please not foxglove, highy poisonous.

Bergamot in the Uk is monarda, which has the same scent as the citrus bergamot orange.

I am in the process of developing a medicinal garden, quite a large one. I will be including eucalyptus, cherry, licorice and even a tea tree plant i found in a local nursery. The thought of making our own licorice, cherry and mint cough syrup is quite exciting. I dont get out much.

Ooh you need a works outing to the Chelsea Physic Garden. Haven't been for ages but it's exactly what you need