Fisher Martin House, Herb Garden

15 comments

In July my husband and I had to go to our doctors office…. it is about a 45-minute drive to his place closer to the ocean. We had to go twice in a week, and we decided to make it more interesting while we were there. We took 3 different side trips. Day 1 we went to the Fisher-Martin Herb House and to Lavender Fields…. so I am going to share with you what we saw.

The Fisher Martin House is an historic house from the 1700’s that was moved to downtown Lewis, Delaware, USA for preservation. The local garden clubs have taken turns caring for the exterior plantings, and in creating a Colonial Herb Garden.

Joshua Martin built the house in 1728 in Cool Spring, Delaware. The house was moved to Lewes for their 350th anniversary in 1980.

In 1984 the original gardens were planted. This is an excerpt from their flier:

“The inner four areas of the garden contain the herbs utilized by a typical Colonial housewife. She used herbs for medicine, for strewing on her floor to mask odor, for laying with her bedding and clothing to repel moths, for flavoring her ‘salats’ and stews, and for coloring her fabrics. Her fragrant garden of useful plant was close to her door and she gathered and saved blossoms, leaves, and roots to help her family through the year.”

“The outer four gardens contain two culinary gardens, a medicinal, and a Native American garden.”

What we saw was a nicely laid out small garden, not nearly large enough to handle all of a Colonial family’s herb needs in a year! But it is a reproduction for tourists! So keeping that in mind… The plants were nicely labeled, and there were designated paths that were simple and easy to follow.

I discovered when we returned home and I looked at the pics, I had not taken any pictures of the house – only the plants – not even one of the entire garden! Soon we will be going back to the Doctors and I will stop by again to take just those pictures! lol

10 Sep, 2009
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Comments

Ian_digs_v2

Another brill blog HW, (I hope you don't mind me shortening your name?) Fascinating to think about what a family had to do to stay alive then. I find it difficult to imagine life without the doctors or the pharmacy just around the corner and how scary simple illnesses could be if you didn't have the knowledge to use the herbs. :~))

10 Sep, 2009

Healerwitch

Ian

Thanks...I have often wondered if I was born out of time. Living then seems to fit better...:)

For 18 months my hubby and I lived in Colorado, in a high alpin desert. We lived with no running water, and no electricity. We traded for most things we needed. Our end of the trade was either my crafts, my husbands handman skills, or on occasion my training in herbal medicine!

Come winter I think I will document the plants and life in that situation and place for something during the cold, snowy time....what do you think?

11 Sep, 2009

Ian_digs_v2

I think its a brill idea, do you mean to do a regular blog here or put them all together as a book? I think it would be fascinating to read either way.
Good luck with it. :~))

11 Sep, 2009

Healerwitch

Ian I plan on doing it just on here as blog entries....book idea though might be interesting....take the blog entries, arrange, rearrange, write connecting info....hmmm sounds like more work that fun though doesn't it?

13 Sep, 2009

Ian_digs_v2

Hmmmm, I think your right, perhaps you could write the book first and then take snippets from that to use as blogs?

13 Sep, 2009

Madperth

I'm with you, HM, I mustve been born out of time too!

14 Sep, 2009

Healerwitch

15 Sep, 2009

Bscott

Lovely, HW! I was trained as a complementary health practitioner ( aromatherapy ) and then taught it for many, many years, so I understand where you're coming from in the born-out-of-time stakes! In the 21st century I feel like a square peg in a round hole!

Now I MUST go and look at your Lavender blog....the aromatherapist's Number One essential oil!

Lovely to meet you!

;-)

19 Sep, 2009

Madperth

I think lavender oil is a first aid kit in a bottle!
Can I come up for some lessons B? And where can I get Inula oil?

19 Sep, 2009