The gardeners labyrinth containing a discourse of the gardeners life, in the yearly trauels to be bestovved on his plot of earth, for the vse of a garden: with instructions for the choise of seedes, apte times for sowing, setting, planting, [and] watering, and the vessels and instruments seruing to that vse and purpose: wherein are set forth diuers herbers, knottes and mazes, cunningly handled for the beautifying of gardens. Also the physike benefit of eche herbe, plant, and floure, with the vertues of the distilled waters of euery of them, as by the sequele may further appeare. Gathered out of the best approued writers of gardening, husbandrie, and physicke: by Dydymus Mountaine.

Hill, Thomas, b. ca. 1528., Dethick, Henry, 1545 or 6-1613.

Table of contents | Add to bookbag | How to cite

The Gardeners Labyrinth. Contayning the manifolde trauayles, great cares, and diligence, to be yearly bestowed in euery earth, for the vse of a Garden: with the later inuentions, and rare secretes therevnto ad∣ded (as the like) not heretofore published.

<< Previous section Next section >>

The workemanly casting forth, deuiding, and preparing of beddes for the most hearbes and rootes of the Kitchin. Chap. •5.

THe owner or Gardener ought to remember (that before he com∣mitteth seedes to the earth, the beddes be disposed and troden out, into such a bredth and length, as best answereth to euerie plant & roote, in that the beddes to be sowne for Nauew rootes, ought to be troden out large and long, next to which may the beddes for Colworts and Cabbages be ioyned of a sufficient bredth: to these next may you place beddes of a reasonable breadth, for the Rapes and Tureu rootes: then for a seemely diuision in the Garden, may hee treade out by these an Alley of three foote broade: next to whiche, if the Gardener will, Page 30 may he dispose sundrye beddes togither, for diuers kindes of Herbes, as the Arrache, Spinedge, Rocket, Parselie, Sorrell, Beetes, Speradge, Cheruill, Borage, Fenell, Dill, Myntes, white Poppie, and sundrye o∣thers. Next ioyning to these, may the owner or Gardener place an o∣ther alley of three foote broade, by whiche, frame beddes for the Leekes and Cyues, and to these nexte, may the Gardener ioyne beddes for the Onyons and Chiboules, by these nexte, the Scalions and Garlike in two beddes disposed. Then leuell out by these an Alley of three foote and a halfe brode, to which the Gardener maye adioyne manye beddes about for bordures, seruing as wel for the keeping in of y^e sauoures, as for hedges and pot hearbes for the Winter. After these, it shall be right profitable to leuell a bedde only for Sage, another for Isope, the like for Time, another for Maioram, a bedde for Lauender, another for Rose∣marie and Southernwood, a bedde for Sauerie and Isope, beddes for Costemarie, Basill, Baulme, and running Tyme: yea a bedde of Ca∣momile, for the vse of Benches to sytte on, and a delectable Labyrinth to be made in the Garden (if roome wil so serue) with Isope and Time, or the Winter Sauerie only. In the Garden besides, to sowe and plant diuers Phisicke herbes, and pleasaunt floures, shall be to great vse and commoditie, in that these, besides their delectable sight, yeel a commo∣ditie to our bodies, in curing sundry griefes as wel in women, as men, for which cause, it shall be necessarie to sowe Beddes of Physick Herbes next to these, as the blessed Thistill, the Romaine Wormewood, the Sperage, Herbe Mercurie, Gentiane, Dittany, Herbe Fluelline, Hartes tung, Buglosse, Selfeheale, Liuerwort, Lungwort, Stecados, Ua∣leriane, Spykenard, Lyons foote, Mugwort, Herbe Patiēce, Angelica, Byttonie, and many others, of which in the seconde part shall particu∣larly be vttered, and their Phisicke benefites to bee employed manye wayes.

<< Previous section Next section >>