The Queen’s Garden

The Queen’s Garden. . , The Queen’s Garden , , During the 17th century plants were grown for culinary and medicinal purposes rather than their beauty. They were used in cooking to mask the flavour of tainted meat and strewn either fresh or dry in houses to sweeten the atmosphere in an age when hygiene and cleanliness were not considered important. Flowers were made into nosegays and carried in city streets to disguise unpleasant aromas and ward off the plague. Some plants were credited with supernatural powers and considered more effective when gathered at certain times (a particular phase of the moon) or places (a graveyard). These uses of 300 years ago may amuse us today but old herbal remedies may still be effective and culinary herbs are gaining in popularity. Potpourri is a modern counterpart to the strewing herbs and nosegays are still carried by judges in procession at the beginning of the judicial year.