Herb gardens in progress–stop by and watch our fifty-eight plants as they grow!
Peak House Heritage Center Colonial Kitchen Garden Plant List
Agrimony, Agrimonia eupatoria
Agrimony was used to cleanse the liver and aid in bowel disorders. Leaves and seeds were eaten as astringents and a tea was made to heal internal injuries. Agrimony’s bright yellow flowers were used as dyeing herbs.
American Groundnut, Apios Americana
One of the most critical Native food sources shared with the Pilgrims during the winter of starvation, was ground nuts, potato-like tubers growing on long vines just beneath the surface of the soil. Groundnuts were stored through the winter months and contained considerable amounts of starch and protein.
Angelica, Angelica archangelica
Angelica got its name, as legend goes, from a monk who dreamed an angel told him that angelica could cure the plague. Angelica was used throughout Europe during the Middle Ages for plague, rabies, respiratory and intestinal illnesses, infection and fevers. When early settlers brought angelica to North America, it was used both medicinally and as a pot herb. Stems were candied for a sweet treat and the root was part of the botanical re-distillation of gin
Bearberry, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
An infusion of stems, leaves and roots was used by Native Americans to heal kidney disorders and back pain. The pulverized root was given to women to recover from childbirth. The berries were a useful source of dried food. Stems and leaves were smoked as kinnikinnick in religious rituals. Uva-ursi means “grape of the bear” in Latin.
Beebalm, Wild Bergamot, Monarda fistulosa
Wild bergamot contains thymol oil, a powerful antiseptic used for wounds and skin infections. Beebalm was cooked as a pot herb with meat. Soldiers chewed the leaves before battle to staunch bleeding. Boiled leaves wrapped in cloth were used to reduce inflammation and bergamot tea relieved sore throat and swollen gums. The crushed leaves were an antidote to bee stings and bergamot’s beautiful flower petals brightened summer early settlers’ salads.
Black Cohosh, Black Snakeroot, Bugbane, Actaea racemosa
Black cohosh was used by Native people to start a woman’s labor and to decrease the effects of osteoporosis and menstrual symptoms. Roots and leaves were used in creating blood tonics and as an antidote to snakebite. Black cohosh is still used worldwide today in alternative medicinal practice.
Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta
Rudbeckia hirta is our native black-eyed Susan and was an important medicine shared with early settlers by Native Americans for the treatment of colds, earaches and respiratory illnesses, especially in children. The leaves and roots were used to expel worms and function as a diuretic. Flowers, leaves and stems are still used for a range of yellow to green dyes.
Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis
Bloodroot gets its name from the blood-red sap in its roots and stems. Native Americans prized bloodroot as a red dye used for clothing, baskets and even war paint. Bloodroot was used by both Native people and early settlers as a cough medicine, anti-inflammatory, anesthetic and decongestant, but, because the plant is poisonous, dosing was difficult and medicinal use fell out of favor in the colonies.
Boneset, Thoroughwort, Eupatorium perfoliatum
Boneset (fall-blooming), Eupatorium serotinum
Boneset was an important native plant in the Northeast because it was used to cure flu and reduce high fevers, “break bone” fevers. Leaves and flowers were infused in a tea to treat bronchitis and joint pain.
Borage, Borago officinalis
The colonists brought borage seeds from Europe on their earliest voyages. Its cucumbery tasting flowers were much loved in summer salads. Borage flowers and leaves were also infused for a medicinal tea to reduce fevers, cold symptoms and respiratory illnesses. Borage was known as the “heart comforting herb” and brought good spirits to its users.
Butterfly Weed, Pleurisy Root, Asclepius tuberosa
This beautiful, orange-flowered native is much prized today for its ability to attract monarch butterflies, but in the early days of the colonies, pleurisy root—seeds, buds, leaves and root—was a powerful medicinal herb for the treatment of pulmonary illness. The stems are fibrous and were used for basket-making and its flowers were used by Native people as a sweetener.
Calendula, Pot Marigold, Calendula officinalis
Pot marigolds were a staple in English gardens as a seasoning and pot herb for vegetables, soups, stews and meat. Calendula flower petals and stems were an excellent source of healing for bruises and wounds and yellow and orange flowers produced a vibrant yellow dye.
Chamomile, Chamaemelum nobile
Chamomile was another important herb brought to America on the earliest voyages. Its flowers were infused in a tea to calm stomach aches in adults and colic in babies. The blossoms functioned as a mild sedative to help with insomnia and melancholy. A little-known use for chamomile was as an antihistamine to reduce symptoms of hay fever.
Chives, Allium schoenoprasum
As early as 3000 BC, chives were used in China. In the Middle Ages, chives were used as borders in monastery gardens throughout Europe and functioned as deterrents for animal and insect pests because of the herb’s pungent, oniony scent. A favorite colonial food was chives and eggs, but the herb was also used in salad and for making flavored cheese.
Clary Sage, Salvia sclarea
John Winthrop, on his voyage to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, had among his seeds, rootstocks and fruit stones, “cleery” or “clear eye” sage which was used for eye infections and removing objects from the eye. Clary sage, however, wasn’t just for eye ailments. Its thick, supple leaves were battered and fried for a delicious treat!
Columbine, Granny’s Bonnet, Aquilegia canadensis
Columbine seeds and leaves were crushed and made into a salve by both Native Americans and early settlers to cure skin diseases and head lice. Columbine’s common name, Granny’s Bonnet, is derived from the flower which looks like a woman’s fancy hat.
Comfrey, Knitbone, Symphytum officinale
Comfrey, or knitbone, came to North America in the 1600s with the earliest settlers. So hardy was comfrey in colonial gardens, that it quickly escaped and naturalized in neighboring woodlands. Comfrey’s botanical name is Symphytum officinale and has its roots in two Greek words—symphyo, to grow together, and phyton, a plant. Comfrey was used by early settlers to heal broken bones, reduce swelling in sprains and close wounds. A poultice of leaves and stems was applied to the skin, “knitting” together bones and wounds.
Costmary, Alecost, Bible Leaf, Tanacetum balsamita
Costmary has an interesting history as an herb. It was named in honor of Jesus’s mother Mary and was used in making ales and wines. Costmary’s minty leaves were eaten to aid digestion, relieve gall bladder symptoms and to de-worm early settlers. The long, slender leaves remained fragrant long after drying and were used as insecticidal bookmarks to keep book worms from destroying precious family Bibles.
Culver’s Root, Veronicastrum virginicum
Culver’s root was used effectively as a powerful laxative by both Native Americans and colonists. The dried root was also believed to cure liver and gall bladder ailments. In 1716, Cotton Mather asked for Culver’s root to cure his daughter’s tuberculosis. Sadly, she did not survive an extreme reaction to the plant.
Dames Rocket, Vesper Flower, Hesperis matronalis
Dames rocket leaves, when picked young, were used in colonial salads. The fragrant blossoms added spice to colonial beverages and were used in making perfume. Because the blossom fragrance is only exuded at night—at the time of vespers, or evening prayers—the plant’s Latin name, hesperis, means evening.
Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare
All parts of fennel were used in colonial cooking—seeds, leaves, stems and roots to flavor eggs and fish. The seeds were often eaten to freshen breath. Fennel aided in digestion, and its sweet, anise pungency was believed to keep evil spirts from entering a house if sprigs of the herb were hung over a door.
Feverfew, Tanacetum parthenium
Feverfew was brought by the colonists and quickly naturalized in the colonies. Feverfew was used to reduce fevers, but its primary uses were alleviation of migraines and protection against fleas and lice. Feverfew was grown freely around houses and dooryards to keep unwanted insect pests away. It was “strewn” inside bedrooms, kitchens and common spaces to mask odors and reduce pesky vermin.
Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea
Foxglove, with its tall, majestic wands of bell-shaped flowers, was a common garden plant in England before it was brought to North America by the colonists. Known as ladies’ thimble or “the glove of the fox,” foxglove was used for centuries as a folk remedy to prevent edema from heart complications. All parts of the plant are deadly poisonous, and foxglove had a long history of lethality. But in 1775, when British botanist, William Withering, discovered that Digitalis purpurea, could be used medicinally to treat congestive heart failure and arrhythmias with controlled dosing, the modern drug Digitalis was born.
Garlic, Allium sativum
Nicholas Culpeper, in 1653, in his Complete Herbal, wrote that garlic’s medicinal properties to treat kidney disease, the bite of rabid animals, infections, worms, plague, ulcers, lethargy, phlegm, were so universally known that he wouldn’t trouble his readers with a description of the herb. He did suggest, however, “one or two green beans chewed immediately after eating garlic would remove the disagreeable smell of the breath.”
Grey Goldenrod, Solidago nemoralis
Grey goldenrod was known as dyersweed golden rod, producing yellow to green dyes. Native healers used a poultice of crushed leaves to heal skin ulcers and burns.
Gillyflower, Clove Pink, Dianthus caryophyllus
A decoction of clove pinks was combined with honey or sugar to produce flavoring in food and beverages in the colonial kitchen, but its use in medicine cannot be ignored. The fragrance and flavor of the flowers was strong enough to make palatable, the bitter, and often foul-tasting medicines of colonial apothecaries.
Golden Alexanders, Zizia aurea
Zizia was discovered growing in America as early as 1602 by early explorers. It was known as Golden Parsnip and was used as a salad green and pot herb. Native people made a root tea as a treatment for fever, syphilis and insomnia.
Heal-all, Prunella vulgaris
Heal-all leaves were long used in Europe as a tea and poultices. Modern research suggests that heal-all has antibiotic qualities and its use to heal sore throats, wounds and ulcers was essential to early settlers.
Hens and Chicks, House Leeks, Live Forever, Sempervivum tectorum
House leeks came to America with a centuries-old belief that by planting “live forever,” on rooftops, lightning strikes and fires could be prevented. Medicinally, the leaves could be eaten raw or crushed and placed on the skin to staunch the flow of blood from wounds and to heal burns.
Horehound, Marrubium vulgare
Horehound tea with honey was an early settler medicinal staple for cough and colds. Sometimes horehound was infused with plantain as an antidote for snakebites. Horehound leaves are “hoary” or downy, hence its name.
Hyssop, Hyssopus officinalis
Early settlers used hyssop as a pot herb, but hyssop was primarily used as strewing herb to freshen colonial homes and walkways. Hyssop is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments as a cleansing herb and was considered a Bible plant in colonial kitchen gardens.
Jerusalem Artichoke, Sunchokes, Helianthus tuberosus
Sunchokes are perennial sunflowers that produce a potato-like tuber cultivated by Native people for centuries as a primary food source. Sunchokes could be eaten raw, boiled or roasted. Native Americans taught the colonists how to use sunchokes in their first harsh winter in Massachusetts. Sunchoke tubers were sent back to England to be grown in English gardens. The name Jerusalem artichoke is probably a corruption of girasole, the Italian word for sunflower.
Joepye Weed, Gravel Root, Eutrochium dubium
Joepye Weed, Trumpetweed, Eutrochium fistulosum
Joe-Pye was a Native American shaman who taught the early colonists how to use Joepye root to treat typhus fever. Joepye weed was also effective in treating kidney ailments, especially kidney stones, or “gravel” in the kidneys.
Lady’s Bedstraw, Gallium verum
Lady’s bedstraw was a significant herb in the colonial kitchen garden because of its versality. Stems and leaves were soft and resilient, making them highly desirable for mattresses for the lady of the house. Legend has it that lady’s bedstraw was used in the Nativity crèche. Lady’s bedstraw was also used as rennet to make cheese and its roots produced a red dye.
Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia
Lavender was an essential herb in every colonial kitchen garden as a primary source of perfume, strewing fragrance, insecticide, headache remedy and personal hygiene cleanser. Lavender attracted bees to herb, vegetable and fruit blossoms for effective pollination of colonial food sources and was planted as a border plant for the dooryard garden.
Lovage, Levisticum officinale
Lovage tastes like intense celery and was one of the tallest herbs in the colonial kitchen garden. Lovage leaves were added to salads and all parts of the plant were cooked as a pot herb in soups and stews. Seeds were used as a pickling spice or eaten raw. Crushed leaves rubbed on the skin functioned as a ready remedy for the swelling of bee stings.
Lungwort, Pulmonaria
Lungwort got its name from its speckled leaves that resemble lung tissue. Early settlers believed that lungwort could treat pulmonary infections and diseases of the lungs because the leaves looked like lung tissue. This belief that a plant that looked like an organ of the body could be used to treat diseases of that organ was known as The Doctrine of Signatures.
Madder, Rubia tinctorum
Madder root was one of the most prized dyeing plants in the colonial kitchen garden. Its name, Rubia tinctorum, means red color. The brilliant red produced by madder root, once fixed with alum in the dyeing process, was so vibrant that the red coats of British soldiers were dyed with madder.
Mint, Mentha spicata
Mint is an ancient herb mentioned in Greek mythology and in the Bible. It was used in colonial kitchens for flavoring beverages and food and often made into jelly served with meats. Medicinally, mint was, and continues to be, used for stomach ailments and nausea.
Mullein, Flannel Leaf, Verbascum thapsus
Mullein’s flower spike produces a vibrant yellow dye. The tall, striking biennial escaped from colonial gardens and quickly naturalized in the wild. Mullein was used by both Native people and colonists to relieve cough, asthma, earaches and fever with a tea brewed from the velvety, flannel-like leaves.
Oregano, Origanum vulgare
Oregano is native to the Mediterranean and is sometimes called “The Prince of Herbs.” Used to flavor meat, eggs, fish and vegetables for centuries, oregano was also believed to have magical qualities. A sprig paced above a doorway would keep evil spirits away from home and family.
Oxeye Daisy, Leucanthemum vulgare
Oxeye daisies were used in colonial medicine as tonic for whooping cough and asthma. Oxeye daisy flower tea was believed to have anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic properties and was used much in the same way as chamomile tea.
Purslane, Portulaca oleracea
Purslane is considered a stubborn turf weed today, but early settlers in America valued its fleshy leaves eaten raw in salads, cooked as a pot herb and pickled as a food source for the long winter months in New England. Purslane was used to treat burns and diseases of the stomach and intestines. Contemporary researchers indicate that purslane has the highest antioxidant and Omega 3 content of any herb used by early settlers.
Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis
Rosemary is the herb most associated with memory and fidelity. In the Middle Ages, students brought a sprig of rosemary to their exams. Rosemary was used in wedding cakes and bouquets. It was placed upon coffins at burial. Its lovely and long-lasting fragrance made rosemary an ideal strewing herb for floors and walkways. Rosemary’s soothing oils were used in perfumes and in bathing. Colonial cooks valued rosemary for seasoning breads, stuffing and meat.
Rue, Herb of Grace, Ruta graveolens
Rue is an ancient culinary and medicinal herb but was used primarily for centuries as a strewing herb to repel rats, snakes, insects and to provide protection against the plague. Rue also had magical and religious connotations. It was believed that rue would ward off evil spirits and help wrong doers repent the error of their ways.
Sage, Salvia officinalis
Sage was brought from Europe to America as a tonic to cure a range of bodily ills—colds, coughs, fevers, asthma, inflammation and joint pain. Sage was used to clear the mind and invigorate the senses, making its users “wise.” Sage was a robust seasoning for meats in the colonial kitchen when refrigeration was non-existent.
Salad Burnet, Sanguisorba minor
Salad Burnet was brought to the colonies by John Winthrop as a staunching herb to reduce the flow of blood from wounds. Revolutionary War soldiers often brewed and drank a strong tea of burnet the night before battles to increase their chances of surviving severe wounds. Salad burnet has a fresh, cucumbery flavor that could be eaten raw or cooked as a pot herb. It is still used today for its nutritional and antioxidant properties.
Soapwort, Saponaria officinalis
The sap from soapwort leaves and roots was mixed with water to create a soapy lather for body and household. Soapwort was also known as the fuller’s herb, dating back to ancient times as a cleanser for woolen and linen threads. The plant contains saponins which dissolve fats on fibers. Soapwort is one of several Biblical herbs in the Peak House Heritage Center Kitchen Garden and is mentioned in Jeremiah as a cleanser in preparing the dead for burial.
Sweet Goldenrod, Anise Goldenrod, Solidago odora
The botanical name of goldenrod, Solidago, means “to make whole” and all goldenrods used by Native Americans had equivalent properties of healing wounds and staunching bleeding. Sweet goldenrod rod was grown in colonial kitchen gardens for its subtle anise flavor and was cultivated as a Liberty Tea after the Boston Tea Party.
Sweet Marjoram, Origanum majorana
Marjoram is closely related to oregano, but marjoram has a sweeter and milder taste. Colonial cooks used sweet marjoram to flavor meats, and it was considered an herb of love and happiness. As a household herb, however, marjoram was invaluable: its flowers produced a rare purple dye.
Sweet Woodruff, Galium odoratum
Sweet woodruff was primarily grown in the colonial kitchen as a strewing herb, an insecticide in mattresses and as an air freshener hung from ceilings. Sweet woodruff was one of several herbs added to wine in colonial America to make May wine.
Tansy, Golden Buttons, Tanacetum vulgare
John Winthrop brought tansy to America in 1631, and as governor of Massachusetts, Winthrop declared that tansy should be grown in all colonial gardens because of its medicinal importance as an astringent tonic and because of its utilitarian purposes: a dye plant, a preservative for meat, and an insecticide and fungicide. Tansy was so effective in reducing decay, that coffins were often lined with tansy blossoms in the colonial period.
Thyme, Thymus officinalis
Thyme is the ancient herb of courage, often given to soldiers before battle by loved ones. Thyme also contains thymol, a powerful antiseptic used to treat wounds and poisoning. In the Middle Ages, thyme became one of the most important culinary herbs in Europe, and then became a staple in colonial kitchen gardens, where it was grown as a seasoning for meats, fish, soups and breads. Medicinally, thyme was a treatment for agitation, nightmares, toothaches, gout, cough and headaches, as Culpeper describes them, “occasioned by the debauch of the previous evening.”
Turtlehead, Chelone glabra
Native Americans used turtlehead to treat intestinal worms, constipation, gall bladder disease and liver disorders. The plant gets its name from the late season blossoms that were brewed for tea—the flowers resemble a turtle’s head.
Valerian, Valeriana officinalis
Valerian root was used in colonial times to treat anxiety, nervousness, insomnia, croup, cough and heart palpitations. Women drank valerian root tea during pregnancy, after miscarriage and during childbirth to relax and to help strengthen uterine tissue. The Latin root of valerian is valere, meaning “to be strong.” Valerian has prolific and delicately scented blossoms that were highly valued for perfume in ancient and medieval times.
Wild Ginger, Asarum canadense
Native Americans taught early settlers to use wild ginger as a spice. The root was dried and ground to a powder. Wild ginger root was also soaked and candied. Native Americans and early settlers used wild ginger leaves as a poultice to treat infected wounds and stomach ailments. Modern research shows that wild ginger contains natural antibiotic compounds.
Wild Sarsparilla, Aralia nudicaulis
Native Americans used every part of wild sarsparilla. Leaves and stems were used for stomach aches, crushed leaves were applied to burns, a decoction was made from dried roots for coughs, root stalks were fermented in a sweetened liquid for root beer, young sarsparilla shoots were cooked as potherbs and sarsparilla berries were gathered and used for jelly.
Wild Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana
Native Americans shared “berry bread” with the early settlers using wild strawberries. The berries were crushed, added to corn meal and baked. Wild strawberries were often dried for winter use or combined with sweet woodruff for a tasty drink. Every part of the wild strawberry plant is medicinal—roots, stems and leaves—and was particularly effective in controlling diarrhea. The fruit was also used to produce red dye.
Woad, Isatis tinctoria
Woad was one of the most important dye plants in the colonial kitchen garden. The leaves were the source of an intense blue dye. The process of making dye from drying and fermenting woad leaves produced such a disgusting smell, that Queen Elizabeth outlawed the drying of woad near her palaces. Celtic warriors often painted their bodies blue with woad pigment, a color named Celtic Blue even in colonial times.
Yarrow, Achillea millefolium
Yarrow is both a native and introduced herb used since ancient times to help stop the flow of blood from wounds. Native Americans prized yarrow for its ability to cure colds, headaches, toothaches and flu. Every colonial woman dried and kept yarrow in the home as an anti-inflammatory and staunching herb. The botanical name, Achillea, comes from Achilles who treated his soldiers’ wounds on the battlefield with a poultice made from the flowers. Yarrow flowers were also used to create a bright yellow dye.
Yellow Root, Xanthorhiza simplicissima
Native American healers used yellow root as a natural antibiotic and as a treatment for stomach ulcers, diabetes, hypertension and liver disfunction. Besides its medicinal properties, yellow root was used in the colonial kitchen garden as a dye plant, producing a deep yellow dye.Peak House Heritage Center Colonial Kitchen Garden Plant List
