The Herb Garden looking down from the stair hall of Van Cortlandt House. 

The Colonial Revival Herb Garden was created shortly after the addition of the Caretaker's Cottage to Van Cortlandt House which took place about 1917.  The sheltered space between the Museum House and Caretaker's Cottage has proven to be well-suited to the cultivation of herbs. All of the plants in the Colonial Revival Herb Garden would have been  grown and used in the New York area in the 18th century.  Most Colonial households kept a small kitchen garden with herbs, vegetables, and flowers for use in the home.  The herbs were used for seasoning food and for medicinal purposes.  The formal brick paths of this knot garden were installed in the 20th century and are not typical of the Colonial period.    

Some of the plants growing in the Herb Garden . . .

 Sage - salvia officinalis  Sage is aromatic evergreen shrub-like plant most often associated with the preparation of poultry such as turkey and chicken. Sage leaf has a strong taste that increases when dried. Used sparingly to flavor and aid the digestion of fatty meats, it combines well with strongly flavored foods.  Sage leaf tea is an antiseptic nerve and blood tonic.  Fresh leaves can be rubbed over teeth to whiten them.

 Rue - Ruta graveolens ‘Blue Beauty’  Rue is an evergreen shrub with yellow summer flowers and deeply divided, bluish aromatic leaves.  The bitter leaves, rich in iron and other minerals add a musky tang to food.  Medicinally, rue is used as a stimulant, to strengthen capillaries, and has a beneficial antispasmodic action good for treating high blood pressure, epilepsy, and colic.  The dried leaf is a powerful insecticide and a germicide for wounds.

 Lavender - Lavandula anugstifolia  Lavender has many useful attributes including both culinary and medicinal uses.  The flowers are known to flavor jams, vinegar, sweets, and cream.  As well as being crystallized for decoration.  Lavender flower water is used as a skin toner and an antiseptic.  Flower tea is used to treat anxiety headaches, flatulence, nausea, dizziness, and halitosis.  The essential oil of lavender is also used as an antiseptic as well as having sedative and painkilling properties.

Are you a frustrated gardener who would like to lend a hand?