Book shares herbal fact and lore

A Curious Garden of Herbs is a richly illustrated collection of herbal fact and lore that focuses on the “why” rather than the “how” of the historical kitchen garden. Instead of offering how-to gardening methods, authors Kay K. Moss and Suzanne S. Simmons use reflections and observations from manuscripts to detail the historical uses and fascinating stories surrounding plants in the early American South and mid-Atlantic.

Practicality and necessity were the guiding forces behind gardening in the 18th and early 19th century rural and frontier settlements in the Southeast. People used plants for a variety of purposes, from cooking to medicine to dye and insect repellent. The gardens in these pages come from townspeople, farmers, housewives, merchants and artisans, brought to life with 60 historical illustrations.

Although this book includes many familiar plants, like parsley and lavender, there are more than a hundred plants detailed.