Special Group Tours are now available
Zone: Outer Walkway Bed
Season of Interest: Summer (Flowers) and Early Fall (Fruit)
Dr. Woodward would have valued Spikenard primarily as an "alterative"—a medicine thought to gradually restore healthy bodily functions. In the 1800s, it was a staple for:
Lung and Chest Ailments: The spicy, aromatic roots were used to treat chronic coughs, asthma, and "consumption" (tuberculosis). It acted as a warming expectorant.
The "Blood Purifier": Like many native roots, it was used in syrups to treat rheumatism and skin diseases by supposedly purifying the blood.
Women's Health: It was frequently used in decoctions to treat "female weaknesses" and as a tonic to support recovery after childbirth.
On a farm like the Woodward's, Spikenard was appreciated for its sheer presence and its unique culinary possibilities:
Root Beer & Tonics: The spicy, balsamic flavor of the roots was a key ingredient in early herb beers and root beers. It provided a deep, complex flavor that was both refreshing and medicinal.
Garden Architecture: Because it can grow up to 6 feet tall and 6 feet wide in a single season, it was used to create "instant" summer screens or to fill large, shaded gaps along the outer edges of the property.
Wildlife Support: The massive clusters of small berries are a favorite of woodland birds, ensuring that the outer garden remained lively with songbirds throughout the late summer.
Form: A massive, herbaceous perennial (not a shrub) that dies back to the ground every winter and regrows with incredible speed in the spring.
Foliage: Features huge, triply-compound leaves that can give the plant a prehistoric or tropical appearance. The stems are often a striking dark purple.
Flowers & Fruit: Produces large, arching panicles of tiny greenish-white flowers in mid-summer, followed by dense clusters of small, dark reddish-purple berries in the fall.