ANYONE going away over Easter might want to carry a supply of mugwort (artemisia) – it was reputed to prevent weariness on a journey, according to a 16th-century medical text that is the inspiration behind a new herbal border at the National Trust’s Lytes Cary Manor near Somerton.

The Niewe Herball is the work of Henry Lyte, whose family built the medieval manor house just outside Somerton. A first edition of the work is now on display in the Great Hall.

Damian Mitchell, head gardener at Lytes Cary Manor, said: “You might not want to take medical advice from the Herball but we can still grow the plants mentioned. We have used some modern cultivars, but the border is filled with herbs that Henry Lyte would recognise.”

For more information about Lytes Cary Manor visit nationaltrust.org.uk/southwest