hyme Will Tell

Welcome! Thyme Will Tell is the name of my gardening-related mystery series from WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House. That series currently includes the following books: Rosemary for Remembrance, Marigolds for Mourning, and Roses for Regret. (Click on a title to read a description, excerpt, and reviews of that mystery novel.)

Thyme Will Tell is also the name of the herb farm owned by the heroine, Regan Culver. And it is a belief common to those of us who love heirloom plants that time proves true quality.

I prefer plants with a past. I'm not a fanatic about this; I do grow my share of hybrids too. But the older varieties link us to prior generations who were also in tune with the earth, its Creator, and the changing seasons. We are heirs to literally centuries of herbal information. As the ad says, "Is this a great time to be alive or what?"

The past has a large influence in my novels too. In each book, Regan must solve an old mystery which has plagued the characters for years before she can understand the all-too-current murder. The Thyme Will tell titles are all derived from the Victorian Language of Flowers, where each plant has a meaning--many of them based on ancient folklore.

Granted, some of that lore is pure superstition, but superstition can be fun if it isn't taken seriously. And the ancients do seem to have known the difference. Of mandrake, Gerard pointed out querulously that "there hath beene many ridiculous tales brought up of this plant, whether of old wives, or some runnagate Surgeons or Physicke-mongers I know not. . ."

A lapsed Master Gardener who has been playing in the dirt for a good twenty years at least, I love gossip about plants, the "ridiculous" as well as the practical. So I've also included some free articles on heirloom plants , beginning with those mentioned in the titles of my series. Some of the links will take you to articles on this site and others to articles at my Suite 101 site on Historical Plants. If you have questions or comments about my books or articles, please drop me a note at feedback.

In Shakespeare's famous romance, Juliet exclaims "O mickle (much) is the powerful grace that lies/ In plants, herbs, stones, and their true qualities;/ For naught so vile that on the earth doth live/ But to the earth some special good doth give. . ." Plants have certainly provided me much comfort over the years, along with scent, healing, and the pure pleasure of watching living things grow and blossom. Perhaps, as Chesterton suggests, we are in Eden still, and it is only our eyes which have changed!

Book cover designs and photos by Thomas Tafuri, covers and excerpts used by permission of WaterBrook Press. Decorative initial by Bora. Plant plates and backgrounds on in-site articles from Kohler's Medizinal Pflanzen, used by permission of the Missouri Botanical Garden libary. All other materials are copyright (c) 2000 by Audrey Stallsmith. All rights reserved.