in the city, it's easy to fantasize about throwing it all away, tossing minimal possessions into the back of a pickup, and moving lock, stock, and barrel to the country. There awaits a simpler more peaceful existence, where you'll breathe fresh, clean air, enjoy the bounty of your garden, and spend long afternoons on a porch swing nursing a cool glass of lemonade. This scenario appealed to Bill and Sylvia Varney, who in 1985 left comfortable city professions to open Fredericksburg Herb Farm, today home to their bed-and-breakfast, almost 15 acres of herb and flower gardens, gift shops, restaurant, and day spa. Did we mention they also run Varney's Chemist Laden, which sells a line of natural toiletries and herbal comestibles? If it isn't the quiet life they might have imagined, it is one that's brought them closer to their triple passions — cooking, gardening, and sharing their enthusiasm about herbs.

It all began in Houston, where Sylvia was a senior financial analyst for an oil and gas company, and Bill, a buyer for a large nursery. When Bill was offered a job as a nursery manager in Fredericksburg Texas, he and Sylvia jumped at the chance to leave behind the hectic pace of urban life and pursue their dream of running their own business. During their courtship, Bill had showered Sylvia with gifts like violet cologne and lavender bath salts, and those fond memories blossomed into an apothecary that offered luxury bath and body products. At the back of their first shop was a small garden where they grew antique roses, lavender, rosemary, and other herbs. A dried salsa mix here, and edible flower vinegar there, and soon a speciality-food-mail order business seemed t be growing faster than wild mint. The couple purchased a four acre abandoned farm and began renovating. The farm's 1882 limestone house is now a shop that carries everything from herbal candles and rose geranium hand lotion to Sylvia's spice blends and gourmet foods. You can also find their books — Along the Garden Path (Favorite Recipes Press) and Herbs: Growing and Using the Plants of Romance (Ironwood Press).

One of the loveliest gardens at Fredericksburg Herb Farm is the Star Garden. In its center stands an antique windmill that sets off five beds forming a star. Each bed features herbs for a specific purpose — medicinal, cosmetic, culinary, crafting, or ornamental. While we can't import the magic of strolling through the fragrant, enchanting landscape, we did invite Bill, Sylvia, and Fredericksburg Herb Farm executive chef Juan Carlos Padilla to show us how they work their charm with herbs. Padilla, whose unusual creations include rose-petal salad, peppermint shortbread and bleeding-heart muffins, says he is fortunate to have cooked under John Salazar of Brennan's and Steve Howard of Navajo Grill. Best of all, he is blessed with all of the fresh herbs and edible flowers he could ever dream of, and some he probably never dreamt of, just beyond the kitchen door.

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