Tiny fungi on Wordless Wednesday

It's all in the detail...

As autumn slips sedately into winter and the colour disappears from the garden it is easy to overlook the subtle beauty of seed heads and dying flowers. There are many plants still sporting attractive seed heads and these are a wonderful legacy of their summer splendour . The colour palette of the garden at this time of year is one of less brilliant hues with texture and detail in abundance. With this in mind I tend not to dead head or cut perennials back. 

But let them stay throughout the winter, self seeding and offering a food source for birds.  Any debris that is left after the winter gets cleared away in the spring.

There is an extraordinary variety and delicacy in the seed heads at this time of year both in the garden and in the countryside.

Many of the seed heads look particularly good covered in frost or dew.

 At this time of year grasses can be magical, especially if they are bathed in late afternoon sunlight. Varieties of miscanthus can glow with a radiance that I think is as good as anything in the garden earlier in the year.

  

The seeds pods of crocosmia " Lucifer" echo the arching shapes of the flowers.

 The disintegrating structure of the opium poppy with the seeds long scattered..

The skeleton of the agapanthus flower with some of the black seeds still attached.

The seed pods of the Iris "chrysogrphes" or Black iris. These were left this year as decoration

 The delicate beauty of the translucent seedhead of an astrantia flower.

 Seed heads have a a much less flamboyant colourful beauty than the summer blooms but they do carry on the interest into the next season.

Is it a neep ? Is it a beet?

No, it's a mangel beet also known as a manglewurzel.

Manglewurzel or mangold wurzel (from the German Mangel/Mangold," chard" and wurzel, "root") also called mangold, mamgel beet, field beet and fodder beet is a cultivated root vegetable from Beta vulgaris. It's large orange/yellow roots were developed in the 18th Century as a fodder crop for feeding livestock.

There's a Mangle Beet tradition in England. Who can forget the famous childrens book and tv series "Worzel Gummidge". His head was made from a mangle beet or manglewurzel .

Then there were "The Wurzels". And just in case you haven't come across them you can find them on Youtube. I think a photo is more than enough without having to listen to them as well.

There is also a fine tradition of mangold hurling in parts of England (I kid you not) We would probably do it with neeps up here . A history of mangold hurling can be found here

  

We've been growing these odd shaped root vegetables on and off for a few years now. We originally bought the seeds in New Zealand, in 2006. The seeds have been viable since then.  But I sowed the last of them this year. The beets have never flowered so there hasn't been the opportunity to collect more seed.

I thought that this would be a good winter crop for the hens.  But they turned up their beaks at it. That's the trouble with having posh (and spoilt) hens, they expect the finer things in life...

So what else have we done with them?

We put them in soup. It is advised that if you are going to eat them you do it when they are young, sweet and not more than 5 lbs in weight (like ours!). The leaves can be steamed like chard.

We've still got several roots in the ground so I've been looking for some recipes. They seem to be few and far between...

Pickled Manglewurzel.
Wash the manglewurzel and place in a stew-pan with boiling water and cook until tender (allow about an inch of top to remain when preparing to cook). Skin the mangelwurzel, slice and pour over the following, which has been heated in a stew-pan over the fire. One cup of vinegar and water combined, one tablespoonful of sugar, one teaspoonful of salt, a dust of pepper. Stand aside till cold then serve. Or serve hot like buttered beets.

The 1830 book "The Practice of Cookery" includes a recipe for a beer made with mangelwurzel. I found a more up to date one at the following link

If anyone else has come across mangle beets and doesn't use them just for fodder (or hurling), I would love to hear from you.

A Christmas wish list.....

It's that time of year again when thoughts turn to Christmas presents. Here's my list for Santa Claus...

An elegant metal (no plastic here please) Haws watering can.... bright red would be nice...

A pair of funky colourful wellies...

  

I saw this sign at a Garden Open Day in Fife. I fancied putting one at the front gate...

Some eucomis bulbs. I grew them in the same pot for years with no bother then a couple of years ago lost the lot.. oh and the pot broke too...

 An old pie crust terracotta pot, (preferably from the Whichford Pottery) I'd better put that on my wish List too...

Renewal of my annual subscription to Garden Organic...

And finally, a few extra pairs of hands would come in useful...

What would other gardeners like for Christmas?

The Riddle of the Ball and the Walking Stick....

To most people (and dogs probably) a ball is a toy to be chased and chewed and carried.  Not for us or our dog Freya. We lose them all the time. In fact things get so bad that we have to make a bulk order for more balls(with rope) over the internet.

Part of the problem is eye-hand co-ordination (ours not Freya's) and sometimes the ball ends up being thrown in the river, in the sea or over a fence (topped with barbed wire or electric current more often than not). At other times Freya will drop the ball in the sea or the river. Did I tell you she doesn't do water above her ankles? I'm sure it amuses her to watch us paddle or wade out to retrieve the ball. At other times it's simply lost or swept away.

Obstacles like trees are the worst offenders (okay I can't really blame the tree for our inability to throw a ball) Every so often we lob the ball in a carefree fashion for Freya to chase and somehow it goes up in the air and lodges in the tree, tangled up by it's rope. And it's always just out of reach!

This was once such event. And as Freya watched, J and P tried shaking the tree, and throwing sticks at the ball. Without success. There were no other dog walkers or even walkers (we're always mighty suspicious of folk that walk without a dog) in the vicinity to see us looking stupid. But Freya watched our lamentable efforts with interest.

Then P had a bright idea and went to fetch a walking stick from the car. This is an indispensable bit of kit when you are foraging for brambles. So P got the stick and threw it up in the tree, trying to dislodge the ball. And guess what happened? At the third attempt the stick got stuck in the tree! This is what it looked like...

At a loss as to what to do next and having run out of bright ideas we retired home to think about it...

P had another bright idea and next day we returned with an apple picker with an extending handle. Both the stick and the ball came down to earth with a bump. Freya was happily reunited with her ball....

Until the next time...

Sea Buckthorn

Sea buckthorn hippophae rhamnoides grows well in this part of the world. The glow of it's orange berries have been apparant for a few months now. It's that intense colour that contrasts so well with the pale gray-green of the lanceolate leaves.

The shrub grows up to to about 5 metres here. It is tolerant of salt in the air and thrives in poor soil and sun. Its root system often helps to prevent soil erosion in coastal areas. It can also be used as barrier shrub forming a dense thicket. Its branches are covered in thorns.

I picked some of the berries a couple of years back for the seeds, They came up like a rash but since then progress has been slow and the rather straggly little specimans are still in their pots at about 4 inches in height. It's going to be some time before we see the orange glow of buckthorn berries in our garden.

According to John Wright, the well known forager of River Cottage fame, buckthorn berries are a great delicacy. From experience I would say the berries are difficult to pick and are squidged in an instant. His answer to this is to squeeze the juice straight into a recepticle from the berry. Sounds very time consuming to me....

In orchards of buckthorn other methods of harvesting are practiced. One is to use a special berry picker. Another way to gather the fruit is to cut off the branch and freeze it making it much easier to remove the berries.

Buckthorn berries are high in Vitamin C and can be made into a drink. It is also used in cooking and pharmaceutical purposes.

Perhaps next year I'll try drinking the berry juice or putting it in a pie with other fruit.
If you would like to find out more about sea buckthorn this is an informative Site.

Scottish Plant Hunters Part 2

We left the first part of the tour at the top of the hill in the Himalayas at the Moon Gate (7).

 This a garden of verticals steps and slopes and views glimpsed through trees. The design of the garden makes for amazing vistas and  it is also able to borrow views from the surrounding highland landscape. Many of the trees in the garden were there long before this garden was conceived and this gives it a maturity and a settled feel.

From the Moon Gate the path turns quite steeply downhill by the stream. I think it was suggested at this point that the path is not suitable for wheelchairs. That's disappointing.

The view from the top of the hill looking down towards the George Forrest pavilion.

 Drifts of candelabra primulas, large rhododendrons and ferns cover the slope.

This is the view looking back up the hill towards the Davis Douglas Pavillion. The cardiocrinum giganteum were still not out, whereas ours at home had finished flowering. As a matter of interest I researched who discovered the cardiocrinum expecting that it would be one of the Plant Hunters from this garden. But it seems to have been "discovered" by Nathanial Wallich, a Danish born surgeon in 1821.

I often think that "discovered " is a strange term to use. It's the same as Hiram Bingham "discovering" Macchu Picchu. The locals knew it was there all the time....

Primula capitata mooreana is one of the most beautiful primulas with clusters of violet blue flowers on long powdery silver stems and rosettes of grey green foliage.

The George Forrest pavilion has a restful, tranquil setting and feels like a place of contemplation. The glass wind chimes tinkle in the breeze. 

George Forrest (1873 - 1932) Among his many plant discoveries were Hypericum forrestii, Primula vialli and Acer davidii.

On leaving the George Forrest Pavilion the path crossed a bridge into the Japanese garden and back up the hill towards the entrance.

Robert Fortune (1813-1880) Many plants that he discovered were named after him such as Camellia "Robert Fortune" and Rhododendron fortunei. We also have him to thank for the introduction from Japan of Anemone japonica and Primula japonica  in addition to many chrysanthemums.

This garden has a feeling of harmony and balance. Thanks to the setting, mature trees and planting there is constant interest. The detailed information boards placed along the paths highlight the connection between that part of the world, the plant hunter and the plants he discovered.

There were however bare patches in some of the planting areas especially at the beginning. I wonder if this was down to planting constraints ie trying to stick exactly to what was discovered in any given region by the person featured. It may also be difficult with only one Gardener even if there are an army of keen volunteers to help.

As with so many gardens it is worth visiting at different times of year. A trip when the mecanopsis are in bloom would be worthwhile.

If you want to find out more about the garden and the Plant Hunters (there were a lot more featured in the garden) please go to their web site.

Before we left after our second trip I bought myself a momento of the visit... saxifraga fortunei

You didn't really expect me to leave empty handed, did you?

Uses for Old Welly Boots No1

You could try making this "Welly Dug" on one of these long winter nights when there is nothing else to do and you're feeling a bit creative. I think you'll need eight wellies or four pairs. But if all your wellies are left feet your dog might look slightly odd. So might you with only right footed wellies to wear...

photographed in the The Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, Glasgow

If you're feeling really creative, have lots of time and an endless supply of welly boots perhaps you could try this...

Wouldn't that look great in your garden?  *

* "The Hounds of Geevor" an assemblage of reduntant miners boots by David Kemp 1995

Scottish Plant Hunters Garden Part 1

 

Have you ever walked round your garden and admired the  primulas , the Meconopsis or the Lupins? Have you wondered how they arrived in this country? Many of them were brought over in the past 250 years at the time of the British Empire by Botanists and plant hunters. They were able to do this through sponsorship by wealthy employers, keen for new additions to their gardens or by Botanic Gardens interested in expanding their knowledge as well as their collections. The Government of the day also financed some of the trips to improve trade links.

The tradition is continued today by plant hunters such as Peter Cox (an expert on rhododendrons from Glendoick in Perthshire) and Jim Sutherland  (Ardfearn Nursery in Inverness shire). Further afield Crug plants in Wales are well known for their plant hunting expeditions.

The Scottish Plant hunting tradition is celebrated in a garden in Pitlochry in Perthshire. Already a place popular with tourists and locals, the picturesque town is famous for it’s theatre (no10 on the map) and it’s fish ladder on the River Tummel. 

The garden is divided into areas. Each one is dedicated to a collector and the part of the world he collected from. The borders are planted up with the plants that he (it was always a “he” in those days) brought back for cultivation in Britain.

We made two visits to the Garden. The first was in April and the second in August. The photographs reflect this.

*Map courtesy of the Scottish Plant Hunters Garden

The entrance kiosk (1) resembles a compass symbolising the plants hunters great journeys round the globe. And joy, there are plants for sale.

 

The east point of the compass with views across to the surrounding hills. After paying your entrance fees to one of the willing volunteers (there is one gardener and 50 volunteers, I asked) it's off to begin the tour.

This first area (2) has a large piece of sculpture which I really dislike. It's a piece that was designed to take inspiration from various elements in the garden and  represents a cross section of a Forsythia ovary. There is no photo of this piece of sculpture as I was so unimpressed.... But don't let that put you off.

Lets move on through to the southern hemisphere (3) which included plants from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and South America. The planting is a bit sparse here.  There are however information boards about each plant hunter dotted along the paths. The plants hunters celebrated here are:

Francis Masson (1741-1805)  Some of the best known plants he collected were Kniphofia caulescens (Red Hot Pokers) and Agapanthus campanulatus(African Lilies)

James Drummond (1786-1863) Among his collections are different types of Eucalyptus including E. gunni.

David Lyall (1817-1895) Famous for collecting many New Zealand Plants including Phormium Tenax (New Zealand Flax) (it looks very at home in Orkney nowadays) and Astelia

nervosa.

The path divides here and you can go up the hill or down the steps. We usually go down to look at the amphitheatre (5). Plays are performed here in conjunction with the Pitlochry Theatre at the bottom of the hill.

Moving upwards again we reach a pavilion (6) named after one of the best known Scottish Plant Hunters, David Douglas. Most people will have heard of the Douglas Fir. This building is made of Larch, Oak and Douglas Fir.

David Douglas (1798-1834) How many of these plants are in your garden? Garrya eliptica ,

Ribes sanguineam, Cornus Alba and Trillium Grandiflorum are some of his best known.

The Pavilion is perched on the hill at the top of the garden with views across to the Tummel Valley. 

Drifts of  Primula Florindae are planted on the hill depicting the North American Glade.

Inside the Davis Douglas pavilion is an exhibition space. On our last visit there were photos from a Plant Hunting exhibition "In Search of the Blue Poppy" with the Head Gardener Julia Corden  (at last a woman plant hunter!) in Bhutan. She went specifically to gather specimans of new plants. The photos of Bhutan were breathtaking as were the photos of the mecanopsis, including the rare pink poppy Mecanopsis sherriffii. This was named after the plant hunter George Sherriff.

George Sherriff (1898-1967) Among his finds were Primula cockburnia and Mecanopsis grandis.

One of the strengths of this garden is the hard landscaping and the architecture. A good example of dry stane dyking can be seen in these seats, wall and moon gate.

To be continued in Part 2....

PS Friends have alerted me to the fact that if you use the browser "Explorer" you won't be able to see the drop down menus on the blog. In fact they will interfere with you seeing the first part of the post. I haven't been able to sort this so far.

Can I suggest if you are missing part of the Planticru Notes experience that you could download "Firefox"  "Safari" or "Chrome". They all seem to work.

The Light and the Land

For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at every moment; but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life - the light and the air which vary continually.

                                               

Claude Monet

 All the photos were taken in Angus and Aberdeenshire.