By Claire Smith The almond (Prunus dulcis) has been grown in Britain since the 16th century, and almond paste quickly became a popular medium for making moulded desserts or sweetmeats….Read More >
#AdventBotany 2018, Day 10: Christmas Palm
For me, stuck in the cold damp of a British winter, the idea of a Christmas palm gives me a bit of a wish I was there feeling. There is…Read More >
#AdventBotany 2018, Day 9: Christmas Orchid or Star of Bethlehem
The wonderfully named Angraecum sesquipedale is also known as the Chritsmas orchid or Darwin’s orchid. It seems an appropriate plant to write about as it brings together a reminder of Christmas…Read More >
#AdventBotany 2018, Day 8: the hyacinth
I was sitting at my breakfast table this morning thinking ‘what plant should be next for #AdventBotany2018″? The rich smell of the blue hyacinth in front of me was filling…Read More >
#AdventBotany 2018, Day 7: Reindeer Games
By Claire Smith We all know what to leave out for Father Christmas – a nice mince pie and a glass of sherry. Or maybe milk, if you don’t want Santa…Read More >
#AdventBotany 2018 Day 6: Christmas Bells
Christmas bells is the name for a colourful South African geophyte (plant with an underground storage organ), Sandersonia aurantiaca, due to the appearance of its bell shaped flowers appearing in…Read More >
#AdventBotany 2018, Day 5 – Winterberry
Europeans are familiar with the evergreen holly, Ilex aquifolium, that is used as a midwinter decoration because it is evergreen and shows the promise of new life and growth in…Read More >
#AdventBotany2018, Day 4: The Golden Bough
By John David Not an obvious topic for Advent, but bear with me, the connection will become clear. The Golden Bough is most famously the title of a book written…Read More >
#AdventBotany 2018, Day 3: The Pomander – a smorgasbord of Lamiaceae and Rutaceae with a pinch of Sperm Whale Poo
by Fi Young As a child I remember my grandparents giving a pomander as a Christmas gift. Their pomander was made from an orange studded with cloves, and I don’t…Read More >