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 >
Herbarium RNG
#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 >
#AdventBotany 2018, Day 1: Put a Cherry on the Top!
For me, the glace cherry is a staple ingredient of Christmas cooking. I include them in both my Christmas cake and Christmas pudding recipes – both are based on ‘Delia…Read More >
#AdventBotany Christmas Day: A rose with no thorns; eyes without sight
By Alastair Culham This is the 100th #AdventBotany blog and the fourth for Christmas day. The first Christmas blog featured the Star of Bethlehem, the second, Christmas Cactus, and the…Read More >
#AdventBotany Day 24: Juniperus communis – the most delicious of the Cupressaceae
By Meg Cathcart-James Juniperus communis is the most widespread of the juniper species. Juniperus is within the conifer family Cupressaceae. Whether as a small evergreen tree or a shrub, it…Read More >
#AdventBotany Day 23: Rosemary, love and controversy
By Alastair Culham Rosemary makes a tasty addition to many savoury dishes. My favourite is a rub of salt and crushed fresh rosemary leaves put on potatoes before roasting but…Read More >
#AdventBotany Day 22: Put a cork in it
By Ali Ayres It’s decided, 2017 is the year I finally contribute to this fine festive botanical blogging tradition. But what should I write about? Holly? Ivy? All the usual…Read More >
#AdventBotany Day 21: The qulliq brings light and heat to Canada’s Inuit Nunangat in the dark winter
By Dawn Bazely Christmas day at the North Pole is dark. In Inuit Nunangat, the Inuit homelands of Canada, the Arctic Circle (66.6 degrees), marks the latitude where the noon…Read More >
#AdventBotany Day 20: Holly
By Patricia Francis The Winter Solstice has been celebrated in many cultures for thousands of years. In our northern latitudes evergreens show how life continues even in the depths of…Read More >