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Garden Blog – Apothecaries’ Garden Revisited

It was such a beautiful day when we went to the National Botanic Garden of Wales this week that I really wanted to be out in the Garden rather than working in the office.  Luckily I was able to do just that and armed with my camera went out to see what was to be seen.  The first thing I noticed was how many people were there.  As much as I love the early evening when everyone has gone home, it is lovely to see people coming to visit the Garden and taking part in the family activities that are put on during school holidays.

 

I hadn’t been to the Apothecaries’ Garden since very early in the spring when all there was to see was the new growth on the angelica which is now a collection of seed heads.  There was a lovely patch of hemp agrimony with its pretty pinkish purple flowers and next to that was some parsley.  We all know what parsley is and what it looks like but how many of us know what its flowers look like or even that it has flowers.  I have to admit that I hadn’t thought about it flowering so was surprised to see them there.  That made me think that there are probably other things that we know about but don’t know what they look like.  Along by the parsley was some St John’s wort.  Many of you will know the name but would you recognise the tall stems of small yellow flowers that look like the larger hypericum that we sometimes call rose of Sharon.   It’s the same family.  Or, how many of us use oil of evening primrose but have no idea what an evening primrose looks like.  This plant is one of my favourites with its beautiful yellow flowers which, at dusk, look almost fluorescent.  

One of the plants that I came across was not known to me at all.  I hadn’t seen it before nor had I heard of it.  Anemopsis Californica or yerba mansa.  As its name suggest, it is a native of south western North America and is also called lizard’s tail.  According to the web, it’s used to treat a variety of disorders. The flowers in the photo are beginning to fade – hence the red marks on the bracts – but it is still impressive.

There was also a great patch of yellow toadflax.  Many years ago now, this was the plant that first kindled my interest in wild flowers.  Having been born and raised in north London I knew nothing about these things.  To me daisies and dandelions were weeds not wild flowers.  I was given a spike of this pretty flower by my late mother in law and was determined to identify it.  I can’t remember how I went about it but I succeeded and have been hooked ever since.   As I made my way back to the office I reflected that there is always something new to see in this lovely Garden.

Pam Murden