Magical Plants.

Having discovered Mr Arthur Osborn's tie to the magical community (see Gentiana x macaulayi), I thought I would take a stroll down Diagon Alley and look at a few plants that secretly have a little more to them than meets the eye.

Salix alba, "White Willow".
(Deciduous tree or shrub.)

Surely the most characterful plant in the Harry Potter novels, the Whomping Willow can wave its branches and does so violently. I've chosen Salix alba to be its counterpart species, as a few I've seen have borne a strong resemblance.

Planting: Autumn.
Flowering: Spring.
Aspect: Full sun or partial shade.
Hardiness: Very hardy.

Mandragora officinarum, "Mandrake".
(Flowering perennial.)

Shaped like a human and hallucinogenic, for centuries the root of the poisonous mandrake was considered a dangerous and supernatural entity. I rather prefer Rowling's interpretation, which breathes a little humour into it all.

Planting: Autumn or spring.
Flowering: March to April (hermaphrodite).
Aspect: Full sun or dappled shade, sheltered.
Hardiness: Very hardy (though initial protection is required in its first year at least).

Cunila origanoides, "Common Dittany".
(Perennial subshrub.)

Like all men - magical or not, ahem - Harry and Ron are particularly talented at causing and acquiring injuries. Dittany, which genuinely is known for its healing properties, makes more than one appearance in the books.

Planting: Spring. Well-drained soil.
Flowering: July to August (hermaphrodite).
Aspect: Full sun.
Hardiness: Fully hardy.

Valeriana officinalis, "Valerian".

Another medicinal plant, valerian is used in all sorts of impressively named potions, including the Draught of Living Death and the Draught of Peace.
On an unrelated note, cats apparently adore valerian and may destroy it by rolling over it.

Planting: Spring. Moist soil.
Flowering: June to August.
Aspect: Full sun.
Hardiness: Fully hardy.



Speaking of potions...

A classic tirade from the enthralling Professor Snape~
"For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

Asphodelus ramosus, "Branched Asphodel" or "King's Spear".
(Flowering perennial.)

Planting: March to April. Well drained.
Flowering: June to August.
Aspect: Full sun.
Hardiness: Hardy.

Artemisia vulgaris, "Common Wormwood".
(Flowering perennial.)

Planting: Early spring to early summer.
Flowering: July to September (hermaphrodite).
Aspect: Full sun or partial shade.
Hardiness: Fully hardy (often found on wasteland).

Aconitum vulparia, "Wolfsbane".
Aconitum napellus, "Monkshood".
(Herbaceous perennials.)

Planting: Early autumn to late spring.
Flowering: Summer.
Aspect: Partial shade. sheltered.
Hardiness: Very, very hardy.

(Picture: Wolfsbane left, monkshood right.)
Note: Like the Mandragora officinarum above, these two plants are highly poisonous. Look but never touch.

Anemone coronaria.

This gorgeous flower, with its combination of white and deep blue, would not be captured in a little sketch. It is an anemone, and in my eyes its beauty outshines any diamond or precious metal.


Anemone coronaria, "Poppy Anemone".
(Bulbous perennial.)


Planting: April to May, five to ten centimetres deep.
Flowering: Spring.
Aspect: Full sun, sheltered (south/east facing).
Hardiness: Hardy.



Notes: Nectar mixed with the blood of Adonis, the legend of the anemone's origin comes from ancient Greece - as does its name, which means "windflower".

Ceratostigma willmottianum.

Aside from telling me a few of my great-grandfather's favourite plants, Granny Pat also knew how to spell them. With gentians it isn't so much of an issue, but with Ceratostigma willmottianum it is very useful indeed!
Having had a busy few weeks, it's good to get back into the blog.

Ceratostigma willmottianum, "Chinese Plumbago".
(Semi-woody perennial.)

Planting: Autumn or early spring (before the last frosts).
Flowering: July to October. Foliage turns fiery red in autumn.
Aspect: Full sun, sheltered. Well-drained soil.
Hardiness: Hardy.

Notes: Discovered in China by the intrepid victorian Edward Wilson, it is named after his patroness Miss Ellen Willmott. Eccentric and extravagant, her place in the history of women and horticulture is deserved. I shall be discussing her "ghost" in a later post!

Gentiana x macaulayi.

Like many people, I adore the scent of old books. This fine picture is taken from Arthur Osborn's Winter-Flowering Plants, published just after the war. My lovely Granny Pat & Grampy gave it to me recently, and it belonged to my great-grandfather. Granny mentioned he was fond of gentians.

Gentiana x macaulayi, "Macaulay Gentian"
(Herbaceous perennial.)

Planting: March.
Flowering: September to October.
Aspect: Partial shade. Acidic, well-drained but
                 moist soil (a dry spring can affect growth).
Hardiness: Hardy (alpine plant).

Notes: Head of Kew's arboretum in the early twentieth century, Arthur Osborn wrote plenty of other books. His Shrubs and Trees for the Garden even features in the seventh Harry Potter film!

Granny Lalage.

What a wonderful few days I have had.
Despite her modesty, it has never been any secret that my granny Lalage has always been very artistic. I could write paragraphs on her fabulous family tree, which includes writers, canons, even Pocahontas, but then that wouldn't really be in keeping with her humility & gentleness.
I knew she had studied at Chelsea Art College after the war, but nothing could have prepared me for the treasure trove of drawings, designs and beautiful books that she let me look at this week. Her eye for colour deserves a special mention, but for obvious reasons I have chosen to show this fine picture of her father's gardening tools (esteemed academic Hugh I'Anson Fausset).

Although she loves my little sketches of plants (her mother, my great-grandmother, was brilliant with wildflowers and painted them), of course I think her works are far more exciting. Nevertheless, talking & sharing all of these things was a marvellous bonding experience and a great encouragement.

Cattleya tigrina.

This post involves a double discovery for me. I saw a label marked "Cattleya tigrina", but not the plant it belonged to- as I liked the name (the tigery "tigrina" suggested it must be an impressive thing), I thought I'd research it online at home. I adore wildlife, but I had never known there to be one called the tigrina! It is a small & elegant spotted wild cat of South America ~ the plant is perhaps less beautiful, but equally striking.

Cattleya tigrina.
(Rhizomatous perennial.)

Planting: July. Roots need air, large "media" is preferred to soil.
Flowering: May to June.
Aspect: Sun (not too intensive), in a six to nine inch pot.
Hardiness: Indoor plant.

Notes: Since even the Victorian era, the classification of this plant has been cause of fervent debate - it has been named and renamed, at one point named after King Leopold I of Belgium, Catteleya leopoldii.

Caryota urens.

Having looked at the tallest in the Palm House, here now is surely the most fascinating. The Caryota urens is also known as the fishtail palm (due to the shape of its leaves), and I love this marine name. As well as its plentiful foliage, it has great clusters of flowers that truly resemble waterfalls - as though the whole tree is spilling forth with verdant life.


Caryota urens, "Fishtail Palm".
(Palm tree.)

Planting: Nowhere near England!
Flowering: Monoecious, monocarpic.
Aspect: Full sun.
Hardiness: Subtropical and tropical habitat.


Notes: The specimen at Kew had grown to a grand stature of twelve metres, with gardeners beginning to                         fear for the glass roof! In a moment of magical timing, however, it had recently burst into flower-                        sparing both the roof and the final days of the tree (Caryota urens is monocarpic).

Attalea butyracea.

I realise that for many people, dense forest can be a little claustrophobic. However, I must admit I rather enjoy the sensation of looking up and seeing leaves high above me; it means there isn't a single angle in which the eye can't see teeming life. In the tropical Palm House at Kew, this atmosphere is created by the towering Attalea butyracea.
(All credit to the superbly named 'Danger Garden' blog for this image.)

Attalea butyracea, "Yagua palm".
(Palm tree.)


Planting: No English season! Very moist soil (floodplain) required, as well as heat.
Flowering: Monoecious.
Aspect: Full sun.
Hardiness: Encountered in the hot and humid Palm House at Kew, presumably not hardy!

Notes: Most of the online material concerning the "Yagua Palm" is in Spanish, so much of this information                        may be incorrectly translated on my part. However, it seems that this is a plant vital to many South                      American communities, providing thatch for housing, animal feed, and even a wine-like drink                                  from the flesh of its fruit.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

What a perfect weekend down south- I saw my lovely grandparents and cousins, and my family & I spent Saturday at Kew Gardens.

It is a marvellous place, in the fullest sense of the word. The desire to stop and linger over every interesting plant struggles with the urge to dash about the grounds trying to see everything!
Needless to say, I did not see everything, yet I am nevertheless weighed down with books and notes of my favourite plants. My posts over the next few weeks (or months!) shall be greatly influenced by this single day.