i: Editorial
Flower power: a taste of summer Kyra Pollitt Now is a time of opening. Just a few months ago, in my far northern garden, an early burst of sunshine brought optimistic blooms that, only days later, were dashed by snow and hail. Such small tragedies, it seemed, were echoed in our social worlds, as some sectors of the old normal opened only to close, and we feared other sectors might have opened too early. Yet, as our Climate Column reassures us, ‘It might not all be terrible’. In fact, it’s wonderful to see the students on RBGE’s Herbology courses finally able to tend their herb beds and progress with that aspect of their studies (The Globe Physic Garden). So, we do seem to have arrived at some kind of summer— both socially and botanically. Artist of the Month Callum Halstead’s bouquet of floral photographs, scattered throughout this issue, can only bring joy, while Our Man in the Field has been on the deeply enviable mission of touring the grounds of Pyrus, as he interviews the proprietor, Fiona Inglis, and stops to smell the roses. As I write this, at Midsummer, I find myself surrounded and reassured by the papery glory and sweet, heady scent of Rosa gallica. Of course, it’s not as narcotic as the scent of our Herb of the Month, the Linden or Lime blossom (Tilia x europea). I haven’t yet encountered a Linden tree this far north, but we do boast the most astonishing Midsummer light, and a fine collection of standing stones with which to honour the Solstice as the sun passes its zenith and we tip forwards towards our harvests (The Pagan Page). Whilst the sun pursues its ancient path, one effect of our new societal normal is that we can no longer rely on things to progress predictably. This has its advantages and disadvantages. Whilst it raises anxiety, it also encourages us to live in the moment, to appreciate things as they are right now. What better way to do that than to sit in the garden and eat flowers? Reading the confessions of flower-muncher Joseph Nolan (Of Weeds and Weans) brought a Proustian rush this month, taking me straight back to days spent curled under bushes at the back of my childhood garden, communing and consuming. And that Proustian experience is at the heart of Dora Wagner’s examination of our sense of smell, so closely linked to our experience of taste— turn to Anthroposophical Views for some quite unexpected revelations. If you’d rather do other things with your floral harvest, then perhaps sweeten, shake and steam along with the amazing Ann King’s selection of herbal recipes (Notes from the Brew Room), guaranteed to secure what our poet, J.L. Williams describes as ‘…the perfume of flowers/ emanating […] in all directions’. ‘All knowledge’ is not ‘rescinded’ in Ruth Crighton-Ward’s garden, however, as her steady green hand guides us through another month of Garden Gems. Sadly, Ruth announces that next month will be her last column for us. We will sorely miss her rich, informative, no-nonsense wisdom. And so, the year turns… Honorary Executive Editorial team Artistic Director Illustration Finance and Distribution
Catherine Conway-Payne Kyra Pollitt, Ella Leith Maddy Mould Maddy Mould Marianne Hughes
