vi. The Globe Physic Garden
The blue shed in bloom Senga Bate In May we made a plea for sun, warmth and rain, and June has obliged— in part. The sun has shone but not much rain has fallen. Here in Edinburgh, the wind has been blowing almost every day, driving moisture off the now warmed soil. It is just as well that many of our herbs are able to deal with dry, sunny conditions. The Diploma in Herbology students have been working very hard on their plots as the date of the Herb Bed Review looms. With the sunshine finally making an appearance, the plants have responded well and seem to be hurrying to make up the time lost to the cold and wet in May. Many former students will remember the final flurry of activity— the rush to organise interpretation; to tame the plants that have decided to occupy too much of the plot; to encourage those that need to be just a little bit bigger; to persuade reluctant others into flower. So many questions to consider: would a path or a structure be an enhancement to my herb bed? How will I possibly remember the Latin (and perhaps even the common) names of all these plants on Review day? Will my Physic Garden diary be complete on time? A very busy season indeed!
Marianne Hughes visited us recently, rather disappointed that she could not help out in the maintenance of the Herbology areas this year, but delighted to point out that— without much assistance from anyone —the plants making up the colour wheel in the Globe Physic Garden have finally begun to conform to the plan. The white area of the wheel has been the most abundant to date, with Dame’s Rocket (Hesperis matronalis), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica), and Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata) all in flower, soon to be followed by Goat’s Rue (Galega officinalis) and Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis). Yellow has been slower, due to an abundance of Woad (Isatis tinctoria) taking over most of the space. In green, Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) and Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) quietly hold their own against an abundance of blue and purple flowers, such as Sage (Salvia officinalis), Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), Lavender (Lavandula spp) and a wandering dark-coloured Peppermint (Mentha spp). Pink will soon be a glorious sight, as the buds of Apothecary Rose (Rosa gallica), Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) and
