06 // June // The Fresh Issue by HerbologyNews

i: Editorial

Turning over a fresh leaf Ella Leith, Guest Editor This is the June issue, but our focus is on May— on our Herb of the Month, the newly blossoming Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna). Its May blossom is a sign that Summer has begun, and after a long Winter and (in most places) a cold Spring of lockdowns and disappointments, seeing the explosion of white flowers can only be heartening. With vaccines being administered and restrictions beginning to lift for some of us, perhaps these blossoms herald the start of a fresh new phase in the pandemic, as well as a fresh new season? At that prospect, my heart leaps. Our poor hearts surely need tending, so we are looking to that vital organ. We have remedies for heartache and heartbreak (Of Weeds and Weans), uplifting balms and soothing tonics (Notes from the Brew Room) that all make use of Hawthorn— the natural rhythms of which echo the rhythms of heart (Anthroposophical Views). To honour a tree of fairy and fable, The Fresh Issue is sprinkled liberally with magic to get us hale and hearty as we cross into Summer (Botanica Fabula, Foraging Through Folklore). What better time to head into the landscape to engage with Andrea Geile’s gorgeous sculptures, into the woods for a Forest Bathe (Nature Therapy) or into the garden for some green-fingered grubbing (Garden Gems)? The Herbology students have been doing just that, so there’s a long-awaited update from the Globe Physic Garden too. Renewed and refreshed, let’s turn all our energies to holding our leaders to account about climate change, and creating a fresh vision of a better world for us all (The Climate Column). In the spirit of refreshing ourselves, I’m delighted to announce that The Fresh Issue is our first hard copy issue of Herbology News. Since we planted the idea of producing paper magazines, folk have been lining up to subscribe. Starting this month, copies will be winging their way to our paid subscribers, along with our thanks. If you too would like to (literally) get your hands on future issues for just £35 per year, please get in touch. If you prefer the online version but would still like to support us, there’s an easy way to donate via the website buymeacoffee.com, a crowdfunding site designed for small amounts of money— the price of a cup of coffee or, in our case, herbal tea. You can ‘buy us a herbal tea’ at www.buymeacoffee.com/herbologynews, either as a one-off gesture of support or on a monthly basis (‘Membership’). Rest assured, you’re not really subsidising our herbal tea habit— we’ll be spending your donations on stamps and software subscriptions! It has been an honour to edit The Fresh Issue. As I hand the reigns back, I’d like to say a big thank you to all the contributors— and to you, our readers. May your hearts be restored as we move into Summer. As our wonderful featured poet says, stay curious, stay light, start fresh.

Executive Editor Editorial Team Artistic Director Illustrators Finance and Distribution

Catherine Conway-Payne Kyra Pollitt, Ella Leith Maddy Mould Maddy Mould, Hazel Brady Marianne Hughes

Herbology News is printed on FSC certified, carbon neutral, recycled paper, using non-polluting vegetable based inks, made from renewable sources.

i: Contents

i Editorial Frontispiece Contents New Ways to Subscribe

Ella Leith Maddy Mould

1 2 3 4

Artist of the Month

Andrea Geile

ii Herb of the Month

Marianne Hughes, Hazel Brady

iii Anthroposophical Views Of Weeds and Weans

Dora Wagner Joseph Nolan

11 15

iv Notes from the Brew Room Nature Therapy

Ann King Nathalie Moriarty

19 21

v The Climate Column Garden Gems The Globe Physic Garden

Patrick Dunne Ruth Crichton-Ward Senga Bate

26 29 31

vi Foraging Through Folklore Botanica Fabula

Ella Leith Amanda Edmiston

34 38

vii StAnza Presents…

Larry Butler

viii Contributors Looking Forward

45 51

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i: Artist of the Month

Andrea Geile andreageile.co.uk Andrea Geile trained in printmaking before studying Art/Sculpture in Hanover, Germany. She has been working from her Edinburgh studio since 1995. Andrea’s sculptures and performances condense and interpret nature and ecology. Both her permanent and transient artworks investigate how social processes have shaped and utilized landscapes for our political, economic and immaterial needs. It is observation of nature, environmental concerns and climate change, cultural identity and political and social issues that drive her work. She collaborates with communities on projects about biodiversity, urban planning and research into rural land use. Meant to question and regenerate her art practice, it allows her to explore and experiment with new materials, themes and engagement processes. Her sculptures are made mainly from everlasting corten steel, a weatherproof, clean and no-maintenance material. She fabricates all artwork in her studio, using plasma hand-cutting and welding to create the intricate patterns. By tracing the shapes of objects, handwriting and plants into metal, she creates sculptures that comment on technology, nature and human touch. The artwork is often grouped with real plants to create a contemporary version of ‘Gartenkunst’, which challenges existing notions of ‘garden art’ and ‘land sculpture’. Her organic and architectural forms merge with the planting and form a symbiotic relationship.

Andrea says: My sculptures are hand-cut in my Edinburgh Studio from weatherproof corten steel, depicting natural forms and leaves. I am particularly drawn to Ivy: the everlasting and ever-growing, a historical synonym for fertility and classed as a vigorous ornamental plant of major ecological importance. It is also known as Bindwood and Lovestone for its habit of hugging stone. On the other hand, it is perceived as a serious invasive species and a horticultural weed. The Ivy motif is a recurring theme in my work as it is a good representation for life itself and its challenges. Local communities are a vital component of her art practice, taking part in and being part of the process and influencing the outcome. In the last few years Andrea has incorporated art walking events into every public art project. These are fun events for all ages and abilities. Andrea has received awards from Creative Scotland, VACMA, the Royal Scottish Academy, Visual Arts Scotland and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, among others. She exhibits internationally and her sculptures are in many private and public collections. Andrea often works to commission. You can find Andrea on Instagram @andrea.geile and on Twitter @AndreaGeile

i: Artist of the Month Images: All photography by the artist, except Subtropical Leaves by Michael Wolchover (reproduced with permission). Cover Image Reef Hand-cut corten steel, paint. 35cm - 65cm. Tidal rock at Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park, Kyle of Bute. 2015 Image 1 Leaf Cloud Hand-cut corten steel, copper. 7.5 x 5.5m. NTS Culzean Castle entrance pier, Ayrshire. 2017 Image 2 Leaf Poles Steel. Height: 2.8m. 2011 Image 3 Wonder Wander Steel, cast, paint. Height: 65cm. 2020 Image 4 Deep into the Pinewood Steel, cast, paint. Height: 2.1m. 2019 Image 5 The Chlorophylls, Hand-cut corten steel. Height: 3.2m. Lettermore Forest, Isle of Mull. 2015 Image 6 Pylon Delight Hand-cut corten steel. Height: 1.9m. 2014 Image 8 Subtropical Leaves, 2004. Hand-cut corten steel. 2.4m. 2004 Image 9 Studio portrait of the artist 2021

Andrea Geile Leaf Cloud

ii: Herb of the Month

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) Marianne Hughes, with illustration by Hazel Brady My choice of Hawthorn this month is in honour of witnessing the appearance of its swathes of white, scented blossom. Just as taking Hawthorn stimulates the blood circulation after Winter, its late Spring flowers uplift the spirit and please the heart. Hawthorn is just the herb for the heart. Studies have demonstrated that Hawthorn increases the force of contraction in the heart while slowing the rate (Tassel et al. 2010), and Bartram (1998) notes that it is a ‘positive heart restorative... which lacks the toxic effects of digitalis’. It is a coronary vasodilator, meaning that it increases the blood flow to the heart and strengthens the muscle without raising blood pressure. In the 19th Century, a Dr Green in County Clare, Ireland, had great success with treating heart disease; when he died in 1894, his daughter disclosed that he had been using a tincture of ripe Hawthorn berries, or Haws (Brunton-Seal and Seal 2014). A similar treatment is used to this day. In one of our Herbology classes at the Royal Botanic Gardens, a tutor related that his father had had heart problems— and no faith in herbal medicine at all. In order to produce a remedy that his father would deem acceptable, the tutor soaked Hawthorn berries in sherry for a month to create Haw Sherry. This went down a treat! Hawthorn helps to dissolve cholesterol and calcium deposits, so it is good for treating arteriosclerosis (plaquing) and intermittent claudication— where the blood vessels of the legs do not receive enough oxygen for the muscles, causing pain when walking. After drinking his Haw Sherry, the tutor’s father felt well enough to take up walking on the local golf course again. Another side effect of heart problems can be oedema or water retention, formerly

known as dropsy. It is likely that Hawthorn’s astringent qualities, due to its high tannin content, assist in the treatment of this condition. Writing in 1640, John Parkinson quoted the physician Hieronymous Tragus (1498–1544) recommending Hawthorn to treat dropsy, as ‘the leaves, flowers and fruit are drying and binding’ (in Brunton-Seal and Seal 2014). Some of its other traditional uses in treatments for high blood pressure, heart arrhythmia, angina and Raynaud’s disease have since been proven effective. Tassell et al. (2010) provide a comprehensive overview of a range of studies into the efficacy of Hawthorn in the context of cardiovascular disease (CVD), listed by WHO as the number one cause of death globally. These studies confirm the safe and effective use of Hawthorn for mild to moderate heart failure, and in higher doses for more seriously ill people. But a word of warning for anyone taking betablockers or other cardiovascular pharmaceutical drugs— Hawthorn should only be taken under supervision. As well as strengthening the heart and improving circulation, Hawthorn has other applications. In Parkinson’s time, its berries were dried, powdered and steeped in wine as a common treatment for kidney stones (Brunton-Seal and Seal 2014). In the same era, distilled water of Hawthorn flowers was also used for drawing splinters, and its thorns would be used to lance a boil (ibid.). There is even a long tradition of eating young Hawthorn leaves. Hatfield (2005) mentions the practice of eating the new shoots of Whitethorn, as Crataegus monogyna was known in Essex, and notes that they were called ‘cheese and bread’. Similarly, in his Scottish Plant Lore, Kenicer (2018) notes that the young leaves can be

ii: Herb of the Month eaten as a snack— hence some of its common names like ‘cheese-an-breid’ and ‘Leddy’s meat’. Finally, Hawthorn lets us know that Summer is well and truly on the way. Kenicer records that the flowering of the Hawthorn has long been used as a guide to when it is safe to put away winter clothes: ‘Ne’re cast a cloot ‘til May is oot’. This is advice we definitely needed to follow this Spring! References and Further Reading Bartram, T. (1998) Bartram’s Encyclopaedia of Herbal Medicine. Robinson, London Brunton-Seal, J. and Seal, M. 2014, The Herbalist’s Bible: John Parkinson’s Lost Classic Rediscovered. Merlin Unwin Books Ltd: Shropshire Brunton-Seal, J. and Seal, M., 2008, Hedgerow Medicine: Harvest and Make Your Own Herbal Remedies, Merlin Unwin Books Ltd: Shropshire Hatfield, G., 2005, Memory, Wisdom and Healing: The History of Domestic Plant Medicine, Sutton Publishing: Gloucestershire

Hoffman, D. (2002) Holistic Herbal, Harper Collins Publishers: London Kenicer, G. (2018) Scottish Plant Lore: An illustrated flora, Royal Botanic Garden: Edinburgh Ody, P. (1993) The Complete Medicinal Herbal: A Practical Guide to the Healing Properties of Herbs, Skyhorse Publishing: New York Tassell, M., Kingston, R., Gilroy, D., Lehane, M., & Furey, A. (2010) ‘Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) in the treatment of cardiovascular disease’, in Pharmacognosy Reviews, 4(7):32-41

Andrea Geile Leaf Poles

iii: Anthroposophical Views

In the search for times lost Dora Wagner It is only with the heart that you can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to your eyes. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943)

In my language, we call it Weißdorn— ‘Whitethorn’ —because these shrubs and small trees turn into nature's bridal bouquet when they flower in Spring. Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) blooms early in Germany: its opulent white blossoms appear in April, bursting with flowers grouped together in small panicles, its pointed thorns and small, diamond-shaped leaves barely visible between all the flowers. As a little girl, I was firmly convinced that the fairy who lives in the Hawthorn had put on her wedding dress, celebrating the reawakening of nature in the cycle of the year. In anthroposophical medicine, the essential connections between humans and the natural world are always considered. This is deeply personalised— the plant communicates differently to different people, who draw on their own feelings, intuitions, memories and metaphors. For me, Hawthorn is resonant with family and fairy tale. It was my grandmother who taught me to distinguish between the Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and the Woodland Hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata), to notice the small, barely perceptible differences in the flower structure. I loved the tales she told me about these ‘fairy trees’, and how, in Roman antiquity, Hawthorn was the sacred tree of the double-headed god Janus, who— looking simultaneously into the future and the past —symbolises the passage of time. To my aunt, Hawthorn was ‘Christ's thorn’. In the legend she told, the crown of thorns— symbol of the mockery and

suffering inflicted on Jesus by Roman soldiers —was woven from Hawthorn twigs, and the Hawthorn flower’s stamen received their red colour from the blood of Christ. As a child my family took me to visit Sababurg, the original Sleeping Beauty’s castle, where I sorrowed for the giantess Saba who was murdered after building it. I preferred the castle as described by the Brothers Grimm, surrounded by a long and high hedge of thorns. This hedge was probably of Weißdorn— and the spindle with which Dornröschen pricked herself, so the tale goes, was made of hard Hawthorn wood. Her sleep was deep and peaceful, and she lived happily ever after under the Hawthorn’s protection from villains, demons and pathogens. In those circumstances, it might be easy to sleep for a hundred years. Crataegus lights up for a second time in autumn, when its small, roundish fruits turn blood-red. White in spring, red in autumn: this is how Hawthorn delights us all year round. But Hawthorn is not only a sensual heart’s delight— it has provided protection and security for people since they became settled. Its hedgerows, dense and thorny, was a natural protective fence for their livestock— and, as the animals eat the tasty young shoots, the hedge grows to become even tighter and more impenetrable. These hedges also provide food and shelter for many species of birds and mammals. Its flowers are important food for nectarsucking insects and the larvae of a number of butterfly species; its berries are a crucial food source for birds and wildlife in winter.

iii: Anthroposophical Views

And not just for animals, either. For my grandmother, the Hawthorn in autumn became the ‘Flour-berry-tree’: the pretty little fruits she collected tasted like flour when they were ripe and, in the lean times of war, she had used them to stretch the little flour she had. She was also firmly convinced that the colour of the berries gave a hint of their medicinal properties and that the fruits had a special effect on the blood. She was not alone in this. In many cultures, people prepare food from parts of Hawthorn and, in numerous medical traditions, Crataegus spp. is an important and valued heart remedy. Across millennia and borders, the plant has been used for a wide variety of cardiovascular disorders. It is applied primarily in cases of hardened tissues in organisms or in parts of organs, including sclerotic changes in the coronary vessels in old-age heart complaints. The young heart, at constant risk of being overstrained, is also helped by this plant's strengthening and calming effect— even preventively. The generic epithet Crataegus is from the Ancient Greek κράταιγος (krataigos), meaning ‘strong’ or ‘firm’, which helps to explain these fields of application.

In anthroposophical medicine it is believed that you can only see and understand something’s true nature, its essence, if you approach it with feeling, intuition and care. The essential qualities of plants are significant in the art of healing and the preparation of medicines; whether treating with a single plant or a combination, it is less the individual active constituents that matter, but rather the entire synergy— just as the impact of a symphony does not result from the sequence of individual notes, but from the orchestral interplay of the musicians. To interpret the essence of Hawthorn, an anthroposophical approach can be found in contemplating the holistic form— the Gestalt —of the tree. This can best be perceived in winter, when its pattern of intertwined trunks and dense and impenetrable branches becomes obvious without its leafy covering. Whereas branches and twigs normally reach outwards towards the periphery, the structure of Hawthorn seems to be the expression of a struggle between two different forces. On the one hand, Hawthorn shows great vitality in its growth;

iii: Anthroposophical Views

on the other, it seems to be pushed back from the outside, the course of its twigs and branches reverting back towards the interior of the crown. It holds within it an energy that is held back and stored, erupting only sometimes. This accumulated vitality leads to a high degree of compaction and branching, and to an extraordinary hardening of the wood; conversely, it leads to outbursts of energy, expressed through the thorns. In animate and inanimate nature, pointy shapes have the important function of radiating and receiving energies, and thorns act as an antenna through which the plant absorbs and emits life force. Another expression of Hawthorn’s energy is its unrestrained blossoming in Spring, when its densely-packed white flowers almost envelop it entirely. The scent of these flowers is, however, unpleasant: rotten and somewhat fishy, it indicates a high content of nitrogenous volatile compounds and a process of decomposition still in progress. In the emotional realm, this corresponds to impulsive discharges of pent-up feelings that have not yet been digested (Kalbermatten 2019). 13

To understand the properties of Hawthorn and its tonic effect on heart activity, we must consider the dualistic processes expressed in its signature. The first process is shown in its early flowering that appears in the marginal zone: the whole shrub is gripped by a white floral fire that quickly turns to yellow and brown. Yet this vigorous vitality is pushed back as soon as it expresses itself, as, despite an initial intense leaf growth, the tree as a whole appears compact and spare. The shape of the leaves also reflects the alternation of these opposing processes: the leaf margin widens, but is at the same time notched and sharply retained to the petiole. Hawthorn shows great vitality and expansion with its density of branches and twigs, its strongly shaped, three-lobed leaves and its great floral splendour; at the same time, there is retraction and congestion in the marginal areas, leading to hardening in the wood and the formation of thorns. The essential nature of Hawthorn is expressed in this rhythm— a rhythm that echoes the activity of the heart, alternately and steadily contracting and expanding. Indeed, in terms of human physiology,

iii: Anthroposophical Views Crataegus corresponds strongly to the heart and the regulation of the blood. Specific Hawthorn extracts relieve the heart when the movement of blood is overpowering, which can lead to trachycardia (increased heart rate) and angina pectoris (chest pain), and at the same time strengthen the processes that take place in the heart during breathing (Vogel 2019). Crataegus preparations are used as active ingredients in numerous anthroposophical remedies. In the formulation of a remedy, attention is paid not only to what the plant itself reveals, but also to how the pharmaceutical process is carried out. In the pharmaceutical laboratory of the Arlesheim Clinic, founded by Ita Wegmann in 1921, a preparation is made from Hawthorn in which the flowers and leaves and the fruits are processed separately and then combined. In Spring, the flowers that are just beginning to bloom are extracted together with the leaves in an alcohol maceration. The delicate, slightly volatile herbal essences are extracted without any heat in order to better preserve their signature. Then, in Autumn, the fruits are processed with alcohol in a warm extraction procedure called 'digestio'. Both solutions are later blended and the compositum is administered to the patient, diluted as drops. The healing effect is intensified by the combination of processes: the leafflower maceration addresses the metabolic system and the nerve-sense system, while the ‘digestio’ addresses the centralising rhythms of the heart area. This harmonises the two contrasting forces— to compress and to expand; to be held in statis and to erupt —and brings a rhythmically-balanced harmony to the patient, centred around the heart (Spaar 2016). We should also consider the spiritual dimension found in the nature of Hawthorn. When emotions become bottled up due to worry, emotional pain or ongoing stress, we

feel a tightness and a heavy weight in our chest. If this condition persists, our heart will also be affected. By improving blood circulation, Hawthorn alleviates heart complaints that occur with nervous and psychological overload. Crataegus preparations can relieve headaches, nervous tension, dizziness, insomnia and anxiety in people with feelings of tension in the heart area (Kalbermatten 2019). It is even said to help with lovesickness. Hawthorn gifts us a new impulse for life. It allows our feelings to flow again, inspiring confidence and thus releasing emotional tensions and feelings of pressure. The balancing power of Hawthorn— positioned between shrub and tree, between pome and stone fruit, and whose unbridled power of youth is seemingly tamed with age —can help us to navigate through our own thickets and to master our personal challenges.

Images All images and collages by Dora Wagner References de Saint-Exupéry, A. (1943) Le Petit Prince. Éditions Gallimard: Paris Kalbermatten, R. (2019) Wesen und Signatur der Heilpflanzen. Aarau: Switzerland Spaar, M. (2016) ‘Die Mitte beleben: Drei Pflanzen bei Herzklappenerkrankungen‘. Sourced from www.odilienzeit.ch Vogel, H. H. (2019) Wege der Heilmittelfindung. Verlags: Bad Boll, Germany

iii: Of Weeds & Weans

Lifting heavy little hearts Joseph Nolan Sometimes rough winds really do shake our darling buds of May, and cuddles just aren’t enough. Things beyond our control— and certainly beyond that of our children —can cause heartache and heartbreak, grief and fear, and reveal the awful fragility of life from which we try to shield them. Death in the family or community, the loss of a pet, illness or accident, divorce, moving far away, changing schools, witnessing a traumatic incident, even the birth of a sibling… all of these can destabilise a child’s world and cause deep unhappiness. For older children and adolescents, the betrayal of friends, trouble at school, and disappointment in sports or academics can be terrible. Children may also be navigating their own and others’ identities in terms of race, gender, gender expression, orientation, disability and neurodivergence, and those on the receiving end of bullying will need extra support. So how to heal and safeguard the hearts of children? La Vie en Rose For the emotional heart and its injuries, you just can’t beat Rosa damascena (Rose). For grief and sadness, insecurity, poor selfesteem, low confidence and fretfulness, Rose is the cure. Rose has been associated with love since time immemorial. It could be considered an aphrodisiac— its intoxicating smell quickly evokes the sensual —but 15

Rose’s love is deeper. It opens the heart and improves the capacity for compassion and love— and, most importantly, the capacity for compassion and love for oneself, the lack of which is so often at the heart of emotional and physical ills. Rose is the number one remedy for patients as diverse as babies who have experienced a traumatic birth, their mothers and fathers (the latter too often forgotten in the birth narrative), nursery-goers struggling with separation, bullied school children, and adolescents experiencing their first heartbreak. I use it, too, for those who have suffered unspeakable abuses and traumas as children. It is a remedy as sure and reliable as any in the dispensary, invaluable for healing the emotional ailments of even decades past. Rose tincture is fine, especially homemade in brandy, but I prefer it in tea— usually as an admixture in blends for other ailments — or in sublime aromatic water. Floral waters are made by distillation and so contain none of the tannins or other large molecules found in teas, but only light volatile aromatic compounds— the spirits of the flowers. Rose floral water can be given to absolutely anyone as a medicine, as well as used to wash the skin and freshen the air, and can also be added to beverages. I also like to use the syrup and glycerite sometimes for especially complex, serious cases, and for people who need a little extra love. Hawthorn for the Heart For matters of the heart, physical or emotional, Crataegus monogyna (Hawthorn) is supreme. I use it or C. laevigata (Midland Hawthorn) to treat anxiety, fear and sadness. Palpitations or awareness of the heart beating, sometimes coinciding with a fear of death, are good indications for Hawthorn. For grief, or to treat a more general sadness, listlessness or lack of sparkle, Hawthorn helps restore a sense of cheerfulness and fun. Simply put, it lifts the heart.

iii: Of Weeds & Weans As a physiological remedy, Hawthorn is an excellent treatment for heart palpitations, for poor circulation, and for Raynaud’s Phenomenon. Children with chronically cold or red hands (and, indeed, their grown-ups) can benefit from long treatment with Hawthorn. For these physical ailments, Hawthorn is slow but sure; as it may take many weeks before the benefits are felt, I find it valuable to combine it with more immediate actors. For circulation in the hands and/or feet, I use Zingiber officinalis (Ginger), especially if there are also digestive problems like wind or constipation; Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) if the child is listless, sad or lacking appetite; Curcuma longa (Turmeric) if there is inflammation; Cinnamon zeylanicum (Cinnamon) if the child has sweet cravings and a family history of diabetes; and Achillea millefolium (Yarrow) where there is eczema or a tendency for fungal infections. For emotional ills, I have found that Hawthorn is much quicker acting. If you have even a passing interest in foraging or medicine-making, you will probably be aware that the Hawthorn tree offers us two medicinal parts: the May flower and the berry, known as the Haw— and what fun can be had Hawing around in the Autumn hedgerow! Tradition dictates that the flower is used for emotional ailments and the berry for physical ones; in practice, I prefer to use both for both. Being related to the Apple (Malus)— and, indeed, Haws resemble tiny red Apples rather closely —the berry is an effective adaptogen: a nourishing and supportive remedy to carry us through the hardships of Winter with a strong and merry heart. If you positively identify a Hawthorn tree, do put some of the Haws in brandy until they are white (yes, they turn white), and then bring the resulting spirit out at Yuletide for a truly stunning and cosy tipple. Meanwhile, the creamy white flowers you find drifting on the trees like early Summer snow make a lovely flower wine, if you are so inclined. The May flower does have a peculiar scent

which is not to everyone’s taste, but luckily it vanishes when the flowers are dried. If hedgerow foraging is not possible, you can easily find both parts of the plant dried and tinctured; I prefer to mix them if possible. For tinctures, be aware that they can be harsh tasting, especially for children, so I try to reduce the alcohol content in my tincture bottles as much as I can. If making tea, do not use dried Haws— you’ll have to simmer them for at least 20 minutes or get precious little goodness out of them. What you buy as Hawthorn tea is a flower and leaf mix (and if you do try to pick the flowers in any quantity you will see why it is always a flower and leaf mix!), which makes a fine infusion. However, my favourite way to use Hawthorn is as a juice. There is a juice on the market made from both parts of the plant, produced by a company called Salus; it tastes wonderful and is nothing but herb— no alcohol or preservatives. Hawthorn juice is a firm favourite in my dispensary. There is one other way that you may wish to use Hawthorn: Herbal Helper: Hawthorn Flower Remedy Flower remedies are subtle preparations capturing the most ethereal qualities of flowers. There is nothing sciencey about them; they are pure, unapologetic magic. Devotees say that the flower’s energetic essence imbues the water and is active in incredibly small quantities, influencing the energetic and spiritual parts of a person’s being. Dr Edward Bach is the fellow credited with their invention, and he spent many years observing the subtle effects that different English flowers— prepared as flower remedies or ‘essences’ —had on peoples’ emotional states. From this work he developed a group of thirty-eight remedies indicated for very specific emotional states. Make of it what you will, but there is great power in selecting a remedy— or two, or three —to help with one’s own particular discontent and then taking that remedy each day while recalling

iii: Of Weeds & Weans why and what you wish to accomplish by doing so. The process can be transformative— even more so if you have made the remedy yourself, full of the intention to heal and become a better, stronger, freer person. Here is how you do it: 



You will need a glass bowl, some spring water (or filtered tap water, clean rainwater or whatever you have available), a large glass bottle of 300500ml in brown or blue, a small glass dropper bottle of 30ml or so in brown or blue for the remedy itself, brandy (or cider vinegar, glycerine or honey), labels and a pen. On a clear sunny day, head out to pick your flowers. Hawthorn is a small tree with very distinctive fleur-de-lis shaped leaves and flowers that are ivory white or, occasionally, a ludicrous pink (never let it be said that plants have no sense of humour). Before picking, be sure you have correctly identified your tree, as there are many shrubs with white flowers at this time of year. You want to use May flowers in full bloom or just before, so keep your eyes open for a subtle colour change: the tiny stamen anthers go from pink to brown as the flower reaches maturity and then passes over. Try to pick flowers with pink anthers. Having found your tree, pick enough flowers to completely cover the surface of the water held in the glass bowl. You probably want at least one good-sized adult handful. For flower remedies, most people favour not touching the blossoms to avoid contaminating the plant’s energy, preferring to snip them off with scissors; others just pluck them with their fingers. Fill the bowl part way with water and place your flowers onto the surface. Traditionally, the flowers are lifted using a large leaf and placed onto the water’s surface without touching, but this is up to you and your wee person.



When the water is covered with flowers, place the bowl to sit in the sun undisturbed. It needs the sun to properly infuse, so pick a spot where the bowl will enjoy direct sunlight for three or four hours. Using a leaf, wheech the flowers out of the water and place them, if possible, under the tree from which they came. The water is now what is called a Mother Essence. Half fill your larger bottle with it and then top it up the rest of the way with brandy. Now you have a preserved Mother Essence to last you many years. To prepare the remedy, place 2-10 drops of Mother Essence into the small dosing bottle and fill with brandy, water or a 50/50 mix. The more brandy, the longer it will last. To use the flower remedy, administer 24 drops from the dosing bottle either directly into the mouth or into a beverage. Flower remedies work nicely in sprays as well. Any flower remedy can be made and used in this way, provided it is not toxic or poisonous. Do be very careful with identification.

Hawthorn flower remedy is typically used for intense, heartrending stress and upheaval, inconsolable loss, and existential devastation— events from which the heart might not recover. But you can use it for small-scale tragedies too, like broken toys, dropped ice creams, highly anticipated but ultimately disappointing birthday gifts, schoolroom embarrassments, and the upsetting realisations of growing up. Happy Herbing!

Andrea Geile Wonder Wander

iv: Notes from the Brew Room

Inside out and outside in Ann King All parts of the glorious Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) have well-known associations with heart health, both physically and emotionally. Hawthorn remedies are reputed to strengthen the cardiovascular muscle, improve circulation throughout the body, and to reduce anxiety and symptoms of grief and trauma. It is no surprise that the genus name Crataegus comes from the Greek for strength. They have been used effectively for centuries as spiky hedging to mark boundaries and to corral livestock, and have acquired many other folk uses along the way. During May the buds, young leaves and blossom can be eaten directly off the tree. Little wonder that one of the Hawthorn’s nicknames is ‘Bread and cheese’! The same parts can be added liberally to a wild green salad for a nutritional boost. Later in the Autumn, the berries can be added to tonics, preserved in savoury ketchups or sweet jams and fruit leathers. The combination of Hawthorn blossom and dried Rose petals (Rosa spp.) provide a native hedgerow base for our intensely nurturing Heart Hug Balm, which is used to calm oneself before a stressful situation or as a healing embrace in times of need. The topical application of the balm ensures comfort from the outside in. This can be complemented with a freshly gathered Hawthorn, Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) and Nettle (Urtica dioica) infusion blend, which provides nourishment from the inside out. 19

Heart Hug Balm Ingredients  10g beeswax  A handful of fresh Hawthorn blossom  A handful of dried Rose petals, to bring warmth and lift the spirits  15ml infused in Almond oil (Prunus dulcis), a carrier oil chosen to enhance the fragrance and act as a light barrier  5ml Olive oil (Olea europaea)  5g Cocoa butter (Theobroma cacao), for luxurious hydration  15g Shea butter (Vitellaria paradoxa), for its silky texture  10 drops Frankincense essential oil (Boswellia sacra), to act as a fixative, promote cell regeneration, and add depth and musk notes to the fragrance  Tins for storage Method This is a recipe that cannot be rushed. Firstly begin infusing the fresh Hawthorn blossom in Almond oil and the dried Rose petal in Olive oil in a warm place for at least twelve hours. The following day, melt the beeswax slowly over a low heat, then add both the infused oils, the Cocoa butter and the Coconut oil. Stir until completely blended, then remove from the heat. Carefully add the Frankincense essential oil, stir again and quickly pour into tins. The Heart Hug Balm may be applied regularly throughout the day, both onto the decolletage and dabbed

iv: Notes from the Brew Room

inside the wrists for maximum effect. The shelf life is one year.

Freshly Gathered Infusion Take 2 sprigs of Hawthorn blossom for its delicate almond taste and soothing properties, 4 Nettle tops for their mineral and vitamin content, and 6 Lemon Balm tops for their simple, fresh notes and calming action. Chop roughly and add to a warmed tea pot. Heat 200ml water to just below the boil, then pour over the herbs and leave to infuse for five minutes. Savour the delicate almondy and lemony fragrance before

sipping slowly and mindfully. This blend makes an excellent night-time drink. Disclaimer No recipes are intended to replace medical advice and the reader should seek the guidance of their doctor for all health matters. These profiles and recipes are intended for information purposes only and have not been tested or evaluated. Ann King is not making any claims regarding their efficacy and the reader is responsible for ensuring that any replications or adaptations of the recipes that they produce are safe to use and comply with cosmetic regulations where applicable. Image: Ann King

iv: Nature Therapy

A self-led forest bathing walk Nathalie Moriarty Come to the woods, for here is rest. There is no repose like that of the green deep woods. John Muir (1938)

The first thing to note about a self-led Forest Bathing Walk is that you are in the driver’s seat— so to speak. You get to choose your own pace, where you go, what you do, and how long for. There are no hard and fast rules, no one saying you must. The only thing you should aim to do is to slow down, focus on your senses and relax into the experience. When choosing a route, consider the following:  Forest Bathing should be an enjoyable, relaxing experience. A simple circular route of 1-2 kilometres will suffice for your walk, and less is fine too.  A minimum duration of one hour is recommended; however, more time spent in a woodland will have longer lasting benefits.  A place where there is a stream or running water is beneficial.  Your woodland should include coniferous species, as these are known to release more phytoncides.  More phytoncides are released on warm days, so take the opportunity on a warm day if you can. Above all, do not feel pushed into anything you do not feel comfortable and safe doing. Sensory Invitations In Forest Bathing we follow sensory invitations as they are offered to us in Nature. There are benefits to focusing on each of our senses in turn. With time you may naturally combine these sensory inputs to home in on certain things in the forest, or to enjoy the multisensory landscape that is being offered to you. For this self-guided walk I will focus on each sense in turn to provide you with some examples of sensory invitations. With some practice you will easily see and follow the sensory invitations that are offered to you in the forest. The hardest thing may be to lose your selfconsciousness about what are appropriate ways to behave as an adult. Try to let go of this. Forest Bathing can be seen as a sensory exploration of the world as we experienced it as children, when we did not think twice about taking off our shoes or picking up worms. I invite you to find your inner child and let them explore freely, leaving the rules of the adult world behind. 21

iv: Nature Therapy

Come with me, to where you will never, never have to worry about grown up things again. Peter Pan to Wendy. (J. M. Barrie, 1911)

Sight As you slowly walk through the woods, I invite you to spend 10 minutes using your sight to explore your surroundings. What can you see?  What colours are there?  What shapes can you see?  What can you see up close and what can you see far away?  Is there anything that stands as different to everything else? You can combine the looking with touch. If you see something intriguing, get up close to it and touch it. Pick it up if it is something loose. You may find that having a camera with you and taking pictures of what you see can help you to focus on the visual. This might be a helpful tool, too, to distance yourself from intrusive thoughts. If you have a camera you may prefer to photograph everything that entices you, or else to choose a topic or theme. Here are some examples of photography themes:  A particular category of colour, such as pale green.  Spirals— how many can you find?  Various leaf shapes— how many can you find?  The tiniest things that you can see.  The shapes of entire trees. Touch As you see things around the forest that capture your interest, they may ‘invite’ you to touch them. Spend 10 minutes exploring the woods through your sense of touch. I invite you to focus on textures. Try touching a variety of different things, such as:    

Inanimate objects like sticks and stones. Living plants. The different leaves of different plants. Tree bark— how many different types of bark texture can you find?

How do you perceive things differently if you don’t use your hands? You may find this intriguing. What does a fluffy dandelion seed head feel like on your upper lip, compared to against your fingers? How about removing your shoes to feel the ground?

iv: Nature Therapy

Smell As you explore the textures of plant leaves and barks, you might notice that some leave residual smells on your fingertips. I invite you to use your sense of touch as a gateway to exploring the smells of plants and trees. As you continue walking through the woods, I invite you to focus on the smells your nose is being exposed to. If you identify a new smell as you walk through an area, stop and follow this odour to its source. You may like to open your mouth while smelling, as our senses of taste and smell are strongly related. Taste As you wander through the woods, you may recognise some plants that are edible or safe to eat. Try nibbling on the tips of their leaves to see what flavours they might hold. Plants found in the forest range from the sweet pallet of forest fruits to bitter and sour tastes. Mushrooms hold a deep earthy flavour. An important note: Only choose plants you are 100% certain what they are, and that you know you can safely eat. If you are interested in exploring forest edibles, purchase a simple guide to edible plants. Some easy to recognise and safe plants include:       

Spruce shoots (Picea sitchensis)— the new growth at the tips. Pine needles (Pinus sylvestris) Bramble leaves (Rubus sp.) Nettle shoots (Urtica dioica) Elderflowers (Sambucus nigra) Hawthorn shoots (Crataegus monogyna) Mayflowers and buds (Crataegus monogyna)

Later in the year:   

Blackberries (Rubus sp.) Elderberries (Sambucus nigra) Hawthorn berries (Crataegus monogyna)— discard the seed.

A nice way to round off your self-led walk is by drinking a forest tea, infused with the plants you have discovered. Bring a flask of hot water with you on your walk and, as you see an edible leaf or flower, consider picking it and placing it into the flask to add to your tea. You may prefer to focus on a tea made using one plant species, or to try a variety in the same flask.

iv: Nature Therapy Diaphragmatic Forest Breathing Slowing down your breathing is a quintessential practice in Forest Bathing. Somewhere along your walk, find somewhere comfortable to sit or stand. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Take a moment to calm yourself and take a few of your normal breaths in and out. Try to slow these down and make them more deliberate. After a few more breaths, focus on your hands. Take a deep and slow breath in and feel your tummy rising. Try to keep the hand on your chest still. Slowly release the breath, letting the hand on your tummy sink in. Do this as many times as you wish, each time focusing on the outbreath being slower than the inbreath. This is diaphragmatic breathing, and by doing this you are inhaling the forest air deep into your lungs. Another glorious day, the air as delicious to the lungs as nectar to the tongue. John Muir (1911)

Grounding mediation Find somewhere comfortable to sit or stand, or do this meditation as a continuation of your breathing exercises. Close your eyes and imagine roots growing deep into the earth from wherever you are touching the ground— for example, from your feet if you are standing. Imagine these roots interconnecting with the roots of the trees, fungi and plants around you. Feel your connection to the plant life surrounding you, and feel how your body connects to the ground. Do this for as long as you like. After a while, retract your imaginary roots back into your body, taking the energy of the earth, trees and plants with you. I never saw a discontented tree. They grip the ground as though they liked it, and though fast rooted they travel about as far as we do. They go wandering forth in all directions with every wind, going and coming like ourselves, traveling with us around the sun two million miles a day, and through space heaven knows how fast and far! John Muir (1938)

Safety        

  

This isn’t intended as a fast hike over challenging terrain, so keep things simple. Wear stout footwear that matches the weather and conditions underfoot. If Forest Bathing in winter, make sure you wear enough layers and warm socks and gloves. Follow discernible paths and tracks that you will be able to follow back again should you get lost. It is a good idea to have a mobile phone on you in case you do get lost, even if it is switched off. Do not rely on your phone for map-reading in remote areas. Tell someone where you are going and how long you will be away. If you choose not to take a phone and aren’t able to tell anyone where you are going, make sure you:  are confident in your ability to not get lost;  don’t take unnecessary risks. Always apply your own common sense and know your own capabilities. Do not consume anything that you have not positively identified as edible. Remember you can always turn around and go back, if for any reason you feel it is not safe to continue your walk.

References The John Muir quotations were selected from the Sierra Club Archives at www.vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/ The J. M. Barrie quotation was selected from Peter Pan and Wendy (1911), republished as Barrie, J. M. & Zipes, J. (2004) Peter Pan. New York: Penguin Books.

Andrea Geile Deep into the Pinewood

v: The Climate Column

1.5 degrees— can Joe save the day? Patrick Dunne On April 22nd, 2021, we saw President Biden host a Global Climate Summit, complete with some good-looking promises, impressive-sounding targets, and 40 world leaders making the right noises about climate change. But what do the targets mean? How do they stack up against what we actually need to happen to keep global average heating below 1.5 degrees? This target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius was set at the UN’s Climate Change Conference in Paris 2015 (COP15) and agreed to by almost every country. In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 Degrees, known as SR1.5. I know a bit about this the SR1.5 as, along with my partner and more than 100 artists, activists and members of the public, I took part in a mass reading (1) of the report at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which lasted for 50 hours. Staged readings also look place in London and at the Scottish Parliament, and the project has subsequently been taken up by local activists in Christchurch, New Zealand, and in Perth and Adelaide in Australia. SR1.5 is an extraordinary document, at once the most interesting, impenetrable and important thing I have ever read. It arrived during the activism explosion of late 2018, when Extinction Rebellion protests appeared on bridges in London, and a Swedish teenager sat on her own outside the parliament building in Stockholm. That same teenager (Greta Thunberg, of course) later submitted SR1.5 as evidence when she spoke to Congress in Washington, DC. The document is stunning in its depth and scope. To show people how much research went into it at our Fringe event, we printed the entire bibliography onto a banner; even using an 8pt font size, the banner was large enough to cover the whole side of a shipping container.

What did SR1.5 warn us about? What did it tell us we needed to do, and by when? The document detailed the projected— but meticulously researched —impact of global warming at 1.5 degrees higher than preindustrial levels on human and ecological systems. It then compared this to the impact of global warming of 2 degrees, a difference measured in metres of sea level rise, and in hundreds of millions of deaths and many more displacements. The document talks of ocean acidification, species loss, resource wars, droughts and other crises too numerous to list. We are beginning to see these effects already: the SR1.5 tells us that 'temperature rise to date has already resulted in profound alterations to human and natural systems'. The world is currently warming by an average increase of 1 degree— but we are hurtling towards 3-4 degrees: The current nationally determined contributions [i.e. the agreed levels of emissions per country, following the Paris Agreement] ... do not limit warming to 1.5 degrees. Depending on mitigation decisions after 2030, they cumulatively track toward a warming of 3 to 4 degrees above pre-industrial temperatures by 2100. (SR1.5 1:1) This is well within the lifetimes of children born in wealthy countries today; by this point, life as we know it will be threatened across huge swathes of the globe, with no one left unaffected. The ecological and humanitarian crises and increases in temperature and sea level caused by existing emissions are already locked in, perhaps for centuries; these effects are irreversible. But the SR1.5 report details some ways in which the worst outcomes arising from a further half degree of heating may be avoided— perhaps. As critics have pointed out, many of the

v: The Climate Column

mitigation and adaptation strategies discussed in the IPCC reports depend on Carbon Capture and Storage technologies that are currently unproven at the required scale, or that don't exist at all. The SR1.5 report was signed off by all member states, but the language and guidance contained within it was subject to veto by the oil-rich nations of the Middle East and the largest current and historic emitters, namely the USA and the UK (and, yes, China— although per capita and historically the first two are more to blame than anyone else). In order to get approved, the language of the SR1.5 had to be sufficiently open and even (dare I say it) vague to please— or at least, not to offend too much —these countries and their interests. Despite this, the message of the SR1.5 is remarkably radical. Despite what might appear in government or oil company press releases, the report is clear that 'rapid and deep deviations from current emission pathways are necessary'. Furthermore, 'all pathways [to emissions levels that will keep us below 1.5 degrees] 27

begin now and involve rapid and unprecedented societal transformation'. Of course, a 1.5 degree increase is still a disaster for many people and ecosystems across the world (2), and we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg. The report tells us that: Warming of 1.5 degrees is not considered ‘safe’ for most nations, communities, ecosystems and sectors and poses significant risks to natural and human systems as compared to the current warming of 1 degree. But the report also tells us that the work required to limit heating to under 1.5 degrees will have universal benefits: Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels is fundamentally connected with achieving sustainable development, poverty eradication and reducing inequalities. It promises us that ‘embedded in the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees is the opportunity for intentional societal transformation'— and this gives me hope. Ignore those that warn that our quality of life

v: The Climate Column will be destroyed or that we will be returned to some form of Neolithic wasteland. Instead, ask yourself what sort of society you want to live in, and what sort of world you want to build and grow? So what is the current plan? Does the Johnson government, the Biden administration, or Xi, Putin or Morrison have a plan that offers us 'intentional societal transformation'? Indeed, are they the people you would like to intentionally transform society? When the report was released, much was made of the ‘twelve years to save the world’ narrative. This caused alarm but lacked nuance. The report did give us some stark images and graphs showing precipitous drop-offs in emissions, and the transformations of energy, transport and food systems required for a liveable future for all. Are you seeing evidence of transformations that prioritise equity and poverty eradication in your community or your country? In Scotland, we are seeing an increase in electric cars, but not really any moves to radically move us away from private car ownership. We are seeing oil companies spend more than 90% of their advertising budgets on ads about their commitment to Net Zero, while still spending more than 90% of their actual budgets on oil and gas exploration and extraction (3). The Guardian reported that, at the latest summit held to mark America's return to the Paris Agreement, the US committed to halving emissions this decade. (4) This is a huge boost to morale after the horrors of the Trump administration’s climate policies. Biden was able to gather leaders from 40 other countries to make (mostly) impressive statements about the revised goals— although Brazil's Bolsanaro kept his pledge for a mere 24 hours before reversing a policy on deforestation. (5) Still missing from the table is China. Will Biden be able to hold firm to his commitment while also

holding onto his fragile domestic support? And will he be able to inspire and cajole enough leaders to make enough changes to make enough momentum to reduce emissions sufficiently that global warming will be limited, while also avoiding creating further poverty, conflicts and devastation for vulnerable communities around the world? And does anyone really believe that such damage will be limited to 'vulnerable' communities? (Even if this were to be an acceptable trade-off for protecting our lifestyles and wealth— which it isn’t.) The G7 will meet in Cornwall in June, and the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) takes place in Glasgow in November. Not long now. Not long to intentionally transform the world. There is no more time, and nothing else will do. Explore the IPCC’s SR1.5 Report in full at www.ipcc.ch/sr15 (1) 1point5degreeslive.org/ (2) catalyst.cm/storiesnew/2020/11/4/activists-from-themarshall-islands-fight-to-save-theirhome (3) clientearth.org/the-greenwashingfiles/shell (4) theguardian.com/usnews/2021/apr/22/us-emissionsclimate-crisis-2030-biden (5) theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/ 24/bolsonaro-slashes-brazilsenvironment-budget-day-afterclimate-talks-pledge Image: 1.5 Degrees Live! Protest at Westminster, London, 2019. Photograph by Jaye Renold, reproduced with permission.

v: Garden Gems gastropods. Deterrents include eggshells, coffee grounds, wool pellets, Garlic spray and copper tape. Eggshells (crushed but not too small) or coffee grounds should be placed around the plants that the slugs and snails find attractive, as shown in the photo featuring a Courgette plant (Cucurbita pepo). The pests do not like the crunchy texture on their little slimy bodies so keep their distance. These substances will eventually compost down into the soil, so they do not need to be removed when the plant has grown.

Pruning, Pests and Plenty Ruth Crichton-Ward Summer is now upon us, although that may be hard to believe. Finally, the temperatures have risen following the cold spells of late April and early May. I often consider May the best month of the year in terms of weather, but this year it was not to be. June can be a busy month in the garden. Everything seems to be having a growth spurt. The grass needs cut, and beds and borders require regular weeding. Plants burst into flower. By now the frosts have passed and plants which have been kept indoors or in cold frames can be planted out. Keep watering and feeding plants regularly as required. Spring flowering shrubs such as Forsythia (Forsythia x intermedia) should be pruned now, as the flowers grow on the previous year’s growth. If pruning is left until later in the year, the plant will not have time to produce fresh growth and so will not be able to bloom the following year. Other early flowering shrubs include Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) and Bridalwreath Spiraea (Spiraea prunifolia). One of the issues we now face is the prevalence of slugs and snails— the gardener’s nemeses. Every gardener you ask will have different suggestions for deterring or getting rid of the dreaded 29

Ways of dispatching the pesky creatures include nematodes and beer traps. I also know gardeners who prefer the oldfashioned way of catching them, which involves going out at night with a torch and manually collecting them in a bucket — certainly an environmentally friendly method. I have deliberately not included slug pellets in this list as my heart always sinks at the mention of them. Wildlife such

v: Garden Gems as hedgehogs, toads and birds feed on slugs and snails; if they ingest the pellets that their prey has eaten, the effects can be devastating. I have heard that gardeners who have a wildlife pond tend to be less bothered by slugs if it is home to frogs or toads, so that’s another option. The treatment which seems to be the most effective against these pests is the use of nematodes. Nematodes are microscopic creatures that feed on other organisms. There are thousands of types of nematode, so do ensure that you are buying the correct one for the specific pest. They are a form of biological control and do not harm other wildlife, pets, children or the environment. Nematodes should be mixed into water and applied to the soil with a watering can. As they are living creatures, each pack has a fairly short shelf life but can be kept in a refrigerator for up to three weeks. By late May, some plants have already flowered. Certain herbaceous plants, such as Catmint (Nepeta cataria), can be cut back already and may flower again before the year is out. Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) will start to turn yellow when they have finished flowering. Cut them back at this point, and they will give you another crop later in the year. The flowers of the Chive are pretty and edible, and the bees also love them.

There is harvesting to be done now too. Remember the Garlic (Allium sativum) we talked about in previous issues? When its leaves wilt and turn yellow, it is time to harvest. Dig the bulbs out of the ground and leave them to dry out for two to three weeks, complete with their leaves. When the leaves have completely dried, snip them off. By now the familiar papery husk will have formed around the outside of the Garlic. Early Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) should be ready now too. It is important to pinch out side-shoots on Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) at this time of year— if they are left, the yield of fruit will be reduced. Pinching them out encourages the plant to concentrate on fruit production rather than leaf growth. Strawberries (Fragaria ananassa) will be showing signs of near-readiness, so place straw around the base of the plants. This has several functions: to make it more difficult for slugs to access the berries; to keep the berries off the ground and prevent them rotting; and as a weed suppressant. It is also a good idea to put netting over the Strawberries as birds also enjoy them as a tasty treat. Later in the year when harvesting is complete, the straw can be added to the compost heap. Enjoy the long days and the warmer weather. Until next month, happy gardening!

v: The Globe Physic Garden

Notes from the Little Blue Shed Senga Bate

v: The Globe Physic Garden Almost one year to the day since Covid-19 forced the Diploma in Herbology students to abandon their physic garden plots at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, it was time to try to pick up where they’d left off. Lots of preparation had taken place behind the scenes to ensure that RBGE could comply with the new rules and regulations, so as to give all returning students the practical horticulture experience they require. The plots are a fundamental part of the course structure: each student must devise a theme for theirs, then plan, plant and tend to it before it is reviewed later in the year. After months of lockdown and green fingers growing rusty, they were raring to get back to work. But it was with some trepidation that we met for our first physic gardening session on Monday 15th March. Would the plans set in place actually work? The little blue shed has become the hub of our activity. New tools, old boots, new tabards, lots of sprays for this and that… everything we require is stored there. Remember the rules, everyone— it’s one-in one-out; spray your hands; use blue nitrile gloves! After a few minutes of everyone getting used to the new regime, we were off to inspect the plots. The joy of being back to work in the gardens raised everyone’s

spirits, despite the cold weather. All was well with the world after all. At first, we cautiously left two weeks between each session, but after Easter it was decided to allow work on the plots every Monday afternoon. Progress indeed! Due to invaluable help from the skeleton Demonstration Garden Horticulture Team, who had continued to work through all the lockdowns of the past year, the plots were in reasonable condition. However, it was quickly noted that the students’ original planting plans might not work, and a change of theme might have to be made. The Herb Bed Reviews take place in late June, so the shortage of time was an important factor to take into consideration— as was the issue of indoor nursery space not being available to bring on seeds. But by mid-May, we are beginning to see things coming together. Seeds have been sown, divisions and transplants have been made from the stockbed and from neighbouring student plots. Identification of seedlings, arriving unannounced, continues every week— to keep or not to keep? The students are maintaining the edges of their plot, weeding the little brick paths between them— and so the work goes on. One factor that has caused dismay, however, is the continuing cold weather. Usually by this time of year we find that seedlings are pushing through the soil at some speed and that the various transplants and divisions are filling out and growing strongly, but alas no. This particular Sprsing season must be one of the driest and coldest in recent years, so it’s no surprise that the plants are reluctant to show their faces. Sun, warmth and some rain, please! At time of writing there are still no volunteers working at the RBGE, so the Globe Physic Garden is reverting to nature once again…

Andrea Geile The Chlorophylls

vi: Foraging Through Folklore

The Quickthorn and the Dead Ella Leith Hawthorn (Crataegus monogynaI) is a tree that sits on borders— spatial, temporal and supernatural. In terms of spatial borders, Hawthorn hedges criss-cross the landscape, particularly in England where, during the large-scale enclosure of common land in the 18th Century, over 200,000 miles worth were planted (Mabey 1996:210). But Hawthorn has been used to mark parish and county bounds for over a thousand years; indeed, it is the most frequently mentioned tree in Anglo-Saxon boundary charters (Mabey 1996:209). Its fast rate of growth explains its suitability for hedging— no wonder, perhaps, that one of its bynames is Quickthorn. But Quickthorn— or the Quicken tree, a name it shares with the Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) —does not refer to the speed at which it grows. Instead, it alludes to its position on a temporal border: the cusp of Spring and Summer, when its white flowers— called May —blossom in abundance. The Middle English verb ‘to quick’ or ‘to quicken’ means ‘to come to life, receive life; … return to life from the dead’— even to ‘to give life to’ (Etymonline), and the Maythorn (as Hawthorn is also known) has long been

associated with the pan-European festival of life and growth that we call May Day or Beltane. This is the quarter day between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice which marks the first day of Summer, and traditional customs include folk rising early on May Day morning ‘to fetch may or green boughs to deck their doors and mantelpieces in testimony of their joy at the revival of vegetation’, as recorded by a Northumbrian antiquarian in 1825 (in Brown 1959:416). Decoration was not confined to houses. People too were decorated, mostly with garlands, for the May Day celebrations— including dancing around a bedecked May Pole or, in the more distant past, a Maythorn bush. Garlands were not enough for some rituals; the Jack-in-the-Green tradition involves decking a man with a wooden frame structure to create a a walking pyramid of leaves and flowers). Although originally a generic term for any green foliage, the word ‘May’ had become synonymous Hawthorn by the 17th Century (Brown 1959:416), and the proliferation of Hawthorn blossoms around May Day made it the go-to plant for the celebrations— with some ill effects:

vi: Foraging Through Folklore they every May-eve goe into ye Parke, and fetch away a number of Hawthorne-trees, wch they sett before their dores, ‘tis pity they make such destruction of so fine a tree. (John Aubrey 1688, in Simpson and Roud 2000:169) For some, Summer cannot start until the Maythorn blossoms: the proverb ‘cast nae a clout til May is out’ does not refer to the end of the month of May, but to the appearance of the May blossom as the necessary prompt to put away winter clothes. As if marking Summer weren’t enough, Hawthorn also marks Winter in some traditions. Simpson and Roud (2000:169) record that it was considered lucky to burn a ‘thorny globe’ of Hawthorn on New Year’s Day, so as to quicken the year into Spring. Some varieties of Hawthorn even have a second blossoming at midwinter: the most famous of these is the Holy Thorn at Glastonbury, claimed to have been planted by Joseph of Arimathea and to have blossomed yearly on New Year’s Day or (more commonly) on Christmas morning (Simpson and Roud 2000:183-4). When Britain finally adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752 and ‘lost’ eleven days of that year, hundreds of pilgrims visited the Glastonbury Thorn on the new Christmas Day to see whether the Holy Thorn had updated its time of blossoming to account for the change; it had not, which ‘was held to prove that the calendar change … was invalid and 25 December no longer the ‘real’ Christmas Day’ (Simpson and Roud 2000:183). However, as Williamson (1962:42) observes, ‘the Feast of the Epiphany [6th January] was in fact observed as Christmas Day in the time of Joseph of Arimathea and for three centuries afterwards, so the Thorn can hardly be accused of inconsistency.’

The Hawthorn carries a curious mixture of pagan and Christian, sacred and profane connotations. It seems pretty clear that ‘what is now celebrated as May Day is rooted in rituals concerned with fertility and death’ (Pallardy 2011), and ‘debauchery of all kinds’ ensued during the festival. The Puritan pamphleteer, Phillip Stubbes, was horrified by the implications of May Day, particularly of young people heading off into the woods unsupervised, ostensibly to collect May: Of fortie, threescore, or a hundred maides going to the wood ouer night, there haue scaresly the third part of them returned home againe undefiled. (1583:163) It’s not then surprising that Hawthorn is ‘a consistent symbol of carnal love, as opposed to spiritual love’ (Eberly 1989:41)— yet, conversely, ‘the purity of its white blossoms was a central symbol’ in the cult of the Virgin Mary (Vaughn 2015:10). The foliate head of the Green Man, a fertility symbol of at least two millennia old and found across Europe, the Middle East and beyond, usually features Hawthorn leaves— and is most often found carved into Christian churches. The Holy Thorn of Glastonbury was said to have been planted by Joseph of Arimathea from a thorn taken from Christ’s crown of thorns— on a site that was long believed to be a fairy hill (Simpson and Roud 2000:145, 183). This leads us to the supernatural border that the Hawthorn straddles. ‘Hawthorn is, above all, the fairy tree,’ writes Schneidau (2019), and stands as a gateway into the fairy world. Recorded in 1972, Helen Galloway (1903-1987) of Port Logan recalled a neighbour’s name for isolated Hawthorn trees: If there was a little thorn tree growin away on its own somewhere, he called that a Fairy Thorn. […] He

vi: Foraging Through Folklore was an Irishman, ye see, and there must have been some connection with fairies he gave it that name, ‘that’s a fairy thorn,’ he would’ve said. Hawthorns are both of the fairies and a protective influence against the fairies: sitting under a Hawthorn on Beltane might get you whisked away (Schneidau 2019), but hanging flowering branches of Maythorn from doors or planting Hawthorn in your hedges will keep fairies at bay (Vaughn 2015:10; Baker 1996:69). Perhaps because of this fairy connection, you don’t want to mess with a Hawthorn tree. In a 1972 interview, Jura shepherd Big Norman MacDonald (1912-1988) recalled an Irishman he knew from the neighbouring island of Islay, who had once burned a Hawthorn; as a result, his son became ill, his daughter fell asleep and could not be woken, and a part of his house came tumbling down. He subsequently left Ireland, perhaps to escape the wrath of the wronged Whitethorn. Other cautionary tales are recorded by Margaret Baker in The Folklore of Plants: [A] Worcestershire … farmer, annoyed by sightseers, chopped his tree down. … He broke first his leg, then his arm and finally his farm burned down to the ground. At Clehonger, another axe-wielding gambler saw blood flow from the tree’s trunk and stopped work in terror. … In 1877 a County Meath man felled a whitethorn without precautions [i.e. without offering a prayer], pierced his hand with a thorn and died of septicaemia. … When firewood ran short one winter at Berwick St John, Dorset, [the] son of the manor house is said to have cut down an old thorn standing on an earthwork. The horrified village soon found that no chickens would

lay, no cow calved and no babies were conceived. (1996:70) It is also believed that the failure of the DeLorean Motor Company is down to a Hawthorn standing in the field in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, where the new DMC manufacturing facility was to be built. John DeLorean ignored the advice of his Hawthorn-respecting workmen, and bulldozed the tree himself; the DMC declared bankruptcy in 1982 (Schneidau 2019). And lest fairies get all the blame, when the Holy Thorn at Glastonbury was attacked by Puritans, one was blinded by a flying chip of the trunk (Williamson 1962:41) and another managed to embed the axe in his own leg (Simpson and Roud 2000:183). Margaret Baker concludes, ‘interference with thorns, fairy or holy, [i]s reckless’ (1996:70). So the Hawthorn sits on many borders: between this place and that, this season and the next, this world and the other. It also sits on the border between the lucky and the unlucky. It protects houses, people and livestock from lightning, fire and injury (Simpson and Roud 2000:143, 169), and the ‘clootie trees’ beside holy wells may grant you wishes if you tie ribbons and pieces of clothing to its thorny branches (Vaughn 2015:10). Yet May blossom, ‘so festively flourished at spring ceremonials’, should never be brought inside the house: not only will it cause bad luck, but it may even precipitate the death of someone in the home (Mabey 1996:209-211). But the Hawthorn does give you fair warning you of this: the strange sickly scent of its blossoms is the same— they say —as the smell of decomposing flesh. Heed the Hawthorn’s warnings, and no harm will come to you.

vi: Foraging Through Folklore References Baker, M. (1996) Discovering the Folklore of Plants. Shire Publications: London Brown, P. W. F. (1959) ‘Notes on the name of the thorn’, Folklore 70 (2): 416-418 Eberly, S. (1989) ‘A Thorn Among the Lilies: The Hawthorn in Medieval Love Allegory’ in Folklore 100 (1): 41-52 Etymonline, The Online Etymological Dictionary. www.etymonline.com Mabey, R. (1996) Flora Britannica. SinclairStevenson: London Pallardy, R. (2011) ‘May Day: Sex, Death, and Fire’, blog post on The Encyclopædia Britannica Blog: www.blogs.britannica.com (29/4/2011). Schneidau, L. (2019) ‘The Fairy Trees: Blackthorn, Hawthorn and Rowan’, blog post on the Folklore Thursday Blog: www.folklorethursday.com (28/03/2019) Simpson, J. and Roud, S. (2000) A Dictionary of English Folklore. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Stubbes, P. (1583 [1877-9]) Anatomy of the Abuses in England in Shakespeare’s Youth, The New Shakespeare Society: London. Full text available at: www.archive.org Vaughn, B. (2015) Hawthorn. WHERE. Yale University Press: New Haven, CT Williamson, H. R. (1962) The Flowering Hawthorn. Peter Davies: London The interviews mentioned can be found on the Tobar an Dualchais / Kist o Riches website, the online portal for selected items held in the School of Scottish Studies Sound Archives at the University of Edinburgh: Helen Galloway – tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/2954 4 Norman MacDonald tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/5108 6

vi: Botanica Fabula

Stolen away by the Fae? Amanda Edmiston I've always loved Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna). Many people dislike it due to the scent of its blossoms, called May, which hold elements in common with putrefaction— perhaps instinctively recalling lore regarding the dangers of bringing it into the house. I'm lucky to be one of those people who merely picks up an olfactory flicker of something sweet and Spring-like, with only the merest hint of the sinister in its essence. For me, Hawthorn has only positive connotations. My Gran's middle name was May, and I immediately think of her whenever I encounter the tree. I loved her

stories of cycling to school in the 1930s, picking the fresh spring growth— called the 'bread and cheese' leaves —to pop between slices of bread when there wasn't much else to make a filling. One of my favourite legends connected to the plant comes from Ovid, who tells that the Roman goddess of viscera, Carna, used Hawthorn twigs gifted to her by the two-faced god Janus to lure the malicious vampiric Strige away from unsuspecting children. I knew that 'Hawthorn mends a broken heart' as a child, long before I learned that its constituents have a positive effect on the circulatory system. Hawthorn simply makes

vi: Botanica Fabula

me happy, and I mention it a great deal in my herbal storytelling sessions.

grandchildren. The story had just seemed to travel on its own.

The story I want to share now concerns one of these sessions, and a rather peculiar coincidence that took place while I was chatting away about Hawthorn trees...

When I’d asked the then Primary 4 group if they knew the tree I meant, they quickly led me out across the playing field to where the solitary Hawthorn grew, and pointed out the passageways under its roots. These definitely had an air of otherworldly mystery, and all the subtle indications of being potential paths in and out of a magical world. But before I become trapped in the fairy tree's shadow, unable to leave until I've told a good story— only to discover that not merely one evening but several years have passed —let me bring us back to the herbal storytelling session at The Storytelling Centre...

It was during a Herbal Magic and Potent Potions workshop for families at The Scottish Storytelling Centre back in 2017. The session was part of my project ‘The Kist in Thyme’, for which I'd been gathering stories and reminiscences about plant use and folklore from across rural Stirlingshire, working with schools and older folk in the community. I was telling the audience about one of these Stirlingshire trips, about how one Hawthorn tree in a particular school playground had turned out to be a renowned fairy tree. Four generations of folk from the area remembered playing under it and thinking of it as home to the fairies, but none of them could recall who had told them that this is what it was, or whether they themselves had ever passed on the rumour to their own children or

Here, as I shared the story of the school’s Hawthorn tree, the sound of a mobile phone jangled through the courtyard. A woman sitting at the front with her daughter reached into her pocket for her phone and, apologising, switched it off. I smiled and went on with sharing my warnings of the rules one should follow, should one ever

vi: Botanica Fabula find oneself trapped in the Queen of the Fae's domain. But, just as I was telling the audience that if you eat food in fairyland you will forget where you came from (while at the same time offering them each an oatcake topped with hedgerow jelly, laced with hearthealing Hawthorn berries), the phone went off again— more persistently this time. The woman apologised and stepped out of the room, coming back only a moment later with a surprised and pleased but somewhat disconcerted expression. She sat back down and the session continued, but at the end she came up to me and explained what the disturbance had been. She opened her phone and showed me the short film she'd been sent during the workshop. It showed an ancient Hawthorn fairy tree in Co. Armagh, which had been threatened with destruction by encroaching building work. Locals had protested, insisting that legend held that if anyone cut down or damaged the tree they would die young or become seriously ill, for it was home to the Fae. Their protests had been successful: the tree had been saved and was now fenced off, its presence and story safe for future generations. While she was in the workshop, her friend had come across the tree and filmed it to show her, but couldn’t wait for a reaction and so called to tell her the news first-hand. If phones must intrude on workshops, let it be for as lovely and magical reasons as this!

concerned that the Haws were poisonous; overjoyed to discover that they were edible, many took a handful home as an aide memoir for the next stage of the Kist in Thyme project: to gather memories and anecdotes from their own families. It was following this that one lad came back with his Grandpa's memory of the Hawthorn— that is, of using the berries as ammunition in a homemade blow gun… I shared that anecdote at the Scottish Storytelling Centre family sessions too, and let's just say that it led to no end of mischief. But should you ever find yourself under a Hawthorn tree trying to prevent the fairies from stealing you away, at least now you know that you have a resource at hand for protecting yourself! References Ovid. (2004) Fasti. Translated by Boyle, A., and Woodard, R. Penguin: London Vickery, R. (2019) Vickery's Folk Flora. Weidenfeld & Nicolson: London More from Amanda's 'Kist in Thyme' project can be found at www.botanicafabula.co.uk/the-kist-inthyme Photographs by Deborah Mullen, reproduced with permission.

These magical connections to trees, our personal links and anecdotes, are what help us to treasure them and recognise their value. Returning to my visit to the Stirlingshire tree, its white blossoms had long since drifted away by the time of year that the children showed me its roots, but its blood-drop red berries were burgeoning. Many of the children had been

Andrea Geile Pylon Delight

ix: StAnza Presents…

Larry Butler

From The Earth Says (after Hokasai Says) The birds say keep singing

sing from your heart

fly from branch to branch stay curious

stay light

start fresh

each year with a new nest then be patient & sit on your eggs till they hatch The sun says keep smiling smile at your reflection on still water from dawn to dusk go outside out to play with light & shadow in the day long dazzle leaping through thin air

Larry Butler was born in the USA and has lived in Glasgow since 1981. He teaches tai-chi in healthcare settings and leads therapeutic writing groups at the Maggie Cancer Care Centre, and in the Kibble Palace of the Glasgow Botanic Gardens. His publications include Butterfly Bones (Two Ravens) and Han Shan Everywhere (Survivors' Press). A poet and editor for PlaySpace Publications, he trains/mentors writers and storytellers to lead creative words for wellbeing groups with Lapidus Scotland, and recently edited Living Our Dying – the more we talk about death the more lively we become – with 21 Scottish writers contributing, launched in May 2021. StAnza brings poetry to audiences and enables encounters with poetry through events and projects in Scotland and beyond, especially their annual spring festival in St Andrews. www.stanzapoetry.org

Facebook: stanzapoetry

Instagram: @stanzapoetry

Andrea Geile Subtropical Leaves, 2004

ARE YOU A PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT BOTANIST? We are looking for a friendly botanist, interested in public engagement, to contribute a regular column to our pages. Help us grow our audience, teach us lovely botanical things. Your readers await…. Contact: herbologynews@gmail.com

Herbology News has grown from the Herbology courses taught at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, under the careful eye of Catherine Conway-Payne. A suite of Herbology course options is available, as part of the broad range of education courses offered by RBGE. Herbology News is neither financially nor materially supported by RBGE, but is put together entirely by volunteers and is currently seeking charity/not-for-profit status.

viii: Contributors

Senga Bate started her RBGE Herbology journey around 2007, at first attending evening classes, then any and all classes offered by Catherine ConwayPayne, and eventually graduating from the Dip. Herbology in 2015. Since 2016/7 Senga has tutored in herb horticulture on both the attended and blended RBGE Diplomas. She has been a volunteer in the Physic garden areas in RGBE since 2013. A huge advocate for kitchen pharmacy, she uses herbs, spices, mushrooms, wild plants and sea vegetables as daily preventative medicine.

Hazel Brady’s background is in IT, but she has always loved plants and since retiring has expanded her knowledge, especially around herbs. She completed the Diploma in Herbology at RBGE under Catherine Conway-Payne. Retirement has also given her the opportunity to develop another of her interests— an artistic practice centred in drawing and painting.

Ruth Crighton-Ward has had a long interest in plants and nature, although her first career was in Stage Management. After 18 years working in a variety of Scottish theatres, she decided to go into gardening. She took her RHS Level 2 in Horticulture, as well as a Certificate in Practical Horticulture at RBGE. In 2014 she started her own gardening business, which has proved successful. In 2018, alongside her full-time work as a gardener, she returned to the RBGE for a Diploma in Herbology.

Patrick Dunne is an Edinburgh-based community gardener. Since 2018 he has, with his partner Katie Smith, co-organised an International Fringe event staging readings of the 2018 IPCC 1.5 Degrees Global Warming report, made lots of flat sourdough bread and camped, marched and organised as an occasional environmental activist.

viii: Contributors

Amanda Edmiston was raised in stories; her mother is a professional storyteller, her dad was a toymaker, her grandfather a sculptor, her gran a repository of traditional remedies and folklore. After studying law, then herbal medicine, Amanda began to blend facts, folklore, traditional tales, history and herbal remedies into unique works. Based in rural Stirlingshire, you can follow her on Facebook, @HerbalStorytell, and find more of her works at www.botanicafabula.co.uk

Marianne Hughes began following her interest in complementary medicine after a career in Social Work Education and voluntary work in Fair Trade. Starting with Reflexology & Reiki, she progressed into Herbal Medicine. The evening classes at the RBGE got her hooked and she completed the Certificate in Herbology and, more recently, the Diploma in Herbology. Her current joy is experimenting with herb-growing in her own garden, in a local park, and alongside other volunteers in the RBGE Physic Garden. marianne@commonfuture.co.uk

Ann King has always dabbled in gardening in some shape or form is now a horticultural therapist and graduate of the RBGE Herbology Diploma. She is passionate about facilitating nature re-connection and enabling its therapeutic benefits by creatively adapting knowledge and stories for organised group sessions: either outdoors, incorporating exercise; or sedentary, indoor, experiential workshops. You can follow her on IG: @yourthymefornature or at www.thymefornature.com

Dr. Ella Leith is an ethnologist and folklorist who studied in Scotland and now lives in Malta. She particularly loves folktales and the storytelling traditions of linguistic and cultural minorities. IG: @leithyface

viii: Contributors

Nathalie Moriarty is an Accredited Practitioner with the Institute for Outdoor Learning and a graduate of the RBGE Diploma in Herbology. She works full-time for Scottish Forestry co-ordinating the ‘Branching Out - Positive Mental Health through Nature’ programme. She is passionate about working with nature to help people lead happier and healthier lives.

Maddy Mould is an illustrator living in the Scottish Borders. Her work is heavily influenced by the magic of the surrounding natural landscape. IG: @maddymould and www.maddymould.co.uk

Joseph Nolan practices Herbal Medicine in Edinburgh, at the UK’s oldest herbal clinic, and specialises in men’s health and paediatrics. He is a member of the Association of Foragers, and teaches classes and workshops related to herbal medicine making, wild plants, foraging, and natural health. You can find him on Facebook and Instagram @herbalmedicineman, and on his website: www.herbalmedicineman.com

Dora Wagner is a graduate of the RBGE Diploma in Herbology, and a Didactician in Natural Science. She also works as a Naturopath for Psychotherapy, and as a Horticultural Therapist. She currently lectures in Medical Herbalism at the University of Witten/Herdecke, and is leading a project reconstructing the medicinal herb garden of an Anthroposophic Hospital in Germany. dora.wagner@t-online.de and www.plantadora.de

Andrea Geile Studio Portrait of the Artist

viii: Looking Forward

07//21: The Floral Issue    

A selection of your favourite columnists Plus, Herb of the Month: Lime Blossom (Tilda europea) Plus, Artist of the Month: Callum Halstead Plus, we focus on the nose and olfactory system And more…

06 // June // The Fresh Issue

Articles inside

StAnza Presents... Larry Butler

Botanica Fabula: Stolen away by the Fae?

Foraging Through Folklore: The Quickthorn and the Dead

Notes from the Little Blue Shed

Garden Gems: Pruning, Pests and Plenty

The Climate Column: 1.5 degrees— can Joe save the day?

Nature Therapy: A self-led Forest Bathing walk

Notes from the Brew Room: Inside out and outside in

Of Weeds and Weans: Lifting heavy little hearts

Anthroposophical Views: In the search for times lost

Herb of the Month: Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

Artist of the Month: Andrea Geile