Contents July / August 2012
22
46 116 In the garden
In the kitchen
Craft
10
Traditional garden roses
38
Colourful courgettes
16
Rose Water makers
46
Strawberry picking time
64
Sun lovers: Decorating with sunflowers
18
The garden in... July and August
52
Tomato bonanza
82
Versatile lavender
22
Summer Sweet Peas
58
In the kitchen
92
Cross-stitch beach bag
28
Dealing with abundant harvests
37
In the garden
60
Regional and seasonal: Cornish seafood restaurant
78
A tropical British garden to visit
4
100 Rose mosaic: Making a rose-patterned mosaic table 106 Silver jewellery maker
126 64 86 100
Country matters
History and heritage
Regulars
72
A summer farmhouse
86
6
Readers’ letters
96
Inspired by wildlife: artist Robert Fuller
110 The Lake District poets
8
Our LandScape
116 Exploring the Norfolk Broads
71
The Lay of the Land: The trials of a village fĂŞte
126 Seals on our shores 132 Pipistrelle bats 136 The garlic farmer
A day at the beach
146 A stone circle walk
150 UK events 162 Coming next issue
142 Brave new butterflies
5
Old Garden Roses Basking in the summer sun, Old Roses exude the strong scent of their wild ancestors
10
11
The colourful courgette The arrival of the delicate, bright yellow flowers of the courgette plant means that harvest time is here
A
LTHOUGH A HYBRID of the cucumber, the courgette belongs to the squash family. Like all squashes its ancestry lies in the Americas. In North America and Australia it is known as a zucchini, derived from the Italian word Zucchino, meaning small pumpkin. In Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa it is known as a courgette, a French loan word. The courgette plant grows both a female and male flower. The female is the golden blossom that appears on the end of each emerging courgette. The male is also yellow and very similar in appearance but instead grows directly on the stem of the plant. It appears on a long stalk and is slightly smaller than the female. Both flowers are edible and, along with crunchy courgette squashes, adapt to many sweet and savoury recipes. ›
38
39
The warm glow of yellow sunflowers lifts the spirits even higher on a glorious day
SUN LOVERS 64
The head is made up of hundreds of tiny brown flowers, each of which will produce seed
65
Versatile lavender The bright purple, aromatic flowers of lavender have been used in cooking, cosmetics and medicines for more than 2,500 years
T
he botanical name for the 39 different species of this fragrant herb is Lavandula. There are two theories as to the origin of the English word lavender. Some claim it evolved from the Latin lavare, meaning to wash – Romans used the herb extensively in bathing. It is also suggested it derived from the Latin livere, meaning blueish. History of the herb Lavender is mentioned in the Bible as spikenard from its Greek name Naardus. The gospel of Luke says: “Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.” Lavender is believed to have been first domesticated in Arabia. In Egypt and
82
Phoenicia it was used as a perfume and for mummification. Jars filled with lavender were found Tutankhamun’s tomb. In 1922, when opened after 3,000 years, it was said to retain a slight scent of lavender. Egyptian royals and priests used lavender in cosmetics, massage oils and medicine. Wealthy men put solid cones of lavender ointment on their heads. As it melted it covered their bodies in perfume. Medicinal uses The first written records of the healing properties of lavender come from the Greek Dioscorides in 77AD. He was a military physician under the Roman Emperor Nero, and collected medicinal plants from around the Mediterranean. He described the plants in a five-volume work titled De Materia Medica. He noted that
To dry lavender at home tie a bunch together with string and hang upside down in a dark and cool room
Left: The luscious purple fields of lavender Below: bees are attracted to the nectarrich flowers of this aromatic herb
Above: a sack filled with dried lavender flowers for use in cooking, medicines, cosmetics and essential oils. Dried lavender is more potent than fresh
lavender, when taken internally, relieved indigestion, headaches and sore throats. Externally, lavender could be used to clean wounds and burns or treat skin ailments. Roman soldiers used lavender to dress war wounds. It was also strewn on the floor to fumigate sick rooms and as incense for religious ceremonies. The Romans used oil of lavender in their hair, clothes, beds, baths and military flags. Greek writer and encyclopaedist, Pliny the Elder, noted its benefits in helping those with menstrual problems, upset stomachs, kidney disorders, jaundice, dropsy and treating insect bites. Royal intervention By the time the Romans left England in the 5AD, lavender was growing in “infirmarian’s gardens” in monasteries,
along with other medicinal herbs. The monks copied ancient manuscripts and recorded the medicinal effects of various plants. By the 12th century, lavender was listed as being grown at Merton Abbey in what is now the London suburb of Mitcham. This later became the centre of lavender production in England. When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in the 1500s, lavender moved to domestic gardens. Ladies placed the herb among linens, sewn into sweet lavender bags, used it to freshen the air and mixed it with beeswax to make furniture polish. Traditionally it was planted near the laundry room and the washerwomen – or ‘lavenders’ as they were called – would lay linen and clothing over the plants to dry and absorb the odour. It was used to repel insects, treat lice, and ›
83
A rose mosaic A pattern of roses on an old table provides not only an attractive piece of outdoor furniture but also the satisfaction of working in mosaic
100
Below: tile nippers cut tiny cubes called tesserae from unglazed porcelain tiles
Above: the design for the flowerheads was traced from photos of roses and then simplfied into a stencil shape to provide a guide for nipping the tiles
T
There are three ways to create a mosaic. The first is the Direct Method. This involves glueing each tessera, or tile, in its final position on a floor, wall, table top or picture board. For example, to follow a pattern drawn out on that surface. The second method is the Indirect one. The pattern is drawn on backing paper and the tesserae stuck in place temporarily face-down. The whole design is then placed in its final position and the backing paper removed. This method is useful if the mosaic is large, as the design can be made in stages and then assembled. The third method is the Double Indirect. Here, the mosaic is put together face up on sticky-backed plastic or plasticine. When complete, another sheet of plastic or putty is placed on top and the whole thing turned over. The original holding material is removed and the design positioned as in the Indirect Method. This method requires a lot of care and skill but it enables the mosaic-maker to see exactly what the final result will look like before it is put in place. For this rose mosaic table, the simpler Direct Method is the one employed. ›
A charity shop table was rubbed down and covered in two coats of exterior paint in an off-white colour
101
Seals on our shores 126
In July and August, many of our northern and eastern coasts become nurseries for Common Seal pups
D
espite its name, the Common Seal is the scarcer of our two native seals. The British population is estimated at 40,000 to 50,000, compared with about 125,000 Atlantic Grey Seals. Globally, the situation is reversed: the Common Seal is more numerous worldwide. There are an estimated five or six million individuals, compared with 300,000 Grey Seals. Common (also known as Harbour) Seals can be found around much of the northern hemisphere, including the Pacific coasts of Alaska, Canada and the US, eastern Asia, Japan, Scandinavia, the Baltic and the North Sea. However, they have a more restricted distribution than Grey Seals in the UK. They are mainly found along the east coast of England and Scotland, the island groups of Orkney and Shetland, and the north and west coasts of Scotland. Here, their familiarity has given rise to the legend of the selkie or silkie. They are also found around the coast of Northern Ireland, with a large breeding colony in Strangford Lough. Common Seals are mostly absent from the west and south coast of England and the whole of Wales. The next generation Midsummer is the key time in the life cycle of the Common Seal. Unlike Grey Seals, which mate on land between September and December and give birth
Left: the enormous eyes of the Common Seal enable it to see in even the murkiest of waters. Above: Common Seals often haul out to rest on sandbanks, where they and their pups are safe
the following autumn, Common Seals mate at sea in July. However, there is then a delay of three months until the fertilised egg is implanted and the foetus begins to develop. This means the breeding cycle lasts for a whole year, with the females giving birth the summer after mating – usually from late June to early July. The single pup is born on land, in the area below the tideline. Unlike Grey Seal pups, these young seals are able to swim and dive a few hours after they are born. This means that during this time the mother seal is able to replenish her energy reserves by feeding. This is an option denied to Grey Seal mothers, which do not feed at all while suckling their young. The mother feeds the pup with her fat-rich milk for about four to six weeks
and then it is weaned. Almost immediately afterwards she mates with one or more males and the breeding cycle begins again. Telling one seal from another Identifying Common Seals where both species occur takes some practice. Colour is not particularly helpful, as both Grey and Common Seals come in a variety of shades from pale yellowish-buff, through browns, to grey spotted with black. Common Seals are, on average, smaller than Greys. They grow to a length of 1.2m to 1.6m (4ft to 5ft) and weigh in at between 45kg to 130kg (99lb to 280lb), compared with between 1.4m and 2.5m (5ft to 8ft) and a weight of 130kg to 440kg (280lb to 970lb) for Grey Seals. Like all true seals they do not have ›
“I am a man upon the land, I am a silkie in the sea, and when I’m far frae every strand, my home it is in Sule Skerry” Traditional Orkney folk song
127
A stone’s throw away All over the UK there are prehistoric stone circles such as Castlerigg in Cumbria that can be discovered on a summer’s walk
146
The Castlerigg rocks are Borrowdale Volcanic, formed 450 million years ago
C
astlerigg Stone Circle is one of the oldest in Britain. It is located a mile and a half south east of Keswick in Cumbria and 213m (700ft) above sea level. It dates back to around 3000BC, which places it in the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age. This was some 2,900 years before the Romans arrived to occupy Britain. It was one of the first ancient monuments to be scheduled in Great Britain and Ireland under the Ancient Monuments Protection Act 1888. A public collection organised by one of the founders of the National Trust, Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley, bought the field it stands in from a Cumbrian farmer in 1913. Another name for Castlerigg is the Keswick Carles, which means “wise elders”. This stems from a local legend that the stones are petrified men. In 1725, William Stukeley, antiquarian and early investigator of Stonehenge, reported the presence of 50 stones at Castlerigg. A century later the number was reported to be 40. Whether the difference came about because stones had been taken or because there was an original miscounting is not known. The circle now sits on land owned by the National Trust. However, it is maintained by English Heritage. It is one of the most beautifully sited of stone circles, on a grassy plateau ringed by distant high hills. If you stand in the centre and slowly rotate, the arrangement of the stones seems to mirror the shapes of the hills beyond. Either side of north lie Skiddaw and Blencathra, roughly south are Helvellyn and Great Howe. Eastwards looks to the Pennines, and west to Grisedale Pike and Cat Bells.
The shape of the stones The diameter of the circle of 38 stones is around 30m (98ft). In fact, the area is slightly more oval in shape than perfectly round. Thirty-three of the stones are still standing upright. They vary in size, but most are about 1m (3ft) in height, with the tallest being 2.3m (7½ft) and weighing around 15 tonnes. There are 10 more stones inside the circle at the eastern end that form a rough rectangle known as the Cove. The Castlerigg stones are Borrowdale Volcanic rock. They are thought to be glacial erratics – large boulders that were carried away from their original sites by Ice Age glaciers. The word erratic comes from the Latin errare, to be mistaken or wrong. This is apt, as such stones are often deposited miles from their origins and so are alien to the native geology. In 1882, excavations within the stones of the Cove conducted by W Kinsey Dover revealed some quantities of charcoal but little else. No further excavation has ever been done. Three stone axeheads were found elsewhere on the site. Circles and henges There are approximately 1,300 Neolithic and Bronze Age stone circles or henges in the UK. The earliest forms were circular ridges surrounding a ditch or pit, which are what we normally term a henge. First, wooden posts and then large stones were placed around the circle. The original henges were small single rings but they gradually grew in size and complexity to often encompass two or three concentric rings. The most well known of the henges is Stonehenge in Wiltshire. The stones are thought to have been placed on ›
The atmospheric setting for the Castlerigg stone circle, with views of the Cumbrian hills
147