Malus trilobata leaf in autumn by Howard Rice
Friends’ News A Garden Room for the Schools’ Garden Garden Escapes
A new purpose-built classroom, to be known as the Geoffrey and Eileen Adams Garden Room, is planned for the Schools’ Garden. The Garden Room will transform our capacity for introducing schoolchildren to the natural world and drive forward our mission to help teachers integrate plants into teaching across the Curriculum.
Scheme design for the Geoffrey and Eileen Adams Garden Room The Schools’ Garden has quickly become a productive, creative and safe space where schoolchildren can enjoy getting mud under the fingernails with hands-on fruit and vegetable gardening, be introduced to the concepts of biodiversity and responsible citizenship through discovering the ecosystems at work, and enjoy learning in an outdoor environment. We are very grateful to the many Friends and Corporate Friends who donated time and finance to get the Schools’ Garden growing, including the volunteers from Cambridge law firm, Mills & Reeve, who dug over the overgrown plot, and Peter Groeneveld of PG Horticulture who made the lead donation to turn the plan on paper into reality. The proposed Garden Room will add a creative, child-oriented learning space for 36 pupils together with essential facilities such as a small kitchen for cooking meals from the harvested fruit and veg, together with provision for coats, lunchboxes and WCs. This will enable us to offer a year-round, allweather schools programme and extend the ways in which plant diversity, horticulture and plant science can enrich and inform young lives. With the doors flung wide open in good weather, the ability to make observations and experiments out in the Schools’ Garden that can be immediately investigated further indoors, surrounded by shelves of natural finds like coloured bark, seedheads and pinecones,
moulted grass snake skins, last year’s birds’ nests, reference resources and walls of drawings and photos, will make for a potent, inspirational combination. Simple things like having a dedicated space where children can have their lunch will mean schools from further afield can come to the Garden and sufficient WC provision will mean that time is not wasted traipsing up and down to the Glasshouse Range. New experimental plantings will be developed: displays of nasturtium and lady’s mantle will encourage investigation of hydrophobic leaf surfaces, for example, and mini meadows are brilliant for small scale biodiversity surveys. The Garden Room will also become our centre for delivering continuing professional development courses for teachers in the region, helping them realize the potential in their school grounds for teaching across the Curriculum. For example, learning plant names and labelling crops can be used for developing language and literacy skills; bed layout, plant spacing and crop rotation planning are perfect for reinforcing maths and IT skills; and, flower and herb growing can be used as the basis of school enterprise projects. Use of the Garden Room will not be restricted to term time, however. We envisage that many of our family and community activities will also find a home here. Top of the list will
be to restructure and enlarge our Gardening Club, an after school group for children from the local area who want to learn about plants and how to grow and care for them. The Geoffrey and Eileen Adams Garden Room has been so named to thank the extraordinary generosity of Chris and Sarah Adams. Mr and Mrs Adams are already members of the ViceChancellor’s Circle in recognition of their generosity to Mr Adams’s undergraduate college, Pembroke. Mr Adams says that his time at Cambridge transformed his life, made him ask questions and be curious, the qualities we hope to encourage in children visiting the Garden. After discovering the tree collection here, Mr and Mrs Adams were inspired to contribute a game-changing £150,000 to the Garden Room in memory of Mr Adams’s parents, who made a beautiful garden in Sussex of acid-loving rhododendrons and azaleas, and from whom he inherited a love of gardening and a curiosity about the natural world. This modest, single-storey and environmentally-sensitive building will nevertheless have a huge impact on our schools provision. The proposal is currently under consideration by the Cambridge City Council. With fingers crossed for planning permission, we hope to start on site by Christmas so as to be ready to make the most of the 2015 growing season. Friends’ News – Issue 96 – September 2014
Welcome I write in the middle of a hot dry spell at the end of July. Gardening is always challenging in the Cambridge climate, which averages less rainfall than Jerusalem, but particularly so in extended periods of hot weather. We are committed to sustainable horticulture, and are very proud of our careful use of additional water. Regular visitors might be surprised to know that we never use mains water for irrigation, but instead rely on our large tanks of stored rainwater and on our little-known borehole! It is a tribute to the hard work and skill of the horticultural team, who use careful preparation and management to acclimatise plants to dry conditions, that the Garden looks so green and lush in this hot spell. As a result of all these lush plantings, and perhaps also as a result of the hot weather, the Garden is as busy with visitors as it has ever been. Of the first six months of this year, only April was not record-breaking in terms of visitor numbers per month. We are delighted to see so many visitors enjoying the Garden and learning about the amazing lifecycles and adaptations of plants, but of course increased visitor numbers do bring increased wear and tear, both on the Garden and on the staff! We are currently looking at a range of ideas to encourage visitors to explore the quieter areas of the Garden, to develop areas of interest for children away from the current hot spots, and to extend the café’s capacity. Any suggestions you have would be very welcome. When this gets to you preparations will be in full swing for Apple Day on Sunday October 26th. This familiar fruit still has the capacity to surprise. Scientists are uncertain of the origin of the cultivated apple, with the conventional view being that it is descended from Malus sieversii, an Asian species of wild apple. However, just last year a research paper showed that while most of the DNA in domesticated apples does appear to descend from Malus sieversii, the chloroplasts (the little organs within each cell where photosynthesis takes place) are descended from the chloroplasts of Malus sylvestris, our European crab apple. This surprising finding suggests that some enterprising early plant scientist crossed the Asian species onto the European species to generate the crop we grow today. Come along to Apple Day to find out more fascinating apple facts, and of course to taste the enormous diversity of apple varieties available in our region. Professor Beverley Glover, Director
Friends’ News – Issue 96 – September 2014
Curating Cambridge: our city, our stories, our stuff Five weeks of exhibitions, events, workshops, talks, trails and performances exploring the nature of curation and collecting will be brought together under the umbrella of ‘Curating Cambridge’ later this autumn. Developed by the University of Cambridge Museums and the University’s public engagement team, the Curating Cambridge season launches during the Festival of Ideas and runs until 23 November. It is part of a wider campaign to explore connections between all the wonderful collections held here in Cambridge, and our contributions involve dropping some of our treasured What’s On contributors into new locations to open up new possibilities…
thing is…’ and working with artists from ‘The Campsite’, a collection of caravans and tents that will be pitching up on Christ’s Pieces over the first weekend of half term, 25 and 26 October, to create mini venues for art, music, theatre, film and poetry inspired by the University’s collections.
Garden Director, Professor Beverley Glover, will be discussing the art and science of garden curation at the Fitzwilliam Museum, with its Director, Tim Knox, on the evening of 23 October. Garden history tutor, Twigs Way, explores the use of statues in gardens in a session hosted at the Museum of Classical Archaeology on 21 November. Georita Harriot will lead a one day botanical watercolour workshop on 12 November at the Fitzwilliam Museum, where they have an exquisite collection of flower drawings and paintings, and that evening Mary Butcher, our basketry tutor, will give a talk at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
Time for a photograph while digging the pits in early 1950s with David Hinks, Roy Jones, Sid Boggis and Dickie Coughland upside down. From the Voicing the Garden archive, contributed by Roy Jones.
We are also providing material for a new exhibition at the Polar Museum called ‘The
And throughout Curating Cambridge, we will be digitally sharing some of the now huge archive of written and creative work, music, film and animation works, and interviews curated from public contributions to the Garden’s oral history project, Voicing the Garden, by tweeting a highlight each day using #OurCam – do follow and share.
The Curating Cambridge programme is available to pick up at the Garden and across the city. Or visit the website at www.curatingcambridge.org.uk – online booking is now open.
Top UK Biology Teacher honoured The winner of the Society of Biology’s ‘School Biology Teacher of the Year’ award visited the Botanic Garden in July to gain a unique insight into the University’s pioneering role in the understanding of biology, both historic and contemporary. Catherine Russell, from Altrincham Girls’ Grammar School in Manchester, was nominated for the award by her pupils in recognition of her outstanding teaching. The award was sponsored by Science and Plants for Schools (www.saps.org.uk), a programme based at the Garden and Sainsbury Laboratory, which supports high quality plant science teaching in schools and colleges. The day began with a tour of the Garden, focusing on some of Henslow’s trees showing interesting mutations and adaptations, and looked at the work of Henslow’s most famous protégé, Charles Darwin. Catherine was particularly delighted to discover that her prize included the opportunity to join Christine Bartram, Chief Technician at the
Catherine Russell, School Biology Teacher of the Year 2014, right, is shown the Herbarium by Christine Bartram. University’s Herbarium (housed in the Sainsbury Laboratory) to view and digitise a newly rediscovered herbarium sheet made by Darwin himself. In sharp contrast, Catherine’s afternoon was spent with today’s scientists, learning how model organisms, confocal microscopes and computer modelling are all used in contemporary biological research.
Harriet Truscott, Communications Officer, SAPS
Apple Day on 26 October
The Cambridge Community Collection
Make sure the first half-term Sunday is in the diary for the region’s biggest Apple Day. As we go to press, we are compiling the lists of likely contenders for the tasting tables from this year’s bumper harvest and brainstorming some new ideas for family photo opportunities with Isaac Newton and Snow White putting in appearances, we hope! The Main Lawn tent is getting even bigger and this year will house all our favourite local apple juice and cider producers, bakers and cheesemakers together with the apple tasting stations, which will, as always, offer the widest possible range of apples grown in the East of England to try before you buy. Experts from the East of England Apples and Orchards Project (EEAOP) will also be on hand offering a pruning advice service and will be bringing their comprehensive display of Cambridgeshire apple varieties. So do remember to bring in your unidentified apples from the garden or community orchard and see if the EEAOP experts can name them for you. Plus find out more about the Cambridge Community Collection, a living apple orchard installation for the city, and have a go at apple art and craft. Apple Day runs from 10am- 4pm on Sunday 26 October. Normal Garden admission applies, plus £3 Apple Day ticket for everyone 17+. You can buy Apple Day tickets in advance from the Garden ticket offices and join the fast track entry on the day to avoid the queues. Could you help? If you have time to volunteer a morning or afternoon shift helping on the apple tasting or apple bagging stations at Apple Day, please be in touch with Wendy Godfrey on weg22@cam.ac.uk or 01223 336265. Volunteering is great fun, very busy and core (!) to the success of Apple Day.
Scheme design by Neville Gabie
In January 2014 the artist, Neville Gabie, was given final approval for a new commission, the Cambridge Community Collection, supported and funded by Cambridge City Council. Here, Neville explains his vision for the project. The commission is to develop and mark footpaths, cycle routes and other means of wayfinding between the City centre, the new housing developments on the City’s southern fringe and to a number of key nature reserves, stretching into the surrounding countryside. The vision is to plant the routes using every single variety of UK apple tree to create a community orchard. The apple trees will be planted alphabetically in a series of concentric circles radiating out from the scion of Newton’s apple tree grown on the Brookside Lawn at the Garden towards Trumpington, Grantchester, Harston and beyond. Designed to be planted over four years, the trees will be incorporated into the new country park, Trumpington village with its new village square, the Glebe Farm and Clay Farm developments, Trumpington Meadows, and the existing and new developments at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Given the range of locations, we plan to nurture the apple trees in different ways. In places they may be planted as small pockets or mini orchards. In more formal spaces, espalier training might be appropriate while in wilder locations, the trees will be established in mixed plantings among the natural trees and shrubs. Why apple trees? Each cultivated variety requires grafting the specific apple variety onto a rootstock to provide vigour. On many levels this ancient horticultural practice provides a
wonderful metaphor for the new developments on Cambridge’s southern fringe as a new community of many thousands takes root amongst long-established settlements. Equally, the planting and nurturing of apple orchards is part of this County’s heritage, while ultimately the resulting harvest is itself a great way to bring people together. And for a city like Cambridge where academia and research are central, the opportunity to create a living apple archive and maintain biodiversity seems entirely appropriate. The first 200 varieties will be ready for planting this autumn and a further 400 varieties are due to be ‘budded’ and ‘grafted’ ready for planting in autumn 2015. However, for this project to flourish and make a worthwhile impact, community involvement will be essential. Our ambition is for this unique orchard to be planted, maintained, nurtured, adopted and enjoyed by community groups and local volunteers. With the first trees due to be planted this autumn, we are keen to hear from anyone (regardless of experience) who would like to be involved. To find out more, visit www.cambridgecommunitycollection.co.uk or email neville@nevillegabie.com or talk to the Cambridge Community Collection team at the Garden’s Apple Day on 26 October.
Write into December We are delighted that Kate Swindlehurst has extended her writer-in-residence work at the Botanic Garden until the end of the year. Kate is continuing to develop her new garden journal form, combining vignette, fiction and factual work into a new way of looking at the Garden, its people, plants and landscape. Kate is particularly fascinated by the relationship between gardens, health and healing, a theme that she returns to frequently on her blogspot at www.kateswindlehurst.com Kate will be reading from her work in the autumn, dates to be confirmed. Friends’ News – Issue 96 – September 2014
My favourite… The University of Cambridge Museums (UCM) care for and share incredibly rich and diverse collections of objects natural, found, dug up and man-made, of objects from outer space through to those created from the inner space of the mind’s eye. The Botanic Garden works closely with UCM in celebrating the similarities and differences we experience in curating a living collection of plants through many outreach and professional networking opportunities. One of these initiatives is ‘My Museum Favourite’ which collates the preferred picks of staff and volunteers to create a very personal capsule collection. Here we have gathered together the three contributions (so far) from Garden staff, and highlight a vivid and diverse selection from our colleague collections at UCM.
The Royal Fern, chosen by Helen Seal, Alpine and Woodland Supervisor
Juliet Day
In the Bog Garden some years back an elderly visitor asked me to photograph him next to the royal fern, Osmunda regalis. He’d been photographed next to it before, as an undergraduate and it had happy associations. A 60 year-old fern? This called for some investigation. The Garden’s enormous database records the fern in that location in 1978, but the 1947 edition of the The royal fern photographed 1922 guide to the Garden by the Director, for the 1947 edition of the Humphrey Gilbert Carter, actually includes a photo Guide to the Garden of this large Osmunda in the same place, though it was then known as the Water Garden. The 1850 garden catalogue of Hardy Plants by Curator Murray lists it, as does Curator Donn’s 1811 catalogue of the former Botanic Garden in the Downing site area. This specimen could well be over 200 years old! I now know this longevity is characteristic: as long as its environment stays moist and boggy, Osmunda regalis, keeps on growing for centuries. Fossil records apparently show it unchanged for 180 million years. A sterile frond of royal fern
I love this living history, but I also love the plant itself. In winter all that’s above ground is a circle of dark fibrous mounds of rhizomes, a hard sponge with black spikes of old frond bases. In spring tufts of woolly-coated crosiers begin unfurling, and we edge the path with hazel branches to contain the coming exuberant growth. By the end of June each frond is over two metres tall and the clumps fountain over three metres wide, arching over the water of the bog. Each frond is like a long flexing spine with pairs of soft green ribs, except some of these pinnae (the leaflets of ferns) morph halfway into rusty-brown branching structures bearing the clusters of sporangia (the spore sacs). These explain its former common name of the flowering fern – confusing as ferns don’t have flowers, propagating themselves over two generations, starting with spores. Osmunda regalis can still be found in the wild, in the wetter, milder parts of Britain, and in Europe, but I’m delighted this magnificent old specimen is part of my dry east England workscape.
The Persian Ironwood, chosen by Sally Petitt, Head of Horticulture Howard Rice
In the ever-changing landscape of the Botanic Garden, choosing one favourite plant is a real challenge, but after deliberation I have opted for this tree, Parrotia persica. It is a member of the Hamamelidaceae (witch hazel) family, and is named after the German naturalist, Dr Friedrich Parrot, who made the first ascent of Mount Ararat in the 1820s; its natural homeland is Persia, or modern-day Iran. To me, the common name of Persian ironwood is particularly evocative. It hints at the exotic, distant lands of childhood fairy stories, while also bearing reference to the dense, solid wood for which the tree is renowned.
The Persian ironwood
Our tree dates back to the early years of the Botanic Garden, having been acquired in the 1880s. Smaller
Friends’ News – Issue 96 – September 2014
in stature than many of its contemporaries grown within our collections, this slow-growing species is today a magnificent, mature specimen. Unassuming in appearance, it shifts gently with the seasons to offer year-round interest. In spring it displays dense flowers of blood-red stamens, which glisten in the low sunlight. Summer sees it clothed in a mop of glossy, ovoid leaves, which take on jewel-like colourings of crimson, yellow and amber in the autumn. Having shed its leaves in winter, the flaking bark of subtle pinks, greys and whites is fully exposed, allowing one to wonder at the network of entwined, self-grafting limbs. Just step beneath the canopy to enter an enchanted world, or simply to marvel at its beauty. In any season this tree is beguiling.
Howard Rice
The Sacred Lotus, chosen by Alex Summers, Glasshouse Supervisor Of all the questions, the most common and also the most difficult is: what is your favourite plant in the collection? As the Glasshouse Supervisor I look after plants that originate from tropical, Mediterranean and desert regions. These come in all shapes and forms and usually have a great back-story – either a unique quirk in their biology, or an interesting cultural use. However, at this very moment, one stands out from the rest: the sacred lotus, Nelumbo nucifera.
The sacred lotus, Nelumbo nucifera
Nelumbo nucifera originates from tropical Asia and is distributed from Iran through to northeast Australia. Its association with human culture goes back at least 3000 years and it gets its common name, the sacred lotus, from its importance in many religions and cultures. In Hinduism it is often used as an example of divine beauty and can be found depicted throughout Hindu iconography. In Buddhism and Confucianism it represents purity, due to its delicate flowers, which arise from the muddy depths of pools and slow-moving waterways.
Its biology is as fascinating as its cultural significance. It is an aquatic perennial, with growth arising from sausage-like rhizomes (subterranean stems). The internal structure of these rhizomes, which look like a cartwheel in cross-section, allows the plant to move oxygen and carbon dioxide between leaf and root. The flowers are equally interesting, able to hold their temperature above that of the surrounding environment in order to attract cold-blooded pollinators. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of their biology, however, is the super-hydrophobic leaf surfaces which mean that even the stickiest substances are unable to remain on its leaves. This phenomenon is the result of a unique surface microstructure and is currently the subject of research by engineers developing self-cleaning materials. The sacred lotus is a true wonder of the plant world, and if I have not yet convinced you of that, I have one last remarkable fact. A seed taken from a lakebed in Manchuria (China), and determined to be 1288 years old, was germinated in 1995. In my eyes, this plant truly deserves to be revered.
The 2014 My Museum Favourite selections made by staff and volunteers across our colleague collections at UCM included: Australiceras gigas at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences Franziska Norman, gallery volunteer, chose this fossilised ammonite, marvelling at the explosion of crazy shaped ammonites that occurred during the Cretaceous period, ‘some coiling themselves into little towers, seemingly mimicking the shells of marine snails, some developing straight shells like squid’, and asking: ‘But what advantage, I wonder, could a shape like Australiceras give to an animal, whose rear end must surely have eventually got in the way of its mouth?’ Maria Carmi as the Madonna by Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, 1912 at Kettle’s Yard Andrew Smith, Visitor Assistant, chose this dark, pyramidal statuette: ‘She is different in character from anything else in the room yet, for me, she sets the mood.’
Ingeborg Brun’s Globe at Whipple Museum of the History of Science Josh Nall, Assistant Curator, chose an illustrated globe of the planet Mars: ‘I started with the object and I ended up with a head full of stories and ideas—about Martians and their massive irrigation canals, and about the people, like Brun, who saw them there on Mars.’ Prayer preceding the Mass and Prime at the Fitzwilliam Museum Sibel Ergener, Icon Intern for Conservation of Illuminated Manuscript Fragments, chose two 15th century fragments and urges a closer look: ‘If you look at the bottom-most initial you will see a tiny bee painted inside the letter D. Even under high magnification the detail in this little insect – one of many illuminations on just this single leaf – is exquisite and it never fails to thrill me.’
The Tasmanian Proclamation Board 1829 – 30 at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology John Jarzabek, Volunteer Gallery Attendant, chose this piece of British Empire propaganda because it made him think: ‘It is a potent political document of the past and a warning about the future to all people concerned about the nature of power and the way it is used.’ The Whale Bone Plaque at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Lynsey Coombs, Head Attendant, chose this 1000 year old carving: ‘When you think of the Vikings, you imagine blood, beards and berserkers. You don’t think of them wearing freshly pressed items of clothing; which is why I love the whale bone plaque, thought to have been used as an ironing board during the Viking period.’
For the full guide of complete entries, click through to My Museum Favourite from the Museums and Collections page of the University’s website at www.cam.ac.uk
What’s your favourite? We would love to know your favourite plant or place at the Garden and why it enjoys such a special spot in your life. Do let us know by emailing share@voicingthegarden.com or writing in to Juliet Day, Development Officer, Cambridge University Botanic Garden, 1 Brookside, Cambridge, CB2 1JE. We’ll share them on the Voicing the Garden website and print a selection in a future edition of Friends’ News. Friends’ News – Issue 96 – September 2014
Juliet Day
Horticulture The Katsura Tree The katsura tree, Cercidiphyllum japonicum, is both botanically and horticulturally interesting. Cercidiphyllum is the only genus occurring within the family Cercidiphyllaceae. Having a similar floral structure to that of magnolias, it was initially believed to be closely related to this family but more recent molecular studies suggest that Cercidiphyllum is closer to the witch hazel family, Hamamelidaceae. Two species are recognised within the genus, C. magnificum and the more widely grown C. japonicum, which is the species grown here in the Woodland Garden.
release this alluring scent, but in Germany this phenomenon has resulted in the common name of ‘kuchenbaum’ or cupcake tree. The bark is deeply coloured; smooth in young trees, it can develop a gnarled, fissured appearance as the tree matures.
C. japonicum is a dioecious species, bearing male and female, wind-pollinated flowers on separate trees. The small flowers are borne before the leaves. The male flowers have 15-20 pendulous red stamens. The female flowers have 4-6 carpels, each bearing a long, crimson stigma. The leaves, with their gently scalloped margins are usually borne opposite each other, and are circular to heart-shaped. During autumn, the leaves are amongst the earliest in the Garden to colour, and can take on hues of yellow, red, pink, mauve and green. It is perhaps best known for the distinctive aroma of caramelised sugar released as leaves decay to leave toffee traces on the air on still autumn days. The sweet scent is caused by the molecule maltol that is released as the leaf breaks down, which is indeed the same molecule released when sugar is burnt to become caramel. It is not (yet) known what purpose, if any, there is for the katsura tree to
As would be expected of such a long-lived species, the katsura has ethnobotanical and mythical importance in its native homeland.
Clippings & Cuttings Juliet Day
Heather Angel
Heather Angel, who has been working with RBG Kew on a major 5-year pollination research project, that it should flower in time for her to whizz up to Cambridge and photograph the event for her book Pollination in Action (Kew Publishing).
Juliet Day
I Sadly, later this autumn after leaf fall, the large tree of heaven on the South Walk will be removed. The 2013 tree survey revealed The loquat tree Tecomanthe dendrophila that it has extensive fungal decay combined with structural weaknesses in the canopy caused by woodpeckers hollowing out the I There have been two exciting plant events heartwood in a major limb. Major reduction after long waits in the Glasshouse Range. removing the top limbs of the tree to leave a The loquat, Eriobotrya japonica, fruited for treestump of 12 metres was considered as the first time since it was planted in the late an alternative to complete removal, but the 1980s. Plus the New Guinea trumpet vine vigorous and congested re-growth that this has finally come out of its prolonged sulk. It measure would trigger would be highly used to flower reliably while pot-grown but prone to being repeatedly blown out during has barely performed since being planted out into the western corridor in 1999. Pholiota Tecomanthe dendrophila is a woody squarrosa climber in the Bignoniaceae family and this fungus at the May it produced a single inflorescence on base of the old wood, a cluster of tubular flowers in a tree of heaven rich rose pink, the corolla lobes and inner petal surface a creamy white. What luck for Friends’ News – Issue 96 – September 2014
The weeping form, Cercidiphyllum japonicum 'Pendula', grows by the stream and has just been added to the Tree Register Juliet Day
The katsura tree originates in Japan, Korea and China, where it occurs in moist mountain forests, and in lowland areas in deep soils. In its native habitat the tree can reach 40m, and reports suggest that they can live to 1000 years and reach an astounding girth of 24m. It was first introduced to western gardens in 1865, when seed was shipped to the United States, followed in 1880 by the arrival of seed in Berlin. It was not until 1881 that C. japonicum was introduced to the UK through the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, wherefrom it was distributed. Since this time it has been highly prized in our gardens for its ornamental value, developing a graceful habit when given a moist, sheltered position, where the emerging leaves are afforded protection from late frosts. Here in the Botanic Garden we also grow the weeping form, C. japonicum ‘Pendula’, which was planted in 1997 alongside the stream. In March of this year, although still young, this tree was recorded on the Tree Register of Britain and Ireland as having the largest girth of those known within Britain and Ireland.
The heart-shaped, gently scalloped leaves of the katsura tree turn yellow in autumn and emit a toffee aroma
In China a mix of leaves and bark has been used for centuries to produce glue, and in Japan the wood is used to make dug-out canoes, and is highly prized for cabinetry and interior decoration. In Chinese mythology the katsura tree gives its name to a beautiful man, Katsura-otoko, who lives in a great palace on the moon and spends his days pruning a giant katsura tree. As the tree is pruned the size of the moon decreases until there is little left, and the tree then slowly grows its branches back, and the moon increases in size, providing an explanation as to the waxing and waning of the moon.
Sally Petitt, Head of Horticulture any high winds, ultimately leading to increasingly weak, unsustainable growth with considerable attendant safety issues. Removal will be undertaken by external contractors. I The Maintenance and Trees & Shrubs sections are working together to create additional picnic table spaces in the Garden. The new magnolia planting just off the Lynch Walk, made possible through a donation from Jill Toynbee-Clark in memory of Frances Hayward, both stalwart volunteers at and supporters of the Garden, will become home to a short-grass circle with new picnic tables. The ground will be re-graded and then re-sown this autumn to provide a more stable surface and a new access made off the Lynch Walk. Additional picnic tables will be placed in the New Pinetum and the current picnic tables in the Autumn Garden will be replaced and upgraded. Each group of new picnic tables will include provision for wheelchair users. We hope you enjoy discovering some new spots with your picnics next spring and summer!
First Saturday Family Fun
Cam Sight tours at the Botanic Garden
No need to book, just drop-in anytime between 11am – 3pm on the first Saturday of every month for plant-inspired fun. £3 per child, plus normal Garden admission for accompanying adults.
For people with no vision or only partial vision, the beautiful colours and shapes of plants and pure pleasure they bring can be difficult to access and appreciate. In addition, visiting places like the Botanic Garden can sometimes be tricky and daunting. To assist people facing challenges like these, the Garden offers free monthly tours for members of Cam Sight, a Cambridge charity that supports people suffering from sight loss. The tours are planned and led by our volunteer Garden Guides who do a wonderful job of tracking down the most interesting plants and making them accessible by describing each plant and encouraging everyone to examine it using touch, smell, sound and sight, depending on people’s individual abilities, and, of course, the plant. I tagged along with the August tour to find the group examining the soft leaves of Stachys byzantina and bright colours in the Herbaceous Beds, the smooth bark of Betula utilis ‘ Jacquemontii’ and the many scents of the different fragrant thyme, rosemary and pelargonium species in the Scented Garden. I talked to two members of the group, Alan and Malcolm, who have been attending the tours for several years. Both are keen gardeners and have become friends through
Sally Marsh
Education
Paper Lanterns Saturday 4 October Come along to make a beautiful, coloured lantern to light up your garden for autumn.
Garden Guide, Pam Newman describing a Salvia sclarea plant to the group coming on the tours. They had high praise for the tours, saying they were fantastic for helping them notice details about the plants for the first time. They also enjoyed discovering the different textures of plants, so having a Guide to point out which plants were suitable for touch was very much appreciated. The group always welcomes new members! If somebody you know suffers from loss of vision and would be interested in coming along please contact Garden Enquiries on 01223 336 265 to find out more. Carers and guidedogs are welcome, and for people wanting to visit independently, additional Cam Sight volunteers can assist with guiding.
Dr Sally Lee, Education Officer
Courses coming up at the Garden I am close to putting the finishing touches to what will be a really exciting 2015 What’s On programme of courses featuring both old favourites and new opportunities, particularly in plant science and horticulture. The full calendar will be uploaded to the Botanic Garden website, with bookings opening in late November. But there are still a few courses with spaces running this autumn including a special course timed to coincide with Apple Day – Illustrating Apples in Coloured Pencil. Led by the RHS medal-winning artist, Janie Pirie, this three day coloured pencil illustration course will allow you to make a careful study of a range of different apples from the wonderful selection appearing at our Apple Day. Illustrating Apples in Coloured Pencil runs from Tuesday 21 October – Thursday 23 October, booking is via the website. Also coming up before Christmas are some fantastic opportunities to craft your own Christmas presents. So try your hand at jewellery making with local artist Emma Mitchell on our one day Silver Clay jewellery workshop, which is a repeat of the sell-out
course run earlier in the year. We also have a one day felting workshop in November, at which you can make decorative felt flowers to embellish, bags, jackets, hats and hairstyles. And wrapping up the end of the year for us is local artist John Wiltshire, who is leading another of his wonderful one day painting courses this time focusing on still life watercolour paintings of a selection of plants from our collections. For more details on our all courses and to book your place please see the website at www.botanic.cam.ac.uk. If you would like to be added to our email list to receive details of when bookings for the 2015 programme open please contact education@botanic.cam.ac.uk
Flis Plent, Head of Education
Sweet cicely fossil pendant by Emma Mitchell
Super Seeds Saturday 1 November Take our seed dispersal challenge and make a seed mosaic picture to take home. Recycled Christmas Saturday 6 December Join us for some festive crafts using recycled materials and plants from the Garden. Garden Giants Saturday 3 January 2015 Visit the redwoods growing in the Garden to find out about these giants of the plant world that can grow to over 90 metres tall and 7 metres wide, and make your own mini version.
Discover Planet Botanic Available until 19 October Lots of people know about animal families like the cat family but not so many realise that plants have families too, AND they are just as interesting as animals! For example, the spooky Mandrake plant that is featured in Harry Potter is a real plant that is a member of the creepy nightshade family. The Garden’s Planet Botanic trail introduces seven different plant families and challenges children to find out their secret family motto. The trail is designed for children of all ages who like discovering new things, spending time outdoors and hunting for hidden treasure. Adults without children are welcome too! The Planet Botanic trails are packed inside the explorer backpacks - just pick up a pack from the ticket offices.
The Writer’s Garden As part of our contribution to Festival of Ideas, the author and journalist Jackie Bennett will give a talk here based on her new book, The Writer’s Garden, on Friday 24 October from 2pm – 4pm. From Jane Austen to Charles Dickens, and Agatha Christie to Roald Dahl, gardens have played a major part in many writers’development, revealing a sometimes unexpected side to their personalities. Part biography, part garden exploration, this session will reveal how gardens have shaped the writer – and how the writer has shaped the gardens. Booking for this free talk is via the Festival of ideas website www.cam.ac.uk/festival-of-ideas Friends’ News – Issue 96 – September 2014
Friends’ Events
Dear Friend
Our thanks also to volunteer, Margaret Goddin, who arranged for Friends to visit the Italian Lakeland Gardens also in June 2014. Feedback indicates a thoroughly enjoyable holiday in the experienced hands of Brightwater Holidays! In July our Outreach Assistant, Heidi Bradshaw, left the Garden for new employment nearby. We were very sorry to see her leave but wish her well for the future. Joining the Garden administration team behind the scenes (and taking your calls from time to time) are Caty Cooke and Richenda Whitehead. We are delighted to confirm that botanist Professor Richard Bateman, currently based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew will be giving the 2014 Annual Lecture on Monday 10 November at Queens’ College. His lecture will look at how bee orchids challenge our understanding of the nature of species, examining the tight coevolution of the distinctive flower shape and its bee pollinator and then confounding assumptions as we learn that bee orchid colonies can thrive in this country
despite the requisite bee pollinator not being present on these shores. Further details can be found in the enclosed booking form. In January 2015, admission to the Botanic Garden will be increasing for the first time in three years. Friends membership subscriptions will also be increasing in line with this: joint membership fees will rise to £60, single membership to £35. If you pay by Direct Debit you will be reminded of the increase one month before your membership is due for renewal. Thank you for your continuing, vital support for the work of the Garden. If you have any questions regarding your Friends membership please contact the Outreach Office on 01223 336271 or email friends@botanic.cam.ac.uk.
With kind regards.
Emma Daintrey Outreach Administrator
Friends enjoy respite from the intense heat at Lake Maggiore
Bee-witching new jigsaws at the Shop What’s a gardener to do as the dank autumn evenings creep in and all the seed orders have been placed?! How about our brand new jigsaw, featuring a beautiful picture of the fabulous Bee Borders at their high summer best! Measuring 66 x 50cm (26 x 20 inches), this high quality 1000 piece puzzle will keep
you busy and dreaming of summer. British made, it’s got great environmental credentials too, being made from 100% recycled material and using only nonpolluting water-based inks. Normally £18.99, Friends of CUBG can buy the puzzle with a special launch offer of 20% off. Just pop into the Garden Shop at Brookside during October and remember to show your Friends membership card to claim your discount.
Closing times & Christmas The Garden moves to 5pm closing in October and to 4pm closing from November – January. The Garden Café and Glasshouse Range close half an hour before Garden closing, and the Botanic Garden Shop around 15 minutes before. Please note that the Garden is closed for the Christmas holidays from 4pm on Tuesday 23 December 2014 and will re-open at 10am on Friday 2 January 2015. Friends’ News – Issue 96 – September 2014
A booking form with full descriptions, details, times and prices is enclosed. Please take care to note the cancellation and refund policy outlined on the booking form. Botanic Garden Annual Lecture 2014 Monday 10 November, Queens’ College Bee orchids challenge the nature of species Given by Professor Richard Bateman Join us in the Fitzpatrick Lecture Hall at Queens’ College for a thought-provoking evening that will remind us of the role plant science can play in challenging our knowledge of the world about us. Exclusive Herbarium Tours Mon 1 December (morning) & Thursday 11 December (evening) Join Christine Bartram, Chief Technician at the University Herbarium based in the Sainsbury Laboratory, for a close-up tour of some of its treasures including the seedpacket sent back by William Lobb from which our now enormous Sequioadendron giganteum was grown and witness the beginnings of the understanding of species variation in the herbarium sheets of Henslow, Darwin and other ground-breaking natural scientists. For Friends only, maximum 15 people per tour. Places will be allocated by ballot.
Gift membership: the gift that keeps us gardening! Membership of the Friends would make a wonderful Christmas present for the enthusiastic gardener keen to know more, a friend or relative who could benefit from more green space in their lives. And all income derived from Friends’ memberships goes to support the Botanic Garden in its core science, horticulture and outreach activity, making gift membership of the Friends an appropriately green gift for the festive season! To arrange a gift membership in time for Christmas, please submit your application by 5 December to allow time for processing. This will also secure your gift membership at the 2014 subscription rates ahead of the 2015 increase. You can download a gift membership application form from the Friends section of the website at www.botanic.cam.ac.uk or telephone the Outreach Office on 01223 336271.
Bjorn S
Summer seems to have lasted forever this year with record numbers visiting the Garden and attending the July picnic proms. Of the many summer events for Friends the most popular by far was the outing to Scotney Castle and Great Dixter in mid June. This emboldened the Volunteer Committee to arrange two separate outings to RHS Wisley in July, both of which were also full. On behalf of everyone who has enjoyed a trip this summer I would like to thank organisers Elizabeth Rushden and Gail Jenner, and also Pam Newman and Richard Price.