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Archive for 21/12/2015
A festive rattle through some of the plants associated with Christmas – some of which, but decidedly not all, grow in the North York Moors…
Sam Witham – Conservation Student Intern
Common hollyIlex aquifolium
Christmassy fact: Holly is well known as a festive winter decoration. The Romans sent holly branches with presents during the December festival of Saturnalia.
Other facts: ‘Holm’ is an old name for holly and is seen in place names such as Holmwood and Holmsdale.
UK Habitat: Woodland and hedgerows – it is commonly found as an understorey tree or shrub in oak and beech woods.
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Common ivy Hedera Helix
Christmassy fact: Traditionally ivy is associated with holly (hence the song) and used in festive winter decorations.
Other facts: Ivy can be mistaken for two different species as the juvenile leaves look totally different to the adult ones. In…
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Recently, I was attending a meeting at a museum in Luton and in the lunch break had the chance to see the travelling exhibition of photographs from the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition (the eighth in the series to date). I was enthralled by the many wonderful images on show. Unfortunately the lighting in the room made taking photographs of these difficult without them being affected by reflections. However, I’ve put together a gallery of a few that seem less affected by this- I hope that you enjoy them.
Old School Garden 