FROM late winter through spring, one plant boorishly dominates the grass verges of Britain's coastal roads: alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum). At a little under 5ft tall, it is a statuesque plant with bright yellow-green leaves. It grows among roadside grasses, on banks and sometimes at the edges of woods. Wherever it grows, it seems to take over, even replacing the related and otherwise ubiquitous cow parsley.
Alexanders is in the carrot family, the Apiaceae, its thousands of florets born on multiple and distinctly spherical umbellets situated on the umbels. As are most of its cousins, alexanders is biennial, producing a basal rosette of leaves and a substantial root during the first year, then the familiar tall plant with its bright-yellow flowers and very black seeds the next. It flowers from April to May and sets seed from July to August.
Denne historien er fra April 17, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra April 17, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
