There is something so magical about Midsummer Night’s Eve that it calls for a potion -- something drawn from Shakespeare's green world to induce dreams of love and pagan revelry, safely resolved with all the right embraces after a dalliance with … [Read more...]
Primula vulgaris: a common treasure
My English country garden is more abundant with the native, pale yellow primrose this year than I have ever known it. Suddenly the insignificant volunteer seedlings I half-remember seeing in unpromising places have plumped into blooming clumps that … [Read more...]
Edible equinox: early spring on a plate
It is cold here in rural Cambridgeshire, but undeniably spring. The snowdrops and crocuses are long gone and the daffodils are just entering their glory phase, with the best still to come. Primulas are in fancy dress, and violets are blooming in … [Read more...]