We’ve been on a bit of a roll in June. It started with Janet’s story about a Saxifraga which led us to talk about our knowledge of plants - can we name the ones we walk past everyday and if we could, would that increase our respect and understanding of nature? That led to an Offshoot episode about a campaign for a GCSE course in Natural History where fieldwork would literally be conducted on the student’s doorstep - studying the urban habitat. We’re ending with a bonus episode that combines the naming of plants with the urban landscapes using their Latin names. I asked you in a previous blog - how was your Greek? I could have named this post - how is your Latin?

I was tipped off to meet The Rebel Botanists from Plymouth by Mary Daly who saw a post about the GCSE that I put on instagram. She messaged me saying “there’s a group locally to me that write in chalk the (LATIN) names of the plants growing in the nooks and crannies around the town.” I was intrigued and after a bit of research by both of us, I was in contact with the group. Then serendipity stepped in and it happened that several of them were coming to take part in the Restore Nature Now march on Saturday. So it was that Elizabeth Richmond and I arranged to meet by the Gandi statue in Parliament Square on Saturday afternoon and we found a quiet spot in Dean’s Yard, behind Westminster Abbey, to talk about the work of chalking the Latin names of plants, on the pavement; ‘opening the door to curiosity’ as she puts it. This bonus episode will go out next Tuesday.

This week I said farewell but hopefully not goodbye to the gardeners at the Inner Temple gardens in London. I have been volunteering there for over 2 years now and my weekly visit to the garden to work alongside them has been such a joy. I have also learned so much. Just watching the way that professional gardeners work and seeing the rhythm of the garden through the seasons, across two years has been such a privilege. Each week it has changed, just a little, but you begin to notice when the alliums start to appear and how long they last, you see the meadows change, snowdrops appear and disappear, then daffodils, and species tulips and on it goes though the season. Things are tweaked, plants are moved, more bulbs are planted and you know in a year or two, you’ll see the results. But the time has come to move on and take some of the learning to another garden. So after tea and cake and gifts of two beautiful books, I caught the bus to the new garden.

The Museum of Homelessness has existed for 10 years but it has recently moved into its first proper home. The home is an old park keeper’s lodge in a big London Park (Finsbury Park) and it has a garden wrapped around it. The garden had become overgrown but over the past months the community has been restoring it. They have built a pond and planted a sensory border. It is a community that works together and everyone is contributing ideas to the garden so there are some things you will find in this space such as the hot tap alongside the cold tap that you won’t find in every community garden. There are plans for a Yew tree to be planted, creating a quiet, sacred space for people to spend time remembering and reflecting on friends who have died on the streets. A tiny Fig tree cutting, just a year old, has been given to the garden in memory of a community member who died recently and I’ve been in contact with Nick who looked after the enormous Fig tree in Lambeth Palace asking for advice; where we should place it? Just like the Inner Temple garden, this Museum of Homelessness garden is creating a calm, green oasis in the middle of a busy city and I am looking forward to spending time there.

Have a lovely weekend.

Sally

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PS I mentioned last week about following, rating and reviewing the podcast and how helpful it is to getting the audio into fresh ears. If you are still thinking of doing it, I have learned a couple of things. It is easiest to do it from your phone. If you use an iphone you can do it on Apple Podcasts and if you use an android phone - try Spotify. And thanks if you can take the time to help out with this.