Tag Archives: botany

Plant of the Month: October 2023

Posted on 18/10/2023 by carolinemmurray

One of the plants continuing to flower in this most unusual October weather has been Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, or the hardy plumbago plant. It is native to western China, and seems to have been discovered on an expedition by the Russian … Continue reading →

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Plant of the Month, July 2023

Posted on 12/07/2023 by carolinemmurray

it is almost exactly a year since I last did a ‘Plant of the Month’ post, so I thought I had better get back into that particular delightful harness. In @CUBotanicGarden the other day, I was admiring the way in … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Botany, Cambridge, Gardens, History, Natural history | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

George Claridge Druce

Posted on 04/02/2023 by carolinemmurray

As far as I was concerned, until a few days ago, ‘Claridge Druce’ was a hardy geranium (indeed, I have heard it referred to as ‘Clarice Druce’, though not ‘Clarice Drudge’). Then I came across his name as the author … Continue reading →

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Plant of the Month: July 2022

Posted on 16/07/2022 by carolinemmurray

Three or four years ago, I bought a Phygelius capensis (Cape fuchsia or Cape figwort) at Cambridge market. It performed extremely well, and when I revolutionised the garden layout in January 2021, it was one of the plants which (to … Continue reading →

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Dawson Turner

Posted on 29/10/2021 by carolinemmurray

I have just discovered, down the side of the metaphorical sofa, another large piece in the fascinating jigsaw of who knew whom in the Victorian artistic and scientific community. Dawson Turner (1775–1858) was a Great Yarmouth man, his father being … Continue reading →

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Plant of the Month: July 2021

Posted on 05/07/2021 by carolinemmurray

It’s ages (November 2020, to be precise) since I did one of these, and I’m not sure whether to blame lockdown apathy or too much to do in the garden, but I got my mojo back (never quite sure what … Continue reading →

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The Duke of Argyll’s Tea Tree

Posted on 15/05/2021 by carolinemmurray

In a recent stroll around the Systematic Beds in the Botanic Gardens, I was intrigued to spot this label:

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Mr Kick and Mr Frankcom

Posted on 16/04/2021 by carolinemmurray

Mary Capel (1630–1715, also spelled Capell), was the daughter of Arthur Capel, first Baron Capel of Hadham, Herts. (1604–49). He was already, by inheritance, a very rich man, but by his marriage in 1627 to Elizabeth Morrison, heiress of Cassiobury, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Bibliography, Biography, Botany, Gardens, History, London, Museums and Galleries, Natural history, Printing and Publishing, The Netherlands | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Ole Worm

Posted on 09/10/2020 by carolinemmurray

I was prone to nominative determinism for more than half a century before I knew what it meant. A children’s biography of Grieg in my primary school library (who now remembers this series by Opal Wheeler and Sybil Deucher, which … Continue reading →

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Plant of the Month: July 2020

Posted on 26/07/2020 by carolinemmurray

The other day, I found myself standing under a Broussonetia tree in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden (so happily now reopened, though you do have to book), and was reminded of my oft-repeated note to self to find out more … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, Botany, Exploration, Gardens, History, Museums and Galleries, Natural history, Printing and Publishing | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment