NOTES from a. botanical world // September

Connect with nature, the seasons, and your wellbeing with a monthly round up of NOTES from a. botanical world from nature and gardening writer and author Sonya Patel Ellis

Welcome to the September issues of NOTES from a. botanical world, bringing an end to the summer holidays but getting ready to welcome a new season. Change is in the air, and indeed in the fields and the hedgerows all around in the form of plump wild berries, hips, and orchard fruit. Not quite autumn but the ephemerality of nature whispering just that little bit louder.

This week’s Blue Moon is the theme of this month’s NOTES. from the universe, a Supermoon, no less, that loomed large on the horizon in a phenomenon known as a moon illusion. For those who garden by the moon’s cycle, the gravitational pull of this one is said to be stronger, affecting moisture levels in the soil and stimulating the ripening of fruit; for those who prefer to take a more symbolic approach, there’s a host of blooming lovelies named after the Blue Moon.

NOTES from. near and far is a roam through the West Country with visits to Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Stoney Littleton Long Barrow, the Glastonbury countryside and a herb-filled pub near Tisbury, continued in NOTES from. the plant kingdom with a focus on Himalayan balsam, just one of the wildflowers providing a swan song to summer. A stop at Babington House, and the wonderful edible and cut flower garden there, was also welcome inspiration for the new herb-filled garden I can now finally begin to create in my own backyard – NOTES from. the garden provides a short guide to cutting back flowering herbs, including tips on what to do with those cuttings from propagation to cocktail stirrers.

This month’s NOTES. from nature’s larder follows suit with three recipes for one of the most beautiful flowering heritage herbs, the rose, using petals to make fragranced garnishes and hydrosols, and the hips for immune-boosting syrup. Having not had a kitchen for three months, I can’t wait to start making herbal potions again.

Finally, there’s NOTES. on writing, exploring the art of consistency but also the freedom to make changes where and when necessary. If one is to be directed by and connected to nature, then that goes for writing too.

All this and more is included in my fifth issue of NOTES from a. botanical world (keep scrolling down folks) and is free to subscribers so please do join my community as I have lots of content to share with you from my books and writings (The Botanical Bible, The Heritage Herbal, The Birdwatchers’ Bible, The Modern Gardener, The Herb Book to name a few), work as a school gardener, writing coach and arts educator, and via the wonderful people I meet through editing and commissioning gardening and nature-inspired publications. I’ll also be filling my NOTES from a. botanical world borders with lots of exclusive content for paid subscribers so watch this space.

I’d also love to hear NOTES from your botanical world so do get in touch via email (hello@abotanicalworld.com) or Instagram (@sonyapatelellis).

Enjoy my wanderings and the weekend and i’ll be back with more NOTES in the next drop. Look out for regular updates via Just. NOTES in between.

Sonya X