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
NOTES from. the universe // blue moon
The passage of time between one full moon and another is always 29.5 days (a synodic month), a little longer than its actual orbit around the Earth of 27.3 days (a sidereal month) due to the Earth and our moon also moving around the sun. As the last full moon fell on 1 August, we now find ourselves on the cusp of a relatively unusual phenomenon known as…
NOTES from. near and far // August outings
Hauser & Wirth, Somerset I’ve wanted to visit Hauser and Wirth for years, having been introduced to the work of Dutch garden designer and nurseryman, and New Perennial pioneer Piet Oudolf through his collaboration with architect Peter Zumthor for the Serpentine Pavilion 2011. Somehow it’s taken almost 10 years to get here since it opened in 2015, despite…
NOTES from. the plant kingdom // Himalayan balsam
Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) as I now know this plant to be so named is not a species I feel like I’ve seen that much before. It’s pretty in your face with it’s bright pink, bonnet-shaped flowers and relatively large, veined leaves so it would be hard to miss out on a walk. It certainly caught our attention while strolling through the hills…
NOTES from. the garden // flowering herbs
Having only acquired access to the garden a few days ago, with a good portion still be used to store building materials or carry out related jobs such as sawing or cementing there’s still only so much I can out there. A girl can dream, however, and my billowing herb garden plans are taking shape in my head at least, not least inspired by the abundantly …
NOTES from. nature's larder // rose
"What a pother have authors made with Roses! What a racket have the kept! exclaimed Nicholas Culpeper (Complete Herbal, 1653) in tribute to one of the most highly prized plants in herbal history. From the unctuous oleum rosaceum (infused rose oil) of Dioscorides
NOTES on. writing // the art of consistency
As a writer and editor of both books and magazines, consistency is something that comes up a lot. It’s vital for creating a cohesive voice and visual appeal. It’s necessary for the styling of pages, paragraphs and even words. It’s ingrained in the framework of a publication, from pitch and flat-planning through words and pictures to proofreading and ind…