As Head Gardener at Quex, my role involves much more than just tending to the horticultural tasks and general maintenance. I am constantly planning for a variety of factors in the garden, from events for the public to ongoing projects aimed at keeping the garden flourishing.
In March, I will be hosting a new garden event. Folktales of the Garden is a new springtime garden tour exploring the botanical stories behind the plants at Quex, from their classical associations to modern classifications. It will be open to our visitors from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th March.
I am fascinated with the world of plants, their names, and the myths surrounding plants, and in November 2023 I was lucky to attend a captivating talk at my village gardening club by Sue Buckingham, a local county recorder for wildflowers in Kent. Sue, who is part of a network of dedicated volunteers with extensive botanical knowledge and a passion for plant identification, talked about the importance of botanical records.
Botanical recording is a meticulous and time-consuming process that requires exceptional precision, much of which is developed over time through careful observation. Sue is following in the footsteps of many generations of plant hunters. While it is unlikely she will discover new species (apart from garden ‘escapees’), the excitement for her comes from being the first to record a native plant in a new location. Such discoveries can indicate changes in an area’s habitat or reveal seeds that have been dormant for decades, brought to light by deep cultivation.
I have long been intrigued by a botanical list of plants from Quex, compiled in 1632 by the London Society of Apothecaries and documented in a herbal by Thomas Johnson. The work of recording plant specimens for a herbal requires far more than simply listing plants. A herbal not only provides names and descriptions but also details their medicinal, toxic, culinary, aromatic, or even magical properties. Thomas Johnson (1600-1644), who led the Society’s botanical expeditions in Kent, is often referred to as the father of British field botany. He enlarged and updated the renowned 1597 herbal by John Gerard, and was a prominent plant hunter and a leading member of the Society of Apothecaries.
This botanical list, handed to me during my first months at Quex more than ten years ago by a member of the archive team, has since been published and updated with modern Latin names. It represents a record of wildflowers that may or may not still grow on the estate. I had always hoped to find someone with the botanical expertise to verify whether these plants were still present, and Sue eagerly accepted the challenge.
To many gardeners, the plants on this list may appear as mere weeds, such as dock and thistle. However, the true botanical value lies in identifying the different varieties of these plants, a task in which Sue’s highly trained eye excels.
After making two visits to the garden, Sue recorded over 170 specimens, and to our delight, she identified 17 of Johnson’s original plants. While this may seem like a small number, it’s important to note that Johnson only recorded 43 new finds during his Kent expedition. Thus, the Quex list, though not vast, holds significant botanical value.
We owe a great deal to the plant hunters and apothecaries who carefully documented the plant kingdom, as well as to volunteers like Sue, who continue to maintain these essential botanical records today. One can only hope that, in another 400 years, someone will undertake a similar task and look back on our records with the same enthusiasm.
Join us from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th March a guided tour to learn more about some of these plants (times available throughout the day), along with craft activities.
