Rock stars and tussie-mussies

17th November 2024. Looking for glaciers, seeing stars and aching thighs...

If there was a job description for being a parent, my mum’s ‘any other duties’ paragraph would include a) Send your eldest daughter an advent calendar before December 1st (regardless of how old she is) and b) Tell her when the latest David Attenborough nature documentary is televising. The second relates to the fact that I am more likely to watch something on YouTube than on TV but love the series produced by the BBC. Some of the scenes are iconic and have gained almost legendary status – like the racer snakes chasing the newborn iguanas in Planet Earth II (which has already garnered more than 32 million views on YouTube and more than 10800 comments). Or the puffin that manages to escape the arctic skewers on his 100km fishing trip in Blue Planet II. The footage is brilliant, the music is awesome and some of the messages are unforgettable. I watched The Private Life of Plants in 1995 and still can’t get over how wondrously resilient and adaptable plants are.

I often think about this when I see plants growing in urban environments or out of the cracks in roads and pavements. It amazes and cheers me, given the often-gloomy news about the damage we are doing to the environment and all the habitats being lost. Somehow, plants find a way and will move in, making the most of minimalist conditions. Rocky habitats are prime examples and there are a surprising number of these in the parishes near my home. Some are structural, like the tunnel passing beneath the canal or the bridges that span the streams, and some are ornamental, like the walls bordering people’s gardens.

Walled Gardens (in the capitalised sense) date back to the Persians and Romans and pretty much exploded in popularity in the 19th Century – as a means of growing food for the gentry house table. Although they contrast in manufacture to the natural rocky phenomena of cliffs, crags and limestone pavements, they do at least share in their capacity to offer plants some protection from the wind and the rain. This may be part of the reason that so many colourful floral residents are found hanging over the edges of my neighbours’ walls.

These are not the only stone-covered treats featuring on my walks, though. If you are so-inclined (as of course I am), you can take a 7-mile hike around the area, to take in the five glacial boulders that were erected in the year 2000, to mark the Millennium. My inclination rose one late November afternoon and therefore involved a speed walk and aching thighs to ensure I could photograph them all by nightfall. I got back just as the sun was setting and felt rather pleased with myself. It’s hard to find pictures of them all on the Internet in one place, so maybe I can now consider myself a little pioneer in this regard. I’ll leave the rock star status to the musicians and floral beauties amongst us. See you next time.  

Aurinia Saxatilis: is the Latin name of this bright little rock star, which is alternatively known as any number of possible chart-topping hits or boy/girl band titles, such as Basket of Gold, Golden Alison, Gold-cushion, Gold-dust, Golden Tuft, Rock Madwort and Yellow Alyssum. Naturally found in rocky/mountainous habitats, in Asia and Europe, it grows well in chalk, sand and loam and is therefore suitable for well-drained rock gardens or sloping ground. The Royal Horticultural Society, however, has assigned Aurinia Saxatilis with a H5 rating, which means that is among the hardiest of plants (on a scale of H1 to H7) and able to withstand severe winters or temperatures dipping as low as -15°C. This robustness, Wikipedia tells me, was determined after a “rigorous trial and assessment programme”, which happily distracted me for a few moments as I contemplated exactly what that would involve. Aurinia Saxatilis usually flowers in the first half of the year and is known for its ornamental appeal or former use as a nosegay or tussy-mussy. Nosegays are medieval in provenance and literally described as ‘ornaments that appeal to the nose’, whilst tussie-mussies were introduced during Queen Victoria’s reign as a fashion accessory – and their flowers deliberately chosen for the message they could convey.

Ivy-leaved Toadflax: is a non-native species with 17th Century beginnings, first named in the wild in 1640. One of its alternative names is the Kenilworth Ivy, which some attribute to the town or castle where it was first recorded. The flowers are reminiscent of the Snapdragon’s and the notion of a dragon seems fitting to me, given the bulging patches of white and yellow and purple streaks. With a little imagination, they could be the eyes and eyelashes of a mythical creature in a children’s cartoon. The wonderful David Attenborough, however, regards it as a pioneering species and, in the equally wonderful documentary series, The Green Planet, comments on its alternating growth patterns. In the early stages, Ivy-leaved Toadflax is phototropic – growing towards the light until it is pollinated, and the seed pods develop. Once this is achieved, it becomes scototropic, i.e., turning away from the light and seeking out the darkest places of its humble abode, where it can germinate and begin the important process of making a new plant all over again. Something of an international jet-setter, Ivy-leaved Toadflax is found in many countries around the world and even at altitudes beyond 1000 metres (in Costa Rica). It is also occasionally eaten in southern European salads but with a variable taste of garden-peas, bitterness, numbness.

References

BBC (2022) [YouTube] David Attenborough Will Make You Think About Weeds in a Different Light. The Green Planet – BBC. https://youtu.be/k99irWyeobo?feature=shared

BBC (2024) TWO. The Private Life of Plants. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qbw1w

BBC Earth (2021) [YouTube] Iguana vs Snakes (Full Clip). Planet Earth II. BBC Earth. https://youtu.be/el4CQj-TCbA?feature=shared

BBC Earth (2021) [YouTube] Puffin Hunts Fish to Feed Puffling. Blue Planet II. BBC Earth. https://youtu.be/EIUJfXk3_3w?feature=shared

Groundspeak (2010) Millennium Boulder Trail. Boulder I Norbury. https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC29527

The Royal Horticultural Society (2024) Aurinia Saxatilis ‘Gold-Cushion’. https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/377004/aurinia-saxatilis-gold-cushion/details

The Wildlife Trusts (not dated, but I assume 2024) Ivy-leaved Toadflax. https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/wildflowers/ivy-leaved-toadflax

The Wildlife Trusts (not dated, but I assume 2024) Rocky Habitat. https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/habitats/rocky-habitat

Visit Gardens (2024) Walled Gardens. https://www.visitgardens.co.uk/history/walled-gardens/

Wikipedia (2023) Aurinia Saxatilis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurinia_saxatilis

Wikipedia (2024) Nosegay. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosegay