Seona Anderson 28/04/2024 Seona Anderson 28/04/2024

DAISY

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, DAISY: whose perfect white showed like an April daisy on the grass. The ubiquitous daisy is a favourite metaphor for Shakespeare and symbolises innocence, youth, freshness.

Seona Anderson 23/04/2024 Seona Anderson 23/04/2024

AZURED HAREBELL

Shakespeare Species, AZURED HAREBELL: I’ll sweeten thy sad grave. Thou shalt not lack… the azured harebell like thy veins. Happy Birthday Shakespeare. The British Bluebell is in full bloom on Shakespeare’s Birthday.

Seona Anderson 19/04/2024 Seona Anderson 19/04/2024

CROWN IMPERIAL

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, CROWN IMPERIAL: bold oxlips and crown imperial; lilies of all kinds - O, these I lack to make you garlands of. This stunning flower is native from Turkey to the Himalaya & was a high status garden plant.

Seona Anderson 13/04/2024 Seona Anderson 13/04/2024

LADY-SMOCKS

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, LADY-SMOCKS: And lady-smocks all silver-white…do paint the meadows with delight. The Lady-smocks or Cuckooflower is a beautiful spring flower which feeds Orange-tip butterflies & used to be used as an edible spring green by people.

Seona Anderson 08/04/2024 Seona Anderson 08/04/2024

CHALICED Flower

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day: And Phoebus gins arise, his steeds to water at those springs on chaliced flowers that lies; there is no definite identification but Globe Flowers are a possibility.

Seona Anderson 05/04/2024 Seona Anderson 05/04/2024

COWSLIP

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, COWSLIP: On her left breast a cinque-spotted mole like the crimson drops i’ th’ bottom of a cowslip. Shakespeare uses this tiny detail of the interior of the smallest flower as part of his metaphor.

Seona Anderson 25/03/2024 Seona Anderson 25/03/2024

LILY

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, LILY: like the lily that once was mistress of the field and flourished, I’ll hang my head and perish. Lily are closely associated with Annunciation Day.

Seona Anderson 22/03/2024 Seona Anderson 22/03/2024

GORSE

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, GORSE: through toothed briers, sharp furze, pricking gorse, and thorns which entered their frail shins. Gorse can flower in even the lowest temperatures.

Seona Anderson 17/03/2024 Seona Anderson 17/03/2024

CLOVER

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, CLOVER: the even mead, that erst brought sweetly forth the freckled cowslip, burnet and green clover. Clovers provide fodder, fix nitrogen and feed bees.

Seona Anderson 13/03/2024 Seona Anderson 13/03/2024

RUE

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, RUE: here in this place I’ll set a bank or rue, sour herb of grace. Rue was an important herbal medicine as well as a pun on ‘regret’.

Seona Anderson 07/03/2024 Seona Anderson 07/03/2024

HYSSOP

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, HYSSOP: our bodies are gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners…set hyssop or weed up thyme. Hyssop was formerly so well known that it needed no description but it is less commonly used as a herb now.

Seona Anderson 01/03/2024 Seona Anderson 01/03/2024

LEEK

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, LEEK: And I do believe your Majesty takes no scorn to wear the leek on Saint Tavy’s Day.

Seona Anderson 27/02/2024 Seona Anderson 27/02/2024

DAFFODIL

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, DAFFODIL: When daffodils begin to peer,..why, then comes in the sweet o’ the year. Daffodils as symbols of spring were valued as wild and garden plants.

Seona Anderson 18/02/2024 Seona Anderson 18/02/2024

MUSTARD

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, MUSTARD: His wit’s as thick as Tewkesbury mustard. The spicy paste has long been used as a condiment but Shakespeare uses it as an insult.

Seona Anderson 13/02/2024 Seona Anderson 13/02/2024

COLOQUINTIDA

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, COLOQUINTIDA: the food that to him now is as luscious as locusts shall be to him shortly as bitter as coloquintida. Coloquintida is a bitter gourd used medicinally.

Seona Anderson 28/01/2024 Seona Anderson 28/01/2024

MANDRAKE

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, MANDRAKE: could curses kill, as doth the mandrake’s groan. The Mandrake or Mandragora was a powerful medicine and poison of the ancient and early modern world and attracted many fabulous legends.

Seona Anderson 27/01/2024 Seona Anderson 27/01/2024

Samphire

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, SAMPHIRE: halfway down hangs one that gathers samphire - dreadful trade. ‘Death by Samphire collection’ was an occupational hazard in Tudor England in the harvesting of this tasty & healthy food.

Seona Anderson 24/01/2024 Seona Anderson 24/01/2024

WORMWOOD

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, WORMWOOD: To weed this wormwood from your fruitful brain and therewithal to win me. Wormwood is a herb, medicine, poison and signal of the end of days. Read more about this remarkable plant.

Seona Anderson 06/01/2024 Seona Anderson 06/01/2024

CARAWAY

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, CARAWAY: we will eat a last year’s pippin of my own graffing with a dish of caraways. Caraways seeds add a delicate taste to recipes and as a snack to cure wind.

Seona Anderson 05/01/2024 Seona Anderson 05/01/2024

PEPPER

Shakespeare Species Quote of the Day, PEPPER: He cannot ‘scape me… He cannot creep into a half-penny purse, nor into a pepper-box. Pepper is used as a food and metaphor and is part of our long association with this fundamental spice.