As usual two plant walks were contributed to the Friends of Brompton Cemetery’s Annual Open Day, on the first Sunday in September, and, again, the Tree Walk in the morning proved to be more popular than the Herbal Heritage walk held in the afternoon.  23 attended the former, and 15 the latter.

Both walks followed the routes followed in previous years, the morning  walk starting by examining a lime (Tilia x europaea) near the Cemetery’s entrance, and concluding by studying a weeping ash (Fraxinus excelsior ‘Pendula‘) of which there are several trees scattered around the site.  Despite drought conditions we were able to find a good number of plants which have been used in traditional medicine during the afternoon.  These included the inevitable stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) and bramble (Rubus fruticosus).  Participants seem to have enjoyed both walks.

‘Thank you, that was super’ [comment following afternoon walk].

On the evening of the following day, Monday 7 September, a Wonderful Weeds talk was given at a meeting of the Ash Parish Garden Club, in Surrey.  About 20 people attended and seemed to enjoy the speaker’s discussion of a selection of plants which he had collected on his walk from the local station to the meeting place.

Image: chestnut-leaf holly (Ilex x koehneana), one of the trees examined during the morning walk.