MHG Volunteer Blog 38: Goldenrod

It's time for the latest blog from our dedicated team of volunteer gardeners at Pontefract Castle.

Find out more about their blog series here.

Today we started the long process of 'putting the garden to bed for the winter'. Dave cut back the tansy and dug up the remaining viper’s bugloss. Carole cut back the fennel, chicory, curry plant, devil’s bit scabious and some of the cotton lavender. All of these were already showing their secondary growth of the season.

Tansy and fennel showing secondary growth

Helen also helped with the tansy. She then potted cuttings from the discarded foliage of the cotton lavender and curry plants. Helen also chatted to another family from the USA.

Carole continued to chop-back the motherwort, vervain and sorrel. Last week, Carole finished the day with her hair full of spiders. Today it was seeds!

Plant of the week: Goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea)

The genus name 'solidago' comes from the Latin verb 'solidare'. This means 'to make whole', 'to heal', or 'to strengthen'. The species name 'virgaurea' is from 'virga' (rod) and 'aurea' (golden). Together, 'Solidago virgaurea' translates to the 'goldenrod of healing'. It is also known as woundwort, Aaron’s rod, verge d'or, and European solidago.

Solidago, commonly known as goldenrod, is a genus of about 100 species. The goldenrod we're focusing on here is different to Solidago canadensis, the common garden goldenrod.

A native plant, goldenrod is a deciduous, woody-based, clump-forming, perennial plant. It prefers to grow in any well-drained, south or west-facing, non-clay soil, in full sun. It grows to a height of 3 ft with a spread of 2 ft. It has sparsely branched stems bearing slender, green, toothed leaves. 

Goldenrod flowers in late summer. It has narrow flower spikes composed of many tiny yellow flowers.

Goldenrod growing in the Medieval Herb Garden

After the flowers are spent, they form a small, one-seeded fruit called an 'achene'. This is topped with a hairy 'pappus'. This creates fluffy white seed heads which are scattered by the wind. In all varieties, it is vital that goldenrod is cut back before these seeds blow away. Otherwise, the plant easily spreads to neighbouring properties.

Culinary uses of goldenrod

The yellow flowers are edible. They can be used to add colour and flavour to salads. 

The leaves are spinach-like. They can be cooked and added to soups, stews, and casseroles.

Goldenrod as a dye plant

Goldenrod produces vibrant yellow to orange and green dyes. The colour made depends on the mordant used. For golden-yellow, an alum mordant is used. An iron mordant will move the colour to sage and olive greens.

Folklore and other facts about goldenrod

Goldenrod is associated with Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest. It is also linked to Freyja, the Norse Goddess of love and magic.

Goldenrod has been claimed to have phytoremediation properties. This is where living plants are used to clean up soil, air and water contaminated with hazardous substances. This is based on goldenrod's ability to transfer iron from soil.

In some folklore, goldenrod was used as a divining rod. It was used to find hidden springs, lost items, buried treasure and gold. Similarly, it was used in divination rituals to seek guidance, reveal the future, and find hidden knowledge.

The sudden appearance of goldenrod near one's home was once seen as a sign of good luck and prosperity to come. However, goldenrod, especially Solidago canadensis, has become an invasive species in many parts of the world. It has caused problems in Japan, Europe and Africa. It has been a particular issue in China. By 2004, goldenrod had caused the extinction of 30 native plants in the Shanghai province. 

Goldenrod is often said to cause hayfever in humans (although this is not the case).

Goldenrods, in general, are attractive sources of nectar for bees, flies, wasps, and butterflies. European goldenrod is pollinated by the Cryptic Bumble Bee (Bombus cryptarum).

Medieval uses of goldenrod*

Goldenrod was valued for its astringent and antiseptic properties. It was one of the main wound and bleeding-related remedies of the Middle Ages.

Traditionally, the aerial parts of the plant have been used as a treatment for diabetes, allergies, gastrointestinal disorders, rheumatism and gout. Goldenrod was also used for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.

In Russian folk tradition, goldenrod is also known as a haemostatic (blood-stopping) and astringent (skin-tightening) agent. It is also known as good remedy for respiratory diseases, gallstone diseases, and pulmonary tuberculosis.

*As always, this isn't to be considered medical advice today. Please don't use any plants mentioned in these blogs as medicine without advice from a doctor.

MHG Volunteer Blog 37: Nasturtium

It's time for the latest blog from our dedicated team of volunteer gardeners at Pontefract Castle.

Find out more about their blog series here.

A mild but rather blustery day today, so it didn’t take long for the fleeces to come off. Carole had continued with cutting back the lavender on Friday. Caroline and Louis finished it off by tidying the backs of some of the plants. They then went on to weed around the comfrey.

Louis tidying the backs of the lavender bushes

Carole carried out the usual Monday flower count. She then started to weed from the signpost back to the fennel. She spoke for a while with a retired Chief Inspector of Police. He had worked at New Scotland Yard, but in his youth had patrolled around the Pontefract Castle area. 

Later, Carole and Lillie weeded the MHG from the curry plants to the green alkanet. This tidied things up a bit before Carole’s final, free talk of the season on Saturday. They continued to weed until the early afternoon when “rain stopped play”.

Plant of the week: Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)

The name 'nasturtium' comes from the Latin for 'nose-twister'. This refers to its strong, mustard-like smell and flavour. It was originally called 'Nasturtium indicum' ('Indian nasturtium') due to its watercress-like taste. 

The name 'Tropaeolum' comes from the Greek word 'tropaion', which was a stand on which armour was hung (as a trophy). The botanist Linnaeus gave it this name in his classification of plant families. Linnaeus thought that the leaves looked like shields and the flowers like helmets.

Also known as Indian Cress, yellow larkspur, monk’s cress, lark’s heel and flame flower.

The nasturtium is native to South America, mainly Bolivia and Peru. It was not introduced to Europe until the middle of the sixteenth century.  It was then known as 'Indian Cress'. This was because the Americas were mistakenly referred to as ‘the Indies’ in those days.

Nasturtium is a fast, strong-growing, annual, clumping or climbing plant. It prefers full sun in a west or south-facing position in any well-drained soil. Nasturtiums also tend to produce more flowers in poor soil than in rich soil. Depending on the variety it can spread between 1 ft and 10 ft.

Nasturtium growing in the Medieval Herb Garden

Its leaves are circular, wavy-edged and 1 to 6 inches in diameter. The leaves are green above, paler beneath, with several radiating veins. They are supported 'parasol-like' by a central stalk 2 to 12 inches long.

Nasturtium leaves demonstrate the 'lotus effect'. Rain falling onto the surface gathers into droplets which then roll off the leaf, leaving it dry.

It flowers between July and October. The flowers are bright yellow, red or orange. They are showy, frilled, funnel-shaped flowers, 1 inch to 1.5 inches across. They have five long-clawed petals, eight stamens and a 1 inch long nectar spur at the rear.

The leaves contain an aromatic oil that produces a peppery scent. The flowers contain nectar which gives off a sweet, honey-like smell, especially in the morning.

Culinary uses of nasturtiums

The flowers and leaves can be used as decorative and peppery additions to salads. They can be chopped into butter, cream cheese, pesto, placed on top of pizzas or included in sandwiches. They are even used to decorate cakes.

The young seed pods are even spicier in flavour. These can be cooked or pickled as a lookalike substitute for capers, or ground up and added to sauces and stews.

Nasturtium as a dye plant

Yellow and orange colours can be obtained from the flowers and leaves. They contain yellow flavonoids and anthocyanins, which can also produce red, pink, or green colours. The colour produced depends on the specific variety, pH levels and dyeing process.

Folklore and other facts about nasturtium

Nasturtiums became especially popular after they were planted in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles. This was during the reign of King Louis XIV.

Nasturtiums contain more vitamin C than many other plants. Pickled nasturtium seeds were taken on board Victorian ships to prevent scurvy.

In the 1800s, soldiers often wore nasturtium flowers given to them by young ladies. They were a sign that they had been victorious in battle.

In Victorian floriography, nasturtiums were used to represent 'patriotism' and 'conquest'.

Nasturtiums are visited by several moths and butterflies. These include the dot moth (Melanchra persicariae), the garden carpet moth (Xanthorhoe fluctuate), the large white (Pieris brassicae) or cabbage white butterfly and small white butterfly (Pieris rapae). These insects will lay their eggs there. The eggs are typically laid on the underside of the leaves.

Some gardeners plant nasturtiums specifically as a 'companion plant' to attract these butterflies and their caterpillars. This hopefully diverts the insects from cucurbits (cucumber, melon, pumpkin) and brassicas (cabbage, broccoli). Some gardeners plant nasturtiums under fruit trees for the same reason.

However, due to its chemical composition, nasturtiums are potentially harmful. It can be a skin irritant or allergen.

Medieval uses of nasturtiums*

Nasturtium had several benefits, including promoting scalp health, strengthening hair and potentially reducing hair loss. It was used for treating skin issues. It is rich in nutrients that nourish hair follicles. This makes hair appear fuller and healthier. It has antibacterial properties beneficial for the skin.

Traditionally, its various parts were used in teas and tonics. These were used to soothe sore throats and colds. It was also used to heal wounds, disinfect skin, and address urinary and respiratory conditions. Nasturtium leaves, ground with water and then strained, create a natural disinfectant wash. This was used on minor cuts and scrapes. Chewing the leaves can cleanse the mouth.

*As always, this isn't to be considered medical advice today. Please don't use any plants mentioned in these blogs as medicine without advice from a doctor.

MHG Volunteer Blog 36: Soapwort

It's time for the latest blog from our dedicated team of volunteer gardeners at Pontefract Castle.

Find out more about their blog series here.

This Monday, as with the weather in previous months, life managed to conspire against the MHG volunteers. Carole was on her own again.

After carrying out the flower count, she helped the Site Officer, Joe, by cutting back the planter by the Swillington Tower. She then, belatedly, started to cut-back the lavender bushes on the drive. “Started”, because with over 50 bushes it is not a task that can be completed in one go. Cutting back also, unfortunately, showed the weeds that had been hiding in the “undergrowth”. But that’s a job for another day.

The start of the lavender cut-back in the Medieval Herb Garden

Later in the day she enjoyed some time, easing her back and knees, by talking to visitors. There was a couple from Lockerbie in Scotland and two ladies from South Carolina, USA!

Plant of the week: Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis)

The name "Soapwort" comes from the plants ability to produce a soapy lather when its roots or stems are rubbed in water. The botanical name Saponaria derives from the Latin word for soap, saponem. 

It is also known as bouncing bet, latherwort, fuller's herb, bruisewort, crow soap, sweet betty, flop top, lady-by-the-gate, Jill-run-by-the-street, and Devil-in-a-bush.

Soapwort originated in Central and Southern Europe and Asia. It is classed as an ‘archaeophyte’. This means it was introduced to the UK before the 1500s AD.

It is a clump-forming, deciduous, stoloniferous, perennial. It will grow in almost any well-drained, non-acidic soil. It prefers to grow in full sun in any aspect. It can grow up to a height of 4 ft or more. However, at this height it tends to fall with the stems then bending upwards again. This forms a 'hollow crown' effect. Because of this, the plant in the MHG often only appears to be about 2 ft high.

The plant has green, leafy, unbranched, knotted, stems (often tinged with red). The broad, lanceolate leaves are opposite. They grow between 2 or 3 inches long and 1/3 inch wide.

Soapwort in flower in the MHG

The plant flowers between June to September. Its flowers have radially symmetrical, slightly downy, petals. The petals are pink or sometimes white. Each of the five flat petals is about 1 inch long. They are arranged in dense, terminal clusters on the main stem.

Unfortunately, this lovely plant has stoloniferous roots. These enable it to spread unless tightly controlled each year. Even in 1597 John Gerard wrote “if they have once taken good and sure rooting in any ground it is impossible to destroy them.” With this “truth” we can wholeheartedly agree!

Culinary uses of soapwort

Soapwort has a bitter, slightly sweet flavour. It has a lingering, pungent aftertaste and produces a numbing sensation in the mouth. Its main culinary use is in small quantities in traditional recipes like halva. Here, it provides a smooth, fluffy texture and acts as an emulsifier.

Please note: soapwort contains the toxic chemicals saponin and saporin. Eating the plant can lead to severe vomiting, fever, weakness, muscle pain, bleeding and damage to red blood cells.

Folklore and other facts about soapwort

When soapwort is steeped in water, it produces a mild soap. It was used in the woollen mills of Britain. Because of this, it naturalised in locations where the mills once stood.

In some western Asian countries such as Syria, it is still grown specifically for its use in cleaning wool.

Soapwort extract is used in some UK-based shampoos and soaps. It provides a mild, gentle lather.

The plant's cleansing properties led to its use in breaking witchcraft spells.

In the past, Dutch brewers have used the plant to get a good head on their beer. It is still used as an emulsifier in the commercial preparation of tahini and beer. It helps to create a stable head on the beer.

The flowers are visited by various insects including owlet moths (Noctuidae), hawk moths (Sphingidae), bumblebees and hoverflies.

Medieval uses of soapwort*

In traditional medicine, soapwort was used in a range of remedies. It was used as a diuretic, a purgative and for jaundice. It was also used as an expectorant prescribed for coughs and bronchitis.

The plant has natural cleansing and anti-inflammatory properties. This made it useful for treating skin conditions like acne and eczema.

*As always, this isn't to be considered medical advice today. Please don't use any plants mentioned in these blogs as medicine without advice from a doctor.

MHG Volunteer Blog 35: Common Fleabane

It's time for the latest blog from our dedicated team of volunteer gardeners at Pontefract Castle.

Find out more about their blog series here.

Another blustery day with intermittent rain. Helen cut back the Good King Henry and dug up some mammoth clumps of Cinqfoil. 

Helen and Lillie then weeded the top of the drystone wall. They took care to not disturb the many chocolate mining bees that have made their home in the soil below the grass.

A chocolate mining bee popping out to say hello!

Plant of the week: Common Fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica)

This plant was called 'fleabane' because it was used to repel fleas. The Latin name 'Pulicaria' comes from 'Pulex' meaning flea. 'Dysenterica' refers to its other supposed ability to cure dysentery.

Other names are wild marigold, camels, harvest flower, pig-daisy and Job’s tears.

Common fleabane is native to Europe and Western Asia. It is a bushy, deciduous, stoloniferous (grows horizontal stems above the ground), perennial. It prefers damp or poorly-drained soil, in full or partial shade, in any aspect but north-facing.

When grown in favourable conditions, it will reach a height and spread of 3 ft. In the presently bone-dry Medieval Herb Garden it gets to about 12 inches.

It flowers from August to October. It has 1 inch, golden-yellow, composite, daisy-like flowers. These grow atop downy stems with stalkless, very downy, wavy-edged lanceolate leaves. The leaves are alternately arranged and clasp the stem. The basal leaves wither by the time it flowers.

The root is a creeping, scaly, underground rhizome. It sends up shoots at intervals, thus forming spreading clumps. These need to be controlled before they “take over” the garden.

Common fleabane growing in the Medieval Herb Garden

Culinary uses of fleabane

Fleabane is not used in cooking. The plant has a bitter, astringent and salty flavour.

Folklore and other facts about fleabane

The plant's smell is similar to carbolic soap. It was used to repel fleas and other insects. Dried leaves were hung indoors or burned as a fumigant.

Fleabane was thought to have protective qualities. Some traditions suggested it could be burned to cleanse stagnant energy or hung above doorways to ward off evil spirits.

The name Job's tears is linked to a tradition that Job used a decoction of this herb to cure his ulcers.

Most animals generally avoid fleabane due to its bad taste and pungent qualities. The plant is toxic to cats and dogs.

Fleabane is visited by a wide range of insects. These include hoverflies, honeybees, wasps, butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies. Pollination is mainly successfully done by flies.

It is the main food plant for the fleabane tortoise beetle (Cassida murraea). It is also mainly eaten by four micromoths, Apodia bifractella, Ptocheuusa paupella, dusky plume (Oidaematophorus lithodactyla) and Digitivalva pulicariae.

Medieval uses of fleabane*

Fleabane was used more commonly in mainland Europe than in the UK. The plant's sap and infusions of the dried herb were used to treat dysentery.

A paste made from the plant was applied to wounds to promote healing and to treat other skin disorders and itchiness.

It was also used for coughs, jaundice, epilepsy and gastric problems.

The following is taken from Miss E. S. Rohde's 'Old English Herbals': 'Fleabane bound to the forehead is a great helpe to cure one of the frensie.'

*As always, this isn't to be considered medical advice today. Please don't use any plants mentioned in these blogs as medicine without advice from a doctor.