For centuries Hazel trees have been cultivated and coppiced for their straight tough and flexible branches, and of course their nuts. In the Victorian era the beauty and utility of Hazels was promoted by the Arts and Crafts Movement for use in Nutwalks which became an icon of garden design in the period.
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Maze
The thrill of getting lost in a maze along with the frustration of reaching one dead end after another has been entertaining people for centuries. The word maze, derived from the Middle English maes meaning delirium or delusion, dates back to the 13th Century.
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Lex Hortorum
We all love to visit private gardens of all shapes and sizes. In many cases we have to pay to enter whether it is for a charitable cause or purely for the benefit of topping up the owners coffers. So it may come as a surprise to find, that some of the most iconic private Italian renaissance gardens were free and public spaces right from the outset, and this unfettered access was guaranteed by the concept of the Lex hortorum or the law of gardens.
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Kentia Palm
In recent years there has been a huge surge in the interest and demand for indoor plants including Howea forsteriana the houseplant better known as the Kentia palm. First recorded in 1869 on the tiny Lord Howe Island in the Pacific the Kentia palm soon made its way into fashionable Victorian parlours, drawing rooms and ballrooms. This is the story of a plant that found fame across the world but has remained true to its native Island home.
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Josephine
The Empress Josephine has often been portrayed as a needy socialite famed for her lavish entertainments with many stories being repeated about her salacious exploits.So it may come as a surprise to many that Josephine was a very accomplished plantswoman, gardener and keen botanist who played a key role in the collection and introduction of many new plants into France which she cultivated at her gardens at the Chateaux Malmaison near Paris.
Ireland