Elin Barker - Trainee Garden Conservator, 5 March 2023
As spring draws nearer, each day tells a new story in the garden. The snowdrops gracefully bow out and make way for the colourful crocuses, primroses and daffodils. The hellebores have arrived too, with their glorious cup shaped flowers and intricate petal patterns. They provide a much-needed burst of colour and glow - even on the greyest of spring days.
As is usual at this time of year, the gardeners of St Fagans have been hard at work planning new borders and preparing the grounds for the new season. This year, however, the looming threat of climate change and the pressing issues of water scarcity have pushed the team to explore innovative ways of designing water-efficient gardens that can flourish in even the driest conditions.
One such creative solution we’ve developed is the "silver border," which will be a unique garden area that will showcase plants with silvery or grey foliage that have evolved to naturally thrive in drought-prone environments. This light leaf colouration effectively reflects the intense sunlight, shielding the plant from its harmful effects. Some of these resilient plants also feature a fine layer of hairs on their leaves or stems, which trap moisture around the plant tissues, helping them survive drier climates. The silver border will not only serve as a practical water conservation method but will also add a visually striking and unique element to the garden.
Another recent project of ours is the wildlife shrub border, which can be found on route to the Italian Garden. The concept behind this shrub border is to provide a thriving habitat for a wide range of wildlife. Once established, the border will help to serve as shelter and protection for birds, insects and mammals. We’ve chosen shrubs, such as Sambucus nigra,Holodiscusdiscolorand Viburnum opulus that have nectar rich flowers which will support pollinators. Additionally, as the shrubs mature, they will provide a valuable source of food for wildlife in the form of seeds and berries.
You may notice that the Dutch garden near the Castle undergoes a drastic transformation each spring as the ornamental grasses and perennials are cut back hard before the new growth begins. During the winter season, we opt to leave the seed pods and stems intact as they provide a great habitat for wildlife and serve as essential elements of the garden's structure; offering a range of captivating textures and seasonal colours. We have been working hard to remove all the old growth and stems from the previous year, which will encourage healthy new growth from the base of the plants. This year we decided to reuse the waste grass clippings as a mulch on the pumpkin bed, this will help suppress the weeds and conserve moisture in the ground.
As we move forward, it is imperative to consider how we can practice gardening in harmony with nature. Gardening involves striving to achieve a balance that results in creating spaces that are not only visually appealing but also encompass complex, sustainable systems beneath the surface.
Thank you to all schools who have shared their weather data so far. Remember to contact me if you need any help with this. All schools that enter data to the website will receive prizes at the end of the project, including super scientist pencils and certificates!
As spring approaches, I thought we could look at the changing seasons. There are four seasons in the year. Spring, summer, autumn and winter. In the UK, spring begins in March. When in March depends on which definition you use. The Meteorological definition sees Spring start on 1 March and the Astronomical definition sees it start on 20 March (the Spring Equinox). Spring is when most flowers bloom, the weather gets steadily warmer, and many animals have their young. Lambs in the fields are a good sign that spring has arrived, why not follow the Lamb Cam at St Fagans National Museum of History to see how many lambs are born there!
The summer comes in full force from June to September, and this is when we have the warmest weather and the longest daylight hours. Luckily for you, it’s also when you get your longest school holidays!
Autumn takes hold from late September, and this is when the days become shorter and the weather begins to get colder. This is when the leaves change colour from greens to oranges, reds and browns and fall from the trees. And, when animals like squirrels hoard food for the long winter ahead. Winter arrives again in December, and stays until mid-March.
Do you know why we get seasons? What causes the weather to change so dramatically throughout the year? Well, it’s because the Earth is turning around the Sun at an angle. The picture to the right shows the earth in relation to the sun. The earth turns (rotates) on its axis (imagine a line joining the North and South poles) as it moves around (orbits) the Sun.
It takes the Earth 365 days to travel once around the sun. The length of a planets year is the time it takes for it to complete one orbit of its star. So a year on Earth is measured as the passing of 365 days.
The picture to the right shows the Earth’s rotation around the Sun. The axis is shown by the white line at the North and South poles. You can see that the axis (white line) is at a different angle to the Earth’s orbit (shown by the white arrows). This means that each day we are at a slightly different angle to the Sun than we were the day before. This is what causes a difference in the number of daylight hours we get. Fewer daylight hours (winter) means less light and heat, making this time of the year colder. More daylight hours (summer) means more light and heat, which makes it warmer!
Many of you have noticed that temperature increases throughout the morning, and decreases in the late afternoon. This is because the heat from the sun gradually warms our surroundings throughout the day. Materials and living things absorb this energy, and become warmer themselves, heating the air around them. The sun is at its highest point around noon, so this is when the earth gets the most light and heat energy from the sun. In the afternoon the heat and light from the sun gradually decreases. However, the materials and living things around you will continue to radiate heat, gradually cooling throughout the afternoon and evening. This is why the temperature is often higher between 2-3pm than it is at midday. This is also why temperatures are lower in winter than they are in summer, because the days are shorter and as such our surroundings receive less heat and light energy from the sun.
The UK is in what is known as the ‘North hemisphere’, this means we are closer to the North Pole than the South Pole. Notice that in the picture the North pole (the white line pointing up) is leaning towards the Sun in summer and away from the sun in winter. This angle is what causes the change in daylight hours as the Earth orbits the sun over the course of the year.
Other countries experience the changes in daylight hours at different times of the year. In Australia it is summer in December! And in Iceland they have continuous sunlight for days in a row in the summer and darkness for as long in the winter! Imagine having sunlight at midnight!
Mary Anning is remembered as an iconic woman from the early 19th Century. Despite her working-class origins, she made scientific discoveries that equalled any made by male geologists of the time.
Mary was born on 21st May 1799 in the little town of Lyme Regis, in Dorset. Her father was a carpenter who died when she was just 11 years old leaving the family with debts and no steady income. They had been supplementing their income by collecting and selling fossils to tourists for a number of years, and young Mary became extremely good at this. She had an excellent eye for spotting small portions of fossilized bone in rocks, and developed the skill of delicately extracting them using hammer and chisel. Her mother Molly took over the business of selling the fossils, and between them they developed a successful shop which attracted visiting tourists and scientists. It was hard work collecting fossils from the beach in all weathers, then taking them back to be cleaned up and sold.
When Mary was 12, she and her brother Joseph found parts of a 5m long reptile skeleton. This was bought for the price of £23 (about 6 months wages for a labourer at the time). Up to this time, all large reptilian fossils found nearby were thought to be the remains of crocodiles, as no other large animals of this type were known. Mary’s specimen was studied by various scientists and formed the basis of work on a new type of marine reptile called an ichthyosaur (meaning fish-lizard).
Over the next few decades Mary found many new and unusual fossils, including the first plesiosaur, the first pterosaur (flying reptile) outside Germany, and several new fish. Her clever observation of what she was finding enabled her to interpret finds in new ways. No-one knew the origins of the common, twisted lumps of hard rock called bezoar stones, but Mary saw their close association to ichthyosaur skeletons and worked out that they must be the fossilized remains of their droppings – we now call them coprolites. Her fame spread widely and soon she was being visited and consulted by leading geologists.
Mary was a curious character who didn’t fit into any regular categories. She had only a few years of schooling in the local Sunday school yet was able to write well and express herself fluently. However, her class meant she was unable to mix socially with her intellectual equals. As a woman, she was totally barred from joining the Geological Society of London where she would have been able to share and discuss her scientific ideas. Also, although her name is mentioned in scientific papers, she was never included as one of the authors.
She was described as independent, confident, proud and opinionated, and her letters show she felt bitter about the circumstances of her life. Yet she could also be kind and generous and helped many local townspeople when she could.
Visitors to Lyme have been able see Mary Anning’s gravestone and the stained-glass window dedicated to her memory in the church, but it was only in 2022 that a statue of her was unveiled. This was the culmination of a remarkable campaign started when nine-year old Evie Swire asked her mother Anya Pearson where there was a statute of Mary, only to be told there wasn’t one. This sparked the foundation of Mary Anning Rocks which crowdfunded over £100,000 to pay for a statue. Artist Denise Dutton was commissioned to create the sculpture which can now been seen at the sea front, depicting Mary striding purposefully toward the beach with her dog ready to make exciting new finds.
When trying to visualise people’s lives, particularly those from the past, it’s often the small things that bring lives to life such as a ticket to a lecture or a brooch - and two items in Amgueddfa Cymru’s collection certainly do that.
They both relate to Cranogwen, the bardic name for Sarah Jane Rees (1839–1916) a master mariner, poet, writer, editor and temperance worker who, for most of her life lived in the small town of Llangrannog, Cardiganshire. She was born there and throughout her life travelled from there to become one of the most well-known women in Wales in the late nineteenth/early twentieth century. And it was here that her two partners lived, first Fanny Rees “Phania” (1853-1874) who died aged just 21 and later Jane Thomas (1850-?) who, in most of the census returns is described as a ‘domestic worker’, ‘general servant’ or ‘charwoman’.
Cranogwen was often away, involved in myriad projects and giving lecturers but her first tour started in 1866, a year after controversially winning an Eisteddfod poetry prize when it was revealed a woman had beaten the men. Consequently, when she started touring her name was already known as a Y Gwladgarwr journalist noted:
The reader will remember that it was the young girl lion who took the prize at the Aberystwyth Eisteddfod for the song for the Wedding Ring. After hearing that, and also understanding that our leading poets, such as Islwyn and Ceiriog were competing, I was a bit surprised that there was some ‘dirt in the cheese’ somewhere.[i]
Cranogwen’s tour centred on her lecture ‘The Youth and the Culture of their Minds’ although this did expand later to include two other lecturers, ‘Anhebgorion Cymeriad da’ (Essentials of a Good Character) and ‘Elements of Happiness’, all concerned with improvements in people’s characters. As she spoke in Welsh, they were predominantly covered by the Welsh language press with the English language media paying very little attention.
Cranogwen started off in the Aberystwyth area so hopefully Jane did travel with her to provide some support but as the talks grew in popularity Cranogwen travelled further afield and just two months later at Swansea’s Brynhyfryd Chapel nearly one thousand people turned out to see her - a daunting prospect for anyone so hopefully Jane was there as well to give support.
Word was spreading quickly and, as a journalist at Baner ac Amserau Cymru noted, ‘There is no need in the world to go to the trouble of giving a description of the lecture today, because it is already quite well known throughout Wales.[ii]
Everywhere she went praise was showered upon her, causing one journalist to wonder if she could live up to the hype: ‘since we had heard such praise for her, we expected her to be good. But we never imagined that she was as talented as she is, and so masterful at her work.’[iii]
Night after night she spoke to rave reviews and her one-hour lecture expanded into two and even longer when local dignitaries sought to appear on stage alongside her, adding their pennyworth. Local poets flocked to her, often writing englyns, many of which were published in the papers, and women were following her example and taking to the stage.
This caused concern.
Women, particularly ‘young girls’ (she was 27 at the time) should not be lecturing, said the men, who complained of the impropriety of women speaking in public. ‘The inhabitants of South Wales,’ ranted the Cardiff Times, ‘are running wild with the young ladies who are lecturing about the country [and] in the opinion of many eminent men this is going too far.
At the Association of the Calvinistic Methodists held at Carnarvon the Rev. Henry Rees, and eminent minister, whose name is known through the Principality, spoke against female preachers, and stated that it would be far more becoming in those who are fond of preaching to attend to those duties which belong to their sex. We are glad that a gentleman of Mr Rees’s standing has set his face against this new mania.[iv]
‘Are these women not at home?’ Seren Cymru joined in, ‘are we ready to see our parishes being dotted, if not flooded, and women lecturing.[v]
Most journalists ignored them and continued their rave reviews of Cranogwen.
The talks usually began at 7pm and tickets cost 6d (about £2 today) and audiences were huge with many writers noting how listeners would sit quietly entranced for two hours often nodding in agreement and rewarding Cranogwen with thunderous applause. In almost all her talks it was noted that the profits went to pay off chapel debts.
Throughout 1867 Cranogwen continued to tour and the Amgueddfa Cymru ticket is dated to 2 January but no newspaper report has been found for Brynmenyn, Bridgend – but then there were so many talks not all were covered and the tour was a year old by this time.
In 1869–1870 Cranogwen toured the United States giving the same sort of lectures – and we would need to examine the immigration records to see if Jane went with her.
When she returned, Cranogwen continued her good works, and in the early twentieth century she, like many eminent women, become involved in the temperance movement. Drunkenness, particularly among women was endemic as they tried to escape harsh lives and a number of unions were set up to try and tackle this including the Rhondda Women’s Union, set up in April 1901. It was so successful that a decision was made to expand it, and Cranogwen was instrumental in changing it to Undeb Dirwestol Merched y De (U.D.M.D.) (South Wales Women’s Temperance Union) where she was the Organisational Secretary, with her address still listed at Llangrannog. Once again, Cranogwen was touring extensively with the Union.
As they arrived at each town, Union members would process through the streets carrying banners before settling at a chapel where prayers and hymns, and readings from the Bible, were read out followed by speeches by leading members of the Union. In addition, guest speakers featured well-known Welsh women who would draw in audiences, followed by tea and cake and socialising, and the three-hour events were attended by hundreds of people. There would be collections, and sales of pamphlets and badges. The example in the Amgueddfa Cymru collection is technically a brooch and it is not clear if the badges Cranogwen received money for, were these brooches.
By December 1901, new U.D.M.D. branches were growing throughout south Wales and by the time of Cranogwen’s death in 1916 there were 140 branches throughout South Wales.
Cranogwen was indefatigable, and one can only wonder at her energy. As well as all her good works one of her strengths was the encouragement of so many young women to become writers and orators, even if the men disapproved.
Cranogwen died in 1916 at Wood Street Cilfynydd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, her niece’s house. ‘No other Welsh woman enjoyed popularity in so many public spheres’[vii] noted the Cambrian Daily Leader. Unfortunately, it is not yet known when Jane died, hopefully the forthcoming biography by Jane Aaron will tell us more, but just five years earlier they were still living together in Llangrannog and the town was to remain Cranogwen’s permanent address for most of her life. No matter how much she travelled, it seems she always went home to Jane.
Memorial to Sarah Jane Rees, Llangrannog (WikiCommons)
Work has started on the UK Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC)-funded Rights and Rites, project, which explores, with community groups, plants and plant products originating in South Asia, primarily India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The Amgueddfa Cymru biocultural collections (comprising approximately 5500 specimens), include a wide range of medicinal plants, notably plants important in traditional Ayurveda and Siddha medicinal systems, food products and raw materials. Specimens in the collection were originally donated by individuals and institutions, such as the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, and the Imperial Institute. The biocultural specimens, together with linked herbarium specimens and botanical illustrations are being explored in workshops involving curators and local community groups, with links to the places of origin of these specimens.
The aim of this collaboration is to combine the scientific knowledge of the curatorial and research staff with the expertise of local members of the Asian diaspora, to provide cultural context for specimens in the Museum’s collections. We aim to work together to increase knowledge of plant species used in traditional medicine, cuisine, ceremonies and culture. Through this collaboration, we are co-curating new interpretations for South Asian specimens, drawing on people’s lived-experience and cultural understanding of the specimens’ country of origin. The updated records on our collection databases have the scientific botanic information augmented with contextual information on medicinal and culinary properties.
This extends what we know about the collections, combining scientific details with information on traditional uses of the plant products. Access to specimens in the collection is being enhanced by digitising the South Asian specimens in the collection and also by producing 3D scans of the selection of specimens. Furthermore, we are researching the provenance of the botanical specimens concerned and creating new permanent records to include the new, co-created content. We intend to make the economic botany collection more accessible to local communities, other institutions and scientists across the globe.
The project employs new scanning equipment, purchased using an AHRC grant, to scan specimens. The scans will act as a catalyst to spark dialogue and knowledge-exchange about the Indian flora both between curators and the community and within the local diaspora community.
