Katsura Tree, Cercidiphyllum japonicum

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Earlham Cemetery in Norwich is full of trees, with many fine and unusual specimens. The Friends of Earlham Cemetery group has put together a list of trees in Earlham Cemetery but this is very much a work in progress and we often find interesting new trees.

One such tree is the Katsura, Cercidiphyllum japonicum. It instantly stands out because its heat-shaped leaves grow out of its branches in opposite pairs. It looks a bit like a Judas Tree, Cercis siliquastrum, but the Judas Tree has alternate, rather than opposite, leaves. Katsura leaves are also serrated, whereas Judas Tree leaves are untoothed.

The Katsura forms an elegant, medium-sized deciduous tree. Its flowers are inconspicuous and wind pollinated and produced in early spring and the fruit are small clusters of pods. But you wouldn’t grow the tree for these. The leaves are the best feature – with shades of bronze when young and turning yellow, orange and pink in autumn. The smell of the leaves in autumn has been compared to burnt sugar or candyfloss, surely a reason to grow this tree or visit somewhere where it grows, for a quick sniff.

Cercidiphyllum japonicum grows in the wild in China and southern Japan and there is also a related species, C. magnificum, in Japan. Cercidiphyllum means “leaves like Cercis“, but the trees are in different families – Cercis is a legume (family Fabaceae a.k.a. Leguminosae), whereas Cercidiphyllum is in a family of its own, the Cercidiphyllaceae.

Katsura
Katsura

Bowthorpe Heritage Group Community Garden

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Last Saturday, along with other members of Grapes Hill Community Garden Group, I visited the Bowthorpe Heritage Group Community Garden. It was a cool, dull day but we received a warm welcome from the volunteers who met us, showed us around and supplied tea and biscuits.

Bowthorpe Community GardenThe garden is just off Tolye Road in Bowthorpe, next to Bowthorpe Church. It was started in 2001 when a half acre of discused farmland and a crumbling nineteenth century flint barn were cleared from the site. Local residents formed Bowthorpe Heritage Group and rented the land from Norwich City Council and created the garden.

A large flowerbed in the shape of a butterfly was created in 2006 and the garden was extended in 2008 to include raised beds and hard surfaced paths and again in 2011, when a wildlife garden, orchard and water storage facility were added. There is also a curved pergola at the entrance (with climbing roses) and a History Wall, which illustrates the history of Bowthorpe through a series of mosaic panels.

The garden is open 24 hours a day yet vandalism is almost non-existent. The paths give access through the garden via a variety of routes and local residents often pass through on the way to school, shops or work, as well as making visits just to the garden. Surrounded by houses, the garden feels like a village green rather than part of a Norwich suburb.

When we visited the garden was full of colour, with early summer flowers such as Oriental Poppies, Aquilegia and hardy Geraniums. The highlight for me, though, was the sea of white Sweet Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) and Oxeye Daisies in the wildflower meadow.

Sweet Rocket and Oxeye Daisies

Wildflower meadow: Sweet Rocket and Oxeye Daisies

The Bowthorpe Heritage Group doesn’t have a website but can be contacted by telephone – Adrian (07765 350383) or Madge (01603 734767). There are regular garden tasks, on alternate Sunday afternoons.

Ground Ivy, Glechoma hederacea

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Ground Ivy, Glechoma hederacea, is another of my favourite flowers of spring and early summer (April to July). It is a widely distributed native in the British Isles (see map) and is also native in other parts of Europe and southwest Asia. It has been introduced into the United States, where it is now widespread (see map) and considered to be an invasive weed in some states.

Ground Ivy

Ground Ivy, Glechoma hederacea

Ground Ivy isn’t related to true Ivy (Hedera helix), but it trails along the ground in a similar way, albeit on a much smaller scale. A perennial member of the family Lamiaceae, which includes herbs such as Mint, Marjoram and Thyme, Ground Ivy has the square stems and pairs of round, blunt toothed leaves that are characteristic of many members of the family. The leaves are slightly aromatic and in full sun they are sometimes tinged with red. The flowers have three lower and two upper petals and are a pretty shade of blue/violet, often with darker blue or mauve blotches. The flowers are popular with bumblebees.

Ground Ivy is just one English name. Others include Alehoof, Gill-over-the-ground, Gill-go-by-the-Hedge, Creeping Charlie, Haymaids, Tun-hoof, Hedgemaids, Lizzy-run-up-the-Hedge, Catsfoot and Robin-run-in-the-Hedge. The name Alehoof was given because Ground Ivy used to be the most common flavouring in beer (before hops were used, from the 16th century onwards). Most of the other names refer to the plant’s low, spreading habit as it grows in wooded places and hedgerows.

Ground Ivy is reported to have several medicinal properties and these are described on a number of websites, including Plants for a Future, A Modern Herbal, Rowan Remedies, and Health from Nature, including treatments of headaches, inflamed mucous membranes, bruises, ear infections and kidney disease. The Sigma Aldrich website refers to several interesting pieces of research which suggest that Ground Ivy has antibacterial and insecticidal properties and can stimulate platelets, inhibit tumour production and boost the immune response. Ground Ivy is poisonous to horses and is avoided by rabbits (reference).

Ground Ivy leaves are rather bitter but are edible when young. They can added to salads for a slight aromatic tang or cooked like spinach, added to soups or used as a flavouring. I have nibbled the young  leaves and found them quite palatable but I haven’t eaten them in any quantity or in any recipe.

There is also a variegated form of Ground Ivy, Glechoma hederacea ‘Variegata’, which is often grown as a low-maintenance plant for hanging baskets.