When a friend rang to meet for coffee last week, the Court Cafe at the heart of the British Museum hit the spot as it were. For all its vastness, the glass and stone sheltered courtyard manages to be intimate as well as being an architecturally awesome, people watching, while-away-the-hours, rendezvous. As it was, there was not much time to spare but I’d wanted to see the North American flora in this year’s Kew at the British Museum and there were just enough meandering moments left for a few snaps. Even the wet weather managed a summery break…
All garden structures begin with trees and shrubs and this showcase landscape is no exception, with specimens that token various states of America and also provide spectacular Autumn colours. These include Sweet Gums (Liquidambar styraciflua), Sugar (Acer saccharinum) and Snake bark maples (A.davidii), Paper birch, Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), Black walnut (Juglans nigra), Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and Saw Palmetto.
Westward from the Rocky mountains, Lupines are all American! Whilst the edible sweet yellow Lupinus (albus var. saccharatus) arrived on our shores with the Romans, the large-leaved, bitter Lupin (L. polyphyllus) was a 19th century introduction of the plant collector, David Douglas. These pea–flower-on-a-stick bluebonnets are the forerunners of the stately spires of Russell’s lupins so beloved by post-war gardeners ands slugs. With the advent of architectural uprights being a tickbox, garden design item, lupins are making a comeback.
Not yellow but startlingly rose-coloured, Oenothera speciosa is a Mexican evening primrose with a host of common names including ones that are unprintable due to its robust here-to-stay attitude. I do however wish I’d noted the name of the red and white picotee cupped blooms on the right – that’s a cue for any American bloggers to help out here!
Both the Moss and Wild Blue Phlox divaricata caught my attention probably because they make such a soft and subtle contrast to the more familiar, gaudier P. paniculatas. These can reach between 4 and 6 foot in the wild, often plain pink and growing in the damp, partially shaded areas of the Eastern states.
C. bipinnatus is the common-or-garden Cosmos or Mexican aster. Thriving in poor, sunny soils, it is named from the Greek word for harmony or ordered universe. The popularity of various hybrids and ease of propagation has resulted in garden escapees literally going wild such that ‘Chaos’ might be a more suitable epithet. Nevertheless it is only the yellow C. sulphureous which is listed as an invasive from South America. Cosmos remind me of Love-in-a-mist Nigella, though obviously larger and more dramatically hued, and the open-hearted flowers continue to be as enchanting for many gardeners as they were for the Spanish missionaries who cultivated them.
Between the grasses, wallflowers, red-hot Salvias and hazy blue Centaureas, this Prairie planting was a big lure for the insects, particularly bumblebees but it was the insectivorous Sarracenias which drew the most human attention. “Please do not touch the flowers” was a sign I almost overlooked as I could barely resist putting my fingers into the pitfalls of these pitcher plants. When flowering, Sarracenias hold aloft intricate bloom bracts to lure in bees for pollination. This is not the precarious endeavour it would otherwise be as the sweet nectarine lips and digestive pools of the carnivorous pitchers only develop after the flowering season.
I’d associated Toadflax (Linaria vulgaris) with meadows and woodland margins, in hues confined to the milk and buttery yellows of scrambled eggs. It required a double take of the exuberant, multicoloured froth of flowers therefore to realise that these were all everlasting snapdragons. Introduced into America, it has become a troublesome weed in some states though not listed as invasive yet.
The exhibition runs until November 25th with cone-flowered Echinaceas and Rudbeckias still to bloom and ending with the finale of Fall foliage. Plenty of time for a taster tour of the North American landscape and well worth a visit. Coffee is optional.
Postscript: If North American flora does not seem as exotic as it might be this is greatly due to the plant hunting exploits of the Tradescants of the 17th century (and David Douglas in the 19th century). Both father and son brought back vast collections of Americana botanica, including the Tulip tree (Liriodendron) catalogued in 1656.
Walking along an allée of these trees in Regent’s Park it is easy to forget their Appalachian origins. Honeybees feed feverishly on the faux tulips, rocketing round the blooms like balls in a bagatelle pinboard.
Wonderful post. I’ve been wondering what an American garden would look like.
the landscapes are tasters for the main course in the Museum’s displays
What a fascinating trip. I love the British Museum anyway and especially the domed central area, combine that with all those plants. It’s good to know that it’s on until November, I’d love to try and get over for that. There just isn’t enough time to fit everything in sometimes.
wellywoman read my post..A Slight Difference of Opinion
5 minute walk away and still I had to make time!
Great post Laura,
I love the British Museum. My last visit was around ten years ago with my father
Lupins…..I have just learnt something.
Rabbits always eat the yellow or white ones but never the blue….now I know why !!! Tku.
I was given a native pitcher plant last year. I planted it in the bog garden and it is just beginning to show signs of life, so exciting. I can understand you wanting to touch
how do the rabbbits know not to eat the blue ones?! Perfect spot for your Pitchers. Recently saw some in pots in ponds – lots of insects emerging
You’re so lucky to live so close to this museum! Great post – really enjoyed it and I love the Toadflax!
alas I tend to take it for granted PJ – until these kind of exhibits
Laura, I so much wish our museums here in New Mexico would tackle such adventurous projects! I enjoyed seeing old favorites in a new context, with colonnades and everything. I think your mystery plant with the red and white blooms is mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) — no idea about which cultivar, though.
Stacy read my post..Coming Around Again
thank you so much for the id Stacy- was confused at first because Kalmia/mountain laurel is a tallish shrub instead of the compact mound on display here – but then discovered that there is a miniature version called Minuet
would love to walk thru that exhibit, but second-best is to walk it with you.
Elephant’s Eye read my post..Third blogaversary, a look back at our garden
am sure I tour with the spirit of like-minded bloggers
Thanks for the view into these lovely gardens. I did see many plants that are familiar to me. I always think of plants being introduced to America from other parts of the world, but I had not thought much of it being a two way street, with our natives going out to other countries!
mutual admiration knows no bounds in the plant world though this is a thing of the past with native landscapes and the fear of alien invasiveness.
Wow, the Musem looks totally different than it was a few months ago. We went there in March and the space was bare. They should keep those plants there forever, or do that more often, it’s a nice continuation from Russel Square.
Graziella read my post..Malta Gardens: Chinese Garden Of Serenity
it will be back to bare by the end of the year – and re-planted with another showcase landscape next year
What an absolute treat this would have been. Beautiful flowers and great trees. I’m so glad we got to share in this wonderful outing.
Bernieh read my post..Time To Wander Around.
almost as good as last year’s Aussie landscape
“advent of architectural uprights being a tickbox” – does that include foxgloves ?
certainly most uplifting! Digitalis x Mertonensis stood out at Chelsea last year and there’ve been other New Foxgloves at Chelsea
Very funny as an American to see a display of our plants as foreign. Definitley Kalmia latifolia, mountain laurel, the state flower of Pennsylvania, my home state. There are many many cultivars. Difficult to grow here now except in the mountains because our summers have gotten too hot and drought prone—-sad.
Carolyn @ Carolyn’s Shade Gardens read my post..Groundcovers, Thinking Outside the Box
must be a challenge for your moist shade lovers too
how wonderful to see our lovely natives from all over the US. So many favorites from trees to blooms. Wait until that fall foliage comes…same here for native mountain laurels..I have had no luck in growing them due to weather or battling hungry deer.
Donna@Gardens Eye View read my post..Work in Progress
might pop back in the Autumn to see the Fall.