Chelsea Physic Garden

A couple of weeks ago I spent a few days in London. One of the highlights was a visit to the Chelsea Physic Garden.

a less welcome visitor

I spent a very peaceful five hours wandering among the beds and borders enjoying this lovely calm place, right in the centre of London.

Puya chilensis - about 2.5m tall

The garden has a long history, it was originally used by apothecaries for growing the herbs and medicinal plants they used. Now it is a research and educational garden which is also open to the public (but not on Saturdays or Mondays).

the dye garden

You wont be surprised that my main interest was the dye plant section of the 'Useful Plants' garden, but really every corner of the garden was interesting.

Genista tinctoria - dyers' broom or dyers' greenweed

 

Reseda luteola - weld

 

Rubia tinctoria - madder

 

Asperula tinctoria - dyers' woodruff

 

Galium odoratum

 

Baptisia australis - false indigo

 

Rhus typhina - sumac