Famous Scots

This form of the grape hyacinth is originally from the Mediterranean and Turkey. Like other hyacinths it was closely associated with the earth goddess Demeter. As she was the guardian of women it was often worn as part of a bridal crown.

The Ancient Greeks regarded it as a flower of death and in many European cultures it was associated with remembrance. This is a reflection of its connection with the myth of Hyakinthos, who through an act of the gods was killed by his friend Apollo whilst throwing a discus. Weeping for his friend, Apollo stated that a flower would eventually bear his tears, instantly blossoms are said to have sprouted from the blood of Hyakinthos, these were reputedly what we know as hyacinths today.

In the Christian faith it is seen as a symbol of wisdom, and tranquility and like many other plants it often appears in religious works of art. In the language of flowers the various colours have different meanings ranging from white for discreet love, to mauve for mourning.

The respected Scottish Zoologist and Classical Scholar Sir D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson (1860-1948) wrote about his theory of transformation involving the body as a whole and the mathematics behind nature. In his classic of modern science and biology 'On Growth and Form' (1942) he stated in the chapter on leaf arrangement: "The beautiful configuration produced by the orderly arrangement of leaves or florets on the stem have long been an object of admiration and curiosity".

In a subsequent chapter he also describes the science behind the form of a hyacinth leaf, which grows continuously from the base. The garden is in fact filled with the natural wonders, shapes and forms he strove to understand mathematically.

The wild daffodil is native to many parts of Britain and Europe. It takes its Latin name from the myth surrounding the river god Cephissus and the story of his son Narcissus who through his beauty had many admirers, including the nymph Echo. Narcissus refuted them all including her. Angered by his refusal she made him fall in love with his own reflection in the river, unable to move he wasted away until he died. This myth was studied by the famous Scottish classicist and anthropologist Sir James George Frazer (1854-1941) who wrote in his renowned work 'The Golden Bough' (1890) about his conviction that the myth originated from the belief that man's soul is situated in his reflection.

Ancient mythology also tells us about Hades, the Greek god of the underworld, capturing Persephone and taking her to the underworld as she was picking daffodils in the Elysian Fields. It is this myth which probably led to the common idea that the daffodil was a flower of the underworld. As such it was associated with death and used in wreaths and planted on graves, as it still is today.

In the Christian Faith it is linked to the Virgin Mary and several of the saints, it is even occasionally referred to as Mary's Star. Look closely in renaissance religious art and you will often see it present as a symbol of the resurrection, self-sacrifice and eternal life. To the Chinese it represents prosperity and happiness.

Madonna of the Daffodils with the Child and Donors by Jan van Scorel. 
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Native to Britain the bluebell features heavily in the music and culture of Scotland. Many poets, authors and musicians including Robert Burns, James Hogg and Lady Carolina Nairne have celebrated it's qualities and contribution to our landscape.

The most recent of these is the Scottish classical composer Ian Ellis Hamilton (1922-2000). His work, 'Wild Garden', consists of five pieces for the clarinet and the piano. You cannot help but wonder if this, one of his last works was inspired by the bluebell woods of the West of Scotland. Sadly it is unlikely if we will ever know, but what a fantastic celebration this piece of music is about our living heritage.

Like the thistle and rowan, bluebells are so evocative of our landscape they can rightly be seen as a plant of homecoming. Bluebells are also the plant badge of the Clan Grierson.

Birch appears in Celtic tradition as a symbol of the awakening of new life. This was once reflected by the use of birch twigs for creating corn sheaf bridal figures used in the celebrations surrounding St Bridget’s Day each spring. Saint Brigid was the Celtic goddess of rebirth. In the language of flowers birch represents modesty and grace, hence it was referred to by Coleridge as the 'Lady of the Woods'.

In some parts of Europe it was known as the 'rod of life' and the bride and groom were often asked to step over a birch pole as they entered their new home, in the hope this would aid the coming of a family. In contrast, the dead were often covered in birch twigs - perhaps in protection from evil?

Birch had many practical uses which made it central to daily life. The timber was utilised in construction, basket-making and the manufacture of domestic items such as fish barrels, carts and ploughs. During the height of the textile industry in Scotland, bobbins for spinning were made from birch. The bark was used for candles, paper and tanning. A tea was produced from the leaves and used medicinally; they were also made into dye for wool used in weaving tartan and tweed. Wine was made from the sap and still is today. Through destructive distillation the sap was also processed into a sticky waterproof tar for the fishing and construction industries.

The traditional fiddler and composer James Scott Skinner (1843-1927) was also known as the 'Strathspey King'. Born in Banchory, Skinner went on to travel and perform extensively in Britain and America. Writing over 600 tunes, one of these was the slow air 'The Weeping Birch of Kilmorack'. The tune commemorates Skinner's visit to the Falls of Kilmorack on the river Beauly and the Pass of Dhreim with his two great friends Donald Morrison and Dr McDonald. During this visit Morrison told Skinner how previously a traction engine had fallen 100 feet from the road into the gorge, killing two men. After this happened a phenomenon reputedly occurred with most of the birches within 30 yards of the accident withering away without regeneration.

Extremely attractive, birches have often featured in oil and watercolour paintings. Even the Scottish portrait painter Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823) although not renowned for illustrating plants, could not resist their beauty. He often set his subjects, particularly women, in a romantic landscape featuring a wooded background. An especially fine example is the portrait of Mrs Downey of Prestonpans (c1787-1790). We see her in an imaginary mixed woodland of birch and beech.

Mrs Downey by Henry Raeburn. 
Tate ref. N01146. Creative commons

Bear's Breeches was introduced into cultivation from Italy in 1548. The name acanthus is derived from Acantha, a nymph loved by Apollo who is said to have turned her into the flower. The distinct shape of the foliage has inspired many.

Their first use in architecture is said to have been by the Greek Sculptor Kallimachos (5th century BC). According to myth, he witnessed a basket of toys being placed on a child's grave and covered with a cloth. Passing by the grave the following Spring he noted the basket was still present, but plants of bears breeches had pushed up the cloth and foliage now caressed the sides of the basket. This gave Kallimachos the idea for what became the classic Corinthian column favoured by the famous Scottish architect Robert Adam (1728-1792) who was particularly fond of the Corinthian Order.
 
Born in Kirkcaldy, Robert Adam studied in Edinburgh and Italy. By 1758 he had established a practice in London which, for more than 30 years, dominated the British architectural scene, transforming London and other major cities, as well as country houses.

One of his most famous works in Scotland, apart from General Register House and the 'Old Quad' at the University of Edinburgh, is the vast oval staircase at Culzean Castle in Ayrshire.

General Register House, Princes Street, South Elevation, 30 July 1772. 
Crown copyright, National Records of Scotland, RHP6082/7

If you look closely at the tops of the classical columns designed in the Corinthian manner by Adam at the front of General Register House and his other buildings in the city you will see carved in the stone multi-layered acanthus leaves. These can also be found in the ornate plaster work ceilings inside the buildings.

Robert Adam attributed to George Willison oil on canvas, circa 1770-1774
NPG 2953, © National Portrait Gallery, London