Health. Oats, Avena sativa, and Centaurea cyanus, Cornflower, Hortus Alkmaar, Alkmaar, The Netherlands
A wonderful place to visit is the relatively secluded Hortus Alkmaar, on the edge with the town of Sint Pancras. In the photo the inset is of the late-medieval church of Sint Pancras. Among other things, the saint was known as a harbinger of health. Nestled against the church's walls you can just see a set of beehives. Perhaps some of those nectar-gatherers also venture out to the Hortus not very far away.
That Hortus is particularly good on all kinds of nutritional and medicinal plants. It is very carefully tended and the thematics are well-done and expertly cultivated.
I don't know about you, but when I was young cereal fields abounded with Cornflowers. Most are now gone due to modern intensive cropping. But here in this Hortus - which also displays many cereals! - there are lots of our wonderfully blue Centaurea cyanus. In the photo it's next to ripening oats still in their husks.
Health. Oats, Avena sativa, and Centaurea cyanus, Cornflower, Hortus Alkmaar, Alkmaar, The Netherlands
A wonderful place to visit is the relatively secluded Hortus Alkmaar, on the edge with the town of Sint Pancras. In the photo the inset is of the late-medieval church of Sint Pancras. Among other things, the saint was known as a harbinger of health. Nestled against the church's walls you can just see a set of beehives. Perhaps some of those nectar-gatherers also venture out to the Hortus not very far away.
That Hortus is particularly good on all kinds of nutritional and medicinal plants. It is very carefully tended and the thematics are well-done and expertly cultivated.
I don't know about you, but when I was young cereal fields abounded with Cornflowers. Most are now gone due to modern intensive cropping. But here in this Hortus - which also displays many cereals! - there are lots of our wonderfully blue Centaurea cyanus. In the photo it's next to ripening oats still in their husks.