We have started to post a weekly flower on the website and our Facebook page. Photographs and dialogue courtesy of Fairley Taylor.
To cut down on admin, we have decided to post flowers on an monthly basis.
October 2023. Here are some flowers which are still blooming, but with a sting in the tail as they are all poisonous.
Nerines are in flower just now and they are found all around the village but they are poisonous.
Cala Lilies are in sale in shops but they drop large amounts of caustic sap which takes varnish off wood so please protect your furniture.
Yellow Jasmine, which will be flowering shortly gives off a nerve toxin if damaged. Please wear gloves when you are cutting it back.
Lilies have been in flower but they too are poisonous and you will probably be cutting them back. Please wear gloves.
August 2023. Four more flowers this month to look out for on your travels.
The Foxglove has been bountiful this summer there are still some flowering. It was/is used to treat heart complaints in the form of digoxin.
Yarrow is found in Fetternear and at the ponds. You get a white variety too. it was traditionally used to stop bleeding. Latin name Achillia after the Greek hero Achilles.
Marsh Woundwort is found down by the academy and as the name suggests it promotes wound healing.
St John’s Wort called such because you get a blood red oil from it, used to treat depression or nature’s prozac a depression drug . Found in Fetternear.
Happy plant hunting folks.
July 2023. Another four flowers this month, with a mixture of weather thrown in!
Dwarf Mallow – traditionally used for making cough sweets using the root. Usually has pink and white flowers on the same plant – marshmallows that is why they are pink and white. there are known to be some in the village.
Bitter Cress – usually found in Fetternear, the flowers are really tiny and difficult to spot – happy plant hunting.
Marsh Cinquefoil – found at the Ponds, but quite rare in this part of the country.
Golden Rod – an American import but now being naturalised. It can be found down by the river, but is highly poisonous.
June 2023. Four more wild flowers this month, while we bask in the sunshine.
Blue bottle or cornflower – it was traditionally used to treat sore eyes, but not recommended as it can trigger an allergic response!
Deil’s bit Scabious, so called because in Scottish legend the Devil bit out its healing properties – but not all of them as it reduces inflammation . You will find this plant in Fetternear
Chickweed wintergreen – it was used to treat muscular pains and it can be found in the woods -rather pretty.
Bladder Campion or dead man’s bells. They are the pink flowers you see by the road side and can also be found at the ponds.
May 2023. Four more wild flowers this month, now that spring / summer are here, but ne’re cast a clout ’till May day’s oot!
Three cornered crow garlic, found in Fetternear, thus called three corner because the stems are triangular. Makes great soup and pesto. The little green pods are next years seeds, plant the flower head upside down and you will have it for next year.
Lady’s Smock or the Cuckoo flower, It used to be rare here but since lockdown it is flourishing found all over the village!
Wood Anemone or the Deceiving flower as it is white on the front and pink on the back. It is just about to flower and found in Fetternear
The final flower is Leopard’s bane or wild Arnica found in Fetternear but there is a different variety with toothed leaves which is a garden escapee. The smooth leafed variety can be used to make Arnica cream.
April 2023. We have four flowers this month as we hopefully have finished with winter – not holding my breath on that!
Lesser Celandine is out now in Fetternear. It is an indicator that the earth is now warm enough to plant your seeds.
Snowdrops- some of them are still around, look out for the ones in Fetternear as they are the lady Elphinstone variety and are a very pretty type, they were once used to treat frostbite. Not recommended to eat as they are poisonous !
Heather is still in flower and looks stunning on the hills, used traditionally for thatching but you can also use it to brew Heather beer using the flowers.
Periwinkle – can be found in Fetternear, traditionally hung around the necks of condemned prisoners to ward off their evil spirits hence the name Sorcerer’s violet.
Winter 2022-23. We have four flowers this month as we start to head into winter, some of which are regarded as nuisance weeds, but have interesting properties!
The first one is Nettle, nature’s vitamin pill as it has all the minerals and vitamins your body needs Used for soup, beer and cloth, which has the texture of silk when spun.
Ribwort Plantain is used to heal wounds. Its seeds were used as a flour in times of famine. Its Scottish name is Carl Doddies .
Red Clover, called Sookie Soo’s in Scotland. It is high in phyto- oestrogens which help with the menopause, but it also contains a compound called Formononetin which stops muscle cramps.
Rosebay Willow Herb. They were still flowering and the young leaves can be used in salads, and it makes a very strong beer. It is called the railway herb. The leaves can be used to stop bleeding.
We have 4 flowers this month at the start of Autumn
First one is sweet sicily a member of the carrot family, it is traditionally used a sweetener but please be wary as they look similar to hemlock. You are looking out for purple around the bracks which is hemlock.
The second one is the autumn crocus or colchicum. You can find it in Fetternear but it is highly poisonous.
The third one is santolini or cotton lavender. It is a great insect repellent. Fairley uses it under the outside table to stop flies, bees and wasps going after food.
The fourth one is wormwood traditionally used to make absinth. The town of Wormit in Fife gets its name from the abundance of wormwood, its old name was wormit.
This month’s flower is the wild flowers at Port Elphinstone but we do have patches in the village. Happy hunting.
This week’s flower is Heather, traditionally used for thatch, bedding, shampoo, and of course heather ale!
This week’s flower is Ox Eye daisy. They are so pretty and you can find them around the village but the best show is on A96 . Happy plant hunting.
This week’s flower is honeysuckle, traditionally used to treat heart complaints. It actually shrinks back when you go to touch it. You can find it in many gardens and Fetternear. Happy hunting.
This week’s flower is the Whin flower, or Gorse, which is rather pretty. Its Latin name planta genista gives us the source Plantagenet King’s of Britain, as the lost crown was found in a gorse bush!
Week commencing 31st July 2022
This week’s flower is the Marsh woundwort. You can find it all over the village. As the name suggests it is a wound herb traditionally used to stop bleeding. Rather pretty.
Week commencing 24th July 2022
This week’s flower is Valarian. It is found in two places in the village. Traditionally used and still is used to treat insomnia. Rather pretty – enjoy finding it – clue near the old fireplace workshop.
Week commencing 17th July 2022
This week’s flower is Meadowsweet, of which there are a lot around the village. This flower along with willow bark was used to make the first aspirin as they both contain Salicin which has pain killing qualities. Meadowsweet was once used to flavour mead hence its other name Meadsweet.
This week’s flower is the Marsh woundwort. You can find it all over the village. As the name suggests it is a wound herb traditionally used to stop bleeding. Rather pretty .
Week commencing 10th July 2022
This week’s flower is the Bird’s Foot Trefoil, the flowers of which look like bird’s feet and trefoil is that the leaves grow in threes. Enjoy finding them in the village.
Week commencing 3rd July 2022
This week’s flower is the Hawthorn also known as Knots. From where we get the rhyme “Here we go gathering nuts in May ” It was traditionally used to treat congestive cardiac failure as it regulates the heart and gets rid of fluid in the lungs , rather pretty and you also get pink ones.
Week commencing 26th June 2022
This week’s flower is Leopard’s Bane or Wild Arnica, traditionally used to get rid of bruising. There are heaps of it growing in Fetternear. Enjoy them, as they are stunning to look at.
Week commencing 19th June 2022
This week’s flower is Yarrow, Achillea called after Achilles as he used it to stop bleeding in the Trojan wars. You can find pink ones if you are lucky on your walks.
Week commencing 12th June 2022
Have you noticed that the Foxglove flowers are out? They have been used for the heart medicine digitalis or digoxin which regulates the heartbeat. The earliest reference found for this use is in the 12th century.
Week commencing 5th June 2022
This week’s flower is the Bugle or Carpenter Herb, as it was traditionally used to stop bleeding and get’s rid of bruising. You can find it growing in Fetternear. Happy hunting on your walks.
Week commencing 29th May 2022
This week’s flower is the Eyebright, so called because the colours of the flower look like the colours of a black eye. It was traditionally used to treat eye complaints which works beautifully.
Week commencing 22nd May 2022
This week’s flower is Giant Mullain. It will grow to about 5 feet tall and is a native British plant, which was called Cuddy Lug’s in Scotland. It has been used to treat coughs and traditionally it was used to treat asthma before inhaler’s. You can find it in Fetternear. Good luck finding this one.
Week commencing 15th May 2022
This week the flower is the Welsh poppy. It can be found around the village, as it is a garden escapee. Enjoy finding it.
Week commencing 8th May 2022
This week’s flower is the Butterburr. We are so lucky to have the white variety in the village as the flowers are usually pink. It is called Butterburr as the leaves were traditionally used to wrap butter. Its other name is Son afore the Father as the flowers appear before the leaves. Enjoy finding it.
Week commencing 1st May 2022
The flower this week is Alkanet, or wild henna. You can find it around the village. Traditionally used for dying cloth, heaps of it growing in Monymusk, as it was used to dye the linen made there. It looks like a large forget-me not but has hairy leaves and stems.
Week commencing 24th April 2022
This weeks flower is the Ragged Robin, quite a rare little plant but you can find it in the village. Happy hunting on your walks
Week commencing 17th April 2022
This week’s flower is the Forsythia, which is named after the Old Meldrum plant hunter George Forsyth. There is a blue plaque in front of his home in Old Meldrum. Enjoy finding it . It is traditionally used for coughs.
Week commencing 10th April 2022
Your flower this week is the crab apple. There are quite a few around the village especially around by the academy. Enjoy finding them on your walks.
Week commencing 3rd April 2022
This week’s flower is Elecampane, Wild Arnica or Leopard’s Bane. There should be heaps of it growing in Fetternear. Fairley uses it for bruising and making a cream from the leaves. Enjoy finding it on your walks.
Week commencing 27th March 2022
This week’s flower is Ransoms or Wild Garlic. If the stems are triangular it is three cornered garlic. There is heaps of this in Fetternear, and it makes a really good pesto and really good in scones. If you fancy growing it at home wait until it flowers and pick them as they contain the seeds for next year, plant the flowers upside down and cover with earth. Next year’s garlic.
Week commencing 20th March 2022
This week’s flower is Solomon’s Seal, so called because when you cut the root there is black squiggles which look like writing. Traditionally used to treat diarrhoea. It grows wild in Fetternear, so look out for it when on your walks.
Week commencing 13th March 2022
This week’s flower is Lord and Ladies or Wild Arum. It grows in Fetternear in abundance . Traditionally used to clean linen , the laundress’s hands turned white due to the toxic chemicals in them . It has orange fruit in the late summer.
Week commencing 20th February 2022
This week’s flower is the Heart’s Ease, supposed to mend a broken heart, hence the name. They are tiny so keep your eyes peeled and enjoy finding them.
Week commencing 13th February 2022
Here is this weeks flower. It is the Cowslip or Peggle. It was traditionally thought that they indicate where fairy gold was hidden and it was used to treat coughs, and to make wine.
Week commencing 6th February 2022
This week’s flower is Comfrey. Traditionally used to heal broken bones as it speeds up healing, the root was grated and steeped in water. When someone had a broken bone, the water was squeezed out to form a plaster cast. Today it can be used along with nettles and dandelions and as fertiliser throughout the year.
Week commencing 30th January 2022
Here is this week’s flower, the creeping buttercup. There are 5 different types of them, traditionally used to burst boils but they are poisonous and not recommended nowadays. Enjoy trying to identify the five types.
Week commencing 23rd January 2022
This week’s flower is the snowdrop. The first ones are out now. The variety you see on your walks is the Lady Elphinstone , which is really frilly. It traditionally was used to treat frostbite.
Week commencing 16th January 2022
This week’s flower is the Hellebore, or the Christmas Rose or the Lenten Rose, as some varieties flower at Christmas and some at Lent. It is highly toxic.
Week commencing 9th January 2022
This weeks flower is the Dock , traditionally used for nettle stings and eczema but it was also used to weave baskets. The leaves give a yellow dye and the roots give a black dye . It was also used as a pudding using oatmeal and onions.
Weeks commencing 19th & 26th December, 2021 and 2nd January 2022
To take us through the festive season three weekly flowers this time
Lesser celandine which is about to flower 3 months early. You can find them in Fetternear also called pile wort. For the obvious reason you can tell the time using them as they open with the sun and close when the sun goes down.
Spear thistle which appears on Scottish coins since 1470. The downy centre was used to stuff pillows and the whole plant was used to treat rickets and melancholy i.e depression.
Ribwort plantain – this plant goes back to the Anglo Saxons and was one of their nine sacred herb. Traditionally used to stop bleeding and to heal wounds. The native Americans also use it for that purpose. It has recently been found to be a good weight loss herb as it is full of fibre making you eat less
Week commencing 5th December 2021
This week’s flower in the yellow Archangel Dead Nettle. Its common name is weasel snout. These flowers were once baked with sugar which was called sugar roset to treat depression. Today it is used to reduce high blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Week commencing 21st November 2021
This week’s flower is the chickweed wintergreen found in forests . The Romans called it pyrola meaning little pear tree. Traditionally used to treat lumbago, sciatica and neuralgia as it reduces inflammation around the nerves causing these problems.
Week commencing 14th November 2021
The flower this week is the Cornflower or the blue bottle or hurt sickle due to the belief that it blunted reapers sickles. In Scotland it is called thrummies , blawort , blue grommets and blue blawort . It is an ancient plant having been found in the graves of the ancient Egyptian mummies . Traditional use was to treat eye conditions , recently it has been found to reduced corneal ulcers
Week commencing 7th November 2021
This week’s flower is the daisy or St Margarets herb, or the Anglo Saxon name daeges eaye meaning the day’s eye. Traditionally used to mend broken bones, joint pains and gout when mixed with butter. Used as a green vegetable in Spain.
Week commencing 31st October 2021
This week’s flower is the Ivy-leafed Toadflax . In Scotland it is called Doggies,* while in Italy it is called the plant of the Madonna. It is not native to Britain and was eaten as a salad vegetable. It is used in India to treat type 2 diabetes and in Britain it is used to treat chicken pox.
Week commencing 17th October 2021
This weeks flower is the Nettle. Apart from its famous stinging capabilities, the nettle is regarded as nature’s vitamin pill as it contains all the minerals the body needs and vitamin C. Traditionally eaten, made into beer, woven into cloth , used as a rennet to make cheese, used to treat arthritis and coughs and introduced by the Romans.
Week commencing 10th October 2021
This weeks flower is the Spear Thistle. King James 3rd took it as his motto in defence. It appeared on Scottish coins in 1470. These thistles are planted every year at Holyrood in honour of the monarch’s visit to Scotland. The flowers used to be eaten in times of famine.
Week commencing 3rd October 2021
This week’s flower is broom, known as the plantagenista, from where the Plantagenet Kings took their name and emblem. It is a shame that it is beautiful when in bloom, but is poisonous and causes vomiting as it is quite beautiful when in bloom.
Week commencing 1st August 2021
This week’s flower is the harebell. There are loads around the village, enjoy finding them, as they are rather pretty . It was believed they were called after the thin stems resembling a strand of hair.
Week commencing 25th July 2021
This weeks flower for the positive steps page is the cudweed and there’s heaps of it around. Courtesy of Fairley Taylor.
Week commencing 18th July 2021
This week’s flower is the Yarrow, traditionally picked and put into shoes before a journey saying journey prosper. Its latin name is achillia named after Achilles who used it to stop bleeding of wounds in the trojan war. Courtesy of Fairley Taylor.
This weeks flower is the bird’s foot trefoil or craw’s taes in Scotland. It was traditionally used to cure cough. There is heaps of it about. It is small but not as small as herb Robert. Courtesy of Fairley Taylor.
Week commencing 4th July 2021
This week’s flower to look out for should be recognisable to all and much easier to spot than last week’s flower. The Foxglove Digitalis – which gives us the heart drug digitalis which regulates the heart beat . Traditionally used for thousands of years to treat the heart. Courtesy of Fairley Taylor.
Week commencing 27th June 2021
If you are out and about this week, here is a photo of a wild flower to look out for, courtesy of Fairley Taylor. It’s called Herb Robert and is a member of the geranium family. (it’s quite wee so may take a bit of finding!)
