Laurel - and hardy

摘要

Ancient rulers crowned their heroes with 'laurel', but the name has been applied to a diversity of shrubs with little in common beyond simple, evergreen leaves. Several species retain real ornamental merits. I have long been intrigued by the use ofthe name 'laurel' in gardens. My Oxford Encyclopaedic Dictionary refers to any plant with dark green, glossy leaves like a bay tree (Laurus nobilis). Also mentioned are cherry laurel, mountain laurel and spurge laurel, and David Mabberley's indispensableThe Plant Book has no fewer than 14 laurels. The Victorians were particularly fond of laurels and other evergreens, and the fashion they set for shrubberies, borders or beds containing hardy evergreens persisted well into the last century. My initial training as a gardener in Lancashire took place in public parks, many of which were cocooned in evergreens, mostly laurels and hardy hybrid rhododendrons. These were grown as much for the protection and privacy they provided as for their ornamental value.