1 00:00:06,239 --> 00:00:09,529 ALAN POWER: Hello and welcome to the National Trust podcast. 2 00:00:09,529 --> 00:00:12,189 In this mini episode we'll be learning about the power, 3 00:00:12,189 --> 00:00:16,239 poisons and pleasures of purple through the amazing plant 4 00:00:16,250 --> 00:00:17,540 collection at Mount Stewart. 5 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:20,329 One of the characters we're going to hear about today is 6 00:00:20,340 --> 00:00:24,239 Edith Lady Londonderry, whose imagination and passion shaped 7 00:00:24,250 --> 00:00:25,889 this place in the 1920s. 8 00:00:26,850 --> 00:00:30,680 Our guide, Ellen Elder, one of Mount Stewart's volunteers 9 00:00:36,459 --> 00:00:38,979 ELLEN ELDER: Purple. It's present in every corner of the 10 00:00:38,990 --> 00:00:44,740 gardens. You can see Lilac, you can see Fox Gloves, you can see 11 00:00:44,930 --> 00:00:49,360 Alliums, huge ones, the size of footballs and all sorts of other 12 00:00:49,369 --> 00:00:52,189 plants in different shades of lilac and purple. It's really 13 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:54,319 lovely, especially the Irises. 14 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,709 Well, I think it was one of Lady Edith's favourite colours. 15 00:00:59,919 --> 00:01:03,220 She wrote to her husband in 1931. 16 00:01:04,388 --> 00:01:08,098 I do love this place so deeply. The view of sunset was quite 17 00:01:08,109 --> 00:01:12,478 lovely. All gold and opal and deep purple. It is indeed the 18 00:01:12,488 --> 00:01:14,049 land of heart's delight. 19 00:01:16,129 --> 00:01:20,250 I think it was especially in times gone by. It was associated 20 00:01:20,260 --> 00:01:23,510 with power, with royalty and with wealth and this was mainly 21 00:01:23,519 --> 00:01:27,209 because of the intense and laborious process of making 22 00:01:27,220 --> 00:01:30,879 purple back in the olden days as we would call them. 23 00:01:30,889 --> 00:01:34,970 It took a total of a quarter of a million Mollusks to make one 24 00:01:34,980 --> 00:01:35,949 ounce of purple. 25 00:01:36,519 --> 00:01:40,319 The first recorded use of lilac as a colour name in English was 26 00:01:40,330 --> 00:01:44,330 in 1775 although well connected botanists had to shrub in their 27 00:01:44,339 --> 00:01:47,019 gardens at the end of the 16th century. 28 00:01:48,379 --> 00:01:51,620 For those who know their onions, you'll have noticed that we have 29 00:01:51,629 --> 00:01:54,889 a wealth of purple alliums in the Italian garden and around 30 00:01:54,900 --> 00:01:58,349 the entrance way to the reception area. Allium 31 00:01:58,629 --> 00:02:01,879 Giganteum, which is a common name for the giant onion is the 32 00:02:01,889 --> 00:02:06,000 central and south western Asian species of onion but cultivated 33 00:02:06,010 --> 00:02:08,669 in many countries as an ornamental border plant. 34 00:02:08,839 --> 00:02:10,750 It's a ball. 35 00:02:10,899 --> 00:02:13,639 Ours, of course, being at Mount Stewart are the size of a 36 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:14,520 football. 37 00:02:14,850 --> 00:02:18,160 They're a beautiful purple colour and they consist of lots 38 00:02:18,169 --> 00:02:21,460 of little petals making up the main flower and they're on a 39 00:02:21,470 --> 00:02:24,339 very tall stem, of course. And when those are waving in the 40 00:02:24,350 --> 00:02:25,979 wind, it's really spectacular. 41 00:02:28,479 --> 00:02:33,100 Fox Gloves mainly to be seen up near the old dairy and the 42 00:02:33,110 --> 00:02:36,679 walled garden. They come in purple, white and pink. The 43 00:02:36,690 --> 00:02:40,470 scientific name means finger like and refers to these with 44 00:02:40,479 --> 00:02:44,270 which a flower of Digitalis Purpurea can be fitted over a 45 00:02:44,279 --> 00:02:45,380 human fingertip. 46 00:02:46,100 --> 00:02:49,279 The flowers are produced on a tall spike, they're tubular and 47 00:02:49,289 --> 00:02:52,399 they vary in colour. And although the entire plant is 48 00:02:52,410 --> 00:02:56,399 toxic and led to the plants being called witches gloves or 49 00:02:56,410 --> 00:02:57,720 dead men's bells. 50 00:02:57,729 --> 00:03:01,500 Digitalis is used in drug preparations to treat congestive 51 00:03:01,509 --> 00:03:03,960 heart failure. There's still a medical use there. 52 00:03:08,970 --> 00:03:11,490 If you go up around the lake, you'll see some of our beautiful 53 00:03:11,500 --> 00:03:15,479 Irises. And the worldwide success story of this flower 54 00:03:15,490 --> 00:03:20,190 probably began in ancient times when King Thutmose of Egypt had 55 00:03:20,199 --> 00:03:23,589 conquered Syria where Irises grew in great profusion 56 00:03:25,300 --> 00:03:27,559 Being a gardener as well as a warrior. 57 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:30,419 The king ensured that Irises should be immortalized 58 00:03:30,429 --> 00:03:34,220 And sculptures at Carnac. And I I saw those earlier on in the 59 00:03:34,229 --> 00:03:37,770 year as well as in the Gardens of Egypt and drawings. They were 60 00:03:37,779 --> 00:03:40,979 shown as symbols of the renewal of life. And they were named 61 00:03:40,990 --> 00:03:44,380 after the Greek messenger of Gods Iris. 62 00:03:44,380 --> 00:03:47,750 Who was said to have golden wings and to travel on a 63 00:03:47,759 --> 00:03:48,570 rainbow. 64 00:03:48,839 --> 00:03:52,410 Iris means rainbow and Greek fittingly representing the many 65 00:03:52,419 --> 00:03:56,410 colours of the Iris flower. Here we have lovely purple ones to 66 00:03:56,419 --> 00:04:00,440 fit the theme of purple and you can find them at the stream near 67 00:04:00,449 --> 00:04:01,949 the Japanese bridges. 68 00:04:05,279 --> 00:04:09,740 Well, I must confess that I'm now old enough to wear purple, 69 00:04:09,750 --> 00:04:12,789 so I do wear it during the winter, but I love it. It's a 70 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:14,210 beautiful, rich colour. 71 00:04:14,470 --> 00:04:17,920 And I think when Lady Edith called Mount Stewart, her land 72 00:04:17,929 --> 00:04:22,339 of hearts delight, she was right. This was a song from the 73 00:04:22,350 --> 00:04:26,790 Franz Lehár operetta Land Of Smiles. And our idea here at 74 00:04:26,799 --> 00:04:29,489 Mount Stewart is to send visitors away with a smile on 75 00:04:29,500 --> 00:04:30,369 their face. 76 00:04:35,959 --> 00:04:38,600 ALAN POWER: Thanks for listening to this week's National Trust 77 00:04:38,609 --> 00:04:39,519 mini episode. 78 00:04:39,970 --> 00:04:43,279 Join us next week to learn about the tales behind the topiary in 79 00:04:43,290 --> 00:04:47,769 Mount Stewart's Shamrock Garden. Until then from me, Alan Power. 80 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:48,850 Goodbye.