Romeo and Juliet, true love?
Are Romeo and Juliet really the most romantic of all lovers? Or is their love more folly, infatuation and teenage angst?
Herbarium a record of plant specimens
The gathering of plant specimens began as far back as the Middle Ages. We are currently working on a Museum Herbarium, which will give an historical record of plants we grow at the museum and represent plants through the centuries. We have collected plant specimens from the around the museum site, dried, mounted, labelled and systematically arranged them. This collection will then be put on display to visitors during exhibitions held at the museum.
If you are really passionate about plants, as I am, I would recommend creating your own herbarium. It is a lovely way of preserving plants for future reference and once you start it becomes quite addictive. Ideally collect whole plant specimens on a dry day, recording the date, plant name, habitat, location, and identification number. It's a good idea to open up your press the day after you have put in your specimen, to allow you to make any adjustments before the specimens dries out too much. When the specimen is completely dry, it can be mounted. You should use acid-free mounting paper, labels and pens to record information and place in specimen sheet protectors.