Myrtle - My Sainted Aunt

I wonder what my Aunt Myrtle would have said if she had known her name was the common name for a family of about 3850 species of trees and shrubs? I don't suppose she would have cared much; but then again, she might have been inordinately proud of the fact.

Myrtle itself is a very good looking evergreen shrub or small tree. It grows well in the Mediterranean region of Southern Europe and North Africa and has shiny deep-green leaves and sweet smelling white flowers. It is a popular garden plant, particular in areas where the winters are mild. The myrtle plant was looked upon with reverence by the Greeks who used it in their festivals or celebrations. Myrtle belongs to the myrtle family Myrtaceae, its technical name is MYRTUS COMMUNIS. It has been used to develop perfumes and medicines; the wood is used to make walking sticks and furniture; and its roots are often used in the tanning of leather.

As a kid I always thought that Aunt Myrtle was the cat's pyjamas. She used to chase us - my brother, my sisters and me - round the garden. It was a very English garden - full of roses, carnations, delphiniums, stocks, and other English flowers in the summer; full of daffodils, crocuses, tulips, and some bluebells in the spring. In the autumn the leaves from the oak, the ash, and the poplars would fall across the lawn and the family would have great fun chasing the leaves as they fell. In winter, the snow lay deep upon the ground, and we would make a slide on the ice that gathered quite thickly on the path from the back door to the rear fence.

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