Blog post written by Allen Centennial Garden Horticulture Intern, Mia Homan
When I started my internship this summer, one of my goals was to narrow down my career options. I have a wide range of interests, so trying something out as part of my intern project was experimental. I was in the midst of my first college folklore course, Foodways, which explored artistic, social, sensory, and spiritual connections through food. For this class, we interviewed our family members, learned about our own traditions, and then taught each other. Together, we discovered differences and unexpected connections between our cultures. It quickly became one of my favorite classes. I also enjoy telling and reading stories. With these factors in mind, when the Garden staff suggested a folklore tour of the Garden as a potential intern project, I knew it would be fulfilling. Additionally, another one of my goals for the summer was improving my communication with the public, which a tour would help accomplish.
I began my folklore research in the ACG library, which is a resource available to interns, Friends’ members, and ACG volunteers. I sifted through many folklore books, and I settled on my three favorites: Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland, Discovering the Folklore of Plants, and Native Plant Stories. I also used credible online sources including the Grand County Historical Association and the Indiana Native Plant Society. When I came across a tour-worthy story, I checked the ACG online plant finder (a public ACG plant database) to make sure the plant was in the Garden and summarized the story. Not every story made the cut. For example, the ancient Greeks and Romans wore ivy wreaths on their heads to avoid drunkenness. Spoiler alert: they were not successful. This story (from Kew Gardens) might be good for UW-Madison students, but not for a family-friendly tour.
After several rainy office days, I had more than enough stories for a tour. When Grandparents’ University (a UW-Madison learning experience for grandparents and their grandchildren) arrived, it was time to present my tour. I was given a fifteen minute time slot. I chose stories about foxglove, boxwood, water lilies, evergreens, daisies, aspens, and hornbeams. Based on the response of my audience, the favorite stories appeared to be the boxwood, the water lilies, and the daisies, which are as follows:
Boxwood – Discovering the Folklore of Plants
How long would it take you to count every single leaf on this plant? A long time! Apparently, doors guarded by boxwood prevent witches from entering your home. They have to pause to count all of the tiny leaves before entering.
Water Lilies – The Indiana Native Plant Society
If you look out onto the pond, you can see the water lilies, which kind of look like stars. The Ojibwe, who have historically lived near the Great Lakes, have a legend about these water lilies. In this legend, a young man noticed a bright star that seemed to be closer to the Earth than the other stars. When he went to bed, he dreamed the star was a beautiful maiden who appeared in front of him. The maiden told him she wanted to live with the people of the Earth. She did not want to live in the trees, the hills, or the rocks. Instead, she descended into a pond and turned into a beautiful water lily.
Daisies – Discovering the Folklore of Plants
This plant, the daisy, is one you are likely familiar with. While this is a quick story, it is an interesting one. Do you think you have ever stepped on a daisy? Apparently, if a young child steps on a daisy or uproots a daisy, their growth is stunted. This likely comes from the belief that daisies in milk stunt the growth of puppies, which can be traced all the way back to the sixteenth-century.
After my tour, I received feedback. Mainly, I was encouraged by the ACG team to consider the big idea of my tour. After reading and contemplating, I settled on the idea that these stories connected people to their ancestors, but they also connected grandparents to their grandchildren. I saw this theme in action as I shared the stories during my tours. For example, a grandmother told me she appreciated the story about the water lilies, because her granddaughter has Ojibwe connections. Another grandmother asked me for the names of the books I used, because her granddaughter was interested in reading them. I also realized implementing questions in the stories created both conversation and chaos. The boxwood story caused heated debate. Some kids said it would take them a few days to count the leaves, while others exclaimed “forever!” The daisy story in particular elicited an audience response. My favorite response, directed at me (I am 5’2”), was, “You must’ve stepped on a daisy.” These kids said exactly what they were thinking! To me, this was both entertaining and fascinating – these audience interactions confirmed my interest in working with kids in my future career. Therefore, this tour also helped me accomplish my goal of narrowing down my career options.
Throughout the summer, my tour evolved. It was shorter, less formal, and more entertaining than I originally anticipated. I am sure some viewed these folklore stories as pure entertainment, but I watched them connect generations and teach lessons firsthand. Personally, I saw folklore stories as entertainment until I took a folklore course. Throughout the course, I realized folklore holds power; I still think about the ethics, cultural awareness, and self discovery I learned through stories. I now recognize the potential impact folklore has on humanity. Overall, this project improved my communication skills with the public, confirmed my career interests, and ideally gave my audience a new perspective on garden plants.