S2 Episode 7 Monkey Puzzle Bonus
Over the past 68 years David Gedye has been unravelling a story about the Monkey Puzzle tree. It began from a very personal angle. Aged just 10, his mother seeing his interest in a Monkey Puzzle tree near his home in Scotland, told him a story about his great great grandfather who she said had grown the first Monkey Puzzle tree in this country, from seeds he carried around in a tin box. But David’s curiosity over many years has taken him further, into the stories about the banquet in Chile from which the original seeds were allegedly stolen to the nurseries that promoted the sale of these trees across the UK. And he is still curious! He was keen to find out from Eduardo Olate how these seeds are cooked and eaten in Chile. I shared with him a video that Eduardo sent me - should you happen to find yourself with a bag of Monkey Puzzle nuts!
So in this bonus episode I thought we should complete the Monkey Puzzle trilogy by finding out a bit more about Archibald Menzies and the menu for that banquet and the herbarium samples he gathered. We venture into Victorian sales and marketing of Monkey Puzzle trees. We return to Dropmore to find out where Lord Grenville was sourcing his trees - could the RHS have been involved?
Not only has David researched this subject thoroughly and if you have come straight to this bonus episode and haven’t heard the wonderful story of his great great grandfather, I would urge you to listen here. David has also grown the tree. Now he like me doesn’t have a huge garden so it’s not planted in the soil but he is fascinated by the seeds and has propagated them. I now have a small Monkey Puzzle tree thanks to David. If you have listened to Andrea’s Monkey Puzzle plant story, you will know why I shall not be letting it out of the pot, unless I can find a large space somewhere else to plant it.
I do hope you have enjoyed our venture into this tree and the story of the incredible Victorian gardeners who grew it. If you too have a passion for a particular plant I would love to hear your plant story. You can email me sally@ourplantstory.com