Through the Yew Hedge: A Tale of Identity Magic
Introduction
Silverton Foundations
The Silverton Estate’s new resident curator is Dr. Sarah Caldwell, botanist and medievalist. On this icy mid-winter morning, she has come for her eleven o’clock appointment with the Estate’s archivist. James Hawthorn is leading her through the gardens.
“…The giant Yew Hedge had first obscured her view, but as they walked, and she squinted against the glare down toward the glistening silver herbs, she discerned the Monastery Garden’s geometry: tightly pruned and low, the evergreen boxwood hedge formed crisp, frost-glazed quadrants bisected by an earth-toned, sandstone walkway.
Amidst the wide winter landscape, Sarah visualizes the herbary in a colorful season, with all its shapes and textures. Purple and lavender spikes in contrast to the full, green leaves of lemon balm, the tall stalks of echinacea, and its cones of violet purple and vibrant pink against the bushy foliage.
The beds are dedicated to types of herbs and flowers; each of their healing properties is marked with miniature wooden signs, all meticulously organized. In one quadrant, a germander border contains rollicking herbs — more texture, structure, and purpose in Elizabeth Silverton’s Garden...
“What is that aura, or aroma — like pine — like rosemary?”
“Oh! You’ve picked up the scent of the ancient Cedars at the far reaches of The Estate,” said James, “remnants of the storied, primeval forest that emerged after the Ice Age. We’ve done our best to protect the fragment that Elizabeth Silverton willed to the University. Much wilderness was lost to speculators before she acquired and preserved the meadows, ponds, creeks, and trees, and built the Tudor Mansion.”
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Thanks so much! Mary Ellen
©Mary Ellen Gambutti, all rights reserved. 2026
