William Morris was particularly taken by the Snakeshead Fritillary, his Thameside flower. He writes about Snakeshead in his letters and diary entries at Kelmscott Manor, letting family members know when they were in bloom, or recording his expeditions in the fields.
During the Victorian time, this species dangerously declined with the loss of traditional water meadows. Morris would have been distressed by this. By naming this design after such an easily overlooked low-growing plant amid a backdrop of grand, sweeping leaves, he’s almost asking us to pay attention to the quiet plants that make the English riversides so beautiful.
