The Daisy Labyrinth
Our daisy labyrinth is a combination of 2 main daisies. Daisy Shasta and Ox-Eye Daisy. Both blooming with pure white petals and golden centers.
Daisy - Shasta - Chrysanthemum maximum
A classic perennial, Shasta Daisy will dependably return for you year after year. Large with robust blooms, Shasta Daisy tends to bloom in clumps 2-3 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide. Bearing all-white daisy petals with a yellow center, Shasta Daisy is the iconic bloom of the season, returning yearly like clockwork and welcoming another carefree summer.
Bloom Season
Summer through Fall
Daisy - Ox-Eye - Chrysanthemum leucanthemum
Thick, dark green and toothed leaves lay the foundation for gorgeous white blooms that blanket roadsides, pastures, and meadows across the country. An easy-to-grow perennial, Ox-Eye Daisies make their home in a wide variety of soils and adapt maintenance free. Growing 1-3 feet tall, Oxeye goes by a variety of names such as bull daisy, button daisy, field daisy, marguerite, moonflower and white weed.
Bloom Season
Spring through Summer
History Of St Catherine’s Hill
St. Catherine’s Hill, located south of the ancient city of Winchester, was the site of an Iron Age fort first built some 2,500 years ago. Winchester itself is one of the most important cities in Roman Britain, being the seat of Norman Kings and the heart of King Alfred’s Wessex. Much later, in the 12th century, the site was occupied by St. Catherine’s Chapel, which was destroyed in 1537. The remains of the Chapel are covered by a circular collection of old beech, elder, and hawthorn trees known as the “Clump” which is visible on the hill’s summit from a great distance away.
Iron Age settlers built a fort on the hill 2,500 years ago. Its circular ramparts ringed the top of the hill, giving ample opportunity to observe the surrounding countryside.
The group of beech trees at the top is known locally as “The Clump”. Beneath them lie the remains of St Catherine’s Chapel, a Norman structure built 900 years ago. The chapel was destroyed in 1537.
There are differing explanations for the naming of the hill, and of the chapel that was built upon it. According to one source, it derived its name from the circular form of the hill fort, St Catherine having been martyred upon a wheel. Alternatively, it is locally thought that she was the patron saint of hilltops (having supposedly ascended to heaven from Mount Sinai), and the name is in use for hills elsewhere in the region.
The Winchester Mizmaze
On the northeast side of the hill near the Clump is the mizmaze. As noted in previous blogs, only eight turf mazes remain in England. Winchester’s turf maze is particularly noteworthy as one of only two where the walking (or crawling) pathway of the labyrinth is the grooves cut into the underlying chalk earth, as opposed to the raised grass. This is not only odd in itself, the narrowness of the pathway is very strange.
Moreover, this mizmaze is the only one with a rectangular pattern. The rounded corners and nine narrow looping lines form a lovely design that is quite unique. Unfurled, the compacted paths would measure a staggering 2,047 feet long, requiring approximately 820 steps and twenty-minutes to navigate. The Winchester maze measures 90 feet by 86 feet.
To the left of The Clump is the Winchester Mizmaze, one of eight historic turf mazes still remaining in England. Cut into the chalk, with no junctions or crossings, this is not a maze in the modern sense but a labyrinth. It is 624m long and formed from nine nested squares, in a pattern similar to that used for the traditional game of Nine Men’s Morris. Unusually for a turf maze, its form is rectangular rather than circular.
The origins of the Mizmaze are obscure. Although medieval in design, it is thought to date from the 17th century. Local tradition links it with Winchester College, as boys from the school used the hill as a recreational area. The legend is that it was carved one summer by a boy who had been banished to the hill for bad behaviour. With nothing else to do, he drew on his knowledge of classical maze design and set out on the lonely task of measuring out the maze. The story ends with the boy drowning on the last day of the holidays!
Mysteries of the maze
The precise date of the maze’s creation are unclear. Archeological records date it to between 1647-1710, the latter date aligning with the earliest known record of the mizmaze, which is found in the archives of Winchester College signed by a J Nowell.
Far-fetched though this tale may seem, no other explanation has been found for the creation of the maze. It is equally uncertain what it was intended for. It is thought that some medieval mazes may have been built for penitential rituals but a recreational purpose is more likely by the time of the 17th century. Certainly, walking around the maze (known locally as “tolling of the Labyrinth”) became a regular pastime for the College schoolboys.
The maze fell into disuse for a while, but it was recut in the late 19th century. The practice of tolling the Labyrinth was resurrected and has continued to the present day.
Like most of the English mizmazes, the origin and purpose of the Winchester maze is up for debate. The medieval design and proximity to St. Catherine’s Chapel may indicate it was a meditative aid for prayer or penitence, as was typical for these types of labyrinths. If so, the maze could be much older than suspected, considering the Chapel was destroyed in 1537. However, in this instance, there is also a local legend which aligns with the aforementioned record by J Nowell from 1710.
The traditional legend tells of a student at the historic Winchester College who was, as punishment for disobedience, banished from the school and as punishment was sent to St. Catherine’s Hill. During his banishment, the boy was either ordered to cut the maze or was so bored that he chose to carve the labyrinthine pathway, inspired by classical Greek legends of mazes. Whatever the impetus, rather than simply occupying his time, the winding path is said to have disordered the boy’s mind to such a degree that he threw himself off the hill to a watery death in the River Itchen. Rather gruesome, is it not?
The Winchester Maze can only be accessed by ascending the 220-foot hill, the entire area now a nature reserve. To this day it is a popular visitor attraction and “tolling [walking] the labyrinth” is a recreational hobby of Winchester College students.
