HAVE always harboured a fondness for wood avens; it is an old friend that accompanies me on many of my walks and has taken up residence in my garden. However, when I told a botanist friend that I intended to write its story, he said: ‘Why wood avens? It is the most boring plant in the country.’ I was not entirely surprised by this response. Wood avens is the Rich Tea biscuit of the plant world, common, a little dull perhaps, but comforting. It is no chocolate Hobnob. Frankly, it does itself no favours, with its untidy and lopsided leaves and plain, five-petalled yellow flowers that are both sparse and too small for a plant that can reach 2ft in height.
