The
March meeting of the Viaduct Gardening Club was the annual AGM. Sixty
six members attended. Committee
members
were introduced and relevant business was undertaken. There remains a
need for someone to volunteer as the vice-chair.
Sakura
Following
the AGM an interesting, illustrated talk was given by Bridget
Barling (committee
member)
describing a three week solo trip to Japan in
2024. The main focus was aim
to view the famous cherry
blossom
phenomenon and
appreciate the
unique style of Japanese Gardens. Bridget’s holiday expectations
were fulfilled.
her expectations. Cool
weather had delayed the blossom somewhat but she still saw many
Japanese residents dressed up in kimonos and sumptuous costumes,
picnicking
and
having their photographs taken beneath the cherry blossoms. Cherry
blossom
is culturally celebrated each year
throughout
the country.
Due
to the high population density in Japan, public parks and gardens are
enjoyed by all locals and trees are shoehorned into every available
urban space, typically cloud pruned in order for them to fit! Bridget
showed photographs of lots of flowers and shrubs growing in the
countryside. Japanese garden elements include
meticulously
raked areas of gravel, interspersed with strategically (and
spiritually)
placed rocks and boulders. These
features along with carp
ponds, statues, stone
bridges, lanterns
and traditional tea houses complete
format. Tea houses provide both rain and sun protection; as well as
providing the
scenic viewpoints for
the garden.
Melmerby & District Gardening Club's Sheila Ripper gave this month's illustrated talk.
Sheila has a horticultural background in Landscape Design and has spent over two decades organising and leading Gardening Holidays both in the U.K. and France.
She described and showed slides of many gardens within Cornwall’s beautiful County. Sheila explained the fascinating histories (including many anecdotes and personal details) regarding the historic owners and visionary creators of these stunning gardens. Some gardens have inevitably been lost over the years due to the enormous maintenance costs or from subsequent neglect, but Sheila described how efforts have been made by new owners to restore and reclaim these wonderful forgotten gardens.
The Lost Gardens of Heligan, near St Austell, has 200 acres of gardens, rhododendron lawns, large kitchen and flower gardens, and includes many beautiful woodland walks.
Trebah Garden, near Falmouth, is a fabulously planted valley garden stretching down to the Halford River with a private beach at the bottom. Nearby isGlendurgan owned by the National Trust (NT). It is famous for it’s collection of rhododendron, magnolia and camellia specimens.
The National Trust’s Trelissick Garden has extensive woodland gardens along the shores of the Carrick Roads / Fal River featuring beautiful views of this coastal area. Caerhays Castle near St Austell, has a fabulous spring garden with walks among the wooded hillsides behind the picturesque castle. (Access to an adjoining private beach is included in the entrance fee.)
Many other different types of gardens were featured during Sheila’s talk; such as Barbara Hepworth’s Gallery which aligns with the Tate Gallery in St Ives. Also there is the Tremenheere Sculpture Garden; which covers 22 acres of varied mixed and native woodland trees and shrubs: where a variety of unusual sculpture installations are positioned throughout.
Three other very individual gardens recommended by Sheila. First are the incredible rockeries on St. Michael’s Mount. Second is the amazing sub-tropical rock garden surrounding the Minack Theatre; hewn from the cliff face by the hand of the lady owner which has taken many years of dedication to create.
Third is the relatively modern garden that is The Eden Project, positioned within a disused clay pit, which includes futuristic gardening innovation.
Sheila’s extensive knowledgeable and excellent delivery made everyone long
to visit Cornwall and wander around such wonderful and inspiring Gardens!
After a few indulgent and busy months, January is a good time for gardeners to reflect on what they achieved last year and what this one may hold. It probably sounds like a to-do list is being formulated (and there may be a useful one later) but this piece is about the opposite: how to work and worry less in a bid to enjoy your outdoor space more. So grab a cup of tea and sit on a comfy chair, somewhere it’s warm enough and you have a good view of the garden.
Some gardeners are only content when they’re actively getting on with it but most of us don’t want to see the garden solely as a place where there’s always work to do. A garden is supposed to be a sanctuary too: somewhere to switch off, be in the moment, connect with the natural world and be thankful for what we have.
If your garden stresses you out, this thought may help. It will be under your tenure for about a gnats’ breath of the time that planet Earth has existed and will exist in the future. For the billions of years before it was your garden, and I’m guessing the billions after, it simply was or will be a piece of land at times inhabited by the natural flora and fauna that made and will make a home there. You are a part of that fauna curating the flora. You may now feel a little insignificant but I hope you are also somewhat released from any associated stress and commitment. Gardening should be fun, you can only do what you can, and the true garden workaholics among you may not like this but for you and your garden sometimes the best thing to do is … absolutely nothing.
This leads us on to wildlife, biodiversity and weeds. Your garden may already be a fabulous habitat and resource. Animals prefer a wilder environment and often benefit from a more relaxed, “do less” approach (such as not cutting back perennials until spring, leaving some grass unmown and leaving fallen leaves on beds). This means less work for you and in turn it will increase the range of critters and their predators too, to make your garden feel truly alive. Many weeds have thankfully been rebranded as “wildflowers”, so in areas where they don’t take over and smother the ornamentals, if you’re struggling, they can be left as part of a mini rewilding exercise. That’s what you can tell your old-fashioned friends anyway, the ones who expect to see stripes on the lawn. I’ve said before that rewilding a back garden is impossible but making it more wildlife-friendly is easy.
So part of this approach is down to philosophy and some engagement. The engagement element is all part of the master plan and, yes, will require some thought and even effort — but not today. Here are a few tips:
Make it comfortable to encourage relaxing
Some garden furniture has been designed like that in fast-food restaurants to discourage settling. Perhaps invest in some super-comfy garden furniture, complete with cushions, on which to lounge, read a book or take an afternoon nap. Other “leisure” items for outdoor living such as firepits, solar lights and barbecues are all encouraged too.
Add simple seating areas
Some gardens just don’t have enough spots to sit down in, which means you walk round in circles spotting the never-ending tasks that need doing. A simple bench placed under a tree in a shady spot for summer, and perhaps another in the sunniest spot halfway down a path to catch a few rays, will do the trick without turning your garden into a park. They can also be used to perch on during the physical act of gardening, to slow you down a bit and serve as a spot from which to admire your handiwork.
Encourage and observe wildlife
Whether they flap, flutter, buzz or crawl, animals animate the garden and make it feel alive. I’ll be putting up some bird and bat boxes soon, along with upping the number of bird feeders. I’ll also be putting in a shallow reflective pool (to reflect the passing clouds — another element to zone out to) that will double up as a bird bath. Watching birds come and go brings me great pleasure and costs next to nothing. I can sit and watch them for hours; in fact, as I write this there is a mini-flock of goldfinches on my feeder, wonderfully exotic-looking creatures. Plant nectar-rich plants with bees and butterflies in mind — again, they are part of the show as well as needing our support.
Consider the view from indoors
Not everyone has a view on to their own garden but if you do, consider how a window best frames it. Moving an indoor chair or sofa just a little may make all the difference to what you see outdoors. You can then focus in on that composition by placing an ornament in view or bumping up the planting. We have recently had a refurb in some rooms and many decisions were based on the connection with the garden from inside in a bid to enjoy it year-round. We lowered a big window in the living room by about 40cm and I can now look on to the garden from the comfort of the sofa. We also replaced an ancient exterior solid door with a full-length glass one, to open a view and watch the birds. This all encourages engagement and enjoyment, and is a result of sitting and thinking it all through before doing anything.
Remind yourself how the garden used to look
Gardeners can get absorbed in the minutiae of the process, are always looking forward and are often humble folk who don’t like to pat themselves on the back. Looking at images of when you took the garden over, a key project or perhaps a border when it was first planted will remind you just how far you’ve come. It will help to define what your garden means to you and all the positive things you’ve done for your piece of planet Earth ‒ even if it is only for a gnat’s breath.
The
members of the Viaduct Gardening Club were entertained at their
November meeting by a well delivered and lively presentation by Lyn
Brunetti, a professional Gardener. Lyn has worked at many prestigious
places and currently gardens at the stunningly, beautiful Warnell
Hall in Cumberland.
The
illustrated talk Lyn gave was all about the defence strategies
evolved by many plants in order to protect themselves against hazards
caused by animals and insects which threaten their survival in a
‘hostile’ environment.
Lyn
began by explaining how plants protect themselves in many different
ways such as by stinging, poisoning and emitting saps which cause
skin irritation. This armoury includes thorns, prickles, and spines.
Razor sharp leaves, leaves which sting and leaves which emit
poisonous spores, including too, those which have toxic hairs and
produce indigestible fruit.
Common
plants which use thorns as protection include roses, thistles, holly,
monkey puzzle trees, gooseberries and most cacti. Others which exude
an irritating sap are all euphorbia, henbane, hogweed, hyacinth
bulbs, rue and fig stems.
Nettles are our only indigenous
stinging plant. The tiny needles on the leaves contain histamine
acids which cause painful skin blisters. Hairy vegetation found on
plants such as comfrey, both leaves and stems, goose grass,
cucumbers, courgettes and phlomis, to name just a few, can cause skin
to be adversely affected.
Also
unpleasant to many people are the spores of some plants, especially
bracken, and also ivy which should only be cut down when damp in
order to suppress the spores escaping into the air and causing
breathing difficulties.
Many
bulbs are poisonous. Bluebells, daffodils, narcissus, and tulips must
never be eaten.
Edible
plants can also have defence mechanisms. Chilli plants and capsicum
can be hugely irritating when ingested! Whilst rhubarb stems are
edible, the leaves should never be eaten.
Florists
and everyday gardeners must take protective action by wearing gloves
when regularly handling such plants as alstroemeria, aconites,
asparagus foliage, euphorbia and hellebores.
Some
berries and flowers are very toxic when consumed and although they
might be attractive to look at, they must never be consumed. Arum
berries, daphne, deadly nightshade, foxgloves flowers, laburnum and
nicotiana are some of the well known culprits but there can be nasty
side effects from consuming other common vegetation.
Many
pharmaceuticals now mimic the properties within plants to make drugs.
Yew used to be collected from the wild to make certain drugs (but now
can be chemically produced). Poppies (opium) also provide many
familiar commercial drugs.
Lyn
described frequent personal incidents when either she or colleagues
had unfortunate experiences and reactions whilst working in their
plant filled environments!
