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Tag Archives: Herefordshire

Under Cover

15 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by wellywoman in Countryside, Environment, In the Garden, On the plot

≈ 34 Comments

Tags

Herefordshire, Jean de Florette, polytunnels, unheated greenhouse, Wye Valley

Blooming Crab Apple

My crab apple in bloom at last

So it appears that pesky old jet stream is playing havoc with our weather again. Chilly nights, possible frosts and even the ‘s’ word has been mentioned for some parts of the country and yet it’s nearly the middle of May. I can empathise with the central character from the film Jean de Florette at the moment when he’s down on his knees looking up to the sky hoping that his prayers will be answered for the torrential, seemingly never-ending rain to stop. For me, and I’m sure all gardeners out there we’re hoping for some warmth to return.

My crab apple finally came into blossom last week, a whole five weeks later than last year. My dicentra, a plant that is normally one of the first herbaceous perennials to flower in late March is only just sending out its pendant-like blooms. But, more importantly, I have a serious blockage. Windowsills are now groaning under the volume of pots, the greenhouse is so full I can’t even stand in it and there’s no more space left in the cold frames. Plants should, at this point, be moving through – some going into the ground at the plot, some being hardened off and second batches being sown of others. The plants are growing at a pace in the more clement conditions of my greenhouse and home but knowing they will either sulk or die if planted out I’ve had to embark on some serious potting on. I would normally only pot on into 9cm pots and then once those had been filled it would be time to plant out. This year I’ve got plants in 1 litre pots and some in 2 litre pots. The logistics of it all are proving somewhat trying.

Too many plants

Too many plants

I’ve noticed recently on twitter the difference having a polytunnel seems to make. I read with envy the tweets about the crops that are already producing under cover and wonder whether climate change means that the  only real way to grow in Britain in the future will be in polytunnels. I live in a part of the country where there has been quite considerable debate about the merits of covering vast swathes of land in plastic. There are parts of the Wye Valley and Herefordshire where field after field is under cover. Whether it’s to grow strawberries or asparagus, to produce early crops or simply to protect them from the weather, many argue they are a terrible blot on the landscape. The rolling hills and patchwork of fields are beautiful and it would be sad to see them swallowed up under polytunnels but the reality of what it must be like to earn your living from growing has really hit home since I took on my own allotment. For me it doesn’t matter if a crop fails. Don’t get me wrong it’s annoying, frustrating and disappointing but we won’t starve, I can simply pop along to the supermarket or farmers’ market and pick up something for dinner. But if your living depends on the crops you grow being a success then the British climate can be your downfall. And, how agriculture and horticulture deal with the weather should matter to us too if as consumers we want a ready supply of food. The idea that we could have another year like the last one makes me wonder how many businesses could cope and how many of us gardeners would lose the enthusiasm for growing our own.

Polytunnels, particularly when used on a large-scale bring their problems. Where does all that rainwater go that runs off the plastic? Some argue it causes flooding. Then there’s the glare created from sunlight, if we ever get any, bouncing off the plastic covering. There’s the manufacture of all that plastic, although a lot of it is now recycled once finished with. On the other hand growers say they use fewer fungicides and they have almost eliminated problems caused by wet weather on soft fruit crops. I know how many strawberries I lost last year to mould caused by too much rain. Whether you believe in man-made climate change or not it is hard to deny that our weather is becoming more unpredictable. In the nineties we were told a warmer climate would be of benefit to growers in the UK. We’d be basking in Mediterranean temperatures growing olives and all manner of exotics. It’s a complicated business predicting the weather let alone our future climate and so it seems those initial suggestions are fading away. Instead, the seasons are becoming quite muddled and when it rains it doesn’t seem to know when to stop. Parts of Wales had a month’s worth of rain yesterday. Growing under cover certainly seems to be one way of coping with whatever the weather may bring.

My small, unheated greenhouse even on a cold wet day feels quite warm, and protected from the wind and rain it’s no wonder my plants inside are growing quickly. The reality outside is somewhat different. Our growing season is short enough so at the moment I’m weighing up my options. Emigrating sounds appealing but for the time being unrealistic, putting up a walk-in polytunnel on my allotment is prohibited and getting a larger garden where I could erect said tunnel isn’t the cheapest of ideas. For the moment I think some cobbled together mini tunnels with the help of Wellyman this weekend is the only solution. Oh, and making an offering to the sun gods in the hope that Mother Nature will be kinder to us this year.

Hampton Court Gardens

06 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by wellywoman in Garden Reviews, Out and About

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

Hampton Court castle and Gardens, Herefordshire, wisteria tunnel

Hampton Court Castle

Hampton Court Castle and Gardens

With friends over to stay and the possibility of a dry, even sunny, day on Bank Holiday Monday we decided on a trip to Hampton Court. Not, however, Hampton Court of King Henry VIII and William and Mary fame but rather Hampton Court Castle in Herefordshire. It isn’t on the same scale of grandeur as the royal place but I think it is a real, hidden gem.

Hampton Court Castle - Wisteria Tunnel

Wisteria tunnel

Situated in beautiful countryside between Leominster and Hereford the 15th century castle is set in 1000 acres of parkland with 15 acres of stunning gardens. Elements of the garden go back to the Victorian period when the house was owned by John Arkwright, grandson of industrialist and inventor Richard Arkwright but much of the garden was created by Hampton Court’s American owner in the 1990s. The original Victorian brick walls enclose an organic kitchen garden, which supplies the restaurant, and several ‘garden rooms’ with herbaceous borders, a rose garden and a Dutch garden. One of the larger sections is divided by small canals with island pavilions. With high yew hedges, pleached trees and paths leading off in different directions there is a mysterious feel which reminded me of The Secret Garden children’s book. One of the most stunning features has to be the 150 year old wisteria tunnel. Its old, gnarled trunks and branches form a covered walkway dripping with wisteria blooms, their scent hanging in the air.

Hampton Court Castle

Secret entrance

I loved the rose garden. So often rose gardens can be disappointing affairs, with a few straggly specimens, struggling to survive and devoid of any other planting, as if the name rose garden had been taken rather too literally. Here, at Hampton Court, the roses were full of vigour, blooming profusely and they had also been planted with a variety of other herbaceous plants. There were alliums, some with flowers as big as a head, geraniums, honesty, lavender and centaurea, all in soft pastel colours. But best of all, the roses had all been chosen for their scent. There can’t be many things more disappointing, in the gardening world, than a rose without a scent.

Hampton Court Castle

Herbaceous borders

Some of the herbaceous borders were planted with a purple and yellow theme; tall yellow and purple bearded irises, yellow aquilegias, alliums and yellow roses smelling of citrus.

The kitchen garden is functional and attractive. Espaliered fruit trees line the paths and act as dividers. A woven birch tunnel will provide support for ornamental gourds as the summer progresses and woven willow has been used to create raised planters.

Hampton Court Castle

The Kitchen Garden

Of course, not everyone is quite as enamoured by gardens as I am but the younger members of the group were kept entertained by the yew tree maze and the gothic central tower which affords views out across the garden and parkland. There was also the underground tunnel which led to a sunken garden via a small waterfall. Here there were gunnera, heucheras and other shady, woodland and moisture loving plants surrounding a pond.

After lunch in the Joseph Paxton designed orangery we walked through the parkland and down to the River Lugg. A path had been created by the riverbank through the cow parsley and wildflowers. It was teeming with bugs and beasties, beautiful demoiselles and damelsflies flitting about and metallic coloured beetles.

Demoiselle

Demoiselle

Bought several years ago, after the death of the American owner there were worries that these beautiful gardens would be closed to the public but I was heartened to see that quite the opposite seems to be the case. In fact, the gardens are looking better than on any of our previous visits, with a gardener on hand to show visitors around and a programme of events throughout the season. Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention the small plant nursery, which has a good selection of plants that you can see throughout the gardens. A small purchase was made of a Chrysanthemum with unusual ball-shaped flowers that is great for cut flowers . . . well it would have been rude not to!

Herefordshire itself is a beautiful place to visit. It has beautiful scenery, great food producers, offers some excellent walking and canoeing and because it is a little off the beaten track you are rarely troubled by traffic jams and too many people. The icing on the cake for a garden lovers like myself is a place like Hampton Court.

For further information visit Hampton Court Castle and Gardens and Herefordshire Visitor Information.

Posts, Poles and Pea Netting

26 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by wellywoman in In the Garden, On the plot, Out and About, Sustainable gardening

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

espalier apple tree, Herefordshire, Moreton Wood, National Beanpole Week, Planting Charlotte potatoes

Chitted Potatoes

Our chitted potatoes waiting to be planted

Another weekend of glorious weather. This doesn’t feel like spring, it’s more like summer, 21C and tshirts in March isn’t typical for the time of year in these parts so we made the most of it and had a really productive couple of days in the garden and on the plot.

Wellyman put in the posts and wire supports for the new espalier apple tree. These are the sort of jobs that invariably take three times longer than anticipated and before you know it a whole morning has been swallowed up by something that seemed so straightforward. Usually Wellyman discovers the drill has no charge, the drill bit he needs is the one that broke last time and the various screws, bolts, nails required are the wrong size. Not this time though, maybe we’re just getting more adept at this DIY thing but it all went really smoothly, which was just as well because we had an appointment to collect some beanpoles.

Hazel beanpoles

Coppiced hazel beanpoles from Moreton Wood in Herefordshire

I posted last autumn about National Beanpole Week and how there has been a resurgence in people managing coppice woodlands and selling the products. National Beanpole Week runs from 21st April to 29th April this year but because we wouldn’t be able to make these dates I had managed to find a woodland in Herefordshire where I could pick some up early. It wasn’t exactly local but it was such a beautiful day and Herefordshire is a lovely county that it wasn’t a chore to drive that little bit further. Moreton Wood is classified as ancient woodland with records going back 400 years but in the 1960s the deciduous, native trees were cleared for conifer plantations. The couple who now manage the woodland are slowly restoring it, removing the conifers and allowing broadleaved, deciduous trees to grow again. The practice of coppicing dates back to the early medieval period but declined from the 19th century. It seems to be making something of a comeback as people realise that coppicing is a great way to produce a fast and reliable source of timber without needing to replant and that it has beneficial effects on the woodland ecosystem. At a time when every company is jumping on the eco-bandwagon this really is a sustainable business. We came away with some great, sturdy posts about 8ft long which will be perfect for their job and they were only 50p each.

Baby pea plants ready for planting

Baby pea plants ready for planting

Back at home we carefully carried up to the allotment the chitted potatoes with their fat, stubby shoots and some small pea plants for planting out. The potatoes are Charlottes, a very versatile potato that is excellent as a salad spud or left to grow a bit bigger and can then be roasted, particularly tasty with a little bit of butter and chives chopped on top. Wellyman dug holes for each tuber and I put some compost and a handful of comfrey pellets in the planting hole before placing in the tubers, being careful not to damage the shoots, especially as you backfill.

Then came the pea planting. Is there another piece of gardening kit more annoying than plastic pea netting? It has a life of its own and trying to cut it, making sure you cut in a straight line and don’t go off at an angle leaving you with an oddshaped piece of netting that is no use to anyone is easier said than done. Getting exasperated doesn’t help but that’s also easier said than done. We got there in the end, with sections attached to canes so the newly planted peas have something to scramble up. I think only trying to use fleece to cover your plants on a windy day and discovering a kink in the hosepipe at the opposite end of the plot to where I am, can match pea netting for annoyance.

Forced rhubarb stems

Forced rhubarb stems

Just before we left I checked the rhubarb I’m forcing and we should be able to pick our first stems and the first produce of the plot this year, in the next week. So everything is taking shape. Exciting times ahead.

For more information on coppicing and finding a wood local to you visit Coppice Products.

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My latest book – The Crafted Garden

My latest book - The Crafted Garden

My latest book - The Crafted Garden

My Book – The Cut Flower Patch

My Book - The Cut Flower Patch. Available to buy from the RHS online bookshop.

The Cut Flower Patch – Garden Media Guild Practical Book 2014

The Cut Flower Patch - Garden Media Guild Practical Book 2014
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