Cotswolds Country Gardener August 2016

Cotswolds

Issue No 125 August 2016

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VEG PLOT HEAVEN It’s time to reap what you’ve sown

FAMILY FRIENDLY SUMMER GARDENS OPEN TO VISIT The art of bonsai growing INSIDE: Exclusive annual guide to garden speakers Garden events to enjoy throughout the Cotswolds

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Summer gardening AT THE GARDEN LOVERS GARDEN CENTRE On A423 Southam Road, Nr. Farnborough, Banbury OX17 1EL. Tel: 01295 690479

Open Six Days a Week. Tue-Sat: 9.00am - 5.30pm Sun: 10.30am - 4.30pm

Open Bank Holiday Mondays www.farnboroughgardencentre.co.uk

Summer at

10 th th b is ir ye th ar da ! y

ROSS GARDEN STORE

Enjoy!

Shop!

Walk leisurely around the plants, displayed within informal garden settings that will inspire you. Browse, or ask our friendly staff to help you choose those plants that are right for your situation.

Eat & Drink!

Relax in a quiet corner of the garden centre where you can meet a friend or simply read through your gardening books with a frothy cappuchino! Serving light snacks & refreshments, such as our famous cheese scones, cakes and cream teas.

Our speciality is specimen plants ranging from trees and shrubs, to palms and topiary. We also stock patio furniture, stoneware, enamelware, metalwork and obelisks. In our shop you will find orchids, sundry items, gifts and ideas for the discerning gardener, all gift-wrapped on request. Seasonal lines such as bedding plants, bulbs, seeds and perennials complement the range throughout the year, alongside the gardening necessities of chemicals, fertilisers, wild bird care and composts.

Grow

Quality Service Value

with

us

ee Come and s ! for yourself Ross Garden Store, The Engine Shed, Station Approach, Ashburton, Ross On Wye, Herefordshire HR9 7BW

www.rossgardenstore.com 01989 568999 OPEN DAILY

Contents Working with weather A look at how global warming is making changes to the gardening year and the timing of many tasks. Page 8

IT’S ALL IN THE SHAPE Gill Heavens delves into the sensational family of plants defined by the flower shape of the umbel - umbellifers.

Page 10

Dorset

Issue No 146 August 2016

FREE

VEG PLOT HEAVEN It’s time to reap what you’ve sown

ON THE COVER THIS MONTH

Our cover this month celebrates a time of plenty in the garden when all the hard work on the veg plot or allotment in sowing, weeding, feeding and watering pays off with fresh home grown vegetable picked from the garden. There’s nothing like it!

FAMILY FRIENDLY SUMMER GARDENS OPEN TO VISIT The art of bonsai growing

INSIDE: Exclusive annual guide to garden speakers

Garden events to enjoy throughout Dorset

www.countrygardener.co.uk

WHITE of WITCHAMPTON

• ESTABLISHED 26 YEARS • HIGH QUALITY DESIGN & LANDSCAPE SERVING DORSET, HAMPSHIRE & WILTSHIRE • NO CONTRACTORS

“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” - WARREN BUFFETT

Looking for a speaker for your garden club or association?

Here’s the answer with our famous annual guide to experts, enthusiasts, gardeners and speakers offering their services to garden clubs throughout the year. Page 23

HOLIDAY T IME GARDENS It’s holiday time and while you travel round there’s a unique chance to see some special gardens and houses.

We’ve chosen some of our favourites.

Page 12

Questions you’ve asked us to answer Cutting down conifers, infected chrysanthemum leaves, growing peach trees and plants for acid soils- Andrew Midgley has the answers to all your queries. Page 34

scheme is offering training for budding gardeners and those thinking of changing their careers. Page 36

Gardens to visit for the family There’s still plenty of gardens open to get out and enjoy and this month we’ve focussed on those which offer more appeal for the family. Page 40

Time Off in August There’s lots of garden themed events in a busy August calendar in out ever popular Time Off feature.

Page 44

“The English winter, ending in July and only to recommence in August.”- LORD BYRON

Tel: 07966 258267 / 01258 840082 www.wowgardens.co.uk

Editorial Publisher & Editor: Alan Lewis alan@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01823 431767 Time Off: Kate Lewis timeoff@countrygardener.co.uk Design & Production Aidan Gill aidan@countrygardener.co.uk Gemma Stringer gemma@countrygardener.co.uk

Is a career in gardening an option for you?

“The hum of bees is the voice of the garden.”

- ELIZABETH LAWRENCE

We took at how a unique

Advertising Sales Cath Pettyfer Devon & Dorset cath.pettyfer@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01837 82660 Ava Bench Somerset & Classified ava@countrygardener.co.uk classified@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01823 619073

Corina Reay Cotswolds corina@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01823 410098 Rob Houghton Hampshire & Sussex rob@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01614 283230

Accounts Sam Bartholomew sam@countrygardener.co.uk Tel: 01823 430639

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or made available in any form, without the written permission of the copyright holder and Publisher, application for which should be made to the Publisher. Unsolicited material: do not send or submit your only version of manuscripts and/or photographs/transparencies to us as these cannot be returned to you. While every care is taken to ensure that material submitted is priced accurately and completely, we cannot be responsible or liable for any loss or damage suffered. Views and/or opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of Country Gardener or the Publisher.

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3

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...IN THE COTSWOLDS

A look at news, events and happenings in the Cotswolds

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Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire - a ‘Capability’ Brown landscape

Celebrate the 300th anniversary of ‘Capability’ Brown with family events There’s the chance to join in the 300th anniversary of Capability Brown this summer with some stunning events in the Cotswolds .

The Capability Brown Festival celebrates the life, work and legacy of the 18th century English landscape architect and Royal Gardener to King George III. Brown is associated with more than 250 landscapes across England and Wales, a number in and around the Cotswolds including the well-known estates of Blenheim Palace (Oxfordshire) and Croome (Worcestershire) to hidden gems such as Compton Verney (Warwickshire) and Milton Abbey (Dorset).

The family-friendly events set to take centre stage include: Horse and Carriage Rides Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire 19th-21st August Travel across Brown’s landscape at Blenheim Palace, as Brown would have done in 18th century Britain Capability Brown Weekends 9th-10th July and 13th-14th August

Wrest Park, Bedfordshire (cared for by English Heritage) Guided tours, self-guided trails (where children can create Brown inspired landscapes in sandpits!), afternoon tea and tethered hot air balloon rides for admiring Brown’s landscape from above Capability Brown Family Trail Compton Verney, Warwickshire 1st-31st August Find the tools of Brown’s trade hidden throughout the park at Compton Verney Brown’s Birthday Picnic Gatton Park, Surrey 2nd August Celebrate Brown’s 300th birthday with a special picnic, traditional garden games and a child-friendly explore-tour of Gatton Park Brown’s Birthday Weekend Celebrations Wimpole, Cambridgeshire (cared for by the National Trust) 28th August Join the 300th anniversary celebrations at Wimpole with a Capabili-Tea tent, a Georgian cricket match and performances by theatrical group The Pantaloons and Georgian inspired dance by Contretemps A three-hour bell ringing marathon Croome D’Abitot, Croome, Worcestershire (cared for by the National Trust) 30th August Listen out for the church bells of St Mary Magdalene (built

by Brown) between 10:30-13:30pm whilst walking through Brown’s landscape at Croome.

For further details of events taking place this summer for the Capability Brown Festival, visit www.capabilitybrown.org/events Friars Court, Clanfield, Oxfordshire OX18 2SU Tel: 01367 810206 www.friarscourt.com

ROCKET SEEDS BOLDLY GROW The countdown is over for staff at the University of Bristol Botanic Garden to find out which collection of seeds they have been growing spent time in space. As part of British astronaut Tim Peake’s mission, two kilograms of rocket (Eruca sativa) seeds were sent to the International Space Station last year and were returned to Earth in March after six months on board.

Thousands of schools, children’s clubs and societies, including the Botanic Garden, Claire Cope, trainee horticulturist, at the Botanic Garden with the rocket plants signed up for the national science experiment, Rocket Science, to grow seeds that have been in space together with identical seeds that have stayed on earth. The project, run by the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Campaign for School Gardening and the UK Space Agency, will help understand how science in space contributes to our knowledge of life on earth.

Visitors to both the Botanic Garden and the Floating Ballast Seed Garden will be able to see this edible annual plant, commonly known as salad rocket that has made a very long voyage 4

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5

Time to nominate your favourite tree

Do you have a favourite tree in the Cotswolds? And might it benefit from some tender love and care ?

The Woodland Trust is seeking nominations for the Tree of the Year, with the prospect of extra years of life for the most popular entries. The competition, supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, is open to any living tree in the UK that has a story behind it.

In Kent, there are 3,587-recorded trees to choose from on the Ancient Tree Inventory.

Following nominations an independent panel of experts will draw up a shortlist of trees to go to a public vote.

Trees of the Year will be named in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The winning trees and any that receive over 1,000 votes will receive a bespoke ‘tree LC’ pamper package to improve their lives.

Any individual or organisation can nominate their favourite. The individual trees should have a story behind them – from longstanding legends through to memorials or personal connections.

The winning tree will receive £1000 worth of bespoke care which might include pruning, weeding, fencing or mulching – or events and educational materials. Any tree with over 1,000 votes will receive £500 worth of care.

Each country’s individual Tree of the Year will go on to represent that nation in the European Tree of the Year competition, organised by the Environmental Partnership Association.

For more information about the competition and to submit your nomination by the deadline of the end of July visit www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/treeoftheyear

Nest box plan for barn owls Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is close to making the area a safe haven for barn owls.

Traditionally a stronghold, last year Gloucestershire saw the number of barn owls breeding fall dramatically.

Nest boxes plan will help barn owls A lack of nest sites and good feeding habitat have led to a long-term decline in numbers, and this was made worse by poor weather meaning less food preventing them reaching their minimum breeding weight of 350g - so there was a whole year with very few chicks.

The need was to create new nesting places for these iconic birds, monitor their success and increase the quality and quantity of their hunting habitats.

The wildlife trust wants to install 60 boxes in habitats they know are good for barn owls. In addition to advising landowners on how best to manage their land to improve it for barn owls, and putting long term monitoring in place.

Barn owls are also under threat from; Prolonged cold or wet weather conditions. Barn owls have soft feathers for silent flight and they get saturated and exhausted in prolonged rain. Extreme weather conditions reduce the chance to hunt available prey when they need more food to keep their weight and energy at a healthy level. Without enough food, the barn owl will struggle to stay alive in long freezing spells and cannot hunt successfully in deep snow.

Motorways and busy main roads - many roads have grown over the years and now slice through areas of once open land. Sometimes the only remaining foraging grounds skirt roadways leaving the barn owls at great risk of collision, particularly as they are low flying and often face the ground whilst in search of food.

To make a donation go to www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk 6

Country Gardener

Wild plants searching at Westonbirt There’s some special garden themed events in August at Westonbirt Arboretum including the chance for those interested in wild plants. There’s the chance to take a closer look at the wild plants of the arboretum with a two-hour walk.

Hosted by Carol Taylor of Westonbirt’s volunteer-led Flora Group, this walk will explore wild flowers and other plants found in the arboretum. The walk will cover up to two miles in distance. It’s on Tuesday 2nd August at 10.30am and is free after admission.

Members of The Arborealists, a group of artists of diverse practice sharing their passion for the tree, will showcase their work at an exhibition in the Great Oak Hall on Friday 26th August Their new fully-illustrated publication, The Art of the Tree, will also be on sale. www.arborealists.com www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt for all Westonbirts events in August.

Tel: 01666 880220

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7

Working with the ‘new’ weather Grenville Sheringham considers how global warming is making significant changes to the gardening year and the timing of many tasks Whether you believe global warming is happening or not, and whether it is due to human activities or not, it is still a fact that our weather is changing.

Winters in southern England are generally much less severe now than they were when I was growing up in the ‘fifties and ‘sixties, and this has had a noticeable effect on gardens and gardening activities.

I used to put edging shears and my hoe away after a final tidy up in November, but now I often find myself weeding and edging until Christmas.

Annual weeds are surviving longer, and many of them are overwintering ready to greet us again in the first warm days of spring.

Perennial weeds like daisies and dandelions now seem to flower almost 12 months of the year.

Leaf raking also used to be an autumn task, but leaves are now hanging on the trees much longer, making lawns and borders look untidy unless we keep busy with the rake until well into December.

October used to be the end of the mowing season when you clean down the mower and service it ready to be put away for the winter. But now I regularly find myself mowing in December and even January in a particularly mild spell.

In the vegetable garden a wider range of leaf crops can be harvested in winter, particularly chards and some of the Japanese leaves like mizuna.

Autumn planting of onions, broad beans, etc is also more successful than it was back in my younger days.

So what can we do as gardeners to work with the new weather, ameliorating its disadvantages and enjoying its benefits?

Well, we could look at where we grow plants, and maybe make more use of shady areas to protect plants that may suffer from too much intense sunlight. We can explore the 8

extended range of plants that may now be hardy through our milder winters. Olive trees seem to thrive if planted in a dryish soil in a sheltered spot away from cold north and east winds.

Climbers like summer jasmines and solanum that used to struggle to survive prolonged cold spells are well worth trying against a warm sheltered wall or fence.

Try leaving dahlias and gladioli in the ground over winter, topped with a generous mulch of compost or leaf mould to keep them warm through cold spells.

Even bedding geraniums (pelargoniums) stand a chance of surviving in a dry, sheltered corner, and if you don’t have a greenhouse its worth the risk rather than throwing them on the compost in the autumn.

We could also look at water saving measures, which makes sense not just from the gardening viewpoint but also environmentally and financially.

Now is the time to set up that water butt, or find space for an extra one. Subsidised kits are available from some local authorities which allow easy connection to drainpipes on house or shed, and recycled rainwater also has the advantage that it does not contain chlorine or lime like tap water.

It also wouldn’t do any harm to look at our gardening footprint (no not the muddy ones, the environmental one), and try to reduce our personal contribution to increasing carbon dioxide levels. Gardeners tend to be recyclers by nature, reusing everything from pots to patio slabs. Maybe we could extend this activity by joining local recycling groups like Freecycle. If you, like me, always seem to have far more of those flimsy plant pots and trays from supermarkets and garden centres than you can make use of, most local authorities accept any plastic containers bearing the PET recycling symbol in your recycling bin.

Composting, of course, is at the heart of any serious gardener’s activities, and not only saves taking car loads of rubbish to the tip, but also saves on buying bags of soil conditioner and potting compost (provided it is well rotted and sieved).

Gardening has changed continuously since the days of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, so let’s embrace the change and work with the new weather.

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Issue No 130 June 2014

Devon

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9

Angelica gigas, scene stealing maroon flowers

Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpureum'

Unbelievable umbellifers Gill Heavens dives into the many varieties of a sensational family of plants defined partly by the flower shape of the umbel and makes a very personal selection Whenever I decide to write about a particular plant family for Country Gardener I live to regret it. There are always so many beauties to choose from and too many must get discarded along the way. As someone who rarely learns by my mistakes, I have tripped up again, this time with the marvellous family of Apiaceae, or the Umbellifers.

This family has over 400 genera and more than 3,500 species, so to pick out a handful is quite a challenge!

They are defined in part by the flower shape, or the umbel, and this is seen clearly in the native flowers that grace our wild spaces, such as the wild carrot, Queen Anne’s lace and cow parsley.

A good place to start is with the astrantia, also known as masterwort.

Astrantia major is a deservedly popular garden plant with its pin cushion flowers of muted tones such as pure white ‘Alba’, the delicate ‘Penny’s Pink’ and ‘Hadspen Blood’ with its deep claret blooms. Pronounced bracts play a large part in this plant’s charm; a fine example of this is ‘Shaggy’ which has long white bracts tipped with green. For the foliage fans amongst you ‘Sunningdale Variegated’ is the plant for you.

Astrantia maxima has large flowers in a delicate pink. These herbaceous perennials prefer light shade where they will not demand so much moisture as in full sun. They relish a rich soil 10

Country Gardener

and will thank you for frequent division and replanting in replenished soil.

For drama in the garden you need go no further than the bronze fennel, Foeniculum vulgare 'Purpureum' which can reach 2.5m in height! Its ferny purple foliage certainly makes a statement and the first tufts in spring are a delight to behold, necessitating a quick fragrant fondle as you pass. It will cast its progeny far and wide which is an endearing tendency until you struggle to remove the delving tap roots. The tiny yellow flowers, are a magnet to insects. Another dark, but more petite, beauty is Anthriscus ‘Ravens Wing’, which is a dark leaved form of our native cow parsley. Reaching 1m in height it is a short lived perennial at best but more often a biennial. It will also self-seed which will ensure you have plenty in the pipeline.

A relatively recent addition to this family is Mathiasella bupleuroides which was first introduced from Mexico in 1954. Not everyone appreciates green flowers, but I would recommend giving these a chance. They are extremely striking and in the autumn are enhanced with tinges of pink. They enjoy well drained soil in full sun or part shade and will grow to 1m tall, flowering in April to June.

The purple angelica, Angelica gigas, has scenestealing maroon flowers held on blood red stems 2m high. It may take two years or more to flower from seed, but with its attractive bisected

leaves, it looks good even whilst getting up the energy to flower. It will be happy in sun or light shade and with a little aforethought you can have one flowering every year.

A perhaps less obvious Apiaceae is the eryngium or the sea holly. These generally enjoy full sun and poor soil and often thrive in gravel gardens.

As the name suggests they make perfect coastal plants, but landlubbers need not fear, give it full sun and it will thrive as long as the soil is not waterlogged. The biennial E. giganteum ‘Miss Wilmott’s Ghost’ with metallic blue, collared flowers is worth trying. The smaller perennial E. bourgatii produces a mass of electric blue small heads, ‘Picos Blue' is an excellenet variety. The curious E. pandanifolium is even spikier than the others, with sword shaped leaves and flowers up to 1.5m tall. The roots of another garden worthy species, E. maritima used to be candied and eaten as a sweet treat. All of these make great, if not a little dangerous, dried flowers.

If I was only allowed to pick one member of this family I would vote for Chaerophyllum hirsutum 'Roseum'. Pretty as a picture, the hairy chervil is as tough as a pair of old boots. In late spring it produces lilac pink flowers in profusion to a height of approximately 60cm. These delicate flowers are very attractive to bee and gardener alike. What is more, the fern like foliage is apple scented.

Let us move onto my second favourite subject, food. This family is named after Apium, which includes celery and celeriac in its number.

Members of this diverse clan also include carrots, parsnips, coriander and parsley, angelica and chervil.

Many of these were introduced by the Romans during their jolly jaunt in this country.

So we have a lot to thank them for!

Not all is sweetness and light in the land of the umbels; they have their share of arch criminals.

The villains include the gargantuan and toxic Giant Hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzianum, and the unrelentingly invasive ground elder Aegopodium podagraria.

Another plant on the dark side is the famously Socratean poison, Conium maculatum, or hemlock.

The good in this family might be very, very good, but conversely the bad is quite evil! Perversely this fact further enhances my love of the Apiaceae. In my opinion there is nothing worse than average and this magnificent family is anything but that!

Top: Astrantia major Second row: Anthriscus ‘Ravens Wing’- a dark leafed form of native cow parsley; and Mathiasella bupleuroides Third row: E. giganteum ‘Miss Wilmott’s Ghost’ Bottom: Chaerophyllum hirsutum and Astrantia 'Moulin Rouge'

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11

GARDENS TO VISIT ON YOUR HOLIDAY TRAVELS Whether you’re travelling about this summer or staying in a different part of the country, it’s good to hear of different places of interest and gardens to discover. Here are a few suggestions from areas outside those we normally cover, of magnificent historic houses and gardens with plenty for all ages to enjoy.

PLAS NEWYDD HOUSE AND GARDENS, ANGLESEY

Above: Burton Agnes Hall, Driffield Yorkshire, award winning gardens.

Below: Plas Newydd House and Gardens, Anglesey, sitting on the shores of the Menai Strait.

12

There are breathtaking views of Snowdonia from Plas Newydd House, the ancestral home of the Marquess of Anglesey, the mansion sitting on the shores of the Menai Strait. The house has a military museum inspired by the Battle of Waterloo, works of art and regular exhibitions, and a famous mural by the 20th century artist Rex Whistler, a fantasy landscape that’s 58 feet long.

The acres of grounds and gardens include an Italianate terrace garden, an Australasian arboretum and extensive woodland walks. Find the tree house, the nine hole Frisbee golf course, the adventure playground, and look out for resident red squirrels – the largest red squirrel population in Wales.

There are walks and talks with the garden team, regular farmers’ markets, open air theatre performances and a summer fair on Tuesday 2nd August. Dogs are welcome on short leads in designated woodland areas.

Country Gardener

Eat in the Old Dairy tea room or the coffee shop, while local ice cream is served from the sun room; there’s a gift shop in the visitors’ centre and a second hand bookshop.

Plas Newydd House and Gardens, Llanfairpwll, Anglesey LL61 6DQ (National Trust). Open daily until Sunday 6th November from 10.30am until 5.30pm, house 11.30am4.30pm. For more information phone 01248 714795, email plasnewydd@nationaltrust. org.uk or visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk and follow the links.

BURTON AGNES HALL, DRIFFIELD, EAST YORKSHIRE Built between 1598 and 1610 by Sir Henry Griffith, Burton Agnes Hall is an Elizabethan mansion that has remained a family home for more than 400 years. Fifteen generations have filled the Hall with treasures, from magnificent carvings commissioned when the Hall was built to French Impressionist paintings, contemporary furniture, tapestries and modern artwork in recent years.

Simon Jenkins, author of England's Thousand Best Houses, described Burton Agnes Hall as ‘the perfect English house’ and as one of the 20 best English houses.

The award winning gardens of Burton Agnes Hall range from the walled garden containing more than 4,000 different plant species, herbaceous borders, a jungle garden and national collection of campanulas, as well as the maze and giant games such as chess and draughts for children and adults alike. The woodland sculpture walk of about a mile long was planted to form an arboretum walk, along with a new wood.

Burton Agnes Hall, Burton Agnes, Driffield, East Yorkshire YO25 4NB. Open daily 25th March - 31st October between 11am 5pm. The property closes Tuesday 1st until Monday 14th November then opens for the run up to Christmas until 23rd December, 11am-5pm. Dogs on leads welcome in the grounds. For admission prices and concessions visit www.burtonagnes.com or phone 01262 490324.

MELLERSTAIN HOUSE AND GARDENS, GORDON, BERWICKSHIRE One of Scotland’s gems, with outstanding gardens, lakeside and woodland walks, wildlife, Highland cattle and Hebridean sheep, in the heart of the Scottish Borders and is a unique example of William and Robert Adam design, presenting a complete picture as it would have been some 240 years ago. There are collections of fine art, embroidery, china and furniture collections.

Mellerstain House stands within acres of beautiful parkland, first laid out in 1725. The gardens, entered from an early 18th century courtyard, were designed by Reginald Blomfield in 1910. Italianate terraces and herbaceous borders were planned to complement the fine Georgian house with breathtaking views over the lawns and ornamental lake to the distant Cheviot Hills.

MUNCASTER HOUSE AND GARDENS, RAVENGLASS, CUMBRIA With a half-mile long 18th century grass terrace the gardens at Muncaster Castle have romantic views of the Lakeland Fells, but most famous is the collection of azaleas and rhododendrons in a woodland setting, grown from seed from 1920s Himalayan botanical expeditions.

Owned by the same family since 1208, the castle today is mainly 14th century with 19th century remodelling. There’s an extensive collection of 16th and 17th century furniture, paintings and family portraits and memorabilia including the 'Luck of Muncaster' cup.

During August there are outdoor theatre performances, a medieval Muncaster costume event, outdoor picnic cinema performances and Muncaster is hosting the Race the Tide adventure race on Saturday August 27th.

Find the Hawk and Owl centre within the gardens.

There are bird of prey flying displays twice daily in the main season plus wild heron feed, all of which are included in the Gardens ticket, a great value day out for families or for groups.

It also provides an umbrella organisation for wider conservation projects in the gardens and out on the estate as well as in the wider world in association with conservation partners. The Hawk and Owl Centre is run in association with the Hawk Conservancy Trust and through them Majestic beeches, sturdy oaks and ash are a the centre is a partner in birdlife conservation haven for wild birds and animals. Look out projects worldwide. for red squirrels and roe deer or the flash of a The centre offers more opportunities to get closer kingfisher as you enjoy a peaceful stroll beside to some of the birds on a Hawk Walk, available the Eden Water. There’s a play area, coffee shop, most afternoons. Places are limited so booking and areas for picnics. ahead is advised to avoid disappointment. Dogs Mellerstain House and Gardens, Mellerstain, are not allowed in the centre but there are areas Gordon, BerwickshireTD3 6LG. The season where they are allowed on leads. continues until Monday 26th September Muncaster House and Gardens, Ravenglass, with the property open on Friday, Saturday, Cumbria CA18 1RQ. The open season extends Sunday and Monday. The house opens to Friday 23rd December with the castle 12.30pm-5pm (last entry 4.15pm), the open Sunday-Friday (closed Saturdays) until gardens 11.30am-5pm (dogs allowed on Monday 31st October, 12-4pm (except 26thleads in the gardens and parkland) and the 31st October, 11am-3pm). Gardens and Hawk coffee shop from 11.30am-4.30pm. For and Owl Centre open daily 10.30am-5pm more information including admission prices until Tuesday 25th October. Refreshments are telephone 01573 410225, email enquiries@ available when the gardens are open. For mellerstain.com or visit www.mellerstain.com more information phone 01229 717614, www.countrygardener.co.uk

Left: Mellerstain House and Gardens, Gordon, Berwickshire, Italianate terraces and herbaceous borders.

Above: Muncaster House and Gardens, Ravenglass, Cumbria romantic views of the Lakeland Fells.

13

It’s never too late to learn a new skill It goes without saying but it’s never too late to learn a new skill.

And when it comes to adding a new gardening related skill it’s becoming something of a boom time both for those who are keen to learn and also in the range of courses on offer.

The demand for serious gardeners and even occasional gardeners to add to their horticulture skills reached record levels last year according to new figures. It isn’t just gardeners adding a new skill to take their gardens to a new level; the trend is also to add one-off skills in such more specialist topics as hedge laying,dry stone walling, knowledge and understanding of wildlife as well as art in horticulture and garden photography.

Day courses, weekend sessions and also the longer term search for formal qualifications in horticulture continued to grow as more people enter the search for a new skill and extra knowledge.

Garden design courses continue to top the list with many keen to learn new skills and apply them to plans for their own gardens.

For those tempted to add a new skill here’s just a few on offer.

John Horsey courses encourage learning in relaxed surroundings John Horsey offers courses in garden history and horticulture at Burrow Farm Gardens near Axminster on the Devon, Somerset and Dorset borders. These ‘interest’ courses run for one day per week over the academic year with no assessments or examinations. They encourage learning through a relaxed

environment with the support of plant identifications and practicals in the lovely surroundings of Burrow Farm Gardens which cover 13 acres with a wide range of garden styles and a plantsman’s garden. In the lecture room there are excellent visual images and good class discussions supported by professional teaching. The Garden History Course is particularly popular, looking at the range of garden styles, plants, people and influences from the very first gardens in the ‘Fertile Crescent’ to the present day. You are certain to have an enjoyable day, gaining knowledge and making new friends whilst you learn. Visit www.johnhorseyhorticulture.co.uk

Learn to design your own dream garden Would you love to design your dream garden but don’t know where to begin? On this popular three term beginners’ courses, starting in September, students learn how to measure, survey and design their own and each other’s gardens. No two gardens are the same, no two designs are ever the same and so, at the end of the course, students have an exciting portfolio of their own and their fellow students’ varied designs for all of their gardens.

The courses take place at Sue Gibson’s home and garden in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire and in students’ own gardens.

Classes are small and informal and there are no exams!

Contact Sue at Sue Gibson School of Gardening on 01453 890820 Email sue.gibson@tiscali.co.uk www.iteachgardening.co.uk

GARDEN HISTORY AND GARDENING COURSES from John Horsey Horticulture East through to Present Day Gardens. It investigates historical styles, people, influences and the role of heritage plants.

Now enrolling for September 2016.

The Diploma in Horticulture

The Garden History Certificate The course traces the development of gardens through history from the first gardens in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle

This Diploma covers the range of gardening and horticultural topics, improving practical skills, and developing plant knowledge.

Now enrolling for September 2016.

Our courses are offered over the year on a one day per week basis following the academic timetable.

We aim to impart knowledge and skills in a comfortable relaxed environment without the stress of conventional examinations and assessments. You can gain information, make new friends and have an enjoyable day.

Courses are run at Burrow Farm Gardens near Axminster. The gardens extend to 13 acres with a wide range of garden plantings, styles and plants.

For more information on the courses please email johnatrivendell1@btinternet.com or visit www.johnhorseyhorticulture.co.uk Tel: 07811 446682 / 01460 68905

14

Country Gardener

Horses and courses at Courage Copse Creatives Horses are once again playing a vital role in the management of

Why not learn how to:

Sign up and experience the tranquillity of these gentle giants to RHS in•workinggarden woodland, Courage Copse, instandards North Devon. The next ‘Horse Logging’ weekend is on 24th -25th The cost • design your own September. garden is £160 for the whole weekend or £100 for Saturday.

• garden to RHS standards • design your own garden • apply scientific principles to successful gardening?

Why not learn how to: and sustainability. our forests, helping to promote bio-diversity

•

apply scientific principles to successful gardening?

Practical options:

RHS practical courses

at Ryton Gardens near Coventry and Bampton and North Moreton in Oxfordshire

Classroom options:

RHS courses, masterclasses Or if youtheory want to have fun with NEW the whole family why not come along to one of the ‘Family Explore Days’ during the and short courses summer holidays? You can learn a new skill, explore the at Rytonand Gardens Coventry and Bampton in woodland discovernear exciting facts about trees and wildlife.

There’s three explore days on offer exploring different themes; Oxfordshire Children's charcoal challenge 27th July, 24th August Home, habitatHome and hiding 8th and 26th August study options: Flowers, forest and fabric 10th August Work at your own pace Each day includes a forest trail, learning a new skill and a prepare for RHS exams justcost study creative activity.

Family ExploreorDays is £15for perpleasure, family (two + two children) Booking is essential. withadults correspondence or online course options; office@couragecopse.co.uk or callcourse mob: 07979 889 NEW garden design for 521 Sept www.couragecopse.co.uk

Practical options: RHS practical courses at Ryton Gardens near Coventry and Bampton and North Moreton in Oxfordshire

Classroom options: RHS theory courses, NEW masterclasses and short courses at Ryton Gardens near Coventry and Bampton in Oxfordshire

Home study options: Work at your own pace, prepare for RHS exams or just study for pleasure, with correspondence or online course options; NEW garden design course for Sept

BEST in horticulture lives up to its name If you are looking for the courses and qualifications to provide you with the skills and knowledge you need for a successful career then BEST in Horticulture provides real solutions.

It was started in 2012 to provide horticultural education outside a conventional college environment, with online learning for Royal Horticultural Society courses as well as classes at Garden Organic’s Ryton Gardens in Warwickshire.

Since then, the provision has grown considerably. The RHS Distance and Blended Learning Courses attract both international and UK learners and RHS ‘face-to-face’ teaching now takes place at two additional Centres in Oxfordshire: North Moreton near Didcot and Bampton near Faringdon.

Sue Gibson BEST in Horticulture Group School of Gardening Slimbridge, Glos w: www.iteachgardening.co.uk

BEST in Horticulture Group

For more information contact us: Growing and Training Fruit www.stantonguildhouse.org.uk

For more information contact us:

in Small Spaces – 07498 918588 Saturday 20th August enquiries@bestinhorticulture.co.uk 01386 584357

info@stantonguildhouse.org.uk Course Administrator

www.bestinhorticulture.co.uk Design your own Garden * Accommodation New, 3-term course for beginners for up to 15 guests * starts Tuesday 20th September * Arts and Crafts 01453 890820 courses * sue.gibson@tiscali.co.uk

Course Administrator – 07498 918588 enquiries@bestinhorticulture.co.uk

www.bestinhorticulture.co.uk

www.countrygardener.co.uk

15

For full details of all (*Grade 1 Outstanding) courses visit www.bestinhorticulture.co.uk Every year BEST in Horticulture has received an outstanding grade in the annual RHS inspections.

Grow your future at Kingston Maurward College Whatever stage you are in your learning process, Kingston Maurward College has a horticulture course to suit you.

Level 1, 2 and 3 full-time courses start in September and parttime courses and apprenticeships start throughout the year.

It’s straightforward to find out how you can improve your skills, learn something new, or just for fun – from school leavers to mature students - there’s something for everyone.

Part-time courses include RHS Certificates in Principles of Horticulture and Practical Horticulture, Chainsaw Certificates, Botanical Art and Garden Design.

With its state of the art glasshouses and beautiful gardens, find out how you can grow your future at Kingston Maurward College.

For more details or to book go to kmc.ac.uk or call 01305 215215.

Based near Dorchester, Kingston Maurward College offers inspiring and challenging education and training opportunities to equip learners with the knowledge and skills to succeed in life and work.

The college is set in a stunning 750-acre estate complete with a Georgian house, commercial farm, laboratories, training areas, animal care unit and equestrian arenas.

Quality courses at Stanton Guildhouse Stanton Guildhouse is a Grade II listed Manor house that sits comfortably in the hillside overlooking the stunning Vale of

HORTICULTURE PART-TIME COURSES

Evesham - just a few feet from the Cotswold Way. The Guildhouse is ideal for special occasions, overnight conferences, catered away days, midweek residential visits, self-catered weekend breaks and walking holidays where groups of up to 15 can be catered for.

The trust runs high quality courses and summer schools in a wide range of arts and crafts subjects such as wood turning, stone carving, wood carving, furniture restoration, water colour, pottery and stained and kiln fired glass. Beginners and the more experienced are welcome. Visit the website for a full list of courses. www.stantonguildhouse.org.uk 01386 584357 info@stantonguildhouse.org.uk

New ‘Taste and Scent’ Course at popular Plant School The Plant School continues to specialise in what it does best – combining students who love their plants with knowledgeable professional enthusiasts who are keen to share their interest in plants. Students on all courses are able to broaden their understanding of how plants prefer to grow and how they interact with their surroundings.The school has an exciting new course, ‘Taste & Scent’, starting this autumn. The course covers the theory and practise of the science behind scent and taste in the plant world, with lectures by leading experts topped up with visits to gin distilleries and vineyards..

Key course features include expert tuition by enthusiastic and knowledgeable lecturers; all courses run one day a month from September 2016 to June 2017; for keen horticulturists seeking a better understanding of plants; all courses incorporate a high proportion of plant identification. For more information call 01327 861150 or email rosemary@theplantschool.org or visit: www.theplantschool.org

Exciting New Course, ‘Taste & Scent’, starts Autumn 2016

Introduction to Garden Design HR146 02/06/17 – 30/06/17 09:30 – 15:00 £320 Advanced Garden Design Diploma HR159 09/09/16 – 19/05/17 09:30 – 16:30 £990 Botanical Art HR019 19/08/16 – 22/08/16

09:30 – 16:30

£225

The Plant Course & The Tree Course 2016/17

Advanced Botanical Illustration Certificate HR148 19/09/16 – 26/06/17 09:00 – 13:00 £990 Landscape Painting HR173 08/08/16 – 15/08/16 10:00 – 17:00

£125

Painting Fruits and Berries HR020 01/10/16 – 02/10/16 10:00 – 17:00

£125

Wish You Could Draw? HR058 26/09/16 – 21/11/16 19:00 – 21:00

£160

Certificate of Competence Pesticide Applications (Handheld) HR160 20/09/16 – 23/09/16 09:15 – 16:45 £475 18/10/16 – 21/10/16 09:15 – 16:45 £475 22/11/16 – 25/11/16 09:15 – 16:45 £475

See website for further details www.kmc.ac.uk

“The Plant School has changed my gardening life”

THE PLANT SCHOOL 01327 861150 | theplantschool.org | rosemary@theplantschool.org

01305 215215 Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 8PY

Enjoy more of the Country Gardener experience by visiting our website

Garden History in Today’s Garden HR165 13/10/16 – 10/11/16 09:30 – 12:30 £96 Planting for Fruit Production HR152 23/11/16 09:30 – 12:30 £30 Pruning Top & Soft Fruit HR151 23/11/16 13:30 – 16:30 £30

new and improved

RHS Level 2 Certificate in Practical Horticulture HR156 06/09/16 – 13/06/17 09:30 – 12:30 £600

www.countrygardener.co.uk

RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Horticulture Garden Planning, Establishment and Maintenance HR121 07/09/16 – 14/06/17 13:00 – 15:00 £445

Fully interactive Exclusive content Many free and paid advertising opportunities

RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Horticulture Plant Growth, Propagation and Development HR147 05/09/16 – 12/06/17 19:00 – 21:00 £445 06/09/16 – 13/06/17 13:00 – 15:00 £445 RHS Level 3 - Certificate in Practical Horticulture HR141 07/09/16 – 14/06/17 09:30 – 12:30 £600

16

Country Gardener

JOBS IN THE GARDEN

JOBS IN THE

August garden

August is a month of plenty in the vegetable garden, and harvesting is the order of the day. All the summer vegetables will be in full flow by now, and you’re likely to have plenty of french beans, peas, potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, courgettes and runner beans. The vegetable patch will look very green, with mature plants covering most of the soil, and there will be lovely splashes of colour from the runner bean and courgette flowers.

SIX TRUSSES ON YOUR TOMATOES? Cordon tomatoes will still be heading for the sky. Tie their stems to support stakes and nip out any sideshoots that appear.

Nip out the growing shoots once they reach the top of the support if they are in the greenhouse, or once you have six trusses outside. Remove any lower leaves to allow air to circulate.

Irregular watering can lead to problems with blossom end rot in tomatoes, splitting of root vegetables and flower abortion in runner beans. Help prevent this by watering well during dry spells.

Vegetables to sow outdoors in July include beetroot, carrots, dwarf French beans, lettuce, radishes and runner beans.

Feeding pot grown plants is vital A fortnightly feed of pot-grown plants will keep them looking good now until the end of the summer. Annuals and tender perennials are producing flowers constantly and need replenishment to keep the show going. Liquid seaweed is organic and can be used as a foliar feed on recurrent blooming roses. They will thank you for it.

Sow green manure If you find yourself with some free space after harvesting, consider growing a green manure. They improve the soil and suppress weeds. Try mustard, alfalfa, buckwheat, clover, Hungarian grazing rye or phacelia.

Green manures are ideal whenever a patch of land is going to be free of crops for six weeks or more, and they are particularly useful to vegetable gardeners and allotment holders. Although many green manures can be sown all year round, they can be sown in late summer to give early autumn crops a great start.

They have many benefits. As they grow they form a green carpet that prevents weeds from growing and some have the ability to absorb nitrogen from the air, which is transferred to the roots and released when dug into the soil, giving a boost to the vegetables that follow.. Clover is a green manure that can be left to grow for a year - when it flowers it attracts bees and other pollinating insects.

CUT SUMMER FRUI T ING RASP BERRY CANES Once your summer fruiting raspberries have finished cropping, cut the canes that have fruited down to soil level.

As your autumn fruiting raspberry canes grow, tie them to any supports and wires to stop them rocking about in the wind. www.countrygardener.co.uk

17

Action to improve grape yields If you are starting to see lots of grapes form in the greenhouse then remember the size, sweetness and quality of dessert grapes are improved by thinning the fruits with scissors. This encourages even ripening and discourages fungal problems.

Vine scissors have long, narrow blades and are available from garden centres. They are used to thin the grapes within each bunch. Steady the bunch with a small forked stick when cutting, as using your fingers spoils the bloom on the skins.

Thin twice, first when the grapes are tiny, and then again when the grapes have increased in size.

Bunches can also be shaped while thinning; aim to produce a perfectly proportioned conical bunch.

Tendrils are thin, twisty stem-like structures that curl round supports to allow the vine to scramble and support itself. Remove these as they form, as they will only get tangled up with the fruits and allow the vine to scramble rather than sticking to your pruning and training regime.

Grape vines like well-ventilated, warm, dry conditions. Although heat is increased by keeping the vents closed, this will result in a build up of humidity in the air that could result in fungal diseases and decrease pollination rates. Therefore it is a good idea to keep the vents open during the summer and autumn, especially around flowering and fruiting time.

HEADING OFF Pick sweet peas to encourage further crops of flower. The same for repeatflowering roses. Deadheading also keeps the garden looking spruce, and a regular pick-over on pelargoniums and day lilies gives you the chance to check plants for problems. If the buds on your hemerocallis are looking swollen and bloated, this is a sign of gall-midge damage. Pick off the affected buds and burn them.

In a wet year, rust can decimate certain hybrid pelargoniums. It can easily be prevented with an organic fungicide if you catch it before it gets a hold. Once-blooming roses that go on to form hips for autumn should not be deadheaded or you will lose a second benefit.

18

Country Gardener

YEP ITS HARVEST TIME Harvest garlic when the tops start to brown. Eat some green or "wet" – it is delicious roasted. Hang the rest up in a sunny, dry place to ripen. Spray the flowers on your beans with water to help them pollinate.

Continue to dig and eat potatoes while they are still young, as they will never be better. Use the space to plant out seedling winter greens and leeks or sow salad crops. Keep up the sowing rotation so you always have new salad, rocket, coriander and dill on the way.

Ventilate and shade your greenhouse Sunny days can make the greenhouse very hot indeed. Make sure you open all the vents and doors on your greenhouse.

If it’s still too warm and your plants are wilting then cool your greenhouse with either greenhouse shade netting or weather sensitive shading that you paint on to the glass.

Also in the vegetable garden • Weeds can also compete with vegetables for water, and act as hosts for pests and diseases, so remove regularly by hoeing.

• Marrows should be raised off the ground slightly, to prevent them discolouring from contact with the soil.

• Continue earthing up celery, putting a layer of paper between the stems and the soil.

• Take care when thinning out any late-sown carrot seedlings to prevent the scent released attracting carrot fly females.

There’s still time

Remember there’s still time to sow veg, such as spring cabbages, beetroot, lettuce, oriental greens, spring onions and salad leaves.

Enjoy magical summer walks...

Browse our fantastic range of plants, gardening supplies and gifts and soak up the sun from the deck of the Garden Terrace Café. A perfect day out for all the family – dog friendly too!

Discover a garden near you.

For details please visit our website www.ngs.org.uk or call 01483 211535

Discover

Marwood Hill Gardens

Discover the stunning views at Marwood Hill Gardens, 20 acres of private gardens with lakes in North Devon.

Visit www.batsarb.co.uk for details on our forthcoming events BATSFORD ARBORETUM AND GARDEN CENTRE Batsford, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 9AD. Tel: 01386 701441 E: arboretum@batsfordfoundation.co.uk www.batsarb.co.uk BatsfordArboretum

The gardens are a wonderful haven in which to relax and enjoy the impressive collections of plants, shrubs and trees and experience the views and peaceful atmosphere.

Specialist Plant Sales At Marwood, we aim to provide something a little bit different, something which you can take home.

Tel: 01271 342528 | www.marwoodhillgarden.co.uk Marwood Hill Gardens, North Devon EX31 4EA

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The

delicate art of bonsai Nigel Wright, a board member of the European Bonsai Association with over 25 years of experience is passionate about bonsai trees and urges more gardeners to take up what can become a fascinating and rewarding hobby

During my recent visit to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year, I was struck by the high level of interest in bonsai trees.

The knowledgeable members of Federation of British Bonsai Societies did much to explain away some of the misconceptions about bonsai.

Bonsai trees are not special; they are largely native trees you would find outside in a garden.

It therefore follows that bonsai trees like to live outdoors, although those from warmer parts of the world need winter protection.

Bonsai trees do not come from special seeds; and yes, root cutting is done to prevent the tree becoming ‘pot-bound’ and ultimately dying. Bonsai trees are probably the best looked after part of general horticulture and are not starved to make them small! All in all keeping a few bonsai trees takes surprisingly little time – ideal for busy people.

Bonsai started in China over 4,000 years ago. It was during the Heian period (794 – 1191 A.D.) that Buddhist monks brought bonsai to Caring for bonsai trees can become a real passion 20

Country Gardener

Japan. In the west bonsai only really started from the 1950s onwards.

The term bonsai is actually an ‘umbrella’ term for many aspects of the art form. There are several styles of bonsai tree for example, formal upright, informal upright, cascade, Shohin, Mame; and then Suiseki which is viewing stones; while Satsuki concentrates just on azaleas.

So, how do you start? There are several starting points.You often hear “I was given a bonsai, but it died!”. This puts people off, thinking the hobby is difficult and not worth taking up. The simple advice is as soon as possible after receiving the gift, to remove the tree from its packaging and pot to replant it in a larger flower pot in some free draining soil. Unless the instructions state particularly that the tree needs to be inside put your new gift outside until next spring. The reason for this seemingly drastic action is to allow the tree to recover from being transported, often from Asia, in a shipping container and maybe placed in a warm store for some time. If the gift has come from a reputable bonsai dealer, full instructions will be given and the above repotting will not be necessary.

Bonsai can be made from virtually all native coniferous and deciduous trees and some garden shrubs for example, cotoneaster, sycamore or juniper. Seedlings of these are readily

available in gardens, potted up and ready to be trained as bonsai. Alternatively, you could find an older tree (with owner permission) and lift it with as much root as possible. This would be cut down to three feet and you have a ready-made trunk and branches for training into your bonsai.

The most basic of tools for pruning and shaping can be found in the average kitchen or garage tool kit. An old chop stick for removing tired soil from underneath, or pushing new soil between the roots. A sharp pair of kitchen scissors will tidy up most of the smaller work such as leaves and thin branches. There is a bewildering array of bonsai tools and materials at an equally huge range of prices. Just use what you have before you decide that bonsai is a hobby you would like to take further.

A very important aspect of a bonsai is the pot into which the tree is planted. For the beginner an ordinary flower pot works well enough but devoting time and effort to your tree, to gain that appealing traditional appearance, a bonsai pot is well worth a modest investment. Plastic or mica training pots are only a few pounds and provide the tree and yourself the starting image.

Fired pots, both glazed and unglazed can cost a great deal if the tree is to be exhibited, but for the hobbyist a proper bonsai pot is still relatively cheap. These can be purchased often from a local garden centre from bonsai shows, through your local bonsai club and increasingly through the internet. Winter frosts can damage pots so keep a wary eye on the weather forecast for the tree and pot to be temporary covered or put inside a frost free environment; never to be brought into a warm house as the shock may well be very detrimental to the tree.

The best advice is to learn, learn, and then learn some more. Probably the best is to locate your nearest bonsai society. If you have a computer go into Google and type - bonsai society and your town/county - and a listing will come up of the friendliest bunch of people around. Your local library will also have a list of local clubs and societies. Alternatively, ask in a nearby garden centre who often know of your nearest bonsai society.

I’ve written this to help you into the bonsai hobby in an inexpensive way. It has deliberately missed out much of the technical jargon and

techniques so that your approach will dispel some apprehensions and doubts about growing bonsai. What is important when starting off is to remember not to really worry about the particular species of tree that you are growing. Bonsai is an art form made of growing wood, rather than cut wood.

It is through the learning process of this art you will reap much enjoyment. Sure, there will be mistakes and failures. That is why Bonsai can be made from virtually all native coniferous and deciduous trees cheap material (free) is best at the start. Learn from these mistakes and become better and wiser as you progress through the process.

While it does seem to be a difficult hobby at the start, it is really a matter of committing a little of your time to learn the basics. When you have managed to get into the groove, everything else becomes much easier and increasingly more enjoyable.

Learning the essential steps and not rushing is what will make your bonsai hobby worth a moment of time and every penny you spend on your trees.

Good luck and more importantly, have fun.

Nigel Wright www.giftrees.co.uk For more information: Practical bonsai workshops for beginners are available throughout the year, often with a lunch, and a tree provided to work on and take home; Mendip Bonsai, Shepton Mallet, Somerset www.mendipbonsai.co.uk is a case in point, run

by John Trott.

For the bigger picture of the bonsai world there is the Federation of Bonsai Societies (FoBBS) at www.fobbsbonsai.co.uk Even further, there is the European Bonsai Association (EBA) at www.ebabonsai.com

Bonsai means it is a tree or shrub that rarely exceeds three feet grown in a container. The word ‘bonsai’ is formed from two words, ‘bon’ meaning tray or dish and ‘sai’ meaning tree or plant. The ‘art’ is to refine the bonsai so it represents a miniaturised old tree in perfect harmony and balance. www.countrygardener.co.uk

21

SPECIALIST TREES

IN PRAISE OF

the good old ‘Scottie’ Pinus radiata, the Monterey Pine that tend to have banana shaped cones covered in white resin

Mark Hinsley tracks the journey south of the Scots pine and urges more support for this garden friendly sturdy and statuesque tree There are 80 different species of Pine growing in the Northern Hemisphere, but only one that is native to Britain: Pinus sylvestris, the Scots pine.

Pines break down into three groups: needles grouped in pairs – which tend to have small cones, such as our Scots pine; needles in bunches of three – that tend to have cones that would knock you into the middle of next week if they fell on you, such as the common Pinus radiata, the Monterey Pine, and needles in bunches of five – that tend to have banana shaped cones covered in white resin, such as the occasionally stumbled across Pinus strobus, the Weymouth Pine.

Scots pine is native to Britain, but how much of Britain?

It was thought to have retreated northwards as the last ice age receded, ending up as a native only of Scotland. However, some years ago, whilst BP Exploration was undertaking archaeological studies on Furzey Island in Poole Harbour prior

to sinking some oil wells, they discovered pine pollen in a Bronze Age strata, which suggested that the Scots pine did not leave the south of England of its own accord.

Certainly, if I was having to clear some trees for agriculture armed only with a stone axe, of the trees around me back then, I would fell the pines first (a) because they would be easiest and ( b) because they grow best on the light soils that, at that time, were the only ones I was equipped to cultivate.

So the loss of the Scots pine from the South of England may have been the result of centuries of slash and burn agriculture, rather than climate change.

Having said that it fares best on light soils, Scots pine will grow in most conditions, although it is not happy on shallow soils over chalk or wet acidic soils. It was once an important timber tree and was planted extensively in the early 1800s across the Poole Basin and surrounding heathland as justification for the massive Enclosures Acts that pushed the commoners off the land and brought it under the control of the large local landowners, who rapidly became even larger local landowners.

Unfortunately, the ‘Jack-of-all-Trades’ Scots pine turned out to be master of none and was soon supplanted by much higher yielding timber trees from the West Coast of America, albeit different species for different soil types.

Of the full size pines that you are likely to come across in urban areas: Monterey pine, Maritime pine, Corsican pine, Weymouth pine or Scots pine, Scots pine is the most garden friendly. Monterey pine is a massive fast-growing tree with large heavy cones, Maritime pines have long leathery needles that clog up everything, Corsican pine grows to great height and tends to bifurcate and Weymouth pine oozes sticky white resin.

The Scots pine with its small cones and small needles is far less of a problem, and with its orangey flaking bark and bluish foliage is just as attractive as the wispy Weymouth pine.

Public Bar sages will tell you that pines are shallow rooted.

Well…some maybe, but it was jacking a deep rooted Scots Pine stump out of the ground that caused me to tear the ligaments across the base of my spine in 1986, thereby landing me in the Royal Surrey Hospital and ending my days as a tree surgeon! Believe me, that Scots pine had a grip on the soil like an unmentionable national stereotype on a five pound note!

So if you have a bit of space and you want to plant a tree, you could do a lot worse than a good old ‘Scottie’.

Mark Hinsley is from Arboriculture Consultants Ltd. www.treeadvice.info Pinus sylvestris, the Scots pine and if you have the space well worth a slot in your garden

Scots pine cones that would knock you into the middle of next week if they fell on you

22

Country Gardener

Sp eakerS’ LiSt 2016/2017

Illustration: holly@hellopaperclip.co.uk

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Sp eakerS’ LiSt 2016/2017 Welcome to Country Gardener’s comprehensive annual guide to gardening speakers and lecturers

If you come across speakers who have not been listed in this guide please let them know about it so we can include them in a later edition or update our information online.

Our popular and much in-demand service of garden speakers has this year again been expanded, updated and revised. It also includes a number of new speakers.

We hope this Country Gardener specialist service helps you to find the right speaker on the right subject for your garden club or society perhaps offering someone different for your meetings over the next twelve months.

It provides new options, new ideas and possibilities as you plan your meetings.

We have full details of each speaker including a synopsis of their areas of expertise and the subject matter of their talks and lectures.

ALLHUSEN, MIRANDA & TREMLETT, JULIA SUTTON MEAD, TQ13 8PW Tel: 01647 440296 / 01392 832671 Email: Miranda@allhusen.co.uk Website: www.ngs.org.uk

£A

www

B

Email: oldcourtgdc@btinternet.com Website: www.autumnasters.co.uk

1. Looking forward to winter, the garden in January 2. Bulbs for the unusual 3. Roses need friends too

Talks by Miranda or Julia with photos of the Devon gardens open in aid of the nursing and caring charities supported by the National Gardens Scheme.

£B

BURGESS, DAVID

B

Email: david@jade-pavilions.com Web: www.jade-pavilions.com

Email: susannah.applegate@btinternet.com As a commercial grower of Peonies and Irises, my talks include practical advice about propagation and husbandry of Peonies and Irises to optimise the flowering potential of these lovely plants. Talks include a slide presentation of flower types and cultural operations lasting about 45 minutes, followed by a practical “Hands-On” demonstration of how best to plant and care for Peonies and Irises to achieve years of rewarding flowers from a single plant.

2. Plant to Plate From Plant to Plate is an illustrated talk of the work within the UK Fresh Produce Industry to supply Farm Assured food to Farmers Markets and Supermarkets. Challenges of the future such as Food Security to provide for a huge increase in World Population Growth, Climate Change and Efficient Management of Water are also identified. A selection of Seasonal, UK grown produce may be available for sale following the talk.

Sue of Hurst Brook Plants has been growing Peonies and Irises since the 20th century and delivers an informative and entertaining talk with testimonials available from gardening and horticultural societies 24

£B

CANDLIN, BEN

£B

www

15 LONG PARK, WOODBURY, EXETER EX5 1JB Tel: 07763 348148

www

Email: office@bencandlin.co.uk Website: www.bencandlin.co.uk D

21 STOBERRY AVENUE, WELLS, SOMERSET BA5 2TF Tel: 01749 672362

LAVENDER FIELDS, HARTLEY PARK FARM, SELBORNE ROAD, ALTON, HAMPSHIRE GU34 3HP Tel: 01420 511146 Email: info@thelavenderfields.co.uk

1. Lavender Story Experiences of growing and selling lavender, our products, plants, hop pines for decoration, visits and open days.

Country Gardener

B

3. Plants of the Canary Isles

£A

www

D

1. Spirit of a Japanese Garden 2. Japanese Garden Style 3. Chinese vs. Japanese Gardens 4. The Samurai and their gardens

BUTLER, TIM

1. The fascinating world of Aroids 2. UK Subtropical Gardening

Independent horticultural consultant with more than 20 years experience in small gardens, private estates and nurseries.

LANGPORT Tel: 01458 250666

1. Peonies and Irises

BARBOUR, ROSS PARKWOOD, BROCK HILL ROAD, MALVERN WR14 4DL Tel: 07896 309494

1. Gardening is good for your health 2. Glorious gardens in Devon

APPLEGATE, SUE

In our guide you can find how far the speaker is prepared to travel; what he or she will charge; what subjects they specialize in and if they have plants for sale at the end of the meeting.

CHEEK, ROY 35 WEMBDON RISE, BRIDGWATER, SOMERSET TA6 7PN Tel: 01278 451814/07788593674 Email: rvcheek@btinternet.com

1.

Chelsea Flower Show

2.

Irresistible garden plants for butterflies

Creating 20 very different exhibits from bronze to gold.

e.g. bringing them winging in with just five new plants.

£C

B

3.

Insectivorous plants

4.

Plan your garden holiday..?

5.

Holly, Ivy & Mistletoe

Windowsill beauty all year plus effective fly catching.

Choose from 50 destinations from Cornwall to Costa Rica.

Entertaining Winter Talk.

MANY OTHER TALKS, ask for details.

Widely experienced and qualified, Roy progressed from Gardener to Director of parks and gardens around Britain. As senior lecturer and curator of gardens in Somerset he amassed ten thousand different plants, ten national collections and created new hybrids, diverse gardens and gold medal exhibits at Chelsea. Now Chairman of an RHS trials forum, international tour leader, judge, advisor, designer and writer.

£B

D

£A Price band £0-50

£D Price band Variable

£B Price band £51-100

£E

£C Price band £100+

COLLINS, DAWN

Price band Expences Only Slide presentations included

£B

www

A

Website

B

Radius covered upto 50 miles

Plants or items for sale

C

Radius covered upto 100 miles

Radius covered 0-25 miles

D

Radius covered 100+ miles

DODD, SUE & SMITH, SUE

Email: dawncollins_highbury@hotmail.com

TREETOPS, 11 STONY RIDING, CHALFORD HILL, STROUD, GLOS, GL6 8ED Tel: 01453 882127

1. Path to Paradise: A journey thro’ Stourhead’s Landscape 2. Austen’s Arcadia: Georgian Gardens of Jane Austen 3. Capability Brown’s 300th Anniversary: Visionary or Vandal?

1. Wild flowers of the Cotswolds – Myth & Magic 2. Gardening for butterflies and moths 3. The fascinating story of Britain’s wild orchids

HIGHBURY HOUSE, 93 CHAPMANSLADE, WESTBURY, WILTS, BA13 4AN Tel: 01373 832287 B

CRITCHLEY, SHIRLEY

49 LINKS ROAD, POOLE, DORSET BH14 9QS Tel: 01202 741320 Email: shirley.critchley1@btinternet.com TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT

£B

B

DOWN, FELICITY

B

CLEEVE NURSERY, CLEEVE, BRISTOL BS49 4PW Tel: 01934 832134 Website: www.cleevenursery.co.uk

1. New tricks for old gardeners 2. First time at Chelsea - and winning Gold!

3. Winning BBC Gardener of the Decade 4. Plants That Should be Better Known

D

C

£B

Talks include: 1. Great Foliage Plants 2. Climbing and Wall Shrubs 3. It Starts With A Pot! 4. Plants for the Flower Arranger

www

1. Plant Hunters & Pioneers 2. Ernest ‘Chinese’ Wilson 3. Charles Maries, The Plant Collector

£B

1. The Bishops Palace – Past, Present and Future

Email: crouchee@aol.com Website: www.katherinecrouch.com

www

30 BELMORE LANE, LYMINGTON, HANTS SO41 3NJ Tel: 01590 610292

Email: info@cleevenursery.co.uk

2 POUND COTTAGES, DONYATT, ILMINSTER, SOMERSET TA19 0RT Tel: 07594 574150 / 01460 53284

Email: info@CaradocDoy.co.uk Website: www.CaradocDoy.co.uk

1 THE FIRS, LITTLETON LANE, SPARSHOLT, WINCHESTER, HANTS, SO21 2LS Tel: 01962 776259 C

5. Plants grown for Fragrance throughout the year 6. Encourage wildlife into your garden

Email: alan@bowercotgardendesign.co.uk

1. Primulas & Auriculas 2. Gardening with native plants 3. The shady garden

Derrick is a professional horticulturist with over 20 years experience in organising, leading and participating in botanical expeditions worldwide.

£C

£D

EDMONDSON, ALAN

Email: james.cross@bishopspalace.org.uk

CROUCH, KATHERINE

PO BOX 28, TOPSHAM, EXETER EX3 0WY Tel: 01392 877225

See website for full list of talks or please ask for a leaflet. Caradoc is an historical gardening storyteller, writer and Chelsea exhibitor with over 25 years horticultural experience.

1. Daffodils in my rucksack 2. Madeira – Island of Flowers

Head Gardener since 2004, James has created and reinstated a diverse range of plantings; luxuriant, exciting and romantic, complementing the Grade 1 listed Palace.

DOY, CARADOC

DONNISON-MORGAN, DERRICK £B

Email: derrick18morgan@btinternet.com

“WE HEARD EVERY WORD”

BISHOPS PALACE, WELLS, SOMERSET Tel: 01749 988111

B

Email: sue-smith@11treetops.co.uk

1. Treasure, tragedy and sunken secrets: a truly remarkable story.

2. Mayhem, Mutiny and Murder: successful search for wreck, Patagonia.

3. The early History of tennis at Wimbledon.

CROSS, JAMES

£A

£C

EVANS, CHRIS

www

FLAT 6, 23 BODORGAN ROAD, BOURNEMOUTH, BH2 6NQ Tel: 01202 940564

£B

www

Email: hmsactive@yahoo.co.uk Web: www.chrisevanshorticulture.co.uk A

1. A short history of Bournemouth Gardens

D

2. Winning gold and Presidents Award at the Chelsea Flower Show 3. The Light and Dark of Bournemouth – National flowerbed winner Chris Evans is the Horticulture Manager for Bournemouth Council, winning national awards and four RHS gold medals for various designs.

C

www.countrygardener.co.uk

25

Sp eakerS’ LiSt 2016/2017 FISHER, SUE

£D

GARRATT, JONATHAN FRSA

www

JOLLIFFE’S COTTAGE, STOUR ROW, SHAFTESBURY, SP7 0QW Tel: 01747 858697

YELVERTON, DEVON, PL20 7BY Tel: 01822 841895 or 0781 775 7446 Email: suefisher@talktalk.net

FITZGERALD, ROSEMARY

Web: www.studiopottery.co.uk D

£C

BEGGARS ROOST, LILSTOCK, BRIDGWATER, SOMERSET TA5 1SU Tel: 01278 741519 Email: ro@lilstock.eclipse.co.uk

Talks on how wild and garden plants interact. Lovely slides from UK, Ireland, and countries including Morocco, Iceland, Sweden and southwest China. Contact me to discuss ideas!

FLINTHAM, BECCA 121 WALTON WAY, NEWBURY, BERKSHIRE, RG14 2LL Tel: 07717 846814/01635 42963 Email: becca.redkite@gmail.com Website: www.rowanleaf.co.uk

1. Wildlife Gardening - Attracting

C

£B

www

B

beneficial wildlife to your garden

2. Water, Water Everywhere -

Ponds, bog gardens and water-wise gardening gardening & the Five A Day community gardening project

PARSON’S HILL, PARK ROAD, COMBE, WITNEY, OXFORDSHIRE, OX29 8NA Tel: 01993 898880

Website: www.fordlandscape.co.uk

1. Four Local Gardens: some thoughts on design 2. Design your own garden Local independent Landscape Architect and Garden Designer since 1993.

Registered Member of the Society of Garden Designers.

26

1. “Back to Nature? Some of us never left.” (My own story, current work) 2. Breaking the Rules.

Container gardening with a twist.

3. Sensory gardens.

4. A history of the flowerpot.

5. Landscapes.

6. Sculpture in gardens and green spaces.

A

THE CASTLE LODGE, CASTLE STREET, BAMPTON, DEVON, EX16 9NS Tel: 01398 332419

£D

www

A

HASTINGS, DEBORAH 3, CROSS PARK, HIGH BICKINGTON, UMBERLEIGH, DEVON EX37 9BA Tel: 01769 560515 Email: ragrugtextiles@btinternet.com Website: www.ragrugtextiles.com

1. The Plant Hunters 2. Gardening in Gold and Silks 3. Victorian Gardens Gardening in Gold and silks how plants have been depicted in textiles. A display of my work and demonstration how some flowers are created in goldwork, stump work and silk ribbon embroidery.

Country Gardener

Email: clutton.glads@btinternet.com

£A

D

1. Growing and Showing Sweet Peas 2. Classic, Rare and Unusual Bulbs 3. So you think you know Gladiolus!

NORTON HOUSE, NORTON WOOD, HEREFORDSHIRE HR4 7BP

£D www

Tel: 01544 318974 Website: www.herefordowlrescue

D

1. Display of live Owl’s 2. Talk and answer 3. Handling of Owls

£B

HINCHLIFFE, ANN 11 QUARRY COTTAGES, YEOVIL, SOMERSET BA22 9UR Tel: 01935 472771

Email: gavinhaig@googlemail.com

1. Creating a Wildlife Garden 2. The Healing garden 3. Celebration of Devon/ Somerset Wildlife

17 VALLEY VIEW, CLUTTON BRISTOL BS39 5SN Tel: 01761 452036

HEREFORD OWL RESCUE

Jonathan has 35 years experience of making woodfired terracotta pots and has come to know a wide variety of “players” in the gardening scene.

HAIG, GAVIN FRCS

HAZELL, GILL

Other talks in relation to the above can be tailored to suit your society.

B

£D www

B

Email: annhinchliffe@hotmail.com Website: www.samedifference.net

1. English Historical Dance 2. Why have music in prison?

All talks are illustrated by live music and some audience participation

Practised as Surgeon and Doctor with a passion for attracting wildlife to our gardens. Developed award-winning Wildlife Garden at Tiverton Hospital.

3. Organic Oasis - Organic

JONATHAN, FORD

www

Email: jonathangarratt82@gmail.com

Website: www.suefishergardens.co.uk

1. Create a beautiful wildlifefriendly garden 2. Grow Up! Gardening on the vertical 3. Making the most of a small garden

£B

£D

C

HINSLEY, MARK ARBORICULTURAL CONSULTANT OFFICE F11, 10 WHITTLE ROAD, FERNDOWN, DORSET, BH21 7RU Tel: 01202 876177

£B www

C

Email: enquiries@treeadvice.info Website: www.treeadvice.info

1. The Churchyard Yew 2. Trees in your Garden 3. Trees and the Law Please contact us to discuss requirements.

£A Price band £0-50

£D Price band Variable

£B Price band £51-100

£E

£C Price band £100+

HOLMAN, ELIZABETH

Tel: 01392 214869

£D

B

2. Roses Galore: How to Grow Perfect Roses 3. The Creative Shrub Garden 4. Rejuvenating a Tired Garden 5. Christmas Swags, Garlands and Table Decorations

£B

Tel: 01934 712729 or 07779 072292

4. Plant poisons and potions 5. Wild flowers in a land of fallen Giants 6. Pests and diseases A qualified Horticulturalist formerly involved in weed research and has led walks in the Dolomites.

Please telephone or e-mail for details.

C

Radius covered upto 100 miles

Radius covered 0-25 miles

D

Radius covered 100+ miles

KEARNEY, HELEN

ELDER FARM, GREENHAM, WELLINGTON, SOMERSET, TA21 0JY Tel: 01823 674386 Email: helen@elderfarm.co.uk www.elderfarm.co.uk

Email: billlaws@wyenet.co.uk Website: www.billlaws.com

2 WESTWELL LANE, THEALE, WEDMORE, SOMERSET, BS28 4SW

3. Plants for Shade (in conjunction with Long Acre Plants)

Plants or items for sale

44 PARK STREET, HEREFORD HR1 2RD Tel: 07742 825813

A qualified Garden Designer and Horticulturist with experience of both large and small gardens.

2. Wild Flowers in the Dolomites

Radius covered upto 50 miles

LAWS, BILL

6. A ‘Potted’ History of the English Garden

1. Weeds and their Control (including identification)

B

£D

www

C

how to recognise common plants and make useful medicines.

2. Kitchen remedies - Find out the amazing properties of some of the herbs and spices in your kitchen.

3. Medicinal Herb Farmer - Learn about my off grid 5 acre small holding and how I grow and propagate herbs.

Covers Devon and Somerset.

1. Garden Design Made Easy

Email: adrian@nzzone.net

A

Website

1. Hedgerow Medicine - Learn

Email: elzholman@btinternet.com

HUTCHISON, ADRIAN

Price band Expences Only Slide presentations included

7 CRANBROOK ROAD, EXETER, DEVON EX2 5HG

www

D

LEAMAN, ALAN 4 HIGH BANK, WESTHILL, OTTERY ST MARY, DEVON EX11 1XX Tel: 01404 815608

1.

2.

3.

Over 50 years in horticulture.

£B

MIGNOTTE, NATHALIE

C

1 STANLEY COTTAGES, BLAISDON LONGHOPE, GLOUCESTERSHIRE GL17 0AL

www

Tel: 077 66 197 129

1. Fifty Plants That Changed the Course of History 2. A Curious History of Vegetables 3. Artists’ Gardens Author Bill Laws’ talks are based on his books, Fifty Plants That Changed the Course of History, Artists’ Gardens and A Curious History of Vegetables.

3. Medieval Gardens

WHITEHALL FARMHOUSE, SEVENHAMPTON, CHELTENHAM, GLOS, GL54 5TL Tel: 01242 820772 / 07711 021034 Email: victoria@wfplants.co.uk Web: www.wfplants.co.uk

1. Practical Propagation – Seeds, Cuttings and Beyond.

2. Getting the Most from your Garden – Extending the Flowering Season without replacing all your plants.

3. Gardening with and for Wildlife 4. Private gardens in Cape Town and Johannesburg and the South African plants we can grow I run a very small nursery in the Cotswolds specialising in easy and unusual hardy herbaceous plants. My talks are based on practical experience and observation. I am also a beekeeper.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

B

Propagation of Trees and Shrubs Demonstration of Grafting, Pruning and Seed Sowing Gardening in Containers and Hanging Baskets

Email: NMignotte@aol.com

LOGUE, VICTORIA

£B

£B

www

C

£B

B

1. Gardens of Versailles 2. Islamic Gardens 4. Landscapes of Vietnam and Cambodia 5. How to attract wildlife in your garden Please contact me for more information on travel charges and a full listing of my talks which are all based on personal experience and travel. A former lecturer, I have developed a strong interest in the relationship between gardens and people.

PHILIPPS, LOIS

MEADOW COTTAGE, 42 RIVAR ROAD, SHALBOURNE, MARLBOROUGH, WILTSHIRE SN8 3RL Tel: 07740 636455 / 01672 871265

£B

C

Email: l.philipps@btinternet.com 1. “Down to Earth”- learning to look after and love your soil – from testing to feeding!

2.

“Green Manures, Catch Crops and Cover Crops” – What’s the

3.

“The Art and Science of Compost making” – the gardener’s friend!

difference and what are the benefits?

27

Sp eakerS’ LiSt 2016/2017 PICTON, HELEN OLD COURT NURSERIES & THE PICTON GARDEN, WALWYN ROAD, COLWALL WR13 6QE Tel: 07971 522891 Email: oldcourtnurseries@btinternet.com

1. Daisy Days - Michaelmas daisies the rise, fall and renaissance 2. A Gardeners Year 3. It’s not time for bed yet rethinking autumn in the English Garden

REED, MERVYN THORNBURY, SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE Tel: 07429629588

£B

SAVAGE, PETER

£B

www

D

Tel: 01837 840989 Email: talks@bowdenhostas.com www.bowdenhostas.com/pages/ gardening-talks.html

C www

THE COACH HOUSE, TRAMLINES, OKEHAMPTON, DEVON EX20 1EH Tel: 01837 54727 Email: paul.dartmoor@virgin.net Website: www.paulrendelldartmoor.co.uk

1. Secret Nature of Dartmoor 2. Wild Plants of Devon 3. Secret Nature of the Tamar Valley

2. Ferns

Mike & Edna are long time members of Plant Heritage and are widely travelled with long involvement in RHS Shows.

The garden is open for NGS.

3. Chelsea Flower Show Entertaining talks from the multi Gold Medal winning business Bowdens.

£A

Better Plants - Better Gardens

www

WOODMANS WORLD, WAYSIDE, TETBURY HILL GARDENS, MALMESBURY, WILTS, SN16 9JP Tel: 01666 824932 Email: woodmansworld@live.co.uk

1. Trug making by a miserable trugger – I think that’s what the wife called me 2. Besoms and gypsy flowers 3. Bees and their products 28

SHELDRICK, CAROLINE

£B

MIDDLE PATH, KEBLE ROAD, FRANCE LYNCH, STROUD GL6 8LN Tel: 01453 884092 Email: cjsheldrick@gmail.com www.carolinesheldrickmedicalherbalist.co.uk

D

1. Medicinal Herbs in the Garden

A www

£B

38 WENHILL HEIGHTS, CALNE, WILTS, SN11 0JZ Tel: 01249 821087

www

D

SMITH, MICHAEL J H 2,THE WEIND, WORLE, WESTONSUPER-MARE, SOMERSET BS22 9BN. Tel: 01934 642960 Email: mjsmith536@btinternet.com

1.

2.

3.

Caring for your Houseplants Seed raising and Propagation All year round colour in the garden

I have been giving talks to Garden Clubs and Societies for over 40 years on many aspects of Horticulture. Please contact me for a full list of talks and presentations.

Country Gardener

STONES, CHRISTINE MA BA DOWN HOUSE, PRIESTLANDS, SHERBORNE DORSET DT9 4HN Tel: 01935 813686 / 07966 378734 Email: stonescj@hotmail.co.uk www.gardenhistorytalks.wordpress.com

1. INDIAN GARDENS

B

£D

www

B

- From the sub-continent to England.

2. NOT JUST GERTRUDE JEKYLL

– A look at the other amazing women who have shaped our gardens.

2. Flowers in Healing: Past and present use of flowers in healing body and mind

£B

C

STAPLEY, CHRISTINA

1. Herbs in the Kitchen Garden 2. Herbs to Aid the Gardener 3. Wild Plants of the Scilly Isles

£B

£A

Email: christina.stapley@tiscali.co.uk Website: www.heartsease-herb-books.com

B

The speaker can offer over 40 talks about history, wildlife and landscapes of Devon and Cornwall. All talks are illustrated and last about one hour.

SADLER, CARL

1. Feebers Garden 2. Plant Heritage Others by request.

Contact me by e mail for details of talks. Don’t be selective, love all seasons for each has its own beauty.

RENDELL, PAUL

Email: feebers@onetel.com

1. Hostas

Email: mervyn.reed@talktalk.net

1. Photographic Presentations with Horticulture in mind 2. I can be your Plant Doctor 3. Question Time

SQUIRES, MIKE & EDNA 1 FEEBERS COTTAGE, WESTWOOD, BROADCLYST, DEVON, EX5 3DQ Tel: 01404 822118

CLEAVE HOUSE, STICKLEPATH, DEVON EX20 2NL

3. VICTORIAN GARDENS

– Ingenuity and hard work.

Please see website for details of more talks

£A

TOLMAN, ANDREW

C

Email: andrew@atpgardening.co.uk Website: www.atpgardening.co.uk

MINEHEAD, SOMERSET, Tel: 01643 818092

1. Off the beaten track, hidden gems 2. Glorious gardens, a gardeners choice 3. Art of Topiary & Ornamental Hedges 4. Stumperies, ferns & shady friends

£B

C

£A Price band £0-50

£D Price band Variable

£B Price band £51-100

£E

£C Price band £100+

TOWNSEND, PENELOPE WHITE FAN TALKS, ‘STARSHINE’, 15 HALF MOON COURT, BUCKFASTLEIGH, DEVON TQ11 0GA Tel: 01364 644028 Mob: 07792517145

Price band Expences Only Slide presentations included

£D

D

1. Strawberries & Other Garden Fruits 18th Century to Present Day 2. Round The Year with Gilbert White 18th Century Gardener & Naturalist Both talks have powerpoint presentations. Long journeys can only be undertaken in the summer months, from April till October.

UNDERHILL, TERRY MHORT FAIRLIGHT, MILL CROSS, RATTERY, SOUTH BRENT, TQ10 9LA Tel: 01364 72314 Email: terry@terry-underhill.co.uk Website: www.terry-underhill.co.uk

1. From the Mountains to the Garden 2. Mediterranean Plants in the Garden 3. Autumn Colour

£B

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10 ROWBARTON CLOSE, TAUNTON, SOMERSET, TA2 7DQ Tel: 01823 278037 Email: dave.usher@hotmail.com Website: www.davidusherheritagegardens.co.uk

1. Gertrude Jekyll - Her Plants & Designs.

2. The Restoration of Hestercombe Gardens 3. Bedding Plants for your Gardens 4. Care and management of trees & shrubs 5. The history of our gardens 6. The answer lies in the soil 7. Herbaceous Plants David, a professional gardener for over 30 years was Head Gardener at Hestercombe for 18 years. He is interested in all aspects of ornamental gardening and has given talks to a wide variety of groups. Contact him for a free brochure on any of his talks.

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Website

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Radius covered upto 50 miles

Plants or items for sale

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Radius covered upto 100 miles

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Radius covered 100+ miles

WARREN, LYNDA 32 STATION ROAD, PURTON, SWINDON, WILTSHIRE, SN5 4EN Tel: 01793 771453 / 07974 372666

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Email: lynda.warren@hotmail.co.uk

1. A Spoonful of Herbs, their history, cultivation and use 2. Wartime Kitchen Gardens, WW2 3. Nature’s Poisoners, plants that make you ill, or worse Talks designed specifically for gardening clubs and societies, many other talks available on a variety of subjects. Price plus mileage.

WESTONBIRT, THE NATIONAL ARBORETUM TETBURY, GLOUCESTERSHIRE GL8 8QS TEL: 0300 067 4843 Email: helen.d.daniels@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

£A

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Website: www.forestry.gov.uk/ westonbirt-groups Bring Westonbirt to you with The Wonders of Westonbirt talk, covering the seasons, events and future direction at the beautiful National Arboretum, presented by knowledgeable volunteer speakers.

Many other talks. Highly qualified, wide experience including TV, Radio and Magazines. See website for more titles.

USHER, DAVID

www

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WILLIAMS, CATHERINE THE HAVEN, HART LANE, RUARDEAN, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, GL17 9UT Tel: 01594 541118 or 07767 690009 Email: mail2@thegardenlady.me.uk Website: www.thegardenlady.me.uk

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Many other talks available, please ask for more details.

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17 SEYMOUR DRIVE, TORQUAY, DEVON, TQ2 8PY Tel: 07964 824673 Email: info@garden-together.co.uk

1. Camellias 2. The Scented Garden Ex Head Gardener of private estates and now specialist camellia grower of over 250 varieties

www.countrygardener.co.uk

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CURATOR, UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL BOTANIC GARDEN TEL: 01179 629220

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Email: n.wray@blueyonder.co.uk Fully illustrated lectures by well known speaker including:

1. The development of the new University of Bristol Botanic Garden 2. Flora of the Western Cape of South Africa 3. An Introduction to Microclimates in your Garden 4. Garden plants and their pollinators 5. The gardens and landscapes of Sicily 6. Darwin the botanist and his travels aboard the Beagle

WYNNE-JONES, DAVINA HERBS FOR HEALING, BARNSLEY HERB GARDEN, NEAR CIRENCESTER, GLOS GL7 5EE Tel: 07773 687493

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Email: davina@herbsforhealing.net

1. Herbs for Healing - practical uses of plants for good health 2. Herb Gardens, historic and modern.

3. The influence of my mother, Rosemary Verey, on me and others.

1. Planting and Plant Care 2. How to love your garden 3. Design and Create a Garden to be Proud Of

WILSON, JEREMY

WRAY, NICK

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The Speakers List is our comprehensive annual guide to gardening and gardening speakers and lecturers.

If you would like to be part of our hugely popular Speakers List next year contact Ava Bench on 01823 619073 or email ava@countrygardener.co.uk 29

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Country Gardener

AUGUST holiday DAYS OUT Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens

Hartland Abbey open air theatre

It’s holiday time in more senses than one and if you can’t treat yourself to a day out now – when can you? There’s still no shortage of trips to plan and many gardens to visit work especially hard to provide late season beauty. Festivals, fetes, wide open spaces at historic properties are all in the calendar for the next few weeks and we’ve a selection of places, events and people you might like to visit.

August Oak Fair a celebration of rural skills The Stock Gaylard Oak Fair on 27th & 28th August is a wonderful show that makes a superb end of holiday day out for the family in beautiful Dorset. You can enjoy the 200 plus stalls and exhibitors showing the depth of rural skills to be found locally, delicious local food to enjoy during the day or take home to cook later, demonstrations of axe wielding, falconry and heavy horse loggers in the arenas, plus activities and workshops in the kids area and around the show for the younger visitors to enjoy.

Adults: £8.50, children: £3, under 5's: free.

For more detailed information regarding ticket sales and opening times please visit the website.

Stock Gaylard Estate, Sturminster Newton, DT10 2BG. Tel: 01963 23511 www.stockgaylard.com

Cadhay still spectacular in August There’s always a policy of renew and refresh at Cadhay House and Gardens which always makes it worth a regular visit to the popular Devon venue at Ottery St Mary. The house and garden team has been working hard on pond plants following the dredging last year, which gave the opportunity to introduce more variation. There’s been lots of planting including Zantedischia aethiopica, Marlecea carnea and rose arey water lilies for additional colour and a lot of different irises to add to the yellow flags. Many of the lilies in the beds will still be out in August as will the dahlias and phlox and you can expect the borders to be spectacular after all the rain in June.

Cadhay House and Gardens, Cadhay, Ottery St Mary, EX11 1QT are open every Friday, between 2pm and 5pm, until 30th September. For more information call 01404 813511 or www.cadhay.org.uk

Visiting the Cotswolds in the autumn?

The charms and delights of the Cotswolds are well known. If you are planning to explore the area this summer or autumn then why not combine a visit to Spinneywell Nursery at n ay t k pe id ep n O y Fr h S Ba nd t t e er 30 us ek ev til ug We un n A ay pe id O ol H

FARMCOTE HERBS AND CHILLI PEPPERS CHILLI FESTIVAL 20th and 21st August 10.30am - 5pm BBQ, stalls, beer tent, tea tent, chilli plants and chilli products for sale. Admission £2.

Under 16’s free.

Farmcote, Near Winchcombe, GL54 5AU Open: Monday & Tuesday 12.00-5.00. Friday, Saturday & Sundays (also bank holidays) 1st May - 27th September, 10.30-5.30 Telephone: 01242 603860 E-Mail: jane@farmcoteherbs.co.uk Website: www.farmcoteherbs.co.uk

HOUSE, GARDENS & TEAROOM Open every Friday 2pm - 5.30pm until 30th September August Bank Holiday weekend Saturday, Sunday & Monday 2pm-5.30pm

HOUSE & GARDENS: adults £7, children £3 (last guided tour 4pm) GARDENS: adult £3, child £1,

season ticket £10pp Member of Historic Houses Association

CADHAY, OTTERY ST. MARY, DEVON, EX11 1QT 01404 813511 www.cadhay.org.uk

           

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  

               www.countrygardener.co.uk

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Oakridge near Stroud with a walk down the Cotswold Way, or a great lunch at one of the lovely pubs in the area.

Spend an enchanting day out ‘getting lost’ in the nurseries’ jungle of plants at Spinneywell just starting to get ‘specials’ back into place after three years away, starting with daphnes, eucryphias, hoherias, paeonie species, romneya and perennial varieties of astrantias, campanulas, echinacea (lots of new ones) and veronicastrums, not to mention a wonderful selection of ferns and hostas in small and large sizes.

Spinneywell Nurseries, Oakridge, Near Stroud, GL6 7PH. 01452 770092.

just £1. Teas and light refreshments are available.

Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens, Birmingham B36 9BT. Full details, including a list of the nurseries attending the event, can be found at www.rareplantfair.co.uk

Friar’s Court moated gardens are a summer delight

Surrounding Friars Court,the historic family home of the Wilmer family and a 17th century former manor of Clanfield, are the remaining arms of a 16th century moat within which are three acres of wonderful gardens where borders and specimen trees divide the grounds into smaller ‘room-like’ Rare Plant Fair at Castle Bromwich areas. To the front of the house are water lily filled ponds whilst a woodland walk lies beyond the imposing Yew Arch Hall Gardens and ‘Monet’ style moat bridge.

The beautiful and historic gardens at Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens play host to a Rare Plant Fair on Sunday, August 7th. The gardens which are well worth a visit are open every Tuesday and Thursday throughout July, August and Set in a delightful rural and peaceful location, this unique example of an English Baroque Garden is being restored as near September from 2pm to 6pm. Cream teas are available; there as possible to the period 1680-1762. The ten-acre mature walled is a gift shop and plant sales. Admission £2.50.

Friars Court, Clanfield, Bampton, OX18 2SU. garden contains over 600 species of plants from the period.

Rare Plant Fairs are now an established and popular feature of the Call 01367 810206 or visit www.friarscourt.com horticultural calendar. The event at Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens Michaelmas daisies have starring role in the will be attended by specialist nurseries from across the country.

Picton Garden The nurseries are carefully selected to ensure that they are all The Picton Garden, home to the National Collection of genuine growers who know and understand the plants that michaelmas daisies is a celebration the beauty of the autumn they offer, and a wide range of interesting and unusual plants garden. The michaelmas daisies have a starring role in September will be available for you to buy. and October but are supported by a diverse cast of other players The fair will be open from 11am to 4pm, and adult entry, which from bulbs through herbaceous perennials to trees and shrubs. includes entry to both the fair and garden costs just £3.50 for Many are rare and unusual plants that can give your own garden RHS Members and £4.50 for non-members. Child entry costs the perfect dash of late season vibrancy.

AUGUST FAIR - 7TH AUGUST Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens, Birmingham, B36 9BT

The Michaelmas Daisy Specialists since 1906 Nursery and garden specialising in late season herbaceous perennials. Home to the National Plant Collection of Michaelmas Daisies.

OPEN: August Wednesday - Sunday 11am - 5 pm (inc. bank holiday).

Daily 1st September - 20th October. Entrance £3.50 per person.

Website: www.rareplantfair.co.uk

Tel: 01684 540416 www.autumnasters.co.uk

Please visit our website for full details of admission

Old Court Nurseries, Walwyn Road, Colwall WR13 6QE

fees and times of opening.

Hartland Abbey & Gardens Mail Order Plants www.plantproviders.co.uk

Location for BBC 'The Night Manager’ and ‘Sense and Sensibility’ Outdoor Theatre starts 26th July

Alpines, Ferns, Hedging, Perennials, Specimen Shrubs, Trees, Topiary.

OPEN DAY @ SPINNEYWELL SATURDAY 27th AUGUST 10-5PM Spinneywell Nursery, Waterlane, Oakridge, Nr Stroud, GL6 7PH. Tel: 01452 770092 Email: spinneywellsales@btconnect.com Nursery visits by appointment only.

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A fascinating historic family home with stunning interiors and collections, beautiful gardens and walks to the beach. ‘Filming on The Hartland Abbey Estate since 1934’ Exhibition now open. * Dogs welcome * Holiday Cottages * * Light lunches & cream teas *

House, Gardens and Tea Rooms open Sundays to Thursdays until 2nd October 11.30am - 5pm (House 2pm - 4.30pm)

For all information and outdoor theatre events see www.hartlandabbey.com (Only 1 mile to Hartland Quay) Hartland, Nr. Bideford EX39 6DT 01237441496/234 Country Gardener

Old Court Nurseries & Picton Garden, Walwyn Rd, Malvern, WR13 6QE. Tel: 01684 540416 www.autumnasters.co.uk

Hartland Abbey celebrates first open air performance of the year The curtain rises on the first open-air performance of 2016 at Hartland Abbey on Tuesday 26th July at 5pm with Illyria performing ‘Danny the Champion of the World’ by Roald Dahl. This production starts a fabulous season brought to the Abbey by The Plough Arts Centre, Torrington. ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, ‘Hamlet’, ‘Ratburger’ by David Walliams, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘The Importance of Being Ernest’ complete the season. All tickets are direct from The Plough Arts Centre or online. There will be a barbecue and a bar.

The exhibition ‘Filming on The Hartland Abbey Estate since 1934’ opens on 10th July with a display of the eclectic mix of filming on the estate.

Hartland Abbey, Hartland, Bideford, North Devon EX39 6DT. www.hartlandabbey.com

Dorset Country Show is a traditional not to miss day out The Dorset County Show is a wonderful place to see fine horticulture, both in the competition marquees and around the showground where you can find many growers and exhibitors.

You can learn more about how to grow vegetables and plants from experienced exhibitors and pick a few great specimens to add to your garden.

The Dorset County Show takes place at the Dorchester Showground, Dorchester, DT2 7SD on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th September. More information can be found at

OPEN EVERY DAY 10am - 5pm from March 1st until 31st October - Free Entry Dogs on leads are very welcome.

Find us next to the 15th Century Tithe Barn in Mells.

The Walled Garden at Mells Rectory Garden, Selwood Street, Mells, BA11 3PN Tel 01373 812597 info@thewalledgardenatmells.co.uk www.thewalledgardenatmells.co.uk

www.dorsetcountyshow.co.uk Pre-show tickets cost £13 until midnight 27th August for adults with children under 16 free. Tickets then rise to £16. www.dorsetcounty.ticketsrv.co.uk

Sensational long borders at Buckland Monachorum The wonderful walled gardens at The Garden House Buckland Monachorum in Yelverton are at their colour best in August and September, when the long borders are glowing with dahlias. The 10-acre garden is split into rooms, with a variety of planting styles and colours. One room, our summer garden, was inspired originally by a naturalistic style. (Dutch visitors all recognise Piet Oudolf as a foundation.) It is a ‘deconstructed’ herbaceous border, with a high maintenance planting scheme, ensuring a long flowering period. The strong colour rhythm of golds, reds, blues and yellows moves with grasses, Astrantia, Geum, Potentilla and Geranium, planted in repeats and swathes.

The Garden House Buckland Monachorum, Yelverton, Devon PL20 7LQ Tel: (01822) 854769 www.thegardenhouse.org.uk

Spectacular setting for annual chilli festival What started as a hobby for husband and wife team, Tim and Jane evolved into a small herb and chilli business because of their love for good food and useful plants and somewhere that’s well worth a visit this summer.

The setting at Farmcote near Winchcombe is one of the most beautiful places in the Cotswolds, looking over towards the Malvern Hills and the Black mountains in Wales.

The couple run a small but OAK FAIR locally supported chilli festival every year-beer tent, tea tent, Main sponsor homemade cakes, BBQ, stalls Dike and Son, selling various chilli products, Stalbridge sauces, and chocolates.

The annual Chilli Festival takes Saturday & Sunday (10am-5pm) place on 20th and 21st August 27th and 28th August 10.30 to 5pm. Admission £2 2016 adults, children free.

Farmcote Herbs and Chilli A great day out for the Peppers, Farmcote, near whole family!

Winchcombe, GL54 5AU. Tel: 01242 603860 www.stockgaylard.com

✂

BUY TICKETS ONLINE NOW

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Two for one entry until August 31st 2016 Not redeemable in conjunction with any other offer.

Original coupons only, no photocopies or scanned images.

Buckland Monachorum, Yelverton, Devon PL20 7LQ 01822 854769 office@thegardenhouse.org.uk

www.dorsetcountyshow.co.uk www.countrygardener.co.uk

www.thegardenhouse.org.uk

Code: CGAUG16

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ASK OUR EXPERTS

ANY QUESTIONS?

Our Country Gardener experts can solve your gardening problems

Andrew Midgley our popular garden writer tackles our postbag of readers’ questions this month. Andrew worked for the National Trust for 17 years and was recently garden manager for the National Trust gardens at Coleton Fishacre, Greenway and Compton Castle. He now runs a gardening business near Newton Abbot in Devon Q. We have a row of conifers which are now 40ft or more and getting quite unsightly. They were originally grown as a small wind break and we have pictures of them being neat and tidy and in a six foot high curved hedge. Can I do anything with these trees to cut them back or do I have to cut them down and start again?

Care is needed when tackling conifers

A. You don’t say what conifer hedge it is but my advice is to lightly trim the sides of the ‘hedge’ to try to thicken up the sides. Do not cut back hard as it will not grow back.

You will need to employ the services of a tree surgeon to do a chainsaw reduction job on the conifers. If the windbreak is drastically reduced in height the top of the hedge will likely as not grow inwards to cover the scars of the operation as it were. You will need to decide on its eventual height but bear in mind you will need to trim the sides annually. I would get the tree surgeon to trim the sides as part of the job as he will have the kit to do this safely and properly.

Q. What is the cause of the angular brown and black areas which are showing on the lower leaves of some of my chrysanthemums. I get affected by this every year.

A. This is the classic tell sign of foliage nematodes or to give it’s scientific name Aphelenchoides ritzema-bosi. This is caused by infected plant material or soil borne microscopic round worms. Remove the infected leaves from the plant and from around the ground or pot. Try and water the plant sparingly by watering it at soil level to avoid wetting the plant. I would be inclined to separate all the infected 34

Aphelenchoides ritzema-bosi caused by infected plant material

plants and place them in a way so that there is enough air circulating in between them. The key word here is plant hygiene and by that I mean removing infected plants promptly. To reduce the nematodes moving up and through the soil, apply a mulch around the plants. To prevent future foliage nematodes, I would not use infected plants to propagate from but actually buy replacement plants from a respected nursery.

Q. We’ve an old privet hedge along one of the boundaries of the garden. It’s healthy at the top but bare of leaves and quite ugly at the bottom and there’s no real life on the edge two feet above the ground.

Should I give up on it and start again or is there a chance to a recovery for it?

A. A well-clipped and structured privet hedge is on a par to a manicured yew hedge in my opinion. You have three choices. The first choice is to cut it back really hard in spring to above ground level of around three inches to see if it will break again and come back to life. It’s important that if you do that technique that you religiously weed the area and apply some fish, blood and bone plus a thick layer of mulch to help it on it way. Keep it weed free. If you do this

Country Gardener

and some have interesting barks too such as Acer griseum.

If you live in a mild part of the South West, I would go for an evergreen like Grevillea junipera or Leptospermum scoparium ‘Red Damask’. You are also spoilt for choice with hydrangeas; my favourite being Hydrangea quercifolia.

Q. I have been given a peach tree for Father’s Day. I am not sure whether it’s going to be possible for it to grow in my quite exposed but sunny garden. How do I prune a peach tree, newly planted? And is it going to be worth me persevering with?

A problem from the bottom up with privet replanting might be the best option

technique I would talk to your neighbour if it is a boundary hedge. The second choice is to dig it up and remove it and work the soil over incorporating some compost. I would plant the replacement hedge in the autumn whilst the soil is still warm and the winter rain will help settle the plants in. Again a mulch is crucial as well as a feed of FB&B or Growmore. Option three is to do nothing!

Q. I have an area that has acid soil, what plants may I plant in this area. The sun exposure is high in the afternoon and early evening.

A. There are a wealth of plants that you can grow in that area of the garden. Crucially camellias, that classic, staple garden plant, positively thrive in areas that get the afternoon sun and more importantly the flowers won’t be ‘burnt’ by the morning sun when it’s frosty. Rhododendrons and azaleas are another favourite too and they come in all different shapes and sizes. My favourite azalea is R. luteum due to their vibrant golden flower colours coupled with its intoxicating scent too. Magnolia stellata is an early glowering shrub and is a worthy of a place in a border. The Japanese Maples are renowned for their autumnal interest

Peach trees – worth persevering with

A. I think it is worth persevering with as they are essentially fairly easy to grow. They like to be grown in well-drained soil and to be pruned annually. The flowers emerge earlier than most other flowering trees so I would be inclined to put a protective sheet, such as horticultural fleece, over the tree to reduce frost damage. To prune a standard peach tree, prune the new growth that had fruit the year before to encourage new shoots. As the peach tree flowers earlier than others there will be few pollinating insects around to pollinate the flowers. This is easily remedied by using a small paintbrush to create the effect of a pollinating insect.

All you need to do is to brush the inside of flowers one at a time on a sunny day. Once the fruit emerges, select the poorer ones to pinch off so that the other peaches have a good chance to grow. In the colder months, I would probably protect the tree from the worse of the weather.

At the National Trust property of Greenway, there is an old Peach House that grows, from memory, around 20 fan shaped peach and nectarine trees against the wall. A little bit of effort on your part but worth it in the long run I think.

Rhododendron luteum - should flourish in acid soil

www.countrygardener.co.uk

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Time to switch to a

gardening career?

Have there been times when you have been working in your garden, satisfied with your day’s work and thought ‘If only I could do this for a living?’

Perhaps that idea is soon discarded as you don’t feel you have the skills, knowledge or confidence to work in horticulture.

However, a unique training scheme in horticulture, run by the Women’s Farm and Garden Association (WFGA) could be the answer.

And don’t be put off by the name – the association is open to men too nowadays!

For over 100 years this charitable organisation has set about providing training and career opportunities for women working in horticulture and agriculture, having set up courses and examinations in farming subjects, gardening apprenticeship schemes and commercial holdings to teach how to grow fruit and vegetables.

It was originally founded to encourage women into farming and horticulture when a small group of professional women were determined to provide training and opportunities in 1899.

Members formed what would become the Land Army in both the World Wars so it has an illustrious and important history. In 1993, there was a significant move as the charity set up WRAGS a training initiative to allow individuals to retrain as a gardener.

Bristol Botanic Garden trainee Matt hard at work WRAGS is the acronym for The Work and Retrain as a Gardener Scheme. The scheme is run by the Womens Farm and Garden Association to improve opportunities and conditions for women. Uniquely amongst training programmes, recruits are placed for a year, generally for two days a week, in one or sometimes two larger gardens.

So how does it open up long-term career opportunities?

A trainee is placed in a local garden, which is also part of the scheme. The garden provides a range of experiences for the trainee and the trainee works alongside a garden owner or head gardener, learning while working.

This teaching is arranged to allow for a flexible approach to training on a part-time basis, within a 20 mile radius of the trainee’s home location.

This is an essential element of the scheme, that allows for the fact that many trainees are changing careers, have experienced redundancy or unemployment and must combine their training with other employment during this period.

The training is normally two days per week for a calendar year. But there is great flexibility – some trainees work one day a week for two years, some one day a week in two partner gardens. The trainee is paid, by the garden owner, the National Living Wage, currently £7.20 per hour.

Garden owners wishing to join the scheme are always needed. Many enjoy passing on their skills Training involves all sorts of gardening work –including mowing A unique scheme, which has its origins in the formation of the Land Army in two World Wars, is offering training for budding gardeners and those thinking of changing their careers.

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Country Gardener

and knowledge to the trainees. In return, they find the trainees to be highly motivated individuals, keen to learn and excellent employees.

Apart from joining the WFGA, there is no charge made by the charity to the garden owner.

Trainees pay a one off £600 fee to the charity to administer and monitor their training.

The scheme now has a register of 140 placement gardens in England and Scotland, ranging from large estate gardens, open to the public to smaller private gardens that may open three or four times a year.

Participating gardens include royal gardens, gardens in the squares of London, community gardens, National Trust gardens, school

How Claire Howard turned her love of gardening into a career Standing in the greenhouse in the tranquil grounds of Combermere Abbey, in Shropshire, it’s hard to believe Claire Howard wasn’t always as stress-free as she is today.

Just five years ago, she was working in Social Services in senior management. After a 15-year career, reorganization was imminent and she took the opportunity to review the direction of her life.

“To contemplate such a massive career change” she says “was very frightening.”

In 2010, she started her WRAGS training at Combermere Abbey, reducing her social services commitments to four days a week. Claire was one of the first trainees to do one day a week over two years instead of two days a week over one year. She also took on weekend gardening jobs at the same time.

Hannah Dickenson working at Attingham Park

gardens, nursery gardens, walled gardens, heritage gardens, gardens set within the grounds of castles and palaces - Hampton Court Palace, Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire, Hever Castle to name but a few.

All are chosen for their level of expertise, within a gardening team or an experienced owner and variety offered within the garden, the facilities to propagate, collection of tools and machinery, composting, often organic, vegetable growing, coppicing, fruit trees, bog planting, cutting gardens, lime walks, lawns and nutterys.

To prepare them for working out in the gardening world, the Women’s Farm and Garden Association has set up a programme of workshops. Covering specialist skills, planting, and business aspects, these are organised to give trainees an opportunity to network with experts, in small groups; all are ‘hands on’ learning experiences and are vital to the training year.

Want to learn more?

The scheme is active across the counties served by Country Gardener. If you are interested in becoming a trainee or have a garden and would like to become one of their trainee gardens, please contact Sue Davies to find out more about the opportunities or put you in contact with your local representative. www.wfga.org.uk Sue Davies , WFGA Regional Manager, South Somerset & Devon Tel: 01823 432509 . Mob: 07745747703.

Email: sue.wfga@gmail.com Women’s Farm & Garden Association Registered Charity no.

212527 twitter.com/WFGA

When she completed her placement she was offered a full-time gardening position at Combermere and resigned from Social Services to accept. Her former manager told her, encouragingly, that she was going into a job where she would see results.

Claire is responsible, under head gardener Phil Tatler (a career changer himself) for cut flower, fruit and vegetable production. It’s a demanding job, as the Abbey is a highly sought-after wedding and corporate events venue. Her duties include pruning, maintaining and harvesting the fruit of 139 apple and pear trees. She can – and does – give masterclasses in the art.

“Working as a volunteer I discovered that the possibility of becoming a professional gardener could become a reality. The WRAGS scheme enabled me to stay part time employed whilst gaining practical and technical experience and allowed me to explore the real world view of being a full time gardener." Through the WFGA too she discovered like-minded people and has made friendships that continue to support each other.

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Perfect plants for those without a garden

By Susie Hunt

Aloe vera, well known for its medicinal qualities, easy to grow and a great natural remedy for burns

Easy to grow and gorgeous – why cacti and succulents should be on everybody’s garden plant bucket list!

There’s a quiet revolution going on in the world of cacti and succulents!

If you thought – rather like shrubs – they’d fallen out of favour then the Oxford branch of the British Cactus and Succulent Society are going all out to prove you wrong.

It seems these often overlooked plants are some of the simplest to grow and, while many aren’t frost hardy, they add colour and interest to windowsills, conservatories and greenhouses making them the perfect choice for those without a garden.

The British Cactus and Succulent Society have 60 branches across the UK set up to study, conserve, propagate and restore interest in these beautiful plants. And the more you look into them – the more interesting they become!

"My wife had some succulents when we first met and I was attracted by their structure’ says Bill Darbon – the Chairman of the Oxford Branch. ‘Then one after another they came into flower and the flowers were so diverse that by the time my wife and I got married and moved into our first house I was completely hooked!"

Understanding what is and isn’t a succulent can prove tricky for many. "A lot of people think they’re different families but all cacti are succulents", Bill says, "it’s just they’ve diversified and evolved to cope with different conditions. Cacti’s leaves have evolved into spines to protect the plant epidermis 38

whereas succulents are more like to produce leaves – thought there are always exceptions to the rules".

Bill is one of a team trying to create interest in the plants through their website www.oxford.bcss.org.uk and by attending a number of shows throughout the summer including Chelsea Flower Show, Blenheim Palace Flower Show and their main event – the BCSS National Show on August 20th. The Oxford branch also hold meetings on the fourth Thursday of every month where members can hear from experts about all aspects of plant care and meet like-minded enthusiasts. "There’s a floating interest in cacti and succulents all the time but we want to get more people interested by educating them about these gorgeous plants.

You can’t force people to like them, but anybody who’s interested in gardening has normally got at least one cactus or succulent in the house, perhaps a mother-in-laws tongue or a Christmas cactus, or maybe a houseleek in the garden".

Dr Colin Walker (known as Cactus Colin of course!) is the President of the BCSS and disputes the idea cacti and succulents have gone out of fashion, siting easy maintenance as a reason why many people love them.

"You can leave them for a month without water and they’ll survive whereas many plants – tomatoes in growbags for instance – need daily watering. Although many won’t survive outdoors in winter generally they’re very easy to look after and won’t mind a lack of TLC!" he says.

Country Gardener

Five top tips for keeping your cacti and succulents looking good • Always use a good, well-drained compost like John Innes No 2 mixed with grit, coarse grit sand or perlite in equal quantities so it’s free draining.

• Never over-water cacti or succulents – you’re more likely to kill them from over-watering than anything else. Most like watering once a week – no more than that!

• Some, but not all cacti and succulents will survive in shady conditions so generally give them as sunny a location as possible.

• Most cacti and succulents (houseleeks excepted) are frost tender and will need winter protection. They will survive in an unheated greenhouse as long as they’re dry but it’s often easiest to treat them as indoor plants.

• Re-pot in spring every couple of years if the plant starts to look like it has stopped growing. Never bury the pant lower in the compost than it was originally planted and don’t water the plant for two weeks after re-potting.

So if the incredible variety in size, colour and form have caught your fancy and you want to find out more about cacti and succulents, you can find out more by visiting www.bcss.org.uk or treat yourself to a visit to the National Show which takes place at Wood Green Animal Shelter in Godmanchester near Cambridge on August 20th.

Cactus Colin’s top five cacti and succulents!

• Crassula ovata – otherwise known as the money tree, friendship tree or lucky plant is simple to propagate from and a great succulent to give the bonsai treatment.

• Aeonium. A native of the Canary Isles and Madeira, these frost sensitive plants grow in winter so need warmth and water before flowering in the spring.

• Aloe vera. Widely praised for its medicinal qualities, Aloe’s are easy to grow and a great natural remedy for burns. Indoors only please for this variety!

• Echevaria. Thriving on brief periods of neglect and low water and nutrients, Echevaria are prized for their fantastic array of leaf colour as well as unusual arching flower spires in early summer.

• Sempervivum or houseleeks. One of the few succulents you can grow outdoors, and prized for the distinctive rosettes of succulent, spirally patterned foliage and attractive spring and summer flowers. They’re ideal for a rock garden, rockery, alpine trough or clay pot.

Five fascinating facts about cacti and succulents!

• Cacti and succulents have evolved Aeonium 'Cyclops' - Giant Red Aeonium -these beautifully to survive long periods of drought frost sensitive plants grow in winter so need – which means they’ve taken on forms and warmth and water before flowering in the spring features which only add to their appeal.

• Cacti are a family of succulent plants only found in North and South America and other succulents are found in arid regions right across the world.

• Cacti and succulents are water storage structures absorbing water from rains or sea mists to regenerate and grow.

• Some cacti grow more than 20 metres tall while others are less than a centimetre in diameter!

• Many cacti and succulents are economically important, being used as food or drink (think Crassula ovata, otherwise known as Agave and tequila!), medicines and even the money tree or friendship tree in making rope and furniture. www.countrygardener.co.uk

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GARDEN Visits

THE BEST GARDENS TO VISIT compiled by Vivienne Lewis

It’s school holiday time so we’re looking at family friendly gardens to visit during the high summer weeks of August.

Here’s a selection raising funds for charity across the areas we cover and you can take the family dog to some of them – but if they’re not mentioned then they’re not allowed in. We advise checking wherever possible before starting on a journey as circumstances can force cancellations.

Family friendly gardens Sussex Prairies , Henfield, West Sussex

The School House, Lydford, Okehampton, Devon A new open garden for the NGS, this is a pretty cottage garden owned

by Karen Burgess on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, with mixed borders, annuals, topiary, cloud pruning and a mini pond. Wildlife is at home in this garden with insect friendly planting and children can learn about the bug hotel that overlooks a wild flower meadow. There’s a kitchen garden with companion planting.

The School House, Lydford, Okehampton, Devon EX20 4AU. Next open for the NGS: Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th August, 11am-5pm. Admission: £5, children free. Light refreshments, soup and crusty bread, coffee, tea and cakes.

Plants for sale. Dogs allowed on short leads. Karen also writes a blog about gardening and cooking at www.sweetbabyveg.com

There’s a permanent sculpture collection and exhibited sculpture throughout the season, and lots of rare breed sheep and pigs to interest children at this huge, exciting prairie garden of approximately eight acres planted in the naturalistic style using 30,000 plants and over 1000 different varieties, with a great variety of unusual ornamental grasses giving layers of colour, texture and architectural splendour. It’s all surrounded by mature oak trees with views of Chanctonbury Ring and Devil’s Dyke on the South Downs.

Sussex Prairies, Morlands Farm, Wheatsheaf Road (B2116), Henfield, West Sussex BN5 9AT. Opening for the NGS: Bank Holiday Monday 29th August, 11am-5pm. Admission: £7, children free. Home-made teas. Woodchip paths in borders not accessible, but plenty of flat garden for both wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Disabled WC. Dogs allowed. For other opening times and information, phone 01273 495902, email morlandsfarm@btinternet.com or visit www.sussexprairies.co.uk

Regency House, Hemyock, Devon

There’s plenty of space for children to play, and for families to have a game of croquet and picnic in this five-acre plantsman’s garden owned

by Mrs Jenny Parsons that’s approached across a private ford. Visitors can try their hand at identifying the many interesting plants with the plant list. There’s a walled vegetable and fruit garden, lake, ponds, bog plantings and sweeping lawns, horses, Dexter cattle and Jacob sheep.

Regency House, Hemyock, Devon EX15 3RQ. Telephone: 01823 680238.

Email: jenny.parsons@btinternet.com Next openings for the NGS: Sunday 14th August, Sunday 9th October, 2pm-5.30pm. Admission: £4.50, children free. Home-made teas. Visitors also welcome by arrangement May to September. Gently sloping gravel paths give wheelchair access to the walled garden, lawns, borders and terrace, where teas are served. Dogs allowed on short leads. This is a venue offering accommodation. www.regencyhousehemyock.co.uk

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Country Gardener

The Secret Garden & Serles House, Wimborne, Dorset Young and old will enjoy the imaginative treasure trove of garden objects d’art, the unusual plants, and the enchanting house owned by Ian Willis. There’s a feeling of a bygone age as you step into a world of whimsical fantasy. Highlights include the Anglo-Indian conservatory, the Millennium Folly, the shell grotto, a Victorian parterre, the children’s playhouse, windows originally in Wimborne Minster, cannons dragged out of the Solent and Irvine the plant-pot man. An oriental garden is now open and a sculpture ‘A flight in time’ to commemorate the Queen being our longest reigning monarch, was unveiled in September of last year.

The Secret Garden & Serles House, 47 Victoria Road, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 1EN. Open for the NGS: Thursday 21st July, Sunday 24th July, Sunday 31st July, Thursday 4th August, Sunday 7th August, 2pm-5pm. Sunday 21st August, Sunday 28th August, Monday 29th August, Thursday 1st September, Saturday 3rd September, Sunday 4th September, Sunday 11th September, 2pm-5pm. Admission: £3, children free. Home-made teas, plants for sale. Evening opening Saturday 13th August, 6pm-9.30pm, Admission £5, children free, wine available.

Wheelchair access to garden only. Narrow steps may prohibit wide wheelchairs. Dogs allowed on short leads. This garden also makes a donation to Wimborne Civic Society and NADFAS.

Stapleton Castle Court Garden, Stapleton, Presteigne, Powys There’s the bonus of a castle to explore when you visit this garden situated on a gentle slope overlooked by the remains of Stapleton Castle. The garden, developed over the past eight years by an enthusiastic plantswoman, has colourthemed borders. Guided tours of the castle run at 2.30pm and 3.30pm each day and there’s a display of the site’s history including house ruins, mill pond, mill pit and disused turbine, and more. Enjoy a last look around the garden before the owners, Margaret and Trefor Griffiths, move.

Stapleton Court Castle Garden, Stapleton, Presteigne, Powys LD8 2LS. Telephone: 01544 267327. Next open for the NGS: Sunday 28th August, Bank Holiday Monday 29th August, 2pm-5.30pm.

Admission: £4, children free. Home-made teas. Plants for sale.

Dogs allowed. Visitors also welcome by arrangement May to August for groups up to 40. Castle tour unsuitable for wheelchairs.

Grandma’s Garden, Dolguog Estates, Felingerrig, Machynlleth, Powys

Fun but educational with continuous new attractions, Grandma’s Garden has abundant wildlife in its nine acres, with sculptures, a poetry arboretum and seven sensory gardens including a Children’s Enchanted Garden with plenty to stimulate young imaginations and a Garden of Other Realms encouraging an exploration of great literature; there’s a wildlife pond, riverside boardwalk, stone circle, and labyrinth. Plas Dolguog Hotel open their café in the conservatory - the hotel is the admission point - serving inside and out on the patio overlooking gardens.

Grandma’s Garden, Dolguog Estates, Felingerrig, Machynlleth, Powys SY20 8UJ. Tel: 01654 702244. Email: info@plasdolguog.co.uk Open every Wednesday and Sunday and opening for NGS: Wednesday 24th August, 10.30am-4.30pm.

Admission: £4, children free. Light refreshments.

Plants for sale. Dogs allowed. www.plasdolguog.co.uk

Fernhill, Whiteball, Wellington, Somerset Truly a Hide and Seek garden for all ages in about two acres, Peter and Audrey Bowler’s delightful garden has a myriad of unusual plants and features.

Intriguing almost hidden paths lead through English roses and banks of hydrangeas.

Scenic views stretch up to the Blackdown Hills and the Wellington monument. There are well stocked herbaceous borders, an octagonal pergola and a water garden with a slightly wild boggy area.

Fernhill, Whiteball, Wellington, Somerset TA21 0LU. Tel: 01823 672423 Email: muldoni@hotmail.co.uk Open for the NGS: Sunday 26th June, Sunday 31st July, Sunday 21st August, 2pm-5pm. Admission: £3.50, children free. Teas. Plants for sale. Dogs allowed. Wheelchair access to terrace and other parts of garden from drive. Visitors also welcome by arrangement June to August for groups of 10+. www.sampfordarundel.org.uk/fernhill/

www.countrygardener.co.uk

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GARDEN Visits More family friendly gardens BROCKWORTH COURT, BROCKWORTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Kingston Maurward Gardens and Animal Park, near Dorchester, Dorset Children can enjoy the space of 35 acres of gardens laid out in the 18th and the last century with a fiveacre lake, then go on to see the animal park with the rabbits, guinea pigs, sheep, goats, Shetland ponies and lots more. There is also a large play area for children and plenty of space for a picnic. The garden’s terraces and gardens are divided by hedges and stone balustrades; an Elizabethan-style walled garden has been laid out and there are National Collections of colourful penstemons and salvias.

Kingston Maurward College, Gardens and Animal Park, Kingston Maurward, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 8PY. For opening times and information, phone 01305 215003, email events@kmc.ac.uk or visit www.morekmc.com.

This intense yet informal tapestry style garden six miles from Gloucester beautifully complements the period manor house which it surrounds, with distinct cottagestyle planting areas that seamlessly blend together.

There’s a natural fish pond, with a Monet bridge leading to a small island with a thatched Fiji house, great for children to discover. Tim and Bridget Wiltshire garden organically; the kitchen garden was once cultivated by the monks and there’s an historic tithe barn. A Norman church lies next door and the perfect setting is completed by views to Crickley and Coopers Hill.

Brockworth Court, Court Road, Brockworth, Gloucestershire GL3 4QU. Telephone: 01452 862938.

Email: timwiltshire@hotmail.co.uk Open for the NGS: Wednesday 17th August, 2pm-5pm. Admission £5, children free. Home-made teas in tithe barn. Plants for sale. Partial wheelchair access. Visitors also welcome by arrangement April to September, house tour available for groups of 10+.

MERDON MANOR, HURSLEY, WINCHESTER, HAMPSHIRE A chance to explore this five acre country garden owned by Mr and Mrs J C Smith that’s surrounded by panoramic views; there’s a pond with ducks, damsel flies, dragonflies and water lilies, roses, fruit-bearing lemon trees, extensive lawns, impressive yew hedges and a small secret walled garden with fountains made from the old milking parlour. Listen to the water from two cast iron fountains, and find the Black Hebridean sheep (St. Kildas).

Merdon Manor, Hursley, Winchester, Hampshire telephone: 01962 775215. Email: vronk@fastmail.com Open for the NGS: Sunday 7th August, 2pm-6pm. Admission £4, children free. Home-made teas, plants for sale. Visitors also welcome by arrangement May to September.

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Country Gardener

New open gardens Bucklers Spring, Beaulieu, Brockenhurst, Hampshire Adjacent to the historic shipbuilding village of Bucklers Hard on the Beaulieu River, next door to the Master Builder’s Hotel and near The National Motor Museum, Miss Adrienne Page’s landscape designed garden of ½ acre has glimpses of the Beaulieu River beyond lush borders of late summer perennials bordered by gravel paths. The garden was designed in 2010 by landscape designer Alison Wear, a Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winner. Lawns are inset with rivers of lavender winding through ornamental grasses, with circular grass mounds and an avenue of ornamental pear trees. There’s a box border and a raised bed garden for cut flowers, herbs and outdoor cooking.

Bucklers Spring, Bucklers Hard Road, Beaulieu, Brockenhurst, Hampshire Saturday 6th August, Sunday 7th August, 2pm5.30pm. Admission £3, children free. Home-made teas. Partial wheelchair access due to gravel driveway and paths. Dogs allowed on short leads. www.bucklersspring.com

THE OLD V ICARAGE, WEARE, SOMERSET

Behind tall hedges, discover a garden in transition - Trish and Jeremy Gibson’s garden where old Victorian shrubberies and a hard tennis court have made way for a relaxed country style of planting. Around charming Georgian outbuildings there are terraces and courtyards, a stream garden and vegetable plot in 1½ acres of undulating lawns. Mature trees include an ancient yew, and a giant sequoia. Mendip views.

The Old Vicarage, Weare, Axbridge, Somerset BS26 2LE. Open for the NGS: Saturday 6th August, Sunday 7th August, 2pm5.30pm. Admission: £3.50, children free. Home-made teas, plants for sale. Partial wheelchair access with some gravel/lawn paths and steep slopes. No disabled WC.

WHITEWOOD LODGE, WHITCHURCH, BRISTOL This garden has been developed over 30 years from a field. Guy and Selena Norfolk’s garden has a pond, orchard, vegetable potager, mature trees and beds, with a minimal use of chemicals in the garden, for an ecologically friendly and sustainable environment.

There are many seats in different areas for visitors to enjoy the wonderful views of Maes Knoll, an ancient hill fort and there will be music in the garden.

Whitewood Lodge, Norton Lane, Whitchurch, Bristol BS14 0BU Tel: 07753 322318 Email: selena.gray@btopenworld.com Open for the NGS: Sunday 21st August, 2pm-5pm. Admission: £4, children free. Home-made teas. Music by Pizzazz www.pizzazz.org.uk. Partial wheelchair access, gravel paths and some steps. Dogs allowed.

Visitors also welcome by arrangement March to November for groups of 6-10.

Duck Pond Barn, Trowbridge, Wiltshire Set in farmland and mainly flat, this garden of 1.6 acres has a large duck pond, flower garden, orchard, vegetable garden, spinney and a wild area of grass and trees. For Janet and Marc Berlin it is a very new garden, having moved from South London in 2015.

Duck Pond Barn, Church Lane, Wingfield, Trowbridge, Wiltshire BA14 9LW. Tel: 01225 777764 Email: janet@berlinfamily.co.uk Open for the NGS: Saturday 6th August, 2pm-5pm). Admission: £4, children free. Visitors also welcome by arrangement April to October.

www.countrygardener.co.uk

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TIME Off

GARDEN EVENTS AROUND THE COTSWOLDS compiled by Kate Lewis

Here’s a selection of gardening events to look out for during the next few weeks throughout the Cotswolds. Send us details of your event at least ten weeks before publication and we will publicise it free of charge. Make sure you let us know where the event is being held, the date and include a contact telephone number.

We are keen to support garden club events and we will be glad to publicise talks and shows held during the year where clubs want to attract a wider audience, but we do not have space for club outings or parties. We suggest that garden clubs send us their diary for the year for events to be included in the relevant issue of the magazine. Please send to Country Gardener Magazines, Mount House, Halse, Taunton TA4 3AD or by email to timeoff@countrygardener.co.uk and copy to vivienne@countrygardener.co.uk.

We take great care to ensure that details are correct at the time of going to press but we advise readers to check wherever possible before starting out on a journey as circumstances can force last minute changes. All NGS open gardens can be found on www.ngs.org.uk or in the local NGS booklet available at many outlets.

JULY DIARY 16th-29th Yanworth near Cheltenham, Chedworth Roman Villa (National Trust) 01242 890256

before settling down to an evening of entertainment. Gates open 6pm, performance 7.30pm £14 and concessions

Holiday weekend. See a variety of free-flying birds of prey, witness the speed and grace of vultures, owls, falcons and eagles.

10am-6pm daily. Admission £15, children under 3 free, 3-16 yr olds £10; concessions, e-tickets & season tickets available

23rd Great Barrington Windrush Valley Flower Show and Fête

AUGUST DIARY Festival of Archaeology Celebrate the British festival of archaeology. Enjoy specialist talks and hands on activities. In the first week, discover more about the villa’s history and on-going archaeological discoveries. The second week will be more family centred with lots of fun chats and children’s activities. National Trust members free. Standard Admission prices apply. 10.30am-4.30pm daily.

20th Cheltenham, Tuckwell Ampitheatre 01242 258002 ‘As You Like it’ Enjoy a night of theatre under the stars at Bacon Theatre’s picturesque Tuckwell Amphitheatre this summer, when Shakespeare’s wonderful comedy takes to the alfresco stage, part of Bacon Theatre’s Open-Air Theatre Festival, brought to Cheltenham

by Folksy Theatre, the production will boast bold characters, live music, audience interaction and plenty of laughs. Enjoy a picnic on the lawn and a glass of wine

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2nd/13th/31st Worcester, NT Croome, 01905 371006 From 1pm at Great Barrington’s village hall, in the stunning Windrush valley. A family day out in the country with home produce, games, races and competitions, fun dog show and gun dog scurry and vintage cars.

30th Charlton Village Hall, Malmesbury & District Garden Club Tel: 01666 510490 Annual Open Show Later than normal this year the club’s garden show has a special theme celebrating The Queen’s 90th birthday and a “Royal Celebration’ class has been added to the flower arranging class.

23rd-21st Aug Burford, Oxfordshire, Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens Cotswold Falconry Flying Displays At the park every weekend from 23rd July through to 21st August including the August Bank

Country Gardener

Grayson Perry Tapestry Lectures Join Perry enthusiast Amy ForsterSmith as she explores the many sources of inspiration of the celebrated Turner Prize winning artist. 5.30pm – 8.30pm. £10.

3rd

Batsford Arboretum

Join Warwickshire moth expert Bob Cox to discover more about our native moths. After an introductory presentation, there’ll be demonstrations of trapping techniques live

in the arboretum followed by inspections and recordings of the moths found. The event will go on until well past midnight but feel free to leave whenever you wish. £5 adults; £3 children.

8.30pm to 1am.

4th–7th Woodstock, Blenheim Palace Grounds, 01993 810530

29th Winchcombe Senior School, 01242 602395 Winchcombe Country Show Now in it’s 67th year, the Winchombe Country Show offers fun for all the family with a traditional flower show, Indian Runner Duck Herding, street entertainment, dog friendly games and an Olympic-themed procession. 12noon – 5.30pm.

Adult £4, child £2.

CLUBS AND O THER ORGANISAT IONS BBC Countryfile Live Explore every aspect of the British countryside through exciting live arena shows, talks and hands-on activities at this exciting new event. Saturday 9.30am – 6pm, Sunday 9.30am – 5pm.

5th

Bath, NT Dyrham Park, 0117 9372501 The Lord Chamberlain’s Men present ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ All-male theatre company The Lord Chamberlain’s Men perform Shakespeare’s much-loved battle-of-the-sexes comedy in full Elizabethan dress. Bring picnics and rugs to enjoy this outdoor production. 6.0pm. £16 adults, £9.50 children (5-16) and family tickets.

1st-31st Burford, Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens, 01993 823006 Rhino Month The plight of the rhino will be highlighted through daily talks by the park’s keepers, fun activities and competitions. The Park houses the southern white rhino species which can be seen ambling around the grounds. 2pm.

7th

Tetbury, Westonbirt 01666 880559 Wild Plants Take a closer look at the wild plants of Westonbirt Arboretum with this fascinating two-hour walk. Approximately two miles in distance. 10.30am.

July 30th Malmesbury & District Gardening Club ANNUAL OPEN SHOW AT CHARLTON VILLAGE HALL Details on 01666 510490

August 1st

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Wyche & Colwall Horticultural Society ‘LOOK AT THAT’ – ROB COLE Details on 01531 670801 Wyche & Colwall Horticultural Society ANNUAL SUMMER SHOW Details on 01531 670801 Plants Heritage, Worcestershire Group TALK USING LIVE MATERIAL BY BOB HARES Details on 01386 750862 Wessex Bonsai Society Bournemouth MONTHLY MEETING Details on 07870 114767 Marshfield Flower Arrangement Club ‘THE PLEASURE IS MINE’ – BERYL GRIFFITHS www.marshfieldflower arrngmentclub.org.uk Lechlade Gardening Club MONTHLY MEETING Details on 01367 232286 Winchcombe Gardening Club ‘LOOK AT THAT’ – ROB AND DIANE COLE Details on 01242 609590 Cheltenham Horticultural Society ‘LOOK AT THAT’ – ROB COLE

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Details on 01242 691135 12th Gloucester Amateur Gardening Club ‘HEDGEHOG RESCUE’ – MR J CROWTHER email: Helen93c@gmail.com 13th Bishampton Gardening Club BISHAMPTON SUMMER FLOWER & PRODUCE SHOW Details on 01386 861438 14th Cheltenham Horticultural Society SUMMER SCHOOL AT PITVILLE PUMP ROOMS Details on 01242 691135 15th Abbeydale Garden Club MINI SHOW Details on 01452 554199 15th Minchinhampton Gardening Club SUMMER SOCIAL Details on 01453 764956 17th Mickleton Gardening Club DEMONSTRATION: FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS FOR YOUR HOME Details on 01386 438013 18th Bidford on Avon & District Gardening Society ‘PHENOMENOL PLANTS’ – JEFF SOULSBY Details on 01789 268974 18th Newent Gardening Club ‘EASTNOR CASTLE’ – PATRICIA WILKIN Details on 01531 820761 20th Clows Top & District Gardening Club SUMMER SHOW Details on 01299 270475 20th Slimbridge Gardening Club SUMMER SHOW 23rd Ullenhall Gardening Club ‘ROSES NEED FRIENDS TOO’ – ROSS BARBOUR 24th Clows Top & District Gardening Club ‘HEDGEROW & GARDEN MEDICINE’ – ROWAN MCONEGAL Details on 01299 270475 24th Hagley Gardeners’ Club ‘A WALK THROUGH THE WILLOWS’ – NICK CHANNER 24th Malvern Horticultural Society MONTHLY MEETING Details on 01886 884696 24th Wickhamford Gardening Club SUMMER SHOW

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CLASSIF IED Accommodation

Bosworlas near Sennen/St Just, Cornwall. Cosy Cottage, rural views, Sleeps 2-4 01736 788709 www.bosworlas.co.uk Cornwall, near St Just. Chalet, sleeps 4, heated indoor pool, open all year – near gardens/coast, golfing nearby. Prices from £260 pw. 01736 788718

Accommodation Abroad Gloucestershire, Cosy annexe for two

Cornwall. Village location between Truro and Falmouth. Fully equipped renovated cottage. Peaceful garden.

Off road parking. Ideal for 2 adults. No children/animals. Good public transport.

Good pub and shop. Easy reach of Heligan and Eden. 01279 876751 ayrepj@aol.com Devon. Tamar Valley. Pretty cottage sleeps 2-4. Wood burner, garden, small dog welcome. 02073 736944/07940 363233 www.northwardshippon.co.uk

non-smokers, lovely garden, beautiful countryside. Pets welcome.

Tel: 01452 840531 Two Scandinavian lodges. Set in Beautifully romantic beautiful Worcestershire country side.

Go to Cottages.com ref nos W43950 and cottage for two W44036.

In sunny SW France just 30 mins from Glorious North Devon. Only 9 cosy Bergerac airport. caravans on peaceful farm. Wonderful www.maison-bb.com walks in woods & meadows. Easy reach sea, moors & lovely days out. £125Accommodation: Holiday 395pw. Discount couples. Nice pets Cottages welcome. 01769 540366 Bourton-on-the-Water, www.snapdown.co.uk Gloucestershire Beautifully presented Cotswold stone self-catering apartment.

Near a beautiful lake and views. Sleeps 2. Free Parking. 3* Gold Award. Bookings now being taken Sat - Sat. 01451 810879 www.bourtononthewater accommodation.co.uk Devon, Culm Valley. Well equipped rural cottage for 2. No Pets/Smokers 01884 841320 Sidmouth, Devon Self-catering cottages in countryside Fully equipped self catering house. near Lyme Regis. Japanese food Undercover parking. 10 mins walk to available. www.hellbarn.co.uk the seafront.

Padstow house, 4 + baby, gardens, Tel. 01934 862840 parking, Wi-Fi, Camel trail (bike storage), www.sidmouth-stayatnewlands.co.uk beaches. 07887 813495 holidaysat55@ gmail.com Lanlivery near Eden and other Cornish Gardens lovely woodland lodge 2/4 people www.poppylodgecornwall.co.uk 01726 430489 Wye Valley/Forest of Dean. Fully equipped 4-star single storey cottage.

Two bedrooms both en-suite. Central Carmarthen Bay South Wales heating/bedlinen provided. Rural retreat with shops/pubs one mile. Short Seafront chalet situated on estuary.

Sleeps up to 6. Seaview. Well Behaved breaks available. Warm welcome. Tel: 01594833259 www.cowshedcottage.co.uk Dogs Welcome. For brochure Tel: 01269 862191 46

Country Gardener

Winchester, Farm Cottage Golf, woodlands, many nurseries, Marwell Zoo Tel: 01489 861146

Peace, Privacy, and Stunning Views! 4* Delightful cosy cabin for 2, nestling between Wye and Usk Valleys. Shirenewton village & pubs closeby. Wonderful walks, splendid castles & bustling market towns.

Perfect for all seasons!

Tel: 01291 641826 lynne@bryncosyn.co.uk www.bryncosyn.co.uk

Pembrokeshire, Wales 4 star luxury cottages in idyllic surroundings. Fully equipped, open all year. Children & pets welcome.

Tel: 01239 841850 www.valleyviewcottages.co.uk

CLASSIF IED Hartland Abbey Cottages

2 delightful cottages in AONB. One

by Atlantic cove, one in hamlet ½ mile inland on Hartland Abbey estate.

Wonderful walking/wildflowers on adjacent SW coast path and beautiful beaches. Both sleep 2-8. Available weeks from Sept 2nd. www.hartlandabbey.com/holidaycottages/ Email: ha_admin@btconnect.com Tel: 01884 860225/01237 441234

Penrice Castle Gower 16 holiday cottages on an 18th century Estate on the Gower Peninsula with beautiful Grade I listed historic park and gardens.

Tel: 01792 391212 www.penricecastle.co.uk

Near Stratford-upon-Avon

Creekside Cottages, Near Falmouth, Cornwall Waters-edge, Rural & Village Cottages Sleeping 2-8. Peaceful & Comfortable.

Available year round. Dogs Welcome.

Open Fires.

Call us on 01326 375972 for our colour brochure www.creeksidecottages.co.uk Ryde Isle Of Wight, two cottages.

Sleeps 2/4, close sandy beaches. Tel: 02380 849565 rydecottage@talktalk.net

Accommodation With Beautiful Gardens

Lovely self-catering cottage in peaceful location: Large garden, Sleeps 2. Perfect for famous gardens, NT properties & Cotswolds.

Tel: 01789 740360 www.romanacres.com

Antiques

Charming B&B in garden cottage annex. Double with en-suite. Village location near Jurassic Coast, Bridport.

Tel: 01308 488177 Explore Devon and be spoilt. 2 nights DBB £185 per couple. Farmhouse hospitality. Great trip advisor reports. www.eastraddon-dartmoor.co.uk 01566 783010 Quality B&B Truro Cornwall. Ideal for visiting beautiful cornish gardens and coast. £40 pppn 01872 241081 Somerset 5* Restaurant with Rooms.

Close to many NT Gardens, Houses and Dorset Coast. Countryside Location with Lovely Garden. Pet Friendly 01935 423902 www.littlebarwickhouse.co.uk Paignton, Devon, 4* B&B. Ideal location for coast, countryside and NT gardens.

En-suite rooms, garden, parking. Green Tourism Gold Award. 01803 556932 www.harbourlodge.co.uk

Cards & Prints A range of over 200 greetings cards and prints from the flower paintings of

AnneCotterill

We sell to both individuals and trade. no order too small.

Contact us for your free 2016 catalogue.

Mill House Fine Art Publishing, Bellflower Gallery, Market Place, Colyton, Devon eX24 6JS

International Dealer requires records (all types) old gramophones, phonographs, music boxes, radios, valves, telephones, early sewing machines, typewriters, calculators, tin toys, scientific instruments etc. Parts also wanted. Top cash price paid. 07774 103139 davepauled1@yahoo.com

Craft & Stationary Paper

Bed & Breakfast

Flyscreens

4 Star Gold Award B&B in Stoulton, Worcestershire. Luxury accommodation Northumberland Luxury self-catering in beautiful surroundings. Perfectly cottage, sleeps 2. Rural location. Near situated to visit Worcester, The to major tourist attractions inc Hadrian’s Malvern’s, Pershore, Cheltenham Wall 01884 841320 and Cotswolds. 01905 841129 North Devon near Clovelly. 3 www.sunbrae.co.uk delightful cottages situated in 12 acres Country House B&B Ideal location of idyllic countryside. Sleeps 2-4. 1 for Malvern Autumn Garden Show Wheelchair friendly. Prices from £190 and surrounding gardens.Visit www. p.w. Brochure: 01237 431324 littlebridgehouse.biz or tele 01885 www.foxwoodlodge.co.uk 482471 for details. www.countrygardener.co.uk

Tel. 01297 553100 info@millhousefineart.com

www.millhousefineart.com

Unusual paper with an extra surprise, even Ellie Poo! 100% recycled made in UK. 01458 251662 www.elliepoopaper.co.uk

flyscreens4u@sky.com

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CLASSIF IED Advertise here... ...from just £2 per word.

Boxed out full colour advertisements are available for an extra £20.

Call on 01823 619073 for details, or email: ava@countrygardener.co.uk

Garden Services

Gardens To Visit

Wisteria Pruning, renovation, Oxfordshire, surrounding area.

Richard Barrett 01865 452334 wisteriapruning@tiscali.co.uk

Burrow Farm Gardens

ANDREW TOLMAN

Professional Garden Services Services include Consultations, Garden Design, Borders, Orchards & Meadows. Specialist Pruning; Climbers, Fruit & Topiary.

Supply of Trees, Plants & Bulbs.

Talks on Gardens & Plants.

Tel: 07546 874083 / 01643 818092 andrew@atpgardening.co.uk www.atpgardening.co.uk

Fruit Trees

www.burrowfarmgardens.co.uk

Adam’s Apples Apple trees from £7.50 Over 100 varieties Dessert, juicing, cider & cookers to suit your farm, garden or smallholding

13 Acre Garden Open 10am-6pm Tea Room, Nursery & Gift Shop

Dalwood, Axminster, EX13 7ET

Garden Sundries Solent Engraving for Plant Labels, Memorial Plaques, Signage, Name Tags, etc. Flat plate engraving on Metal or Plastic. 02380894843 solent. engraving@btinternet.com

Polytunnels FREE BROCHURE

Many other fruit trees & bushes.

Discounts for wholesale, community projects & schools. Advice and free catalogues.

Tel: 01404 841166 sales@adamsappletrees.co.uk www.adamsappletrees.co.uk

Garden Accessories

www.shedtidy.co.uk Gardeners multi-purpose hanging panel. Ideal as a vertical garden (living wall) for all year floral colour to hang on any rail or bare wall or as a kitchen herb garden or as storage for garden accessories. See our web site for more uses.

Trade enquiries welcome.

ONLY £8.95 INC P&P

Garden Furniture UKs leading supplier of Teak Furniture for the Garden

Drystone Walling and Paving Mortared work also undertaken.

Patrick Houchen - DSWA member.

Tel: 01963 371123 www.yenstonewalling.co.uk

www.ferrymanpolytunnels.co.uk

Pond Services

Advertise here... ...from just £2 per word.

Ponds, large and small, constructed, renovated and maintained. 01761 434349 www.southwestponds.co.uk

Seed Specialists

Boxed out full colour advertisements are available for an extra £20.

Call on 01823 619073 for details, or email: ava@countrygardener.co.uk

Tel: 01256 809 640 sales @chicteak.co.uk www.chic-teak.co.uk 48

Polytunnels from £345 available to view by appointment 01363 84948 info@ferrymanpolytunnels.co.uk

Country Gardener

Tel: 0800 0854399

CLASSIF IED

55x45 DWL ad_Dorset Water Lily 16/01/2015 11:3

Specialist Garden Products Ex display sheds. Stables, field shelters, garages, summerhouses, offices, workshops/agricultural 01935 891195 Dorset Hazel Hurdles. Made to order by Alan Brown, Wool, Dorset. 01929 462761 www.brownshurdles.co.uk

MALVERN COPPICING Rustic timber garden rooms, summer houses, gazebos and garden structures from sustainably managed local woodlands

Tel. 01684 574865 Mob. 07946169123 www.malverncoppicing.co.uk NESTING BOXES FEEDERS INSECT HOMES CAMERA NESTBOXES WILDLIFE CAMERAS Quality products carefully made in Britain Tel: 01675 442299 www.nestbox.co.uk

DORSET WATER LILY COMPANY

UK’s largest selection of established, pot grown water lilies; Speciality hardy exotics, tropical waterside, marginals and moisture loving bogside.

Landscaping & Design Service.

Tel: 01935 891668

Email: dorsetwaterlily@uwclub.net

www.dorsetwaterlily.co.uk

DULFORD NURSERIES Growers & suppliers of the widest range of Native & Ornamental Trees, Shrubs & Hedging in the West Country

Tel: 01884 266361 www.dulford-nurseries.co.uk

Advertise here... ...from just £2 per word

Dulford Nurseries, Dulford, Cullompton, Devon EX15 2BY

Largest selection of organic plants in the South West www.growersorganics.com Tel: 01752 881180

Water Lilies

Direct from the National Plant Collection® at Bennetts Water Gardens in Dorset

Enjoy more of the Country Gardener experience by visiting our website

Peonies, Iris, Perennials and Herbs from

Buy online at www.waterlily.co.uk

HURST BROOK PLANTS

or visit our gardens in Weymouth

Putton Lane, Chickerell, Weymouth DT3 4AF

Wanted Old Radio Valves And Audio Valves. Tel: 02392 251062

SPECIALIST TREE & SHRUB GROWERS

Visit us at Kitley Farm, Yealmpton, PL8 2LT Or order plants at

Specialist Nurseries & Plants

Wanted/For Sale

Lower Severalls Crewkerne, Somerset TA18 7NX Tel 07857 645123 or 07851 468430 www.hurstbrookplants.co.uk Specialist Nursery OPEN March - October Thursday - Sunday 10.00 - 4.00 GROUP VISITS WELCOME and HOMEMADE REFRESHMENTS available by prior arrangement. Please email or ring for details.

Thornhayes nursery Devon’s specialist tree grower for a wide range of ornamental, fruit, hedging trees and a selection of choice shrubs.

Courses, expert advice, arboretum, display fruit garden.

features ts, plus exclusive More news & even e can be found onlin nities advertising opportu Many free and paid

new and improved

www.countrygardener.co.uk

Tel: 01884 266746 www.thornhayes-nursery.co.uk

www.countrygardener.co.uk

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$ *$ m , $( & $&

NEWS

The latest from businesses across the Cotswolds and beyond

The ‘Ledbury’ hurdle is back on the scene

Alfred Watkins’ iconic photograph shows wide cleft pales of the hurdle

Traditional hurdle, gate and fence patters are a passion for fencing experts Say it With Wood.

The company specializes in traditional and rustic styles of fencing, gates and garden installations throughout Herefordshire, Shropshire and Gloucestershire.

They say it is very hard to find documentary evidence of traditional fencing styles but luckily for them iconic inventor Alfred Watkins (1855 – 1935) was also a prolific photographer, fascinated by country people at work, particularly in the Herefordshire and Worcestershire area.

Say it With Wood gates are made using traditional styles wherever possible, and now Toby Allen, a partner at the business, recreated the hurdle for a demonstration at the recent Hellens’ Garden Festival at Much Marcle last month.

The very first one of these hurdles with its distinctive wide cleft pales and no visible brace was ‘auctioned off’ to raise money for the Hellens’ charity, St Michael’s Hospice.

Toby commented ‘”It’s great to be able to use the traditional patterns alongside locally harvested chestnut. We are using the same tools, techniques and materials as the hurdle maker photographed at the turn of last century. Chestnut

has been grown in Herefordshire for centuries, and the coppice industry in the county provided hop poles, pit props, charcoal and wood for fencing, gates and hurdles and supported many local families.’

Ledbury hurdle making was due to be demonstrated at The Royal Welsh Show on the 18th and 19th of July. www.sayitwithwood.co.uk, Leighton Court, Much Cowarne, Herefordshire, HR8 2UN Tel: 07958 345 833.

A P LANT FAIR DAY OUT AT CASTLE BROMW ICH HALL GARDENS There’s an enjoyable experience for both novice and experienced gardners alike when the beautiful and historic gardens at Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens host another in the series of a Rare Plant Fairs on Sunday 7th August.

Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens provides a wonderful venue for the day, a unique example of an English Baroque Garden which is being restored as near as possible to the period 1680-1762. The 10-acre mature walled garden contains over 600 Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens, Birmingham species of plants from the period. The gardens are particularly special because they survived and continued to develop whilst the informal English Landscape Movement of the 19th Century saw the removal of most other formal gardens.

The event will be attended by specialist nurseries from across the country. The nurseries all genuine growers who know and understand the plants that they offer, and a wide range of interesting and unusual plants will be available to buy.

Admission fee events include access to both the fair and the gardens.

Step back in time to the charming Baroque gardens at Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens, Birmingham B36 9BT on Sunday August 7th, from 11am-4pm. Full details are available at www.rareplantfair.co.uk 50

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Add the finishing touches to your conservatory or garden room

Versatile pure™ pleated blinds (above), with fully washable specialist Solar Design™ fabrics help reduce heat and glare, and protect your furniture and furnishings from fading.

Stunning pure™ pinoleum (right) creates a dappled shade, available with a choice of Farrow & Ball™ wood weaves.

conservatory Call now, or visit our inspirational website

0800 071 88 88 conservatory BLINDS limited BLINDS www.conservatoryblinds.co.uk

limited

Britain’s favourite family-owned specialists

Britain’s favourite family-owned specialists

www.countrygardener.co.uk

conservatory

BLINDS limited Britain’s favourite family-owned specialists

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Herefordshire’s Most Inspirational Plant Centre

Newent Plant Centre @ The Nest, Little Verzons, Ledbury

Summer is the perfect time to wander around our Garden Displays - you can even sit and enjoy the delights of our plants.

Our Annual Heuchera Festival Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th September Learn all about these fabulous plants plus more NEW varieties for 2016 Free talk and tour “Behind the Scenes” of our Nursery at 2pm each day Over 100 varieties of Heuchera, Heucherella and Tiarella Trailing Varieties for Hanging Baskets too

Friendly advice always available from Mark and the team ‘Collectors Corner’ of unusual and hard to find plants

A417 LEOMINSTER

Verzons Hotel HEREFORD

A438

Trumpet Inn

LEDBURY

Newent Plant Centre @ The Nest

A4172 DYMOCK & NEWENT

Find us @ just 3 miles west of Ledbury on the A438

Open 7 Days a week Newent Plant Centre @ The Nest, Little Verzons, Hereford Road, Ledbury. HR8 2PZ Tel: 01531 670121 Email: enquiry@newentplantcentre.co.uk

www.newentplantcentre.co.uk RHS Gold Medalists

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