WFGA Spring 2024 Newsletter

Newsletter WFGA News, workshops, plants

Spring 2024

NEW GARDENS

Welcome to the following new training gardens:

The Hurst Quarrymill Cottage

Upper Cothal Mill

Girton College

Abbots House

Pembury Hall

Brotherwick House

Cambo Gardens

Combermere Abbey

The Blooming Wild Nursery

The Manor at Birkby Brantwood

Dear Members,

Spring is always an exciting time, with so much to do in the garden and so much to look forward to.

We have some fantastic events coming up at wonderful gardens, including Propagation workshops in East Sussex and Newcastle upon Tyne and a Kitchen Garden Skills Day at Hampton Court. We’re also increasing our online courses and along with the ever popular, Plant Classification workshop and Self-Employed Gardeners: How to Grow and Develop your Business, we now have some great Garden Design courses.

This year we’ll be holding our AGM on 18th May. This will be an online event and is open to all our members. Please find more details on the website.

Welcome to our new gardens! We really value the support of all our gardens and the work they do supporting WRAGs. I’m delighted that so many of you have decided to take on a trainee and to pass on your skills and knowledge. It is always a pleasure to hear about the progress a trainee is making and the value they add to a garden with their enthusiasm and passion.

Best wishes

Sue Reed, Chair

Fritillaria and Narcissus emerging

Hydrangea Skills Day at Plas Cadnant

One of Britain’s best loved gardens opens its doors for a WFGA practical skills day to learn all about pruning the wide range of Hydrangeas that grow there

The name ‘The Hidden Gardens of Plas Cadnant’ says it all. Rather like the Lost Gardens of Heligan, these beautiful gardens combine the formality of a walled garden with a naturalistic Himalayan valley, full of spring flowering gems that make the most of the seaside microclimate. But being on Anglesey, tucked away on the much less visited coast of North Wales, these gardens have been hidden from the public gaze until fairly recently. Now that they have been nominated as one of Britain’s ‘Best Loved Gardens’ that is all set to change.

Garden owner Anthony Taverner has spent the last thirty years restoring the formal elements and planting up the valley and hillsides pretty much from scratch. The Head Gardener, Chris Pilkington, shares Anthony’s love of unusual trees and shrubs, and as a former teacher he is particularly keen to share that knowledge.

Luckily for the WRAGS trainees that have worked in the garden over the last couple of years, and for other WFGA members that have attended a recent skills day there, many of these unusual plants are labelled. This helps when it comes to identifying the staggering array of Camellias, Azaleas and Rhododendrons, not to mention Bamboos, Acer and other choice climbers and trees.

The skills day in February was actually concerned with Hydrangea – a genus very well represented at Plas Cadnant. The early spring prune actually begins there before Christmas, as the maritime climate is so benign, but mainly because there are so many, they would never get through them all in time. Chris was therefore very happy when WFGA turned up with a dozen keen members, secateurs in hand. We began with a tour of the wonderful gardens, descending down past waterfalls and rock faces that require mountaineering skills to maintain. Then a brief classroom session in the visitor centre to learn the basics of pruning Hydrangeas, beginning with the admonition “put those loppers away” unless you are chopping something that is already on the ground. Secateurs or pruning saws only should be used.

Then out into an area of the garden that is not usually open to the public, a beautiful mound outside the house, brim-full of Anthony’s early plantings, some of which were beginning to intrude on the narrow winding paths. We learnt our macrophyllas from our paniculatas, our arborescens from our serratas, most of whom thankfully need similar treatment. In no time we were happily snipping away, encouraged by Chris to “go for it” if anxious about a cut or CTFO, an acronym learned during his early training days which is probably best left to your imagination.

In April Chris will be sharing his more artistic skills, constructing the intricate tracery of plant supports for the sweet peas, climbing beans and large herbaceous perennials in the walled garden using hazel and birch cut from the adjoining woodland.

https://www.wfga.org.uk/product/menai-bridgenatural-staking-in-the-kitchen-garden-andherbaceous-borders/

So join us then – you can even make a weekend of it in one of the many lovely holiday cottages on the estate.

https://plascadnant.co.uk/2/en-GB/THE-HIDDENGARDENS

Kate Nicoll

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR LATEST WRAGS GRADUATES

Jodie Miller, Lorna Hemmings, Rhiannon Thomas, Naomi Rose, Grace Kyne-Lilley, Nerys Withington, Mandy Corser, Anna Emery, Laura Maxim, Naomi Djikman, Ian Wright, Paula Hayward, Taissa Csaky, Sue Pugh, Lou Crouch, Deborah Lockett, David Ibbotson, Mandy Kent, Alison Francis, Lucy Gilham, Kaori Fujiki, Joanna Randall, Lara Christen, Merlin Swanson, Nick Swanson, Rebecca Sheen, Holly Porter, Edward Johnson

JOIN US AND ENJOY OUR GARDENING BENEFITS

 apply for our unique, practical, horticultural training scheme, WRAGS and spend a year working and learning in a beautiful garden

 join our workshops, practical skills days and garden visits

 get help in your garden from our enthusiastic trainees

 network through our forum, newsletters and social media

 access bursary opportunities

 discounts on gardening accessories

For more information go to: www.wfga.org.uk or contact admin@wfga.org.uk

Annual General Meeting

Our AGM this year will be held on-line, so please do join us if you are able

WFGA Annual General Meeting 18th May 2024

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the WFGA will be held at 10.30am, Saturday 18th May via video conference.

AGENDA

Chairman's Welcome Minutes of the 2023 AGM Matters Arising

Chairman's Report

Treasurer Finance Report for 2023 Adoption of the Annual Report and Accounts Election of Trustees

Any Other Business / General Discussion

The minutes of the 2023 AGM are available to all on the Forum on the WFGA website. The 2023 Financial Report will be available on the Forum by 25th April. If you would prefer a printed copy, please contact the office.

We require notice if you wish to attend in order that your invitation to join the conference can be sent to you. You will need to respond by 12pm noon on Thursday 16th May to be included in the email link.

Please go to the website to register your interest in attending the AGM and provide an email address. You will also be able to nominate a proxy if you are unable to attend.

Alternatively visit this link - https://forms.gle/LcbPUVU3ZYBtvk4dA

Thank you.

Digging with Dan

Dan Cartwright, Head Gardener at Winterbourne House and Trustee of the WFGA, tells us all about his tours

Every year, most frequently in the summer months, I lead dozens of guided tours around the garden at Winterbourne, expanding on its history, pointing out seasonal highlights, and talking about our plans for the future.

These tour groups can come from all different walks of life. Many are local societies interested in history or gardening as you might expect, but lots also come from other more unexpected places. They might be professionals from other gardens indulging in a team day out, other university departments (we are a part of the University of Birmingham), or tourists from other countries exploring the city and wider region.

We even run ‘seasonal highlights’ tours that visitors can pre-book in advance as individuals, so that Members and regular visitors don’t miss out too.

I’ve been doing these guided tours for many years now and although it was a very nerveracking experience initially as an in-experienced gardener, anybody who has been on one of my tours in the last few years will tell you that I can talk about the garden at length (perhaps sometimes for a bit too long!).

They are really interesting experiences, and the garden is always changing so hopefully there is always something new and interesting to discuss. Sharing the garden with other people has long been one of my passions so I really enjoy seeing and hearing everybody’s reactions to all the different sights, sounds and smells within it.

I usually get asked lots of questions along the way of course. Some are really surprising and often catch me out! But others recur again and again as people are often intrigued by the same things. Most often people want to know how many people work here and how on Earth we keep the slugs off our hostas (the answers are: 7 gardeners on the garden team, and we don’t, we’re just lucky!).

Evermore frequently now I am asked how we plan to combat the effects of climate change on the garden. There’s a real interest from tour groups in new styles of planting using a new pallet of plants better suited to a typically warmer climate, that are emerging as trends in the wider horticultural industry.

It’s a tricky question for us to answer if the truth be told. As a garden team we’re aware of

the need to meet the demands of a changing climate but we’re also conscious of the garden’s history and its heritage. We are, after all, an Edwardian Arts and Crafts garden at heart.

We’re also aware that climate change, at least in part, doesn’t simply mean warmer weather, but more unpredictable, and volatile, weather patterns that make it far harder to adapt in the garden than it would if we were accounting for a singular trend.

Looking back over the past few years demonstrates this amply. During the winter, although often on average not any colder than usual, temperatures fluctuate dramatically between warm and cold over a prolonged period of time, causing all manner of confusion in the garden with plants starting and stopping into growth as a result.

The summers that follow are equally as challenging. Last year we had a very hot, dry, May and June, and then an uncharacteristically cool and wet July and August. All of this has had a huge impact on the garden as the tender perennials, like salvias and dahlias, that we’ve relied on so heavily in recent years to get us through scorching summer months, sulked in the cold and rain.

I think the answer is that in terms of garden design and planning, there simply is no ‘onesize-fits-all’ policy that can successfully negotiate the uncertainty surrounding our future climate. Instead, as with everybody else, we must experiment and adapt, and make small incremental changes along the way as we learn which plants are resilient enough to overcome this new challenge.

This incremental approach has always served us well and, I think, is a really good philosophy when gardening regardless. Plants often do the opposite to what you expect, so, as gardeners, we always have to be ready to observe what is happening and react accordingly. In my opinion, the best gardens evolve over time and the best gardeners must evolve too, along with them.

So, if you are ever visiting us in the future, don’t expect to see bananas on the Terrace in December any time soon, but you might notice a more diverse range of species, from all over the world, being used in mixed schemes as we make changes to beds and borders to suit. Some of them will work and some of them won’t of course, but when has it ever been any different when gardening?

Daniel Cartwright

Rose Pruning at Ashburnham Place

A wild and wet January day didn’t deter a bunch of hardy WFGA members from making the best of a skills day at Ashburnham Place. We’d organised a Rose Pruning Skills day for mid-January and what with one storm after another (Isha followed by Jocelyn!) were wondering whether to cancel but decided to go ahead and hope for the best.

Once through the gates at Ashburnham the road curves down through woodland and opens out to a wide vista of parkland, trees and sinuous lakes. Rather majestic, even in the rain. From the moment we arrived, we were so well cared for and, after coffee and brownies, headed straight outside with Ornamental Gardens Manager Jay Ashworth who gave us a demonstration of how to prune the climbing and rambling roses that tumble over the walls in the gardens surrounding the house. We soon got stuck in and forgot all about the weather. The considered clipping of what needs to go and the bending and tying in of the long whippy rose stems is such an absorbing and rewarding job that we had a great morning in spite of being pretty soaked by lunchtime.

We had a hot lunch, courtesy of the lovely people at Ashburnham, and then stayed indoors for an afternoon slide show from Jay telling us all about the history of Ashburnham Place and the gardens. It’s a fascinating place and currently home to a serving community of Christians from many traditions. The house is set in 220 acres of ancient woodland, with ornamental and vegetable gardens, an Orangery and two lakes. The gardens are cared for using sustainable gardening principles and are home to rare wildlife wildflowers and birds.

WFGA Member Gabrielle Argent said "I really enjoyed this practical rose pruning workshop at Ashburnham. Being allowed to prune a selection of climbing and rambling roses was such a privilege at this historic Capability Brown garden. The rain didn't dampen our enthusiasm one bit. Jay and her team were so patient and generous with their guidance and advice. The other WFGA members were lovely to work with and chat to over a delicious hot lunch, kindly provided by the chefs and volunteers at Ashburnham.”

Rachel Walton, WRAGS Trainee says “It was fun and relaxed, but really informative too. I felt I learned a lot, with great demos from Jay and then plenty of opportunity to practise. Everyone was so welcoming and willing to

Sarah Farr, our regional manager for East and West Sussex, braved the stormy weather in the middle of winter for a rewarding practical skills day

Photo courtesy of WFGA Member Jan Boyles.

answer questions. I also enjoyed meeting some lovely fellow gardeners - and got to check out a fascinating garden I hadn’t been to before.”

WFGA Member Jan Boyles thought “the day was really enjoyable, in spite of the weather and excellent value for money. It was such a lovely place to be working in and Jay was very welcoming and knowledgeable, and an excellent teacher. Really nice of her to do the notes for us as well. It’s really good to learn by being ‘hands on’ and great to meet, work and chat with other gardeners, as we mostly work alone.”

Sarah Farr

We are delighted to share with you that The Giving Team at the Wiltshire Gardens Trust, have initiated a new grant for members of the WFGA who are WRAGS trainees.

The WFGA are thrilled that WGT wish to assist our members in this way, and that they value the career development that WRAGS can offer to new gardeners in their area. We are grateful to WGT and our Regional Manager, Emma Moffat, for working together to provide this opportunity.

Grants will be made by the WGT for a maximum of £200 towards the purchase of garden tools.

Applicants for the grants must be ;

 WFGA members,

 Are currently training within the WRAGS scheme,

 Have a strong connection to Wiltshire, whether training in a Wiltshire WRAGS Garden or living in Wiltshire

Eligible Applicants will be sent the Application Form by WFGA, when they receive their confirmation of their WRAGS Placement. The application will then be returned directly to the WGT.

For more information on the Wiltshire Gardens Trust, please go to; www.wiltshiregt.org.uk

Fanny Wilkinson – a pioneering horticulturist

Tessa Lovell, the Visitor Experience Manager at Winterbourne, has kindly shared her fascinating research about a remarkable woman

When asked to write something for International Women’s Day, I thought I might wax lyrical about Gertrude Jekyll – the wellknown twentieth century garden designer whose work inspired Margaret Nettlefold’s vision for the garden at Winterbourne. However, I thought I would do a bit of fresh research and, as I delved into internet searches of ‘early women in horticulture’, I stumbled across a name I had never heard before: Fanny Wilkinson.

It seems you must dig a bit deeper to find out about Fanny, who, despite being the first professional female landscape gardener in Britain, was not even mentioned in the Chelsea Flower Show’s 2023 celebration of ‘Women in Horticulture’.

Fanny was born in Manchester in 1855. The eldest of six siblings, her father was a doctor and her mother an American, who was his second wife. The family were quite wealthy,

partly due to her father’s work (he was president of the British Medical Association), but also thanks to his inheritance from his first wife. This included the Middlethorpe Hall estate near York, which the family moved to in 1878. Fanny would therefore have had access to some rather wonderful open spaces; it’s no wonder then that she developed a liking for gardening. What is unusual is that, as a wealthy young lady, she decided to pursue it as a profession, in an age when it was very much still a man’s domain.

In 1881, Edward Milner founded the Crystal Palace School of Landscape Gardening and Practical Horticulture to help people train in horticulture without an apprenticeship. Fanny applied in 1882, was accepted, and became the school’s very first female pupil. To enable her to join the two-year course, which was part practical and part theory, she moved from Middlethorpe to live in London. Here she found herself surrounded by likeminded women. Indeed, she lived next door but one to the famous suffragette Millicent Fawcett with whom she became great friends, and socialised with the pioneering Garrett sisters, who were forging the way for women in the professions of both medicine and interior design. Fanny was surrounded by the Bloomsbury society of strong independent ladies, and her determination to make a career in a man’s world would have found great support from those around her and their connections.

1878 had seen the passing of the Corporation of London (Open Spaces) Act, whereby the Corporation could acquire land within 25 miles of the city as open space for the recreation and

enjoyment of the public. The Act prompted the formation of the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association (MPGA). When Fanny qualified, she couldn’t have been in a better place to get involved.

She secured the position of Honorary Landscape Gardener with the MPGA in 1884. During her time with them, Fanny designed 75 public gardens in the London area, from large parks such as Myatt’s Fields in Camberwell to churchyards such as St Luke’s Chelsea, Christchurch Spitalfields and Victoria Park Cemetery, renamed Meath Gardens. She led teams comprised 200 men and liked to choose her own workers; when she took private commissioners where she was brought into to manage male gardeners already established in a position, she had ‘great bother with them’.

For her first two years with the MPGA, she was employed on a voluntary basis. In 1886 though, she requested to be paid for her work – a request that was granted. In an interview in 1890 she commented ‘I know my profession and charge accordingly, as all women should’. By 1887, she had also become Kyrle Society’s landscape gardener. The Kyrle Society was founded by Miranda Hill, sister to Octavia Hill, who founded the National Trust. The Kyrle Society’s slogan was ‘bringing beauty to the poor’, with the purpose to ‘co-operate with the National Health Society in securing open-air spaces in poor neighbourhoods to be laid out as public gardens’. One such space was Vauxhall Park, where they supported Millicent Fawcett in a successful campaign to save it from developers. Fanny designed the newly formed park and was presented to the Prince of Wales on its opening in 1905. He apparently complimented her on her work.

In 1902 Fanny became the first female principal of Swanley Horticultural College in Kent. She had been involved in the initial plans to enable the college to admit women in 1891, and the first professional female gardeners to

be employed at Kew in 1896 were graduates. By 1898, female applicants had overtaken male. The college moved to admit women only and was renamed the Swanley Horticultural College for Women in 1902. Although Fanny remained principal until her retirement in 1916, she is not even mentioned in the history of Hadlow College – a descendant of Swanley. Once again, Fanny seems to slip through the net of recognition.

Fanny travelled extensively sharing her knowledge, even taking a trip to America in 1901 to study the colleges’ practices. Now well established in her profession, she exhibited landscape plans at the Glasgow Exhibition in 1888 and the Chicago Exhibition in 1893. She cofounded the Women’s Agricultural and Horticultural Union in 1899, which essentially recruited the Women’s Land Army of the First World War and continues as the Working for Gardeners Association (WFGA) today. How then, can such a groundbreaking, influential woman almost be lost to obscurity?

Fanny passed away in January 1951 at the age of 95. It was not until 2022 that she was recognised by English Heritage for her work, with Blue Plaques being installed at her London home and Middlethorpe. No copies of any of her garden plans survive. She wrote no books, nor kept diaries. Just one interview with her remains from the Women’s Penny Paper in 1890, and if you visit her London gardens, it is only just possible to see the bones of her designs. You really do have to look for Fanny Wilkinson but, when you find her, she proves to have been a remarkable woman.

Tessa Lovell Visitor Experience Manager, Winterbourne House and Gardens

Christine Ladley Fund

To commemorate the life of Christine Ladley, a funding initiative in education, travel and work experience has been established by the Trustees of the WFGA and her partner Lars-Olav Nicolls.

The Fund will provide financial support of projects in both horticulture and agriculture with a desire to see those who seek training, reach and fulfil their goals. This funding is open to all WFGA members of 12 months standing and who are British citizens ordinarily resident with the U.K.

Applicants are invited to present a strong case to receive funding for an activity in pursuit of a new career within the areas of horticulture and agriculture, which they would not otherwise be able to undertake.

The Application form will be available from 1st April 2024. Check our website for more information

RHS STUDENT MEMBERSHIP

All WRAGS trainees are entitled to Student Membership of the RHS. The details are contained in the WRAGS Trainee pack. Please use the information there to contact membership@rhs.org.uk

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