Category: From the Garden

Water water everywhere

The numbers are in. Yes, March was indeed the wettest month. In fact the wettest for 8 years.

Our Education Officer Ann Brookman has been keeping records and sharing the readings with our school visitors for a while now. Her figures certainly bear out our own gut (wellboot) feelings that its been a drearily damp month.

This March we had a whopping 92mm. The driest year was way back in 2012 with a mere 14.5 millimetres

No doubt some of those extra millimetres come from this year’s snow melt but, even so, the hike

from the previous high (60mm in 2013) is pretty spectacular.

Our grass has certainly suffered this month too. The gardeners have been spending this week

tamping down and reseeding some of the paths that have been churned up by traffic in the snow

and rain.

The lovely new stretch tent (from Tentickle) on the lawn, while providing us and the public some good shelter, has been rather too efficiently gathering the water into little swimming pools on the roof. Good job it’s stretchy.

Ah well… April showers to come…..

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#wegrowtogether: a guide to companion planting

There’s a lot of wisdom out there amongst professional and amateur gardeners. Much folklore and science knowledge handed down from generation to generation. 

In the post second world war  ‘nuke everything with a chemical’ era, a lot of native knowledge about what grew well with what, was lost and indeed strongly poo-poohed as ‘magic’ and superstition.

Thankfully since then, largely due to the Organic Gardening lobby, a more rational approach and some good scientific studies have been instrumental in making the practice of ‘companion planting’ an accepted practice amongst mainstream gardeners.

In our veg. and herb garden (the Batty Langley), we tend to mix some pre-18th century practices with some modern wisdom. We don’t use chemicals and plant calendula, nasturtiums, borage, comfrey etc plants amongst the vegetables to encourage beneficial insects.

On the Schools plot we have also experimented with ‘Three Sisters’ planting. This is a techniques used primarily by native north american peoples and combines three main agricultural crops winter squash, maize (corn), and climbing beans.

“The three crops benefit from each other. The maize provides a structure for the beans to        climb, eliminating the need for poles. The beans provide the nitrogen to the soil that the other  plants use, and the squash spreads along the ground, blocking the sunlight, helping prevent the establishment of weeds. The squash leaves also act as a “living mulch”, creating a microclimate to retain moisture in the soil, and the prickly hairs of the vine deter pests. Corn, beans, and squash contain complex carbohydrates, essential fatty acids and all eight essential amino acids, allowing most Native American tribes to thrive on a plant-based diet.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sisters_(agriculture)

There is quite a lot of information out there on the web but we thought we would share a guide made by one of our helpful commercial partners, FirstTunnels.

Click here to be taken to their very comprehensive site

https://www.firsttunnels.co.uk/page/Companion-Planting-Guide

 

 

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Love Drawing… make a date for our monthly sessions

We are delighted to welcome back the ‘flower fairies’ from Birmingham Society of Botanical Artists.

Birmingham Society of Botanical Artists logoLast year the talented artists from the Society sat in the Garden, the greenhouse, the visitor centre whichever was the most comfortable, and drew together, once a month.

They are back again this year starting on Valentine’s Day, Wednesday 14th at 1.30pm

They invite anyone to join them, in companionship, for a couple of hours each month

Each season has a fresh thing to discover; an early apricot, a humble seedhead or a spectacular flower. some decided to follow a tree the whole year around, others had a go at whatever they found.

Love drawing, but too shy to show anyone?
Well come along on these monthly Wednesday afternoons. Everyone is welcome to take their ‘line for a walk’, with pencil and paper in a relaxed and non-judgemental atmosphere. Draw in companionship.
And… if you do want advice and comment, then the artists are on hand to helpyou out.
LOVE drawing this Valentine’s Day …make it a monthly date.

The second Wednesday in the Month – 1.30 -3.30pm

Bring your own materials or take advantage of some basic pen and paper we’ll provide.

Normal entry fees apply but (basic)materials and support are free

 

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The Strawberry Tree

  The Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo) is a easy tree or shrub to identify, having both flowers and fruit present at the same time. The strawberry (or I think more like lychee) like fruit take up to a year to ripen, so as last year’s fruits turn red, the flowers that will form next year’s fruit start to appear. The fruit is said to be edible, although not very tasty, which may be hinted at in it’s Latin name ‘unedo‘; coming from unum edo ‘I eat one’ – meaning after you have eaten one you wouldn’t want another one? Having not yet tried one I couldn’t say! Which is good news for the birds, leaving plenty of fruit for them to feast on during the colder months.

A member of the Ericaceae family of plants, most commonly known as heather, the flowers bear a strong resemblance to those of heathers, with bell-like downward facing flowers in small clusters.

You may have also seen this plant in a well known Morris & Co. design, used in fabrics and wallpapers where you can clearly see the red fruits and white flowers.

Have a wander down to the Lower Wilderness to have a closer look at these interesting plants..

 

 

 

 

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Work with us…Lead Gardener wanted

A rare opportunity has arisen.  Can you help manage and grow this magnificent historic Garden?

We are looking for a full time, experienced and qualified Lead Gardener to manage the Gardens alongside our volunteers and to play an active role in making the visitor experience of our 10 acre site the best in the city – and beyond!

See below for details and attached is a shareable document. Please circulate to those you think may relish this role (closing date 15th December).

A rare opportunity to look after a unique and well-loved historic garden nestled in the middle of a city landscape.

The 10 acres of historic formal gardens – with wilder wildlife areas – is owned and run by a small independent charitable trust and staffed mainly by volunteers.

The Trust is going through a period of change and development in order to ensure the long-term future of the Gardens.

We are looking for a full-time Gardener who can take a lead role in maintaining the standards of the 18th century styled Gardens and work positively with the Trust to ensure the success of its growing visitor engagement programmes and other charitable business developments.

You will be a qualified gardener (RHS level3 or equivalent vocational experience) with existing, and proven, management and budgeting experience.

As well as having hands-on horticultural and grounds maintenance skills, your experience will also include working with a diverse volunteer workforce.

Terms

Salary: £19,500 – £22,000 commensurate with experience

Hours: based on 37.5 hours per week

Ability & willingness to work certain weekends; bank holidays & event days essential

This is a permanent contract, on completion of a satisfactory probation period.

 Purpose and scope of the role.

You will be responsible, in partnership with the Trust’s other staff, for the overall management and development of the Gardens, ensuring the highest standards of horticulture and visitor experience.

  • You will supervise, mentor ‘junior’ staff, foster good relations with contractors and manage our varied community of volunteers, fostering a culture of good teamwork.
  • Volunteers in the gardens currently range across all abilities and time commitments. Some are solely project based, temporary, have additional needs or come in groups as part of partnerships in the community. Others provide a committed, stable and often highly skilled regular commitment.
  • Managing and balancing workload tasks with volunteers is a major aspect of this post
  • Health and Safety: You will ensure that you and the working teams comply with procedures to manage risk to the public, staff, volunteers and contractors.  Ensuring that risk assessments are carried out in line with Trust guidance for works you are supervising and monitor compliance with safety procedures.
  • You will be involved in supporting quality visitor engagement within the Gardens to deliver the best possible visitor experience.
  • Our growing programme of events, hire and family friendly activities are core aspects contributing to the Trust’s long term future.
  • Your active participation in planning and positive support for preparation and delivery is key. This will involve some weekend and bank holiday working – by negotiation.
  • Alongside the General Manager, you will manage the modest gardens and maintenance budget and plan for appropriate purchases and growing tasks throughout the year.
  • You will monitor and control the resources delegated to you, improving cost efficiency wherever possible.

 Knowledge, skills and experience needed

  • Significant practical experience in horticulture, with qualifications to RHS Level 3 or equivalent.
  • A good level of plantmanship/plant husbandry skills with a good range of horticultural techniques. A practical knowledge of conservation and historic gardens will be a distinct advantage.
  • Leadership skills including coaching, motivation and excellent communication.
  • Experience of working with volunteers is essential. Volunteer teams at the Garden are varied in experience, skill and ability. The post holder will need to quickly grasp what can be achieved and find how to lead and motivate them.
  • Proven track record of managing small budget, finances and small projects.
  • Experience of assessing and managing risk. Knowledge of all Health and Safety and relevant compliance requirements.
  • A practical understanding of the needs of the visiting public. The Gardens are open 7 days a week to paying visitors. We run a public programme of small events, largely at weekends, as well as extensive schools and family friendly activities.
  • An entrepreneurial streak. We are looking to expand our ‘growing to sell’ projects as well as other ways to help financially support the Gardens.

About the Gardens

The Gardens are a restored, formal garden in the 17th /18th century style. There are formal lawns and box, yew, hornbeam and holly hedging throughout (2.5km in total)

  • Formal beds (upper and lower wilderness) with trees, shrubs, evergreens and annual underplanting.
  • Formal and semi-formal bedding areas, again in the 18th century ‘block’ style.
  • Two box and yew parterres, a 17 metre x 2.5 metre holly walk and a holly maze.
  • Two heritage apple and pear orchards with further espaliered wall fruit and trees.
  • A formal vegetable garden and medicinal /culinary herb borders.
  • 2 acres of the Gardens exist outside the 18th century walls. These are mainly cultivated for wildlife and used extensively for family and schools activities. There are 3 ponds (one formal, 2 natural).

Closing date for Applications  15th December 2017

Interviews … week commencing 8th January 2018 (tbc)

Please contact us with your cv and covering letter. For more information or for an informal chat ring Glynis Powell 0121 749 4100, gen.manager@cbhgt.org.uk

Click on the link below to download a shareable .pdf document of the information aboce

FT lead gardener Castle Bromwoich Hall Gardens

 

 

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Kale

This week I planted out 40 Kale plants in the Batty Langley vegetable garden that have been quietly growing along in the greenhouse since September. We are trying three varieties, ‘Red Russian’, ‘Cavolo Nero’ and ‘Borecole – Green Curled Dwarf’.

Kale does well over the colder months, so will hopefully add some interest in the garden over the following darker months. As pigeons take a fancy to stripping the foliage off plants in the Brassica family, the precaution of placing net over the kale plants has been necessary to stop them becoming just tattered stems!

I have used two beds to grow the kale in, with 20 plants in each one, and to create a neat formal look the use of a tape measure was implemented to ensure even spacing.

The botanical name for kale is Brassica oleracea var. acephala, ‘Brassica’ being the genus consisting of cabbages, ‘oleracea’ meaning that the plant can be used as a vegetable and ‘acephala’ meaning ‘without a head’, i.e that the plant is loose leafed rather than with a head as many cultivated cabbages have. Kale has a long history as a food crop, being one of the most important green vegetables in Europe up until the end of the Middle Ages.

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New plants from old

At this time of year a lot of plants are starting to go to seed, so it is a good time to go around and collect some of them so we can grow new plants for next year. Some can be sown straight away (as we are doing so in the greenhouses), others can be stored to be sown in the spring. We are also taking cuttings of some of the plants in the garden, and hopefully by next spring we will have lots of lovely plants to sell or plant back out in the garden.

We are trying seeds collected from plants including Alcea (hollyhock), Lychnis (rose campion), Lupin, Astrantia, Galega (Goat’s Rue), Poppy and Phlomis. Some, such as Lychnis, have already germinated, others we are still eagerly awaiting for signs of life! The interesting thing about seeds is the genetic variation that can occur, so often the resulting plants will show some variation from the parent, especially in the case of the hollyhocks, where the colour of the flowers on each plant will be a surprise!

Cuttings taken include Lavender, Rosemary, Jasmine and Philadelphus. These are all semi-ripe cuttings taken from this year’s growth, so the base is firm but with soft growth still on the tips. They are put in pots together, and then when roots start to show at the base of the pot, they will be separated and given their own pot to grow on. Unlike seeds, cuttings create clones of the parent plant, so you know exactly what you are going to get.

We look forward to seeing how our seeds and cuttings do, and in the meantime they have a trusty guardian to keep an eye on them!

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Harvest…

The Gardens are blessed with 2 apple and pear orchards and espaliered fruit fences all planted with over 60 heritage varieties dating back to the 1500s.

Like many fruit growers we’ve had a mixed year.

Normally we are able to produce a goodly number of single variety fruit juices for sale to our visitors. A radical pruning of the trees last year combined with the weather, has meant the crop this year is almost non-existent. (don’t worry it’s all to the good,we hope for an even bigger crop next year.

Undaunted, our annual Apple day this year will turn its focus to the urban harvest within our local community and the abundance of crab apples and other apple trees on the public land hereabouts. On 15th October it will be ‘Bring a Bottle’ and ‘juice your own’ – our three donated apple presses will be hard at work all day.

Our large veg plot – in 18th century ‘stylee’ the Batty Langley,usually provides a good crop of Cardoons, Artichokes, Squashes and Rhubarb. This year our younger visitors also planted up a runner bean tunnel …their effort have been rewarded with a great crop.

Earlier in the year visitors also helped us plant some special heritage potato varieties.

Early potato varieties, reputedly planted by local hero Sir Matthew Boulton, were re-introduced in the Garden but we have yet to test the taste of the tiny Yam and Congo varieties..

A good crop of Arran Victory, the potato named to celebrate the end of the 1914-18 war, has also been harvested – so we have plenty of seed potatoes for 2018 commemorations.

Together with Highland Burgundy red and Salad Blue, we’re hoping to produce red, white a blue mash!

Come along to our Harvest day Sunday 15th October 2017, 12.30 -4.30

(dont foget bring your apples, some clean bottles… and hopefully after a little elbow grease on the apple presser you’ll take home your very own juicy drink :_)

More details soon

 

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Cyclamen hederifolium

If you take a walk along the top of the Upper Wilderness to the far end and gaze underneath the large Yew tree, you will see the tiny but perfectly formed Cyclamen hederifolium coming into flower. A mixture of pink and white, the tiny flowers appear before the foliage, which as its name suggests is ivy-shaped (‘hederifolium’ coming from the Latin ‘Hedera’ for ivy, ‘folium’ refering to the leave shape). The common name ‘ivy-leaved cyclamen’ is self-explanatory, but its other common name ‘sowbread’ intrigued me. A bit of research concluded that it comes from the fact that ‘The root resembled a loaf and pigs were believed to enjoy eating it’.1  

Cyclamen coils

This plant originates in the Mediterranean, and was introduced into Britain around 1596, so would have been available in the early 18th century when the gardens were at their peak.

After the flowers have been pollinated, the stem coils around to take the seed heads closer to the ground, forming interesting little corkscrews underneath the flowers that you can see if you look closely. The reason they do this is not clear, but a possible theory is that ants may distribute the seeds further from the parent plant. All in all, a very interesting plant that is worth a closer look!

1. Campbell-Culver, M. 2001. Origins of plants: the people and the plants that shaped Britain. London: Headline Book Publishing.

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