Category: Recycling projects
Pallet Precautions
Click on the title for a useful article about checking to see if that pallet you’re planning to use, is safe.
Old School Gardener
On Tuesday I attended the latest meeting of the national Landscapes for Early Childhood Network, at the Earlham Early Years Centre in Norwich. The Network, which I joined last year, brings together professionals working with young children and those concerned with designing and creating play and other landscapes for them. It provides a powerful creative forum for discussion of ideas and approaches to early years spaces and activities and also gives a wonderful opportunity to visit excellent examples of these landscapes, sometimes in schools or nurseries, sometimes in public open spaces.
I was pleased to speak at this week’s meeting on the topic of ‘learning for sustainability’ (or as I termed it ‘Nurturing Nurture’) – how we encourage children (and adults for that matter), to understand the way the world works, how mankind’s activities affect this and what can be done to live more sustainably. I talked about the word ‘sustainability’ and how this has become rather diluted and misused in modern language, but is really about maintaining an ecological balance in the world where non renewable natural resources are used (and reused) carefully, if at all.
I featured some of my own work in this field, especially working with youngsters in school gardening activities as well as creating play landscapes and other spaces which inspire younger children to develop their curiosity, imagination and understanding of the natural world. I focused in particular on the importance of engaging children in food growing as a way of contributing towards food production and security.
Presentations were also given by other network members on their work, but the main event was to see and hear about the very special ‘garden’ at the Earlham EYC. Felicity Thomas, the original head teacher and her colleagues gave us a wonderful guided tour of the garden (it was great seeing the children busy in it as we went around), and told us about why and how it had been developed. The brief for the original design (which has since evolved over the last ten years), is worth sharing, so I repeat it below along with a slide show of pictures I took (which for security reasons do not include the children). I hope you enjoy them.
‘To create a unique environment for children and others using the Centre which demonstrates sustainable principles in practice, where children can:-
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access a varied topography in scale, contour and texture, incorporating dramatic changes in level, big mounds, large areas of sand in which to prospect.
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plant, grow, harvest and cook food.
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hide and not be seen, find and create places for refuge and reflection; read, share stories and use their imagination.
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go on expeditions and journeys; develop an understanding of positional words by having places to be in, under, behind, below and above.
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experience and understand the elements; interact with moving water, solar power and wind, be protected from the sun.
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explore their senses through plants, materials and elements which provide a myriad of colour, shape, sound, texture and smell.
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independently access equipment and loose materials.
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learn to care and take responsibility for themselves, each other and the environment.
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be happy, be fulfilled.’
Old School Gardener
You may recall I mentioned trying to convert an old wooden bicycle rack into a plant theatre. These are traditionally structures where small specimen plants are put on display- usually in old terracotta pots. Auriculas and Pelargoniums are some of the plants often used. Here’s an example of an Auricula Theatre recently shown at an RHS show.
- Auricula Theatre at an RHS show
To avoid losing the interesting foliage effects (or ‘bloom’) on some varieties of Auricula, its advisable for the plants to have some overhead protection from the rain. Having recently completed an Alpine planter for the Courtyard here at the Old School Garden (which is now looking splendid- I’ll put some pictures in my next ‘Dear Walter’ letter), I thought this would add another interesting feature. Here’s what the bicycle rack looked like before I got to work on it.
- The old Bike Rack before it’s makeover
It is a relic of the local School at Cawston and must be a good 50- 60 years old. Having reorganised our sheds and so no longer in need of a rack for our bikes, it seemed a good opportunity to recycle something with local historical links. Having measured up and done a rough design, I bought a few planks of pressure-treated gravel boards from a local timber merchant and set to work; measuring out the spacing of the ‘shelves’ that would sit on the angled frame, cutting the notches in this to receive the shelves and screwing them home. Having some black wood stain left over from the alpine planter I used this to give the whole thing a unifying finish that would tie it into the courtyard. Here’s the final result, before and after painting, with the six shelves awaiting the addition of plants.
As I have some pelargoniums in pots I think this is what I’ll use the planter for this year, though I’ll need to purchase a few more interesting varieties and source some old 3″ or 4″ pots. Next year I might do a spring display of Primulas (including Auriculas) as well as something for the summer months. I might have to think about an overhead canopy of some sort to protect the Auriculas from rain (maybe some sort of movable ‘pram hood’ that can be pulled over from back to front?)
Once the new planter is planted up I’ll show you how it turns out!
Old School Gardener
Some beautiful creations (man made and natural) all from wood.
‘Garden Art’?
Old School Gardener
It’s been a while since I gathered together examples of garden and outdoor projects involving the use of recycled or upcycled materials. The previous posts have continued to prove popular. Here’s another set of projects from the beautiful, through the practical to the completely wacky!
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- Cooped up, half -timbered style..
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- Signs of spring?
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- How to use bottomless wicker baskets
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- A garden entired…
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- Pallet table with centre planting feature
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- Fun plant pot
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- Planting rack and planter made out of pallets
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- Bottle and Bamboo greenhouse
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- A playground from pallets
Old School Gardener
A great way to introduce children (and playful adults) to imaginative design, growing and caring…..mini gardens.
Old containers like this metal bath are great for putting some limits on the space and provide a focal point in the garden too…..
…and plastic trays can replicate ‘real garden’ shapes…
or maybe you have some old cracked pots?
…let the imagination run wild and create a whole ‘fairy world’…
..or why not let them loose in your big garden?..
..and maybe even add a miniature (recycled) greenhouse..
Old School Gardener
Old School Gardener
Old School Gardener
Picture via Royal Horticultural Society Campaign for School Gardening
Old School Garden 