Tag Archive: norfolk
A greenhouse to extend the growing season for King’s Lynn’s Lianne. The second project to be funded from the Old School Garden opening last July.
Lianne sowed her first seeds early this summer when she registered with one of Norfolk’s Master Gardeners, Lally Lee. She started with a garden overgrown with brambles and weeds and now is enjoying harvests of onions, salads, beans and various herbs. She’s simply hooked on growing.
Lianne is on a very low income and being able to grow her own is helping to supplement her diet with fresh, organic vegetables and herbs. Her mentor, Lally wanted to provide Lianne with the tools to continue to grow something throughout the winter and get an early start next year with protected seed sowing.
Lally was awarded funds to purchase a mini-greenhouse and some seeds to get Lianne off to a flying start when the growing season takes off again in early Spring. Lianne was delighted:
“A greenhouse is something that I have always wanted to use. To be presented with one makes me happy and proud. I am very grateful for the support, help and kindness of the Garden Organic charity. My sister, Linzi, and I are really looking forward to getting a head start on our vegetables and flowers next spring. I would like to express my gratitude to Master Gardener, Nigel Boldero, for sharing the proceeds of his open garden day this summer, which has enabled this donation“.
Old School Gardener- with thanks to Lally
‘Dull dawn, grey day, and early comes the night,
Now wearisome November’s here again,
With frost to follow frost, then chilling rain,
Or fog comes stealthily, and hides from sight
The dripping world beyond the window pane.
But oh, the glory when the night is clear,
What glittering feast for eyes that scan the skies!
See Jupiter near old Orion rise,
The Bear, the Bull, and Pegasus appear,
And see, a meteor falls, and glows, and dies.
Nearby an owl is calling; now it flies
On silent, velvet wings, while all grows cold.
Frost’s icy fingers woods and fields enfold,
and touch with silver lingering leaves of gold.’
John (Jack) Kett
From ‘A Late Lark Singing’ (Minerva press 1997)
Gold for Norfolk Master Composters
‘Getting their hands dirty – and encouraging others to do the same – has paid off handsomely for Norfolk’s Master Composters who have won a national golden Green Apple Award for helping to stop thousands of tonnes of waste from being landfilled in Norfolk….’
‘
Today it rained; across the evening sky
Grey, ragged ranks of cloud now slowly pass
After the rain away, and out to sea.
Where near the old wood; from a dripping tree
Leaves, damp and yellow, fall upon the grass,
As startled pigeons from their cover fly.
A pheasant calls; gnats dance by ivy blooms;
Among the bracken blood-red brambles run.
The daylight fades, and in the scattered homes
The little windows light up one by one.
In cottage gardens now the beacons glow
Of white Chrysanthemums, defying night;
Pale, cold, the moon glides slowly into sight,
And trees across the fields faint shadows throw.’
‘October Evening’ by Jack Kett
from ‘A Late Lark Singing’ (Minerva Press 1997)
Old School Gardener
If you’ve enjoyed reading this post and others on this blog, why not comment and join others by signing up for automatic updates via email (see side bar, above right ) or through an RSS feed (see top of page)?
Strumpshaw Fen, Norfolk. image via RSPB
Thanks for the memories- Gressenhall Farm & Workhouse Gardens
‘Thordis Fridriksson visits the garden at the former Gressenhall workhouse, and finds the clock turned back both to the 1930s – and her own childhood….’
A lovely artilcle describing the gardens where I am a volunteer gardener.
Related articles:
From Paupers to Pippins – Orchard’s Secret History at Norfolk Museum
Down on the Farm – Gardens to ‘dye’ for at Norfolk Museum…
From Grand entrance to Grand Central at Norfolk Museum
Gypsies, tramps and thieves: garden where poor once trod at Norfolk Museum
Cottage Garden recreates 1930’s at Norfolk Museum
Old Workhouse Garden a wildlife oasis at Norfolk Museum
Unique Heritage Gardens at Norfolk Museum
Old School Gardener
I recently responded to a challenge from fellow blogger, ‘The Anxious Gardener’, to name my favourite garden. This was a light-hearted way of getting people to enter a competition to win a copy of the recent publication ‘The New English Garden’.
The competition was a ‘name out of the hat’ affair so I stood as much chance as winning as the other 30-odd entrants (and I didn’t win, so there’s another item for the Christmas list). Notwithstanding that, I thought I’d try to do the request justice and thought long and hard about where, if any one ‘where’ stood out in front of the many gardens I’ve visited, read about, seen films and pictures of.
It took some time…
In the end I came up with my nomination and set it out here and the reasons why it came out top. Oh, and I thought I’d share some pics with you too. I hope that you enjoy them.
I’ve visited and seen a few gardens over the years and it’s tricky finding one that I’d call a favourite – some have great borders or other spaces, configurations of plants, superb features and so on. Maybe its because it’s relatively fresh in my mind, but the one that does stand out is Felbrigg walled garden in Norfolk (also a local one to me and so visited quite often).
Why? Well I guess it’s the way the garden team (including volunteers and community gardeners), have managed to create a space that meets so many different needs and in a way that seems to hang together naturally:
* a warm, contained, red brick walled space, with a fountain and dovecote as strong structural elements
* glasshouses with old favourite, traditional exotics and other ‘interesting’ plants
* community food growing in plots that are obviously lovingly cared for
* a children’s gardening area complete with digging pits, tools, washing facilities and novelties such as chickens running free, willow teepees and tunnels
* newer areas set out with mediterranean – style planting, meadows and feature shrubs
* plenty of comfortable seats to entice you to stop, look and soak up the atmosphere
* lots of attractive information about the plants themselves (all the significant ones carefully and attractively labelled) as well as some of the current tasks in the garden and information/quiz sheets for the kids.
All in all a visit to Felbrigg is a tremendously rich experience where the general public, serious gardener and trained horticuluralist (and their children) can come together and have their curiosity tickled, be enthused, amazed and go away feeling regenerated.
The Garden- man made artifice?
Do you have a favourite Garden? I’d love to hear from you!! (no prizes I’m afraid)
Further information: National Trust website
Old School Gardener
If you’ve enjoyed reading this post and others on this blog, why not comment and join others by signing up for automatic updates via email (see side bar, above right ) or through an RSS feed (see top of page)?
The clocks are being turned back at Haveringland Church this Harvest. Thanks to vintage farm equipment and enthusiast Graham Kirk from Aylsham we will be re-creating a traditional harvest using his binding machine.
Graham earlier in the year planted his ‘Historic wheat’ around the Church and hoped for good weather. At first nothing happened, but thanks to our wonderful summer the wheat which is a variety used from around 1600, is now perfect for harvesting.
The Vintage Harvest will give 21st century consumers an insight into how harvests were very much a community event before the introduction of combine harvesters. It will be a great opportunity to re-connect with our rural heritage. Friends from Aylsham Town Band will assist with playing some harvest hymns and a short service will include harvest blessing and of course the hymn ‘We Plough the Fields and Scatter.’
Haveringland Church stands at the end of the old Swannington World War II runway. There is a memorial stone dedicated to the service men who flew from the base at the entrance of the Church.
Old School Garden 