Tag Archive: walled garden


Shaping up at Blickling

Filed under: Blickling Hall- rebirth of the Walled Garden, Community Gardening, Heritage Gardens & gardening — 3 Comments
25/04/2016

WP_20160421_10_36_32_ProMy latest session at Blickling was spent in the Walled Garden, once more. On my way I stopped to look at the wonderful display of Tulips in the Double Borders, caught in the early morning sun.

tulips in the Double Borders….
…evidence of smaller gardening hands at work…

As I arrived it was clear that a lot had happened in the Walled Garden since last week- mainly that the grass paths had been turfed. These really look great, and I also saw that the first prototype metal arch had been installed at one end of the central path… this will eventually be a ‘fruit arch’ covering the entire length of this path.

Prototype for the arched pathway
turfed paths

One group of volunteers were set to weeding in the Parterre garden, whilst the two Petes and a new volunteer, Chris and I were detailed to path edging (Norfolk Pete) and digging (yes, you guessed it!) and mulching some borders which will be home to an array of cut flowers, all ready and waiting to go in from the nearby cold frames.

Auusie Pete and Chris mulch spreading
…rady to go- cut flower plants..
..and the grennhouses getting fuller

We moved over to one of the quarter beds and dig some double digging- the three of us in line. Or rather, ‘bastard digging’ (!) , so Mike tells me as he says ‘double digging would involve incorporating some organic matter in the trenches before turning in the next spit of topsoil.

Norfolk Peter- a bolting we will go...

Norfolk Peter- a bolting we will go…

‘Norfolk Pete’ spent the day bolting in some joining plates for the metal edging, which appears to be nearly complete. I saw a large pile (some 120 tonnes) of Carr Stone in the orchard, which is waiting to be put down as the base for the hard paths , which will have peas shingle laid on top. A bit of path near the potting shed had been finished off as a trial run and it does look neat. mike said we may spend next week laying and raking this gravel over the rest of the paths, the Carr stone having been rammed hard. Carr Stone (the gingerbread coloured sand stone found in West Norfolk), when broken down, provides a perfect sandy path sub surface; it binds together well and is hard wearing.

The Carr Stone awaits…
…and what the paths will eventuially look like…modelled by Norfolk Peter!

Further Information:

Blickling Hall website

Blickling Hall Facebook page

A 360 degree tour of Blickling Hall

Old School Gardener

 

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Basic Training at Blickling

Filed under: Blickling Hall- rebirth of the Walled Garden, Community Gardening, Heritage Gardens & gardening — Leave a comment
19/04/2016
The Black Garden with its newly gravelled surface -one of the best views in the garden

View across the Black Garden with its newly gravelled surface; the ‘classic’ view of Blickling

It’s Thursday, so it must be …digging at Blickling!

My latest session involved working with ‘Aussie Pete’ in preparing the soil on some of the paths, ready for turfing next week. you may recall that there are two areas where grass paths cross two of the quarters of the Walled Garden? I’ve lost count of the times we seem to have moved soil, dug it over etc, but after being trodden and barrowed over for a few weeks, it certainly needed ‘fluffing up’ to ensure the turf, when it’s laid, takes easily to the soil underneath.

Aussie Pete 'fluffing up' the soil for some grass paths

Aussie Pete ‘fluffing up’ the soil for some grass paths

‘Norfolk Pete’ was off putting in the remaining lengths of metal edging around the Walled Garden, whilst the remainder of the volunteers were set to weed and aerate the soil in the border beds which are being used to grow cut flowers. Gardener Rebecca was confined to the potting shed sowing trays of veg which are starting to fill the greenhouses.

Weeding in the Cut Flower border

Weeding in the Cut Flower border

During the day we met three new volunteers who will join us next time (assuming they haven’t been put off!) and ‘Aussie Pete’ disappeared for an hour or two in the morning to do some initial training as a ‘Garden Guide’- one of those volunteers that take people around the gardens and give them useful information on its history, layout and challenges. I’ve thought of volunteering to do this as I enjoy meeting the public, but for now my schedule doesn’t allow this…still in a year or two, maybe?

Having made pretty good progress with the soil forking over, I think Project Manager Mike must have felt sorry for me, as he asked if I’d like to do some work on the newly planted soft fruit bushes. I do enjoy pruning and tying in, and so this was a welcome relief from the digging.

Newly planted fruit bushes beign given ‘basic training’ by Project Manager Mike..
A fan trained Redcurrant after I’d been to work…

You may recall that a week or two ago I mentioned some oak trunks being taken to a local sawmill to be turned into posts and other items? The posts will secure wires that these fruit bushes will be trained against, and Mike was keen to get them pruned and tied in to temporary canes to begin their ‘basic training’. So, I set to work on three varieties of gooseberries, and some redcurrants and wine berries (volunteer Pam says these are gorgeous). Some of the plants are being grown as straight cordons, others as fans.

Though a bit fiddly (I’d succeeded in cutting my finger with a bread knife the day before, so my elastoplasted finger wasn’t the most nimble), this was an enjoyable task that took me up to lunch time. After that ‘Aussie Pete’ returned and we continued to finish off fluffing up the soil for the grass paths …so we will possibly be turf laying next time….

Daffodils alongside the main avenue…
..tulips starting to do their stuff…
…in the double borders…
…gravelled surface in the Black Garden…
…and this is the progress we’ve made in the Walled Garden over a year…phew!

Further Information:

Blickling Hall website

Blickling Hall Facebook page

A 360 degree tour of Blickling Hall

Old School Gardener

 

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Temporary Quarters at Blickling

Filed under: Blickling Hall- rebirth of the Walled Garden, Community Gardening, Heritage Gardens & gardening — 2 Comments
11/04/2016
Hyacinth 'Blue Jacket' putting on a show- and fragrance

Hyacinth ‘Blue Jacket’ putting on a show- and fragrance

Another Wednesday session this week at Blickling, and, you guessed it, more spade work!

It was a showery day, so the waterproof was never far away…at one point we had an almost horizontal driving shower of hail to contend with. Anyway, my first job in the Walled Garden was to dig a trench (and half) with my fellow volunteers to provide a temporary home for a rather large number of Black Mongo Grass (Ophiopogon) plants which had been removed from the Black Garden.

All trenched in…
…Ophiopogon (Black Mongo Grass)

I’d noticed a digger hard at work in this important area near the Double borders; I’m pleased to say that the grass (or rather mud) surface of this area was being replaced with gravel and a slight remodelling was underway too. This area is heavily trafficked and the grass surface soon cuts up over the season, so something tougher is required.

Whacking down the path base- this will have gravel laid over…
…many edge plants removed, some levelling up and a bit of tweking to the design…
…but gravel isd the answer to the heavy traffic problem in the ‘Black Garden’

The Mongo Grass provide an important ‘floor’ to the planting here which features spring tulips and summer Black Elder amongst other ‘black’ plants. It is also home to a large bench which provides one of the best views at Blickling across the parterre, towards the Hall and the Lake beyond.

There were plenty of plants to place out and some of the other volunteers helped Gardener Rebecca pot some up for sale. I’d also noticed a large number of potted Roses, recently delivered and waiting placing out to fill gaps in the Rose Garden.

Plenty of roses waiting to be planted out in the Rose Garden

Plenty of roses waiting to be planted out in the Rose Garden

After this work- the plants didn’t require any special watering in as the rain came and went- we turned our attention to preparing the ground for the raspberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants and gooseberries that will occupy a quarter of the walled garden.

All is mucked in... forked over lines for soft fruit in the Walled Garden

All is mucked in… forked over lines for soft fruit in the Walled Garden

So having moved the piles of muck from the other side of the garden a few weeks ago, we now moved it (again) along lines that Mike had set out; to finish off we incorporated this into the top soil and so the ground is ready for planting. A digger had already been here to deep dig the soil, so, though I was still digging and forking this week, I managed to avoid yet more double digging!

The first Tulips are starting to show in the double borders

The first Tulips are starting to show in the double borders

Further Information:

Blickling Hall website

Blickling Hall Facebook page

A 360 degree tour of Blickling Hall

Old School Gardener

 

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More double digging at Blickling

Filed under: Blickling Hall- rebirth of the Walled Garden, Community Gardening, Heritage Gardens & gardening — 2 Comments
05/04/2016
This week's efforts- double digging in the Walled Garden

This week’s efforts- double digging in the Walled Garden

Back to Thursday this week at Blickling, so it was good to see the rest of that day’s volunteer team again.

On my way into the gardens I noticed an orange MG spots car and some people filming- apparently it was for an edition of  ‘Antiques Road Trip’ due to be aired on BBC TV in the autumn.

After our initial meet up in the bothy (the old one) I didn’t see much of the others apart from Norfolk Peter, who joined me in double digging one of the beds in the Walled Garden.

Penstemons potted up- just a few

Penstemons potted up- just a few

The rest of the team were potting up Penstemons prior to their planting out next to the double borders (once the Hyacinths have gone over). I was also pleased to see that a lot of new plants were nestling in the old cold frames along side the glasshouses, all showing their first leaves and promising a good summer show.

After about 4 hours digging Peter and I had finished about a half of one quarter of one quarter of the walled garden! The soil is a bit of a clayey loam and quite stony (it was a car park for a time, I think), so it was a bit harder going than on my sandy loam at home. Having said this, I suppose I ought to subtract the trenches Aussie Peter and I dug a few weeks ago for the trained fruit…

Norfolk Peter resting on his spade after a hard day's digging

Norfolk Peter resting on his spade after a hard day’s digging

Anyway, I think that means we completed about a thirty second of the total area, excluding the side borders. Whilst some areas will be trenched rather than completely double dug, and I think Project Manager Mike is not planning to bring all of the garden into full cultivation this season, that still leaves quite a bit to do…hopefully our fellow volunteers on other days will make a contribution, otherwise I will have to plead to be put onto ‘light duties’!

Further Information:

Blickling Hall website

Blickling Hall Facebook page

A 360 degree tour of Blickling Hall

Old School Gardener

 

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Great Garden @ Knightshayes

Filed under: Great Gardens, Heritage Gardens & gardening — Leave a comment
17/03/2016

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En route to West Devon recently we had time for a brief afternoon stop at this wonderful National Trust property just outside Tiverton.

The house was built by Sir John Heathcoat Amory, the grandson of John Heathcoat, creator of the mechanised bobbin lace making machine and owner of a lace factory in Tiverton.

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The foundation stone was laid in 1869, but it was not until 1873 that the elaborate interior designs were completed. William Burges, designer of Knightshayes, had a rocky relationship with the family and was fired half way through the project, leaving his imaginative vision incomplete.

Burges was replaced by another reputable designer, John Dibblee Crace, who turned out to be another ill-fated choice. Much of Crace’s work was covered up by the family, but later restored by the Trust.

We only had time to see the ‘Gothic Revival’ house and its colourful interiors (the Trust has imaginatively opened up some of the unrestored rooms too)  and quick tour of the formal gardens. These were originally designed by Edward Kemp (1817-1891), a reputable landscape gardener, but it fell into decline by the 1920s. Rescued by Sir John and Lady Heathcoat Amory, after the Second World War, the garden became one of the finest in England, winning the highest horticultural awards, with more than 1,200 species unique to Knightshayes. This garden has a very strong structure created by extensive Yew hedging and some amusing topiary animals scampering along the tops!

The restored Walled Garden was also an interesting spot, with its steeply sloping site being used to grow vines the ‘French Way’.

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Knightshayes is certainly worth another, longer visit, when we can also explore the woodland garden… on the way out we stopped at a new ‘natural play’ site which cleverly uses three huge toppled oak trees to create a series of walkways, swing points, tunnels and other features.

Further information: Knightshayes National Trust website

Old School Gardener

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Getting the Angles Right at Blickling

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15/03/2016
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The final solution for the trained fruit trees along the central path?

This week’s session at Blickling was easier- at least to begin with- than the previous few. Norfolk Peter and I were detailed to measure out the positions of the new trained fruit  around the edges and across the middle of the Walled Garden.

Placing and tying in canes to mark the planting positions was pretty straightforward around the perimeter- Mike plans for these to be vertically planted and then trained. Then we needed a bit of discussion about the central path, where Mike wants to put in some angled cordons for apples and pears. Putting them all in at 45 degrees and pointing the same way proved problematic; we ended up with plants placed too close to the concrete footings of the metal posts and some cordons would have to wrap around the corners or there would be gaps at the upper sections if we stuck rigidly to the spaces between each post…

Spring bulbs in the glade near the Walled Garden
Early Spring sunshine lighting up the Hall…
…and the buds on this Magnolia are ready to burst…

After a bit of trial and error we came up with a combination of outwardly angled and a vertical espalier for each complete stretch of the wire and posts; this would mean some cordons growing over the intermediate metal posts and the angle would have to be steeper than 45 degrees. But overall it seemed to be a pleasing arrangement, and after they were in place I could see two other advantages; the design would visually slow you down as you proceeded along the path (rather than being hastened through if they had all be pointing in the same direction) and the angles nicely framed the other central path where these cross.

Welcome to the Walled garden…coerm May, hoopefully, it will be fully open ..
The bothy contnues to progress with electrical fixing and decoration underway
Some of last year’s kitchen garden border still looking interesting..

The rest of the volunteers were off digging over the parterre alongside the Hall, removing dead or dying Catmint and roses and replanting with new stock.

After lunch, having finished off the cane placing, Peter helped Mike measure up the splendid carved oak top trim for the new noticeboard and I barrowed in some soil and manure along the borders in the walled garden in preparation for the planting out of the many new plants that seem to be arriving in time for my next session… so next time it will be more gardening, less construction.

Another part of the wonderful, carved oak trim for the noticeboard…
…and Head Gardener Paul discussing its fixing with Peter..

Further Information:

Blickling Hall website

Blickling Hall Facebook page

A 360 degree tour of Blickling Hall

Old School Gardener

 

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Fully Glazed at Blickling

Filed under: Blickling Hall- rebirth of the Walled Garden, Community Gardening, Heritage Gardens & gardening — 2 Comments
07/03/2016

WP_20160303_12_57_32_ProThe pace is quickening in the Walled Garden at Blickling. Having missed a session, I returned to discover the second Glasshouse restored and looking wonderful, with work to install the cold frames under way.

Cold Frames under contruction

Cold Frames under construction

The beuatifully restored Glasshouse…
…and inside- soon to be filled with seed trays?

I discovered that in my absence my fellow volunteers – ‘Aussie’ Pete and ‘Norfolk’ Pete – had been busy painting the metal posts that will carry wires for trained fruit.

Aussie Peter getting to grips with the painting

Aussie Peter getting to grips with the painting

In my latest session Aussie P continued with this, whilst Norfolk P and I finished off double digging between these posts in preparation for the fruit bush planting.

Project Manager Mike was well into asembling the wires, including the straining bolts that enable them to be tensioned.

Fruti Fence well underway…
Mike wiring it up..
..straining bolts to tension

And in the new bothy, work was underway to fit a new kitchen. In here I also saw a wonderful carved oak panel that will sit atop the oak noticeboard installed near the entrance, installed some weeks ago.

Sneak preview...part of the carved oak rail to be set atop the new noticeboard

Sneak preview…part of the carved oak rail to be set atop the new noticeboard

A new kitchen for the new bothy

A new kitchen for the new bothy

Whilst we three set to in the walled garden the remaining volunteers went about cutting back and tidying the borders around the moat to the house, which contain a bank of perennial Fuchsias.

After lunch it was a case of ‘all hands  to the wheel’.

As the house was due to open in a couple of days a big effort was needed to clear away the excavations that have been underway to install the Lake Source Heat  system I reported on a few weeks ago.

Along with a digger, tractor and trailer, which were used to remove some sloppy spoil, we loaded barrows and filled in a trench with crushed concrete, which was later smoothed nad compacted before having gravel spread to restore the pathway near the House.

Intense activity in a confined space...restoriung a path near the house

Intense activity in a confined space…restoriung a path near the house

Serious ‘Yakka’ once more, but a satisfying bit of work as the gardening staff and volunteers pulled together amidst the usual banter….

Further Information:

Blickling Hall website

Blickling Hall Facebook page

A 360 degree tour of Blickling Hall

Old School Gardener

 

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Double Digging at Blickling

Filed under: Blickling Hall- rebirth of the Walled Garden, Community Gardening, Heritage Gardens & gardening — Leave a comment
25/02/2016
The newly refurbished Bothy is nearing completion; a home for gardening volunteers, office and shop for the produce to come

The newly refurbished Bothy is nearing completion; a home for gardening volunteers, office and shop for the produce to come

I worked with recent volunteer recruit, Peter (another Peter, this one with an Australian accent), in this week’s voluntary gardening at Blickling. Whilst the other Peter got on with some welding of the metal edging in the walled garden, ‘Aussie’ Peter and I double dug some stretches of soil where new fruit bushes will be planted and trained into espaliers along wires.

Not much evidence of our hard wrok, but these stretches of soil are now ready to be planted up with fruit trees

Not much evidence of our hard work, but these stretches of soil are now ready to be planted up with fruit trees

The rest of the volunteers did some more tidying of the borders in the Orangery Garden. To the crackle of welding torch and a digger (driven by ‘Dud’), which Mike had got in to dig over the surface of the top beds, Peter and I got into some serious ‘Yakka’, as Peter called it.

I gather this is an aboriginal term for ‘hard work’. Well it was. Not helped by a slight back ache I’d had for a few days (after overloading the firewood basket at home). Still, we soon got into a rhythm and entered ‘into the zone’- that wonderful mental state where the unconscious mind takes over and you do things on ‘autopilot’. But this didn’t stop us having a good natter, exchanging life and family backgrounds, football and so on.

Meanwhile Project Manager, Mike and Gardener Rob were trying to install some of the remaining metal edging alongside the northern border, which the other Peter duly helped cut up into the right lengths.

Some of Peter’s welding work, to provide strong corners to the metal path edging
Peter cutting some edging to length with Mike looking on
‘Dud’ at work with his digger, scraping back the top of the soil in the top beds; several lumps of concrete appeared…

A couple of days earlier I’d attended the Blickling ‘Mid Winter Meeting’ at the local High School. This is an opportunity for staff and volunteers to hear from Heads of department about plans for the coming season (the House reopens on 5th March). I thoroughly enjoyed this event, which had some fun, unusual and inspiring talks to get us fired up for the year to come.

My wife has been sorting out our family photos and similar stuff, and came across this old postcard of Blickling among several I’d bought many years ago. I think it dates from 1907  – and includes a brief, cryptic message to a ‘Maude Meachen’ together with franked Edward VII stamp. It shows the rather fussy parterre before its major redesign in the 1930’s – see how small the Yew trees are, which today are the huge ‘acorns’ that are the major structural element in todays garden.

Further Information:

Blickling Hall website

Blickling Hall Facebook page

A 360 degree tour of Blickling Hall

Old School Gardener

 

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Topping Out at Blickling

Filed under: Blickling Hall- rebirth of the Walled Garden, Community Gardening, Heritage Gardens & gardening — Leave a comment
11/02/2016

WP_20160204_12_45_49_ProMore forking and levelling this week in the walled garden. It was good exercise and inspired me to begin excavating my new wildlife pond at Old School Garden the day afterwards.

You may recall that fellow volunteer, Peter and I had continued getting the grass cross paths ready for turfing or seeding? Well we carried on for another few hours this week, and I’m pleased to say that the majority of this prep is now done.

Nearly there...forking over and topping up the cross paths ready for grassing over

Nearly there…forking over and topping up the cross paths ready for grassing over

It was great to see some obvious progress in this regeneration project; Manager Mike and Gardener Rob carried on with the installation of the metal posts that will carry wires to support a wide range of trained fruit bushes and trees. I also noticed that the roof of the new Bothy (with shop and office) was virtually finished, complete with two squat chimneys. I gathered from Darren, the roofer, that we’d missed the traditional ‘topping out’ ceremony where the making of a building wind and weather tight is celebrated with a bottle of bubbly…just the day before!!

Roof nearly done…lovely re use of old tiles
Mike and Rob soldier on with the metal posts

There is also a beautiful solid oak noticeboard by the entrance to the garden , which I understand from Mike is to have a lovely carved top fixed to it, like the one near the main entrance to the gardens. Mike is contemplating a ‘past, present, future’ display on the three boards. I like this idea; it will kindle visitor interest in the walled garden as an historic feature of the House and its surrounds and inform them about seasonal jobs and future projects.

The new notice board

The new notice board

The crocuses near the entrance to the Walled Garden were showing their colour, and there is now plenty of other floral interest in the gardens.

WP_20160204_10_41_47_ProFurther Information:

Blickling Hall website

Blickling Hall Facebook page

A 360 degree tour of Blickling Hall

Old School Gardener

 

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The Earth Moved at Blickling

Filed under: Blickling Hall- rebirth of the Walled Garden, Community Gardening, Heritage Gardens & gardening — 3 Comments
05/02/2016
Levelling up the new cross paths was this week's focus.

Levelling up the new cross paths was this week’s focus.

Having dug out channels for the oak edging to some paths in the Walled Garden in previous weeks, my colleague Peter and I had a day filling in the paths with soil in readiness for these to be put to grass.

It was hard work shifting sticky soil from a huge pile 100 yards away from the paths. These will form access ways across the four major quarters of the garden and will be grassed over- Project Manager Mike is yet to decide whether to turf or seed them.

In contrast to our previous session, today the weather was sunny and ‘crispy cold’ and the exercise (including arm extension from barrowing heavy loads!) was refreshing, if tiring. Two days on and I’m still feeling the effects on my shoulder muscles.  The first line of metal posts has been installed along one side of a quarter and with a nice dark mulch underneath starts to really define the shape of the garden.

Metal posts installed and mulched underneath in readiness for fruit planting

Metal posts installed and mulched underneath in readiness for fruit planting

It was also encouraging to see the progress on restoring the building in the corner of the walled garden which is to become a new ‘Gardeners’ Bothy, plus office and shop. This is expected to be finished by March, when a new crop of volunteers begins work; the recent ‘Volunteer Recruitment Day’, seems to have been a great success.

The roof well underway on the new 'bothy'- pic Blickling Estate

The roof well underway on the new ‘bothy’- pic Blickling Estate

Further Information:

Blickling Hall website

Blickling Hall Facebook page

A 360 degree tour of Blickling Hall

Old School Gardener

 

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