The Thing About Plastics........

Shall we be honest? I mean really honest? The kind of honest that makes you cringe a bit at the reality of your answer. The kind of honest that makes you want to not quite tell the truth? Uncomfortable honesty? Shall we?
Well I think we have to be because if you walk into any garden centre, the amount of plastic there is to buy, with gardening things within it obviously, is enormous! Forget for a moment about the pots the plants are grown in and the compost bags, and lets look at the paraphernalia.
Seed sowing equipment is all made of plastic and in many cases plastic that although isn't sold as single use, really is. Cheap module trays which we are all guilty of picking up and using to be slightly frustrated but the fact they fall apart when you take a seedling out, being the prime example. But also often these trays are covered in plastic wrap, for no plausible reason I can see!
And then look at cheap watering cans. And be honest. How many have you bought in your lifetime? Picked up at the beginning of the season and left outside in the frost to find them split and broken the following season; how many do you buy in a lifetime? Probably enough to buy one expensive metal one that will last a lifetime and then go on to be a planter?
And when we buy bulbs why are they encases in plastic? That awful thin and crinkly stuff or plastic bags, all of which are single use, throwaway plastic that isn't needed. Why can't we go back to the good old days when we bought bulbs individually in paper bags, with nothing more than a photo in the bucket we picked them out from?
And why.....again and again.

For me this brings up the the issue of sustainability in gardening. Despite 2020 only being 2 years away, we are nowhere near the voluntary 80% reduction in peat used in horticulture that was called for by government in 20111, and so in no way are we, as an industry going to be peat free by 2030 as was originally mooted. Whilst many people are working with wildlife in their gardens we still enter most garden centres to see shelves of chemicals available to the gardener at home, many of which are really harmful to the environment. Still the little blue slug pellets are sold, despite the ongoing fears about bird and hedgehog populations collapsing where they eat the slug that has eaten the pellet. Still plastic twine is sold, plastic labels are cheap and treated as throwaway and even the garden magazines at the till have a plastic wrapper.........
And yet I remember when things were different. As a child my biggest thrill in the summer holidays was going to Smiths Nurseries in Otley, West Yorkshire, to buy new bulbs and next years sweet pea seeds with my Grandma. We often would tootle off, just the 2 of us, on the bus, and the outing took almost all day. We would arrive in Otley, have lunch at a local cafe, and then walk swiftly to Smiths, where each summer there was a huge range of bulbs, all in cardboard boxes, raised up, with one photo, often of dubious quality,  to show what the flower would look like, and a little bit of info about heights. In inches! Picking your bulbs meant just that-picking them from their boxes and placing them in paper bags that we then took to the till. Because they were all priced according to species, you were expected to know how many bulbs were in each bag and the person at the till could recognise the species just by looking at the bulbs. Mainly by this time of year most other stock had been sold so there weren't bright displays of anything herbaceous, but there were hedging plants and some winter shrubs I remember as well as a big notice to say they were taking orders for bare root trees, shrubs and roses and herbaceous perennials and that you could order on site or visit in late January and February when they would have a good selection of bare root plants to buy. There was compost, manure and terracotta pots to buy, as well as a range of hideous chemical (it was the 70's after all) and a selection of sturdy Bulldog tools, at that point still made over the Penines in Wigan. And that was it.
No houseplants because you went to a florist for them. No magazines because they weren't a newsagent. No trinkets. And no Christmas tat because they shut after the bulbs had gone to concentrate on the following season, redirecting the staff to potting on what was left from the previous summer, moving shrubs and trees into larger containers and planning the early spring, when we would no doubt visit again for a rose, or a shrub, or seed potatoes and rhubarb.
The plants were locally grown, the staff were local and they taught their staff as they went along. A local business supporting it's local gardeners and it's local community.
And yes there were plastic pots but they were recycled over and over. And yes they would sell you compost and manure in plastic bags but you could have it delivered by the ton and most gardeners did.

So what has happened? How did we, in the space of less than a lifetime, get to this stage where in many ways gardening seems to be as much about acquiring stuff as it is about actually gardening? Well I guess that's the story, in many ways, of globalisation, and in many ways globalisation is no bad thing. But in the way it encourages us to buy stuff, without really thinking about the impact of that stuff, it can be dangerous. So what do we do? Can we go cold turkey on plastic? Or even should we?
My thoughts are this, and they are only thoughts from a lifetimes pondering on my own impact on our earth and are definitely not scientifically proved!!
Avoid buying single use plastic and if it's there and you can't avoid it, remove it from whatever it is you are buying at the till and ask the retailer to throw it away. If enough of us do this they will need to listen because it costs money to get rid of waste and that isn't something most retailers want to spend profit on.
Find a place that will recycle your plastic pots once they are so exhausted they are no good to anyone. Some independent garden centres and nurseries will do this and it's really worth seeking them out. If you are in Bristol, Cleeve Nursery does this, but there are different schemes appearing every day right now.
Buy bare root plants in the winter and request they re wrapped in paper. Bluebell Cottage Nursery have just announced all their mail order will be plastic free from this year so it can be done by mail order specialists too. Ask anyone you order from regularly to do the same.
Use your compost bags as planters, to line things, cutting drainage holes in first if needed, or buy in bulk. This is tricky as most garden centres and nurseries don't have this as an option, but organisations such as Compost Direct will see direct to gardeners and allotmenteers, and whilst their dumpy bags are plastic, they are of a grade that will see them useable for years. Or ask them to take them back once they are emptied and you are ordering more.

What to buy the gardener in your life on Mothering Sunday

This is very far from the average post from me, but it was heard said during the week that I am difficult to buy gifts for and once that had been dug into a little, ( no apologies for the garden puns) what it actually meant was, I have no clue what you might want because it's a mile away from my comfort zone. So here goes.

A glorious bouquet of British grown blooms, that are not difficult to source as long as you are aware of where to look! Both Flowers From The Farm and the British Flower Collective websites will send you in the right direction.

A plant. Not rocket science but us garden folk love our plants and this is the time of year to get our there and start looking at any new purchases. I am very good at leaving the David Austen catalogue open at the page with my newest desire on, but in reality just ask what they might like! And then pop onto the Independent Plant Nursery Guide to find your local nursery that stocks said plant. Easy!!

A gift voucher. There are always things we look at longingly but would never buy ourselves and gift vouchers always make me splash out on things I want rather than what I feel I need. National Garden Gift Vouchers are accepted at a huge variety of garden centres, nurseries and garden shops, or if you know the gardener in your life to be particularly fond of a certain online garden store, buy those! Crocus, Sarah Raven, Chiltern Seeds to name a few offer vouchers but there are many, many more who do.

A Gardening Course. Whether it's Flower Farming for Beginners at Common Farm Flowers, or a day with Charles Dowding, lots and lots and lots of people are now offering amazing days where you not only learn loads but also have a thoroughly amazing time in the process!! You could even send them to us at Incredible Edible Bristol!!

Books and Magazine Subscriptions. I can't even begin to suggest books or we will be here for an age, but great gardening books appear all the time. If you aren't sure about what she has, or are pretty sure she has what she wants, look at a magazine subscription. Often as a subscriber you get special offers so if you know a certain publication gets flung into the shopping trolley monthly, order her that! There are also a fair few independent magazines now, such as Rakes Progress, that are only available in specialist shops, so that's a great alternative to the mainstream magazines.

A Promise.......What most of us want is to spend time with our children, be they 5 or 45. Time is our most precious gift, and in our busy lives we often forget that. So particularly if you are an adult child, the promise of a day out in the summer to a garden of your choice is a gift that no money can buy. Whether you choose a local garden opening for the NGS or a big garden belonging to the National Trust or similar, spending time in a garden with the people you love cannot be beaten.

For some Mothering Sunday is a difficult time. Difficult family dynamics, loss and more can mean for many what is meant to be a glorious day celebrating motherhood, is one of sadness and despair. If you know someone who you might just suspect is in this group, engage them in your day if you can. Maybe get them into a garden, give them some time, a hug, a cuppa. Mothering Sunday is as much about kindness as anything else and no amount of gifts will ever make up for that kindness, whether it's from your own children, friends or others. Never underestimate it!!

And as a quick FYI no one has paid me to advertise their wares here, and other gifts are available!!

Standing Up

This post has been a long time coming and won't be that garden focussed but for those of you who ask why I always feel the need to stand up to the bullies here goes...........
Gardens, plants and growing have been my life for as long as I can remember. A yearning to be outside, growing beautiful plants and creating wonderful spaces is my reason for being and I consider myself the most fortunate person alive to be in the position I am, not just doing this myself, but also supporting other people to join in, have a go and celebrate their success. It gives me untold joy to support people and organisations to improve their environments with gardens, be they productive or ornamental, large or small. And the way these spaces change communities, getting them up and active, engaged and excited, is the most humbling and amazing thing. I am, to use a social media phrase, blessed.
But throughout this career have been some very dark periods, all of which have been created in the first instance, by bullies.
Workplace bullying is difficult. It is often wrapped up in conversations along the line of conflicting personalities and comments around ability and the bully knows exactly what they are doing, and how careful the line must be that they tread whilst constantly dripping negativity about the person into the ears of everyone around them. For months I dreaded opening my emails, and regularly received emails telling me I was wrong and he was right. On one occasion these led to a a huge dispute between directors who at that point were seemingly taking sides, and a huge argument in my office, with me there, about how the issue was being dealt with. I dreaded going to work, despite being totally in love with the beautiful walled garden nursery I was managing, because here was someone I had to liase with daily who was trying to get rid of me. To drive me out.
Fortunately at the same time I joined Twitter and looked for other gardeners, and the relief was palpable when I was able to join in conversations, support others to garden and slowly, very slowly, although work was beyond distressing, I began to believe in myself a bit more. I started to run workshops, to have a horticultural life away from the workplace and things felt like they might be ok.
But as with everything, there are highs and lows and a year before I left this workplace I had a serious breakdown. It followed an event where the bully had openly been slating me for being "lazy and useless" when a good pal was in the room, and unbeknownst to me, she made a formal complaint and it was taken to HR, who were so concerned they suggested that the gross misconduct line had been crossed and he should leave. But that didn't happen and  instead he upped the pressure, finding my Twitter account and recounting it to the owners of the business. At this point they knew nothing of the workshops and courses because I had done them in my own time, either at weekends or taking annual leave, but they insisted they stop if I wanted to continue to work there. Very quickly Twitter went from being my safe space to one where I could say very little, despite having closed my account down so tightly that for several months I didn't even allow new followers.
And then I received a call. A call that I thought would change my life. A call to be interviewed for a job where the owner of a nursery had asked to meet me. Someone who at that time I admired was headhunting me! So off I went to the interview, and got the job. And jumped straight from the bullying pan into the bullying fire. Constantly being told you know nothing, being made to feel like you have no voice, that you are useless, that you aren't interested in plants, or gardens, that you are slow, that anyone could do better, that you aren't trusted to water the plants..............
But at this point I knew what was happening. I had seen the bully for what they were. Just that. A bully. I had tried to have conversations, to work harder, to prove myself but after the first few weeks I knew I needed to be brave and leave. The final decision came when I was told that there were concerns about my "severe" depression, which was frankly not correct but more worryingly I knew the information had yet again been gleaned through social media and at that point I took control. They let me go stating non transferrable skills which made me hoot as the skill that I didn't have was driving.  It had been assumed I would drive the owner around in the evenings to talks and events, which had never been mentioned at the interview and which I would never have agreed to. I left with my head held high and at that moment promised myself that I would never be afraid of a bully again.
Why are you telling us this tale now I hear you asking.
What is your point Sara?

Well without going into the minutae, bullying happens on many scales and I have promised to stand up, with a lot of other people, to a particular bully in the city. And I am scared. I want to run away. I am close to tears and I feel alone. My voice feels broken, silenced in fear. I woke up this morning and for the first time in 5 years didn't have an immediate tweet, was afraid to speak my truth.
Name drop alert here, but last year I sat in a garden with Dave Myers and spoke openly about all this. Sadly it didn't make the cut, but he and the entire team were moved beyond words by the strength it sometimes takes to stand up and ignore the negative voices. Horrified that an industry that seems to be all about the environment, making beautiful spaces and being kind to our planet, can be so cruel and harsh. After leaving the last job it appeared it was a well known fact that the person was like this and it soon transpired there was a whole line of people before me that had been through the same. But no one will speak, even years after, in the belief that they signed a confidentiality clause in their contract and they would be honed down on by solicitors and the law. I never signed that clause, but equally I am never going to name names. That would make me the bully and that is something I am super conscious of, but it never fails to amaze me how years later the effects can still be seen in people. It never leaves you. The fear is what remains.
Why am I telling you this now? Because it is my truth and it explains a lot about how important i feel compassion and kindness is. Because I feel like bullies can create huge and unpleasant schisms and that isn't fair on all the people it affects. Because bullying leads to poor mental and physical health that over the years it becomes harder and harder to bounce back from. Because I hate to think that anyone might have been so abjectly affected by it that at times they may too have felt, or feel like their voice is squashed and they are silenced.
Today its Valentines Day and as it draws to an end I have just seen a post from a friend on Facebook asking whether Valentines could be repurposed into a day where we promise to treat people with care and respect in the year to come. So here I am committing to do just that. To lead with kindness from my core in everything I do, because that is the only way we are going to find a kinder world.
And finally, if this resonates with you don't be afraid to get in touch, but also to look at the link below. You still have your voice however much you feel like you can't use it, and someone will help you to speak your truth............xx

#britishflowers 2018

Those of you who regularly read this blog will not be one bit shocked that I am about to talk about British Flowers. It is a regular post in my year of posting and every year I promise to do more to support the British Flower growers with whom I talk across many social media platforms.
Small production has a special place in my heart, not just of flowers but generally. Farmers, makers, flower growers are all amazing people, fighting for their industries and supporting the local economies of small towns and villages across the country. I have long yearned for my own patch to grow, and whilst my own career has seen me walk a different path, this dream is one I hold dear and hope to make reality at some point.

All these photos were taken at Common Farm Flowers in Somerset by my dear pal  Andrew Jones

However, it is at this time of year that is becomes particularly poignant as we see the florists on every high street and online gearing up to send out a million roses, all brought in from flower farms across the world in places as far away as Africa and South America. Covered in chemicals, they barely even look like the garden rose we know and love but instead always remind me of a cartoon rose. Sometimes they even look as if they are a little dog eared around the edges, with their long, straight stems and inability to open properly. Last year there were some studded with fake diamonds. They will last fleetingly, and briefly be a reminder that the special person in our lives has gone to the effort of buying a gift, but do these chemical ridden roses with their huge carbon foot print really say I love you?

Stunning, jewel like Anemones

They are a part of our consumer habit. Just like the food we throw into our trollies in the super market, we know deep down that the claims made about them are untrue. In the same way as we know that a certain chains so called farms are just a marketing ploy to make you feel as if you are making ethical decisions, so the flowers we buy are the same. The idea that they are expensive at this time of year means they must be ok? And yet year on year we hear dreadful stories in the press about the reality of these equatorial flower farms, where mainly women work long hours in hot and enormous polytunnels, where mists of chemicals are often sprayed whilst they are in the houses and with little or no personal protection. Always there is an outcry and yet still the high street and online florists struggle to buy enough to get through the day. It's as if we know, but feel compelled but he greater force, the force that is consumerism.
In Africa Lake Victoria, bordered by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya and once supporting the livelihoods of 30 million people in those countries, is dying. Choked by algal blooms it is widely believed that some of the reason for this is the huge flower farms surrounding it, as they allow run off from chemical and fertiliser applications in to the lake. But the demand from the west is so huge it continues whilst keeping the workforce in those countries in poverty and ill health.

Soon to open double tulips that are scented!

And it is because we are consumers and we can do nothing to counteract that. Or can we? Can we fight for a world where we are at least ethical consumers? Where we know that when we give a farmer or a maker our hard earn money rather than it disappearing into an off shore account to be given to a shareholder, that that money supports a family and a community.
And the answer is yes we can. By supporting local veg box schemes, community supported agriculture, local farm shops and farmers markets, we can of course make more ethical choices. By buying through online markets such as Fresh Range and Farm Drop we can avoid the supermarkets and ensure we support great local producers. And although it might appear to be more expensive, by committing to great produce, from great producers who care about the food they are growing, whatever it may be, we will commit to less waste and ensure we get the most from the food we buy. Ask yourself how much you throw away from your supermarket shop each week? A simple menu plan and shopping list will stop this. Trust me. I know. It's how I shop and our bill is always more if we end up in a panic shop in the supermarket.

Stunning Ranunculus

But back to flowers!. There are no flowers in season I hear you cry. But there are I cry back at you. Narcissi, tulips, ranunculus, anemones and more are all flowering like crazy and available right now. it may not be an easy thing but ask your local florist what is UK grown and refuse to buy from the Dutch markets, which are the bottle neck between the large foreign growers and our high street and online stores. Or look at the British Flower Collective, Flowers From The Farm, both of whom can find you your nearest florist that supports our UK growers or your nearest flower grower so you can buy direct. And if that's not enough you could look on websites such as Common Farm Flowers and buy beautifully grown British Flowers direct by mail order, to be delivered to your love wherever in the UK he or she is.
In the UK we spend £2 billion per year on flowers and at least 90% of that is for flowers that are flown in from abroad. Our British growers are mainly running their farms to agro ecological standards, just as small food growers do. Not only are they supporting themselves and the communities they are surrounded by, but they are also supporting our world, our environment and all the other creatures that we share the earth with. There are no algal blooms at Common Farm but there are earthworms, slow worms and the bird song is orchestral. Flower farms across the country are doing the same, creating a better world for all.

Wonderful spring blooms

Recently I have found my voice wavering. On social media I have been told I am wearing rose tinted glasses, looking back to a time through romantic eyes. That I have no idea of the pressures of family budgets. That I should be quiet. Sit down and say no more. For a while I felt silenced by the haters. But in the last few days I have remembered the voice I have and why I need to use it, and I will support small business for as long as there is breath in my lungs. We must begin to celebrate those who work on the land, or with their hands, creating beauty all around us. We must support them to move forwards, as a movement and in doing so lead lives where the really important things, family, community, eating together, kindness and love are what are seen as the important things in life, rather than the newest gadget. So why not start by saying I love you this year with a bouquet grown with love, kindness and hope?

Curated Nature......

It might be cold and grey but the gardening continues.....

Not in a seed sowing or even planting kind of a way, but in a planning and how will this garden work for me way which is important when you garden like I do. I garden predominantly for me, but not just in a making it look the way I like kind of way, although of course that is important but I feel it's important to go deeper than that and look at ethics in the garden.

Tithonias-rarely seen without a bee!!

I am loathe to use the word organic, because for me that isn't quite enough. Organic for me is a tool for certification; a means to an end for recognition rather than an ethic. That is not to say I don't appreciate the effort it takes to get organic certification because I am more than aware of the skill and shear hard work that this takes, but unless I was going to open my garden, what would be the point? I'm not interested in opening my garden but I am interested in creating a space that is healthy, clean if you like, and that will support more than a nice place to sit. I want to support nature and there is definitely a challenge in that in a space this small. By supporting nature I mean I want to create a natural space that feels like home to wildlife, the flora and fauna all around us but that aren't there. Or at least aren't there yet.

Now this is not new to me. Turning 40 acres of nursery from conventional to organic horticulture taught me a whole lot of things that had I not have had that opportunity, I may never have considered. There is truth in the saying, "make it and they will come", but patience is an important part of this process, as is living by the seasons and accepting that it will happen if you give it time.

But back to the garden. It's a teeny, tiny space, maybe 5m by 5m. I'll measure it at some point but that measurement isn't all that important. What's important is that it will be jam packed to the rafters with beauty that will support nature in a somewhat curated way. All the plants will be good for insects and bees, and there will be spaces for invertebrates to hide. It may not be spotless, or look like a main avenue garden at RHS Chelsea, but it will be a haven for wildlife as well as for those invited into it.

Doesn't have to be ornate! In previous gardens this type of feeder has brought in birds a plenty.

What I have never had to factor into a garden previously is that into this already busy space I have to put food growing. At the moment I have no allotment, although 42 edible spaces across the city should stop me feeling bereft from that, but I do want to include both fruit and vegetables in my plan. This is going to lead to an interesting use of vertical space that will include products that will support using the walls as well as clever, I hope, use of archways and climbing plants. We will have to wait and see if this works, but I am entering into the nothing ventured, nothing gained ethos here, and if it doesn't work I can reassess and possibly look at an allotment.

So what are you doing to start this process back to nature Sara, I hear you say? Well birds are the answer and as I sat in the garden drinking tea on Sunday morning I listened to the amazing chorus that is out there every morning and decided Sunday was the day to begin the process, if that is what you can call it, of bringing them in. I thought about a bird table but there were concerns over cats and also how much of the garden it would appear to be taking up, so instead we pootled off to Wilkinsons and bought a stand for bird feeders along with some new feeders, and filled them with peanuts, fat balls, nyger seed and a seed mix. And now we will wait and wonder who will be first to use it as they fly across the gardens that up until now they have ignored. I hope they hurry because I am spending an unearthly amount of time watching from the kitchen window.

Zinnias-the darling of the cut flower grower but still great for pollinators.

I'll keep you up to date!!

And just in case you weren't aware you can find me on both Twitter and Instagram where I am @saralimback!!

A Visit To.......The Living Rainforest

I woke up on Sunday with an urge for a botanical type visit to somewhere new, so we did a bit of Googling and decided to pootle off to The Living Rainforest, just off the M4 near Newbury.
I am super interested at the moment in the way people are embracing houseplants and keen to remind folk that houseplants are garden and forest plants in other climes and I am trying to work out how we link the two things so that indoor gardeners realise that they are a part of the gardening community, even if they are just getting planty indoors. Anyway that's for another day!!

The Living Rainforest is on the site of what was Wyld Court Orchids in Hampstead Norreys in Berkshire, and is run by the Trust for Sustainable Living. The greenhouses now house three separate rainforest zones, with appropriate planting, and some wildlife, from each in the separate zones. Sadly when we were there the sloth was hiding, but we did see his back. What amazed me the most is that the centre supports 23,000 school children per year to learn about the rainforest and it's importance for the planet, which for me makes it a space I will always want to support. If we are to change the way we perceive the world we have to turn children and young people into passionate environmentalists who will use future votes to make sure we protect what effectively protects us.

I am not going to bore you with lots of words here because the photos really do speak for themselves, but what I will say is that this is a great place to visit with or without children, and if you are at all interested in what we today see as houseplants in their natural environments or just with each other as they would be in rainforests across the world, this is a great place to visit. Plus, go once, and you have a ticket for a year!!

AND THERE IS A SLOTH!!

Jade Vine (Strongyloden macrobotrys) from the Philippines.

Monstera deliciosa and water lettuce in one of the ponds. 

Anthurium veitchii. The leaf was as tall as me!

Madagascan Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus)

More ponds and more Monstera!

For further info and visiting details go to the website at https://www.livingrainforest.org

The New Garden.........

I have had several social media requests for an update on the new garden so I thought a little something would be a good idea in the run up to Christmas festivities. As many of you will know we don't celebrate Christmas here at Venn Towers, preferring to celebrate the solstice and just take time out of our busy lives to rest and recuperate over the festive period. And with that usually comes a whole lot of preparation for the garden, ensuring that we are ready for the months ahead when life with my own space and supporting 41 others usually gets a tad manic. There is also a very new and exciting incredible edible Bristol project I need to tell you about soon, so watch this space for that!!

The aquaponics unit, surrounded by pots of bulbs

Thus far I have really done very little. The garden is completely gravel so there has been a lot of weeding to do and that will need keeping up with as the blighters continue to germinate despite the cold. The aquaponics unit is in place and the fish survived the move, and we are working to make the system more sustainable next year with a solar pump and aeration but I will return to that once we get the equipment. My pots have been weeded and a fair few filled with bulbs so there will be some colour in late spring, and I have bought a bit of bedding to alleviate the grey.

But what has been most exciting is a conversation I had with Burgon and Ball who have kindly agreed to gift me some products to really support the use of the whole space, whilst turning the garden into a really sociable as well as productive and beautiful space. At the weekend we put up the first of these which is a great peg board on which tools can be kept, as well as other bits and pieces which in my life usually end up being flung somewhere only to be found several weeks later, usually a bit the worse for wear!! I also have some of their amazing Flora Brite tools in pink, which should ensure my habit of going through lots of tools is abated because in a tiny space there is no way I can lose those tools. Or at least I hope that is the case! What I am most excited about with this type of product is that it, as well as the rest of the range it belongs to,  the Garden Supplies range, can be used inside or outside, or anywhere in between, so people with balconies or just window boxes, could still use this range. For example I have the herb planters on my kitchen windowsill, bringing the garden into the kitchen.

So that is where we are so far. There will be lots more to come over the following weeks so do keep an eye open for updates and let me know in the comments if there is anything in particular you'd like to know more about.

A Date with Mr Don....

I mentioned in my last post that I was writing on a train to a book launch in London, so now some more about that.
I was somewhat surprised to be invited to the launch of Monty Don's new book, titled Down to Earth, but was at the same time thrilled. Monty and I may have an interesting relationship what with #shoutyhalfhour but having worked together with Ross on Big Dreams, Small Spaces last year, in reality we actually have quite a lot in common. I have always been an enormous fan of his writing, which touches my soul in a really deep and emotional way. In fact The Jewel Garden:A Story of Despair and Redemption is one of the books I return to over and over and has pulled me out of moments of real crisis. What thrills me about Down to Earth is that it is a book about why we garden. For most of us, whether we garden for pleasure or for a living, or of course as with so many of us for both, we recognise that why we garden is as important as how we garden and those two things feed each other. I have been thinking about why I garden quite a lot lately and this book and the few words Monty said at the launch about why he wrote it, have really supported me to have that internal conversation. I will come back to that. It will not be an easy thing to write but I will get there.

The seating areas at Ham Yard Hotel were surrounded by beds filled with Cosmos and Mexican Fleabane, cool and calming colours in such an urban space.

Now back to the book. I haven't read it all yet. It's in the pile to read in the dark of December and January. But I have read the introduction several times and on first read I can't deny that the tears fell. There are two quotes that really made me think.
The first is "....good gardens are as much about the people that make them as the plants growing in them. You are an integral part of your garden. Without you it will not exist."
The second "Life is short and absurd and run through with pain and sorrow. But in the face of real suffering, gardening can make our days shine with joy."

I could spend my time discussing those quotes but needless to say my feelings about them are wrapped up in the role I play now, supporting others to garden, and in the deep connection that my mother had with her garden and with me through that space. Gardens have supported me through more loss than I can even describe, including the loss of mum, but through many a crisis, both mental and physical. For me, and for others I am sure, to find someone willing and able to annunciate those words is a joy. The writing is empathetic and deeply touching. And kind. And that is what I really think Monty is. It was lovely to be greeted with a warm welcome from him, the comment that it was lovely to be welcomed by a friendly face, and the feeling that the words were sincere. Our conversations went from how Ross was doing to Big Dreams and led onto a short but meaningful conversation about Gardeners World, initiated by Monty. And no, I am not going to tell you what was said dear reader, but the words were kind, considered and understanding. My critique of the programme has never been about Monty, and always about the programme which, and I am saying this now in public, has I believe begun to really improve now it is an hour long and taking on board a lot of the criticism and shortcomings that have been mentioned over the years.

The beautiful bug hotel on the edge of the veg patch. there are also two bee hives on the roof which will explain the amazing crops up there!

And all of this happened in a garden. A garden in the top of the roof of the Ham Yard Hotel in central London. With the bustling life of Soho below us, we wandered around this extraordinary space, with it's seating areas, flowers and beautiful vegetable garden, delighting in the garden and in the use of the space. I deeply believe that green roofs and gardens have a vital role to play in cities and to see such a wonderful space and be within it, whilst being surrounded by the roof tops and spires of Soho was entrancing and joyous. Even better was that I got to share it with other garden blogger pals, whose blogs and vlogs about the event I will post links to below.

I do just have to comment though on the sad folks who thought that it was ok to troll me on social media after the event. I didn't post a photo of me with Monty on Twitter because I knew what it might lead to, but someone did, and the trolls came out in force. Of course they are completely ignored but it's a sadness that people think that the point of #shoutyhalfhour is to personally ridicule someone. It never was, and it never will be. And in fact some folk will tell you that I have spoken to them personally if it has ever looked as if the criticism was becoming personal.

So in essence I think what I am saying is go out and buy this book. After the intro there are sections on a whole host of things, including urban gardens, small gardens, wildlife gardening and all have the usual down to earth, practical advice you would need to create a garden in the way you might want or need to. The book is peppered with photos that are stunning and my feeling is that not only is it a fabulous edition to your gardening library, but that it would also make a fabulous gift for someone who either is becoming interested in gardening, or who is just starting out in a garden, how ever small. But I also think it's the perfect book to inspire people to understand that horticulture, gardening or whatever you want to call it, is therapeutic. It's a thing we do as much for our souls as for the aesthetic and the power of those two creative elements joining can lead to the creation of some incredibly powerful spaces. Not all those spaces will appeal to everyone of course, but as long as you, the creator, loves it and it makes you happy, anyone else's reactions are by the bye.....

Other blogs about the day........

http://www.blackberrygarden.co.uk/2017/10/a-book-review-in-two-parts-monty-dons.html
http://vegplotting.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/down-to-earth-with-monty-don.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmBYjw7g8kA&feature=youtu.be
https://theanxiousgardener.com/2017/10/04/win-a-copy-of-down-to-earth-by-monty-don/

I'm back........

It's been a while. And I was going to start by apologising for that until I realised I've done that twice before and so I'm in a cycle and that cycle needs breaking.

I have nothing to apologise for, but I do want to share a few things to support some continuity. And the first of those things is that I haven't been very well. I don't think until yesterday even I realised how unwell, but the depression and anxiety have been back pretty much all summer. The result of this is a little voice in my head telling me not to do anything that the positive side wants to do, making the spiral into the black hole even more acute. Going out into the garden, working the allotment, writing here are all things that demon stops me from doing, telling me that even if I do, it won't be good enough, and generally bullying me into inactivity. It's a hideous, sad and lonely space to be and the pressure it creates is beyond frightening. 

But why? There's a question occasionally it's important to ask of yourself and deal with the answer properly. And one of the answers is that I have been beyond unhappy living where we are. We moved into our house 2 years ago, when my daughter and her partner were still with us, Des our little dog was still with us, and we were excited, or so I kidded myself, that we had a garden after just a courtyard in our city centre flat. But the reality has been much different. Our ward in Bristol was one of only a couple that voted to leave the EU, the provision for fresh food is dire, and its right up there in the most deprived areas of the city, and I had hoped to be able to work to support Incredible Edible Bristol into the area. But all I've heard is 'you don't come from round here' in various guises. Never have I felt so out of place. 

So yesterday we visited what will be our new home. It's perfect. Views across the city from upstairs, and a tiny garden that is a  completely blank canvas. Excited doesn't cover it. Reinvigorated, I have plans a plenty to really turn this into our home.

But there is something else I've battled with. An off the cuff remark by someone suggesting that, when I asked an online forum if others struggled to write at times, that my blog wasn't worth the effort if it didn't earn me any money, and nor was Incredible Edible Bristol. And that has brought about an internal, difficult conversation about worth. 

A lot, if not most, of what I do is voluntary. I don't hide that and I'm not trying to be some sort of saint. It's just the way it is. Incredible Edible Bristol is a voluntary organisation and as such supports expenses but funding for core costs is nigh on impossible. I really feel like I'm putting my head on the block writing this, but my thing is and always has been that If something needs doing let's do it. Waiting for funds often means things don't happen so we just get on with it! I think supporting 40 public realm gardens to begin and prosper over 4 years sets the precedent that just getting on with it, involving as many organisations as you can, and creating a buzz across the city, is the way to go to make real grassroots change. Yes it's meant sacrifices but its never occurred to me to prioritise my earning potential over getting on with it. My bag. My decision. 

Equally I write this blog, and my social media stuff for me. It's not my job. I'm aware of course that bloggers can and do earn a good living from blogging but although I'm not suggesting I never would, I never have. 

So that throw away comment really, really bothered me. Is everything we do supposed to be about financial worth? And if it is how do I change this so people take what I do seriously? I still don't have the answers to this but if anyone does, please share.....

So here I am, today, feeling much better, reinvigorated if not slightly nervous that firstly we have to move house which is my least favourite thing in the world to do ever, and that yet again I am wearing my heart on my sleeve. But there it is. Out there. 

Right now I'm on a train, off to a book launch in London and acutely aware I have books I've been sent to review, a garden and house to plan, and a very large project with Incredible Edible Bristol to plan. But today is a new day, those things will happen and the future is looking brighter.......

Lavender-a life long love.........

I am not afraid to say that I adore Lavender. it's not my favourite plant because I am not sure that I could ever have such a thing for more than a fleeting second until my eyes flickered to something else, hence the Today's Favourite posts, but I cannot imagine a garden without lavender in it.
obviously sometimes it can be a somewhat problematic plant. It does get leggy and woody if it isn't pruned properly and for sure it sulks in a garden that is boggy and wet, and isn't to be advised in those situations, but in the right place, well looked after I think it's a magnificent plant.

There are of course a million varieties and several species within the genera and I have to admit that when I talk about Lavender I do very much mean the English lavender, Lavandula angustifolia. I know L. stoechas, or french Lavender has it's charms but it does struggle to be hardy in wet soils in the west of the UK and so I stick with those English varieties in their many colours and heights. I am particularly fond of L. angustifolia Hidcote with it's bushy, short habit and deep violet flowers. As a short hedge it is a delight and can be used alongside other, taller varieties such as L.angustifolia x intermedia Alba, to create the most beautiful planting schemes.

During my time working in nurseries I grew more lavender than one person possibly can imagine in a lifetime, of many varieties and species. One particular season we grew 2,500 for a show garden and I spent many an hour pinching out the tips of the plants to get them bushy and in bud for early May, in the greenhouse that they were growing in. One particular day, a sunny March morning before the chaos of the Chelsea dance had properly begun, I remember almost falling asleep amongst the plants as they gave off their scent in the heat of the closed up greenhouse, and having to open the doors for a while just to stop their amazing scent from persuading me to lie down amongst the pots and have a doze.

Of course as a plant lavender is beautiful and the scent is amazing but it has also been grown for centuries as a medicinal plant. Said to help mild depression and anxiety it is also a powerful sleep aid as can be seen from my nearly falling asleep in the greenhouse, and is a great scent to use in a space where you require calm and serenity. As someone who has spent many years dealing with the joys of insomnia, lavender oil on my pillow at bedtime is a frequent go to, and lavender pillows something I look out for and regularly buy to hang in the bedroom. Of course lavender is also a natural antiseptic and a few drops of lavender oil in water can really help to stop infection in cuts and grazes.

Of course many people use lavender as a flavouring and although I have to admit I am not a fan of it to eat, lavender shortbread and lavender ice cream are very popular. The flowers are definitely very pretty when crumbled over something and make cakes and puddings look delightful too.

I always cut and dry some lavender flowers. it's an easy thing to do, just requiring the cutting of as long a stem as possible, and then tying the flowers into bunches and hanging upside down somewhere warm and dry to dry. The flowers, once dried, can be crumbled into kilner jars and saved for use in pot pourri, in small bowls where the scent will fill the room, or in cooking, and they last for ages.

Recently my largest use of lavender has been in the Bearpit garden, a space designed for calming and so very apt! There are large, billowing hedges of plain Lavandula angustifolia and smaller hedges of Hidcote all around the space, inviting people to sit amongst it and relax, whilst watching the bees busy taking it's nectar as of course it's other great bonus is that it is adored by bees of many species. In fact in the Bearpit, a space in which no pollinators were regularly seen, by the time we had planted the first three plants last year, the bees had arrived and more and more came and followed us along the lines as we planted.

How do you use lavender? I would love to know!!

 

Today's Favourite....Tithonias

Tithonias. Those tall, gently swaying, orange flowers that fit so well into a late summer planting scheme, have just begun to flower in the garden. From seed sown in early April, they have gently just grown, needing only 1 potting on before I put them out, from modules to 9cm pots, more to keep the slugs away than anything else. Planted out in early June, it's only taken a month to get them into flower, and regular dead heading or picking for the house, will keep them flowering for a while.

All they need is a warm start and to be kept moist once they've germinated. Why not give them a go next year?

 

An extra special garden visit-The Hardwicke Club

As you'll all remember I went to Dublin in early June to take part in Bloom Fringe and one of the things I was most looking forward to was meeting with Jay Sher and visiting the Hardwicke Club Community Garden.

Now it's no news that I am a huge advocate of community growing and gardening and spend much of my time supporting the creation of community spaces in Bristol, but it's always great to visit other projects, chat with other community gardeners and find out how other gardens work.

Shed/tea drinking space. I love the way the jars are nailed to the roof!

So The Hardwicke Club garden is in the centre of a social housing estate a very short walk from Dublin city centre. I met with Jay who is the gardens coordinator, I guess, although very much a volunteer and offering everything he does for the garden through a deep set belief that gardens support change. The garden is at both tiny and huge. It may take up a small space but its jam packed full of raised beds growing so much veg it was extraordinary. Potatoes, greens, spinach, tomatoes....you name it. And not only was the produce there, it was thriving. 

Great use of raised beds.

There's an area to sit that's undercover that effectively is the project's shed. There are outdoor seating spaces. There are garden ornaments and crafted bits and bobs placed all over the space. This is a garden made with love. The bringing together of people has made this space what it is today. And that is what I want to focus on.

Whilst we were there we popped over to the community centre opposite for a 'comfort break' and as we were over there some magical things happened that made me realise some stuff....

Strawberries and borage that was covered in bees!

It was a hot Friday afternoon. Actually it was my birthday and I was exhausted after a very long and complicated journey which had only allowed me 2 hours sleep in 24. I'd gone into a meeting with Dublin City Council to espouse the joys of community gardening, growing and the Incredible Edible model almost straight off the ferry and that had taken pretty much all of my ever decreasing energy but I was determined to see this garden, mainly because I knew Ron had been the year before and had his socks knocked off. Walking through the estate and hearing about the pieces of gardening outside the main part of the garden had definitely started to give me back some mojo but this short time in the garden and outside the community centre reinvigorated me. 

Why? Because every single person who walked past the garden stopped to say hello, to have a chat, to tell us some news. The kids who were playing outside chatted to Jay about what they'd been up to and what they going to do in the garden in the summer, and everyone, without any exception was engaged.

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How? Because Jay lives there and has fought for the garden and made it what it is not by himself, but with all the residents of the estate. Not doing it for people, but doing it with them, being the catalyst, is how these projects succeed and this is a prime example of a man deeply rooted in his community helping to change it from within. 

All around the world there are people like Jay and we should be shouting their stories from the roof tops, supporting them on social media and being inspired to make our own change in our own communities. Because through the power of these relatively small actions, all be they life changing for those involved, a movement of change is taking place that will, and is, quietly changing the way communities work and people live their lives.

Get involved. It's the best thing you'll ever do. 

Jay in the garden!

Strawberry chicken-a recipe.

What quite a few of you won't know is that before I became a horticulturist I was a chef.....

I started off in restaurants and ended up in an exclusive nursing home cooking for 40 elderly and mainly lovely older people who had chosen to spend the last years of their lives somewhere they would be looked after properly and well. I helped out in the gardens too and ran a little gardening club.....

 

Anyway every year we held events for the residents, their families and the friends of the home group, and one year we decided on a strawberry themed event. 

Easy I hear you say but not that easy when you've promised an entire menu that includes strawberries in every course! What on earth do you serve as a main with the knowledge that most older people aren't keen on salad?

And then Hugh Fernley Whittingstall came to the rescue! Strawberry chicken was a recipe on one of the early River Cottage series and so I decided to trial it in the menu to see how it went down.

Older folk tend not to like anything new so there was only a small take up but my usual guinea pigs took up the challenge. I had already trialled it with some of the care staff who had definitely enjoyed it so off we went. 

The guinea pigs lapped it up, especially my dear old pal Frank who was always up for trying something new, and so we decided that it would go on the strawberry lunch menu.

So how do you make it? Well it's very easy. 

Take enough chicken breasts to feed however many people you're feeding and roast in the oven, making sure it's well seasoned. You can use chicken quarters too.

Once they're cooked, pop the chicken on a plate and cover with foil to keep hot and then make a gravy using the juices in the pan, mixing in some chicken stock at about 150ml per person, and thickening it with some cornflour. Once it's thickened to your personal preference, put the chicken back in along with a good slug of cream, a pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Leave it on the hob on a really low heat, just enough to keep it all hot, and slice some strawberries. I usually used 4/5 fruits per person. Once sliced pop them into the gravy and just allow them to heat through, and then serve. 

 

Now what is important in this dish is the seasoning is correct. It needs a good whack of black pepper to cut through the sweetness of the fruit. It's just a great combination and don't scoff until you've tried it!

Firstly a massive thank you to Richard Chivers of  Sharpenyourspades.com who recently wrote a blog around 10 best strawberry recipe,and gave me the idea to write this blog. If you haven't already you should subscribe to his blog. 

I'm going to start posting a few more recipes here too. Sharing things I love and make regularly as well as recipes for preserves, pickles and other things I enjoy. Let me know if there's anything you'd like me to focus on!!

 

Today's Favourite........Sunflowers!!

I spent this morning in Bristol's Millennium Square where we, as in Incredible edible Bristol, have 5 raised bed gardens that grow food for people and pollinators. One bed is completely given over to pollinator rich planting, mainly to give me an excuse to play with ornamentals, but also to feed the bees that live on the roof of At Bristol, the science museum.
Two years ago we planted out loads and loads of sunflowers and since then they have set sown themselves each year. I cannot remember which variety these are, but they are typical, tall sunflowers but multi headed rather than the annoying, in my opinion, Russian Giant, that grows and grows but only has 2 or 3 flowers at the most.

 

Of course there are a multitude of varieties to choose from, from Teddy bear with it's fluffy flower heads and lack of pollen, to the beautiful dark red and brown varieties like Earth Walker which I love for a vase. Velvet Queen, Valentine, Pastiche, Italian Cream, Solar Flash, Little Dorrit, Vanilla Ice.......there are so many and they are a pretty easy grow.

Buy seeds, sow in mid March to early April, keep well watered and plant up into 9cm pots if the weather looks rubbish in May, or if you want to grow them on enough so that they don't get decimated by slugs. then plant them out and watch them grow and by the end of June to mid July, the first flowers will be appearing. Keep cutting the flowers and they will end up flowering on and on until October and the first frosts. I always leave a few of the last flowers to dry out and hang them up for the birds to feast on.

 

I get my seeds generally from either Higgledy Garden or Chiltern Seeds but you can also find them in garden centres and if you don't remember to sow them in time, most garden centres that stock seedling vegetable plants, will have sunflowers at some point in the year-just keep your eyes open for them!!

A Review.....Allan Jenkins' Plot 29, A Memoir

I first read an extract from Allan Jenkins book, Plot 29, in the Observer Food Monthly and was somewhat bowled over by its honesty then, from a tiny segment. Having waited with baited breath for the book to be published, I bought it without any thought of requesting a review copy, because I just wanted to read it, so I've not been paid or sponsored in any way to write this.....

The book is a story of Allan's life, and in particular that life seen from the view of a year of discovery. It covers hard and upsetting issues. Abuse, childhood neglect, fostering and adoption, death; they all raise their heads and are talked about with frank honesty. Mixed with these difficult and very real, painful stories are tales of the allotment Allan grows on, with his friend Howard. The allotment is a space that holds community, forges and supports friendships. The allotment is a safe space where contemplation happens. A safe space. A haven.

 

The story is raw. It is uncomfortable, sad, revelatory. But most of all, for those of us who use our allotments as places of refuge where our minds can relax, restore themselves, work through issues, it is a memoir that makes sense to the reader of the importance of that piece of land. The importance of the seasons and the tasks that must take place within each of those periods of time. The importance of the sowing of seeds, the miracle of germination, of growing, harvesting and eating by the seasons.

A book that makes the reader cry on a train, smile wryly, be shocked, saddened, relieved, pleased and all those emotions again and again  might sound a bit too hard to read, but in fact this is one of the most fascinating stories I have ever read. The complexity of lives is fascinating. The effect of adults behaviour on young lives startling and the ongoing effects of that behaviour profoundly saddening. 

I'm aware I'm not painting a great picture but throughout the sadness the reality of this memoir is that it is brilliant. Without even trying the importance of that piece of land, of the growing of crops and the deep friendships forged there allow the reader to know that the author has hope. That there is something bigger than him urging him forwards, giving not just hope but deep levels of support.

So get this book, and read it. Then read it again. It's bravery is what you're left with, alongside a deeper understanding of the importance of being in touch with seasons, soils and food and how for so many allotments, gardens and growing spaces are vital for far more than growing some veg. 

 

A Visit to.....Hanham Court Garden

    

A few weeks ago we trundled off to see agarden that was opening for the National Garden Scheme, which many people in Bristol had told me was a must see. Hanham Court is just outside the city, so we set off, hoping everyone was right.

The most enormous Walnut!!

We arrived and began to wander around the garden, which is very large, and made into very specific areas. Walking along a herbaceous border we found ourselves led into the Orchard area, where the first tree you meet is the most enormous walnut I have ever seen. Wandering through the Orchard is quite wonderful, admiring old, gnarled trees with character and a stunning under planting of meadow. The meadow continues out into the wider landscape, whilst the garden leads you to a dell, with a pool surrounded by Gunnera and a slightly tropical planting that reminded me of the Jungle at Heligan only on a far smaller scale. Leading on from this is a canal, sadly depleted in water but surrounded by flag iris with signs of water lilies although I fear for them in the hot, dry season we are having.

The Dell.

Now it might seem that I am rushing through but I desperately want to speak to you of the treat we found at the end of the tour. Cleverly hidden at the back of the house is an area that at first looks like extraordinary herbaceous borders but then when you look further there are paths, bordered by box hedging, that are in fact, a kind of enormous knot garden. Walking into the area there were several things that absolutely amazed me. Firstly the beds were all buzzing with bees where Nectaroscordum, roses, Paeonias, poppies, irises and more were jostling for space. The planting is, I think, exquisite. Countless varieties of Paeonias and roses fill the areas surrounded by the box and then, hidden in the centre, is a pool and seating area with planting that made us gasp at beauty of it.

The herbaceous border at the front of the huge knot garden.

For me the garden brought together several of my favourite things. A fabulous Orchard, meadow, great herbaceous planting and some extraordinary topiary. It reminded me of several other gardens I really admire but equally has a character specifically of its own. I can recommend it and I am very much looking forward to seeing it as it moves through the seasons.

Topiary-might not be the in thing but I do love it when it's done well!!

The knot, filled with topiary as well as stunning planting and looking over the meadow and to the right, the orchard!

Just one of the many paeonias.