#mygardenrightnow

So as some of you will remember from my previous #mygardenrightnow post, my own garden causes me far more anguish than any of the 39 gardens I support with Incredible Edible Bristol. A mix of it being a rental, my want for it to be perfect and the expectation I feel people will have all conspires against me often, and almost stops progress. However, there has been progress in the last few weeks.

This corner borders the lower own which sounds very grand but I promise you isn't, and is made up of perennial fruit and veg, herbs and edible flowers. With a self sown foxglove that is just too beautiful to remove!

Until 3 weeks ago I was growing 2 small gardens in the garden for RHS Malvern, but now that plant material has gone, and I have had a little more time, the garden has been tidied, planting has taken place and I am feeling a bit more on top of things, so rather than waffling on, here are a few photos.......
It's occurred to me that I have managed not to get a photo of myself in any of these!! Never mind eh?!

Last year this was one foxglove and now it's turning into a nectar bank for bees. They were all over the alliums and have now moved next door to the foxgloves. Soon there will be lots of wild carrots, clary sage and dahlias too.

Funny how you turn i to your mother. I have spent years saying roses are too much work but when they flower they make me realise how important they are to me in the garden!

First tomato nearly there. I'm keeping tomatoes at home, literally just outside the back door to see how far they get before the dreaded blight appears.

No garden is complete without poppies for me and this one is brilliant-bought as a 9cm pot last year it has now been flowering non stop for 3 weeks and there are plenty more buds to come.

There's been a little incident....

Firstly I have to tell you I am on a ferry heading to Ireland for Bloom Fringe. It's 2.30 on Friday morning and I'm sitting by a window looking out on darkness. I don't like being at sea. But I'm hoping writing this will take my mind off the journey.

A few weeks ago I looked at the area by our drive and was somewhat concerned at seeing what looked like the beginning of spray damage on the wild flowers and shrubs that I allow to weave their way through the railings that separate the house from the field next door. I don't clear these until mid to late May to ensure there is somewhere for invertebrates and other small creatures to find safety if there's a late frost. For the first day or so I actually wondered if it might be frost damage. 

But then the tell tale sign of the grass around the edges of the field going brown, becoming brittle and dying off alerted me to the definite fact that spraying had taken place, and spray had drifted onto our drive. The blackberries all began to show the mottled yellowing that comes when they start to fight back. The willow herb browned at the roots and slowly turned yellow and faded and soon the entire bank was dying back.

 

Now I'm a pragmatist and I understand exactly why the owners and lease holders of this field decided to spray the edges. Time is precious, man power at capacity and the field is huge, and used by local football teams at the weekends. The area by us is left to grow, and is used by dog walkers and youngsters as a recreation space, but sadly it's also often used to fly tip and looks like a real eye sore. The spraying was undertaken, I believe, to begin to combat that issue. Often we see community payback teams in there clearing the fly tipping but my guess would be that a myriad of complaints led to drastic action.

Obviously I set about finding who had sprayed as well as what had been used. Of course it was a chemical with Glyphosate as its main ingredient, and of course I was told that it's perfectly safe. Apparently the contractor had assured that. 

Now I could at this point give all the names of all the organisations and businesses involved, but that would not in any way help the situation. I'm upset for several reasons, but I'd like to concentrate on one reason that is really dear to my heart and that's safety when spraying.

I have spraying qualifications from my time in nurseries. Each qualification cost a considerable sum to my employer and I took the learning and the tests seriously. Once you start to read chemical data sheets you realise these are not things to use lightly,  and indeed that principle is at the core of all horticultural chemical spraying. Before beginning to consider what active ingredient might be best to use to solve an issue, the operative is tasked with looking at cultural methods that could be used instead. Only when each of those methods have been considered, be it hand weeding an area or moving climber stock outside into the rain to stop red spider mite, should chemical spraying be considered. 

And once the decision to spray a chemical is made, weather, hear, wind speed should all be at an optimal point before the spraying commences. There's no point beginning of it's threatening rain, if it's too hot and plants will scorch, if it's windy, in fact if the wind is over 5mph, meaning the spray could drift.......

So whoever sprayed that field didn't consider the wind speed. It's rarely still across us, as we are at the top of a hill, and the wind whistles down. In fact I don't think I've ever lived anywhere that windy!!

I've repeatedly requested a conversation with the contracted company, who look as if they are professionals from their website, but they are yet to get in touch. The leaseholder has been given my details but I've heard nothing and the owners of the field say they are just the middle man and whilst being perfectly pleasant aren't taking my complaint particularly seriously. I've just asked for a written apology but it's not forthcoming.

And then today I saw this.....

There are so many things wrong with this picture.

No soraying suit, or at least long arms on his top to stop any spray back.

No gloves.

On his phone so not concentrating.

No signage to say spraying is taking place.

Needless to say he refused to speak to me. He was spraying an area of a retail park, so I assume he was a contractor. 

And then it suddenly occurred to me that this is a city/county/country/world wide issue. As less and less land is managed by local authorities so more and more land is looked after by private companies who inevitably will contract out specialist work such as chemical spraying. And how do all those companies know what is expected, in terms of basic health and safety and monitoring of spraying operatives? My guess is that many, if not most, just assume the contracted business is doing the monitoring, providing PPE etc.

But are they? 

Well obviously something is going horribly wrong, but what can be done?

Now whatever my personal feelings are around herbicides and pesticides I am a realist and I understand a need for good weed control in cities, and I understand that cost implications play a part here. Of course, ideally, no chemicals would be sprayed in the public realm, but that's an unlikely target as we stand. But what we do need to do in the first instance is ensure good spraying practice. Perhaps a charter to sign up to, with promises around PPE, monitoring and ensuring good signage. I'd really like to see signage staying in place for 48 hours after sprays in the public realm, if only to ensure dog owners stop their dogs licking anything covered with a spray. 

Surely that's not too much to ask?!?

In the meantime I'll wait to see if any apology is forthcoming......

 

Today's favourite.....Paeonias....

So today's favourite is the extraordinary plant that is the peony. Be they tree peonies or herbaceous peonies they entrance me, almost pulling me into their centres to smell their slightly musky, intoxicating scent and to marvel at the layers of petals involved in each bloom.

 

 

And yes they can be difficult. They hate having their roots disturbed and it will stop them flowering, sometimes for a few years, until they recover. They're not overly fond of being kept in containers, and occasionally they wink up, as my dear mother would say, and die for no other reason than that they can. 

But if you cherish them, mulch and water them, for a brief spell in May and June, they'll make your heart sing with joy, blooming and filling the garden at dusk with their unforgettable scent. 

 

My go to place for peonies is Kelways Nursery, not far from us here in Bristol, a mere hop and a skip across into Somerset. They are well worth a visit, and have some stunning varieties, bred by themselves. 

 

It's also worth remembering that peonies make great cut flowers. Cut them straight into water and they will last a good 5 days in a vase. And there's nothing better than a whole peony bouquet!

 

 

 

A Trip to Yeo Valley.

Yeo Valley Organic Garden is one of very few gardens with Soil Association organic certification, and is just down the road from us in Bristol so on a warm, sunny May Sunday when it was open for the National Gardens Scheme, we decided it was too good an opportunity to miss and off we went.
Now it has to be said I know this garden relatively well having visited on a few occasions and am always knocked sideways by how well it is kept considering it relies solely on people power. In fact I posted a photo on Instagram of the veg garden and one person almost refused to believe it could be so tidy in an organic system. It is, of course, down to a truly committed team of highly skilled, professional gardeners and their tireless work and it's also proof that you can garden completely organically and still have a stunning garden.
It was amazing to see the garden so busy, with car loads of folk arriving to see the garden, particularly as it was a day that was benefiting the National Gardens Scheme. The garden is also open throughout the season so it's worth looking at the Yeo Valley website and seeing when and popping along
So here is a walk through the visit with photos.

Those yellow signs never fail to make my heart sing!!

The stunning vegetable garden with views of the rolling Somerset hills.

The herbaceous borders that lead from the veg patch to the meadows. Alight with the freshness of lime green Euphorbia, tulips and fresh spring growth. The darkness of the Pittosporum Tom Thumb really makes these colours zing.

The meadow, full of stunning flowering Camassia. 

The Crab Apple walk which was alive with bees, who's hives are in the adjoining field, full of flower and the promise of the harvest to come. 

The main garden is full of colour, again all with a nod to pollination but also in a very designed, modern herbaceous border way, that really lends itself to the landscape behind it. The large pond, just out of shot, echoes Chew Valley Lake which is the other side if the wall.

Purples and pinks abound in Spring,making the freshness of the spring foliage particularly bright and zingy.

Wisteria features heavily in this part of the garden, covering walls, fences and pergolas and again supporting the bees that live so close.

I love a good piece of garden sculpture and this, I think, is lovely. It sits at the end of a new piece of garden where you can sit and look out at Chew Valley Lake.

Mint and other herbs sit on the patio outside the cafe, in containers of all types. As the Yeo Valley dairy is next door, there is an emphasis on using the recycled containers used in milk production.

The promise of the year ahead....

Tulips in pots adorn the outside area of the most spectacular greenhouse!

The greenhouse. Closed on really busy days but I have been allowed into these hallowed halls and what an amazing space, full of non hardy tropical type plants that come outside in the summer.

Todays Favourite............Mexican Tree Spinach.

One of the great things about working with edibles is finding the plants that are so beautiful that they look as fabulous in an herbaceous border as they do in a food garden or allotment. For me gardens, whether ornamental or productive, or a mix, should primarily be places of beauty and this is a plant that without a doubt adds a level of beauty, along with some glamour.

Growing to around 4-5 feet in height it's tips are pink and almost glittery. What's not to love?

What is a Healthy City?

This week I was horrified to read that Bristol City Council have proposed to cut the street tree budget that is managed by the highways department, from £243,000 to £53,000. This 78% cut will effectively see all pollarding and cultural work by skilled arboriculturists stopped, will mean any trees felled will not be replaced and there will be no new plantings, despite often planting trees is cost neutral as community groups and organisations often fund tree plantings. You can read more about this here on the Bristol Tree Forum's blog.

Beautiful trees in Bristol's Broadmead shopping centre.

Here I must say that there is a promise to revisit this decision by the city council after the general election, but I am going to add my own, possibly cynical thoughts on that. Firstly the promise to revisit could just be a good political move. Could it also be that revisiting this decision may mean that a contracted business could be given the remaining budget, or perhaps slightly more, to carry out the work for Bristol City Council. Usually that might not be seen as an issue, but knowing the horror of what is going on in the beautiful city of Sheffield with their trees, having had tree work contracted out to Amey, who are dealing with trees as a health and safety issue rather than looking at them as part of our natural capital, and planning on felling 6,000 trees over 5 years, i think my cynicism is totally understandable. If you'd like to know more about the Sheffield situation, here is the Sheffield Tree Action Group website.

According to the WHO a healthy city is one that 'continually creates and improves its physical and social environments and expands the community resources that enable people to mutually support each other in performing all the functions of life and developing to their maximum potential.'

So with that in mind surely it's physical environments include looking after the trees within the city and the biodiversity that those trees support. Here in Bristol we have already seen Parks budgets slashed so hard that we no longer see park keepers or park teams working in parks, but instead have a small, central team that is working across the cities more than 400 green spaces. Friends of Parks groups and volunteer organisations such as my own Incredible Edible Bristol are beginning to be relied on to manage areas of parks, and take on the funding of their own projects. Whilst this is an exciting prospect for many, it is also often completely financially unsustainable, relying on volunteers and the ever decreasing amounts of public funding available. Anyway, back to the trees.......

We take trees for granted in the city often but they are a vital and rare green lung in areas of the city. They turn busy, concrete and tarmacadam rich areas into areas that appear green, with all the pluses that trees bring. Outside Bristol's Royal Infirmary is a typical place. Traffic heavy, busy with both pedestrians and cyclists, and regularly with the sight of the air ambulance overhead, the space is loud, busy and quite frightening in many ways. Ambulances scream around with their sirens blaring and there are a lot of people everywhere. Across the road is a short avenue of trees. Not enough but enough to add some shade and greenery to the area. Enough to allow you to stand underneath them and feel calmed.  Behind the BRI has been made a beautiful, tree rich walk, which, as I walk through it regularly on my way to and from events and meetings, calms the soul, supports re-energising and is a safe space in one of chaos. There are avenues of trees all across the city that do exactly the same thing. They are a part of our natural capital, supporting biodiversity, flood and temperature control and the health of the city and the people living and working therein.

Beautiful spring blossom!

According to the last citizen survey in the UK there are over 80% of the population living in urban areas. By 2050 it is estimated that world wide 70% of the planet's population will live in urban areas. We know that health, both mental and physical, is improved if people have access to nature. But what does that mean is a question I constantly ask. We can't bus people out into nature every weekend can we? We can't flood the Somerset levels every weekend with 455,000 people from the city in order to ensure that hit of nature happens, can we? Well no. Of course we can't so surely bringing nature into, and looking after nature within the city is a vital piece of keeping any city healthy. And surely that means being serious about looking after that natural capital within the city? Those parks and avenues of trees are important spaces for the health of the city, and it's populations. For cities that are battling rising mental health issues, and according to Bristol Mental Health that is estimated to be 15% of the population each year, approx 60,000 people, the benefits of sitting under a tree or visiting a park are huge, and important, particularly for people living in the less wealthy parts of the city who often feel as if they are the forgotten population, and rarely visit the central areas of the city for a whole raft of social and economic issues.

So how do we change this? Well I would suggest that we need a campaign. A national campaign on the importance of natural capital, of healthy cities in the true sense of the phrase, and a campaign run by real people who care about their individual cities and it's health and wellbeing. Living in a city like Bristol is amazing but it has to be said that the shortsightedness of this particular policy change leaves me both flabbergasted and sad. Not only must we ensure healthy cities for our current populations, but also for the generations to come so we ensure we never return to the unhealthy cities of less than 100 years ago. With air pollution levels rising and mental and physical health, particularly obesity issues on the rise, we need forward thinking local politicians who put the health of the population first. Prosperity needs to be seen as more than just wealth, taking statistics of health and well being into account just as much as development and business, and looking after the natural capital of a city surely must be a good way to begin this change? 

I'm interested in your thoughts so please do comment below. I expect this will be an ongoing them on this blog so please do get involved in any way you can!

Beautiful Ginkgo a stones throw from Cabot Circus!

Today's Favourite is.....Auriculas

Oh my!! Auriclas make my heart sing with joy. They remind me of that favourite vegetable that is only around for a few short weeks each year and that you almost forget about in between. When it does appear however, you are joyous and eat it every day whilst you can, savouring every mouthful.
Of course the other thing I love about Primula auricle is that they are, whilst looking like they are tender and difficult, tough as old boots as long as you keep them fed and watered and split them on a regular basis so they don't become too large. Just like the rest of the primula family, they just keep on giving, year after year!
One day I will have an auricle theatre but in the meantime here are some I adore.....

Taken at the RHS Malvern Spring Festival

Should have noted the name!!

A stunning double!!

Auricla Double Trouble