Rebuilding a nursery - Copton Ash

[Tim Ingram]

Last weekend we took plants along to the Plantfairs Roadshow event at Hall Place, Bexley, on the SE. outskirts of London. A few pictures of some youthful gardeners on the day who were particularly inspiring to meet, especially because they were buying alpines! There is a similar Summer Fair here on Sunday 3rd July 2016 with a good range of specialist nurseries (including Steve Law, Brighton Plants, who grows a notably eclectic range of plants - and I thought we did!). Definitely a developing event for those who are really seriously interested in plants.

[Tim Ingram]

And last but not least, some finicky weeding in advance of opening the garden for the National Gardens Scheme this coming Sunday 24th April. Weather forecast not brilliant, but the cakes will be...

[Gabriela]

I wish I could visit but I can only send you all my best. You have a wonderful garden, and nursery 
It seems there is a lot of cake involved in the British gardens/shows events   

[Maggi Young]

An army marches on its stomach - and British gardeners function on cake!!

[Tim Ingram]

Thanks Gabriela . I always secretly hope not too many people come so there is cake left over! Some people are really interested in the plants close up, some just like to wander round the garden but know little about the plants, but almost all I think go for tea and cake!

[Gabriela]

Hmmm...yummy!

[ian mcdonald]

Alpines, tea and cake always good value at Jack Drakes as well.

[Leena]

I wish I could visit but I can only send you all my best. You have a wonderful garden, and nursery 
It seems there is a lot of cake involved in the British gardens/shows events   

Gabriela wrote just what I was thinking, it sounds so good! You have such a long gardening tradition in the UK and open gardens.

[Tim Ingram]

As spring turns into summer the rate at which the garden grows can be quite disconcerting! This view from the house is part of the garden which gets regular mowing and edging and weeding, but just around the corner there is a wilderness which hasn't been tamed for five or six years  . The second picture shows the view looking through into the wild. A friend who came to help us a week or so ago inspired a strong foray into this region to begin the long process of reclaiming this part of the garden. Essentially it needs thorough cutting down of brambles and seedling trees and weeds and then regular strimming and mowing to recover the paths. Quite a bit was started back in early spring so concerted effort should begin to make head-road. Looking back from the wilderness into the garden shows how this could become an interesting clearing again under the eucalyptus, planted with a mix of things to complement the view beyond. This is a warm and sheltered sunny area in the middle of the garden that would be ideal for Mediterranean-type plants and maybe some of the Californian species that Robert describes, and we do have the prospect of more help through the summer with a daughter home from University!

[Tim Ingram]

Along with this major clearing there is also a need to extend the growing area in the nursery and a row of old cordon apples have been removed next to this long frame and the area alongside will now be levelled and used to make new raised capillary beds, specifically for more choice alpines which need more attention. Looking down from here is another part of the wilderness, originally part of the nursery, which will also be cleared this summer to provide a place for new polytunnels and stock beds. Well this is the plan anyway... .

[Maggi Young]

Such a lot of work to do but how worthwhile.  ( Heather can escape up here if she needs to, by the way! )

[Tim Ingram]

We are taking a week off soon and coming up to Scotland to climb Ben Nevis Maggi! I want to visit gardens but I think Heather and Robyn (and the dog) will have different ideas.

[Tim Ingram]

Early morning setting up for the Faversham Open Gardens & Garden Market today. Hope there may be a chance to see one or two of the gardens... but also that it will so busy that there may not be the opportunity! Pulls two ways.

[Tim Ingram]

Good day on Sunday - the Faversham Society sold over a thousand tickets for the Open Gardens and raised around £5000. These are a few pictures of the stalls. In order: David Simmons, a local farmer and town (& district) councillor, who is also Chairman of the Faversham Markets Co-operative (very highly respected in the town for his integrity and strength of mind dealing with difficult issues); the regular Market Plant Stall under the Guildhall in the town; ourselves with alpines - quite a bit of interest which is encouraging, does seem to be a growing awareness again of these plants and their diversity; the Abbey Physic Community Garden - close to my heart because it is a garden my mother was strongly involved in proposing and creating for the benefit of the disadvantaged and people who have been hurt by life in different ways; and 'Mighty Fine Things' - Katy Cox (and her partner and young baby!), one of the prime movers of the 'Best of Faversham' Market and the general market in the town.

[Tim Ingram]

Replanting a part of Paul Powis' front garden at Old Wive's Lees in Kent. Amongst the plants are the long lived dwarf specimen conifers; Pinus heldreichii 'Schmidtii' and P. mugo 'Carsten's Wintergold', Daphne retusa; and a variety of alpine species plus a few shorter lived 'filler' plants (a small delphinium hybrid and felicia amongst them). This area is full of crocus - notably the autumn flowering C. speciosus 'Oxonian' - and cyclamen that Rosemary planted many years ago, likely to fill some of the cleared parts with seedlings from the seedbank in the soil! In the autumn a further range of small bulbs will be added and it will be good to watch it develop over the next year or two. (Rosemary was the long time secretary of the East Kent AGS group of gardeners and a close friend. This rock garden that she made - Paul provided help with the initial construction - is a great example of a small rock garden outside the front of their house, and of the effective connection between plant and place which resulted from Rosemary's knowledge of plants combined with her artistic expression).