Cropwell Bishop Village Parish Plan

Barnsdale (18-8-11)

Twenty-one of us in the Gardening Club set off to Barnsdale Gardens in Rutland today, and we thought we had beaten the weather forecast.

But half-way around the fascinating and beautifully planted gardens, the weather got the better of us and it was up with the umbrellas.

We finally gave in and the tea rooms seemed very appealing. There was just enough time to take a few photos before the rain closed in.

At least we had consolation that there had been much needed rain on our gardens in Cropwell Bishop too.

Here's hoping for sunshine in Wisley!

Judy Thomas

Whimsical wanderings at Weleda (13-7-11)

As we chased thunder clouds on our journey to Heanor we wondered if our trip would be a total washout. But the gods were with us and we arrived at The Field just after the storm had passed. It was wonderful to smell really damp earth again.

Michael Bates and his assistant Claire were waiting to guide us on a voyage of discovery. Three gardeners tend 15 acres of land devoted to plants, trees and shrubs – all of which have medical or efficacious properties. The first area was planted in beds about 30ft long and 4 ft wide – each strip containing a variety of plants which are mutually supportive. There were Echinacea's, thistles, "worts" and "banes" of every description including henbane which proved to be the downfall of Dr. Crippen (although, as it turned out his murdered wife turned out to be a man and the body had not ingested henbane but the police had smeared the body with it in an attempt to bring Dr. Crippen to justice – "fitted up" I think is the term. There were gingko trees planted at the entrance of a discreet area of cultivation devoted to women's' (and men's') problems! Then there was a polytunnel full of the prettiest pale blue passiflora primarily grown for use in calming, sedative-like potions.

There was much talk of the "rhythmic" approach to healing. Apparently plants that have a chaotic form (for example their leaves don't grow in parallel but at opposing angles) can be used to balance the rhythm of the heart or digestive tract.

We then wandered down a track to the compost area, the like of which I've never seen before. In essence, it was a small field with random heaps of compost in varying stages of decay. The field was bordered on one side by a stand of Thuja pines (whose flowers are hand clipped with scissors every May) and on the other by elder and willow. The theory is that the willows open up the ground and allow the compost heaps to heat up quicker than normal. They also use a drench made up of the juice of squeezed Valerian flowers diluted in water (ratio 1:10) which is poured over the compost to speed up the process even more. The variety of valerian they use is "officinalis" and I had never realised that this term in a plant description came from the word 'office' – the office being the gardens of the monks who originally harvested such plants for their apothecary.

Our path then took us through the most amazing wild flower meadow absolutely stuffed with clovers, rattle, birds foot trefoil and burnet among others. Michael explained that it had taken seven years to achieve this meadow, clearing out docks from the soil which had once been used for open cast mining. At one stage they doubted they would ever achieve a meadow but their patience has been so wonderfully rewarded.

Then we went into a wood, shaded area where ferns were grown. These are used in tinctures for the relief of digestive disorders – the little whorls on the reverse of the leaves apparently mimicking the lining of the digestive tract. A grove of poisonous oak and ivy is also cultivated (sometimes used as an antidote for rhustox poisoning). The poison of these plants is so toxic that full forensic suits have to be worn for harvesting.

Up on the hillside rows of plants had recently been harvested – sometimes the flowers only are picked but more often the whole plant – even the root. What is surprising is the scale of some cultivation: one of the small strips had yielded 500gms of flower heads which Claire said would provide three years of stock for tincture production.

And at the end of our wanderings there was a strip of golden calendula which seemed to glow in the twilight.

During our tour I began to appreciate the holistic approach to cultivation – sowing by the phases of the moon, harvesting of seeds and complimentary planting. Even the tools Michael uses are copper the theory being that they will leave the worked soil in a neutral state and therefore unattractive to slugs and snails.

The knowledge that Michael carries in his head is phenomenal and goes far beyond the horticultural. In fact if he had told me that he could turn the milk of a thistle into gold I would probably have believed me because the work he does sometimes seems like pure alchemy.

Margaret Paul

Photos by Judy Thomas and Mel Stanley

School supported by Gardening Club (12-7-11)

Last Sunday: a day of contrasts (3-6-11)

Somehow our standing order for wall-to-wall sunshine on such events had fallen on stony ground. No matter: a persistent drizzle and light showers did little to dampen our spirits as we set off for Staffordshire and Shropshire on our first outing of the summer.

We arrived at the Dorothy Clive garden right on schedule and, even in the dripping wet, it was evident that we were in for a treat. Once we had got our bearings the majority of us headed for the azalea walk and the quarry garden. Oh my word, what a splendid sight. The pinks, crimsons, apricots and lemons of the blooms simply fizzed like a veritable sherbet fountain. And as for the laburnum arch, well that was just magnificent.

All too quickly we had to leave and drive to Old Wollerton Hall. This was quite a different garden. Very defined, even geometric division of the area into a series of 'rooms', all richly planted with great promise for a riot of colour in high summer. The 'rooms' became wilder the further down the garden you got so that we ended up in a fairy dell with a hint of the bluebells to come. And did I mention the tea shop? That was just delicious and enticed many of us across the threshold.

All too soon it was time to set off home. If you were unable to come you really missed a treat. It's great to see these gardens in the company of like-minded friends and acquaintances and to reminisce as a group when we watch the fabulous photo montages Judy presents to us during the year.

Do make a note in your diary of our up-coming trips and contact Sue or Debi if you would like to join the party in future.

Margaret Paul

Propagating made simple—and enjoyable (16-5-11)

Geoff Hodge no longer needs a map to find his way to the Old School: tonight was the third time he has given a presentation to the Gardening Club.

Those members who saw him before had a good idea of what to expect—and it was evident that their memories were very positive.

Around 50 people had packed into the hall by the start at 7.30pm.

Geoff is an excellent presenter and filled his talk with facts, stories, jokes and practical demonstrations. He even contributed several worthwhile prizes to the raffle.

Propagation was the subject of his talk and in less than an hour Geoff managed to demystify the techniques and equipment involved in making successful plant cuttings and, more importantly, making them grow.

The key steps appear to be; using a sharp sterile knife, cutting at the right point on the stem, using damp compost (not compacted too much) in a simple small plant pot, and providing warmth and humidity in a propagator—or just a cut, upturned empty plastic bottle! There is a bit more to it than that, but not much.

A very enjoyable evening to mark the end of the season of talks as the Gardening Club expands its programme of trips and visits to gardens around the country.

The committee work very hard to make every presentation and trip a success and it is gratifying to see the club thrive. Well done.

Tony Jarrow

Annual General Meeting (18-4-11)

The Gardening Club is in good health—that was the message delivered at tonight's AGM. With over fifty members and a sound bank balance, it is able to look forward to the coming year with confidence and excitement.

Trips, visits and talks are all booked for every month up to the end of year. As always, non-members are welcome to all planned activities.

This evening was a time to reflect on the past year but also a time for some fun. There were prizes for the two winners of the Garden Photography competition, the Plant Quiz and the Raffle.

Tony Jarrow

An illuminating talk about bulbs (21-3-11)

Most of us have not been to the Keukenhof Bulb Fields of Holland but by the end of the evening we felt as though we had experienced a flying visit.

Rick Lambert is enthusiastic about plants, particularly alpine plants and bulbs.
He not only showed us his brightly coloured photos of the Dutch Bulb Fields but also managed to teach us some differences between the many species and varieties available. There was even time for a bit of history along the way.

Entries for the 'garden photo' competition were being collected during the evening. The closing date for entries is April 4th so there is still time for you to pop out into the garden to snap that winning photo. The best 12 will be used to make a Gardening Club calendar.

Tony Jarrow