Archive Gardeners Blog

Back in September, it became very obvious that with all the Social Distancing regulations still in place (and looking like they were here to stay for the foreseeable future,) that the winter was going to be a problem.

How are we to shelter our wonderful Volunteer Teams throughout the cold, wet months of the winter and early spring? The workshop/toolstore is no longer a viable option. It was always cramped at best, but now with social distancing its an absolute impossibility!

So I got my thinking cap on and did a little searching.

The National Lottery Community Fund has a grant for up to £10000 to help community projects weather and recover from the Coronavirus epidemic. It seemed too good to be true!

So we did a bit more thinking about what we really needed, how much it would cost and applied for £7450 to convert the Toolshed into a Volunteer Hub where the volunteers can safely shelter from the rain as it passes over us and eat their lunch in the warm and the dry. We also asked for a bit to make a safe access route to and from the Greenhouse and the New Toolshed.

All our dreams have come true and we are now all so excited to see the ork progress

#NATIONAL LOTTERY

Since the last update we have two new Volunteers, Graeme and Nicolette.

We have also made links with a group from the Milan Organisation, which is a group of day-care centres for Retired Asian Women. They have been in for a guided walk which they enjoyed and will come back in the summer for a picnic.

Most of the conifers have been clipped over and 15 tons of compost has been spread over borders as mulch for the year. That is 5 of our own and 10 tons bought in, of which 5 tons was free (as a community garden) through the council recycling green waste scheme.

The Azaleas and Rhododendron have all been fed, the roses fed and pruned, the Cornus cut back too.

We have received our lovely new solid Oak,  two seater bench. It is on the bank at the top of Howards End.

There has been some new with the donation of a small ornamental tree,  Cornus Nuttali “Eddies White Wonder” and the planned donation of a bench that will go at the back of the Physic Garden.

The nursery has been sorted out for the season and we are just in the process of potting on all the plants that need a bit more room in their pots. Lots of seed has been sown.

The Perennial Vegetable garden is re-emerging from its winter dormancy, it’s been weeded,  mulched and the chicken-wire fencing re-erected to protect it from the rabbits.

All the narcissus are flowering and the garden is a picture just now.

That’s about it folks!

Here we go into the season.

Claudia

A volunteer has started to work on a short film for our use, so watch this space. It’ll also be used for Grant Applications.

Work on a newsletter is also underway.

All the borders in the garden have been cut back and tidied, this is a repeating process due to all the storms we have had. The trees have all faired well, losing only smaller branches in a few cases.

We received 5 tons of free council compost (this is our quota for the year), however, this is nowhere near enough for the entire garden. Luckily we are able to produce 8 – 10 tons of our own, but nonetheless we could still use another 3 – 4 tons seeing as many borders as possible are mulched.

The Volunteers have coped very well over the winter and are looking forward to the spring.

We had a lot of rain over the winter and the loch has just started to recede. The Reeds are mostly cut and cleared, with one wee patch still to do.

The Perennial Garden in the Glebe is cut back, mulched, re-fenced and now ready to go into production again.

The builder also helped to build a lovely wee wall with steps into it for a bench, behind the Physic Garden. All we need now is a bench to be donated.

The Narcissus and Dwarf iris that we planted in the autumn are flowering beautifully in the scree. The Crocus have been hammered by the 5 Pheasants in the garden, to my intense irritation.  I have had to put wire baskets over them to try and protect them, slightly spoiling the effect!

Lots on as we go into spring next up another bonfire to burn, Newsletter to complete, rabbit guards to go around all their favourite nibbles, sweet peas to grow on, Sweet Williams to plant out etc. etc. etc.

Claudia

11th November

Last visit of the year from the “Good Wood” Team. This group have become regular users of the garden. The team enjoy the garden and feel they are able to make a positive contribution. We spent the day clearing up leaves, a seasonal job that we all enjoyed and with their help we were able to make a serious impression on the deluge.

17th November

This week also saw the arrival of the spring bulb order … 4000 bulbs! A mixture of Narcissus, Alliums, Dwarf Iris and Crocus to be planted in the Scree, Peat Beds, Tower Border and down the banking towards the Tower. Planting bulbs along with clearing leaves and collecting Moss and green material for the Wreath making Workshops will be the main jobs for the next week or two.

5th/6th December

Wreath making Workshops went off very well.

I always get so very anxious about this event … will we have enough moss, string, wire etc?

The following week 5 Volunteers made wreaths and I got Dr. Jack a Christmas Tree for Duddingston Kirk.

We also gained a new Volunteer called Jack. A lovely young man who is in the middle of his Doctorate … but needs some time outdoors.

On this subject, our lovely Volunteer Lizzie has now qualified and is very busy working as a 1st Year Doctor, on rotation through hospital departments throughout Edinburgh and the Lothians. Lizzie pops in for some fresh air and gardening whenever she gets the chance.

14th December

Because the weather was still so mild, and as a change to lifting the still falling leaves, we got on with the cutting back this week … seems a very odd thing to do just before Christmas but it’s nice to see some clarity in the garden.

David and Jack cleared the stem of the large golden Lawsons behind the Golden Border….that changed the view….amazing. I cannot wait for summer, we will be able to see the border from all sides now.

29th / 30th Dec

Suddenly there are Aconites coming up through the soil! And the Hellebores have buds, Iris Unguicularis has its first flower, the Winter Cherry is beginning to flower and the Viburnum Bodnantense is now really flowering at full tilt. It’s in these dark midwinter days that any scent or colour is the most cheering.

Dec 30th

Was in fact the day of ‘Storm Frank’! I spent the day raking up debris, but had the joy of a ‘will o the wisp’ dancing in a puddle beside the corner of the Tower. Never seen anything like it before and I was enchanted.

Week of January 5th 2016

Still clearing up in the garden … planting donated shrubs. George our lovely Canadian Volunteer who left to go to a full time gardening post in Perthshire came in for a visit this week. Lovely to see him and to hear that he is getting on.

We also had a new volunteer, Lorna begin with us. Lorna used to volunteer with me when I worked up in the Community Vegetable Garden, so it is lovely to catch up with her again.

11th January

Another new Volunteer, Michael started with us this week. He is a young American undergraduate studying at Edinburgh University. He came along after looking up “things to do” on Trip Advisor.

Seemingly we have ‘outstanding reviews’ on Trip Advisor … It may explain why we have so many foreign visitors, from all over the world.

15th January

An unbelievably cold and frosty day, the ground was frozen solid. At last winter temperatures make their entrance. It was so cold I was wondering what I could possibly do with 6 volunteers … it was a perfect day for a bonfire!

We managed to cut up and burn all of the accumulated garden arisings, including the two huge heaps of brash from the conifer I cut down and the left overs from the wreath making workshops. We also had sausages. This is becoming a tradition on bonfire days … 1st day sausage dogs. 2nd day … potatoes baked in the hot ash. Nothing better and enjoyed by all

I love this month in the garden. It is full of glorious woodlanders; bulbs, herbaceous perennials, shrubs and trees that live in and on the margins of woodland; Cornus nuttali, Magnolia, Epimedium, Trillium, Erythronium, Primula, Pulmonaria and Omphaloides.

The Cornus nuttali has been super this year, with more flowers than ever. We have been watching the flowers develop slowly over the winter months with a huge sense of anticipation and we were not disappointed. It is always a delight to see the delicate flowers of Epimedium surrounded by there bronzy, heart shaped leaves. Another favourite is Erythronium californicum, ‘White Beauty’, always a delight, delicate and magical; seeming to float in semi–shade. There were other delights; Fritillaria, Camellia, Cherry blossom, Narcissus.

The Volunteers worked hard all month, laying 13 tons of grey whinchip topping up the paths and steps. It was the last big ‘winter job’ and has made such a difference to the look of the garden.

What a month it was though. It started off cold, windy and march – like, no surprises there. It improved and got up into the high teens towards the end of the month and everything seemed wonderful; blossom, bees, butterflies and blue skies. The garden had picnicking families one day and sunbathing beauties the next, folk were sitting on benches and snoozing in the sun, I even took off my thermal leggings! All was lovely……. and then it got cold again, diving from the high teens, right back down to -1, morning frosts, sleet and snow.

Still, lets look forward to the glories of June; Lily of the Valley, Bearded Iris and Roses.