Gardener’s Cuttings


Dorset Gardens Trust’s Garden day at Chideock


The Dorset Gardens Trust 2010 Garden Day at Chideock Manor on Sunday 27th June promises to be an exciting all-day Sunday event for lovers of gardens and beautiful country. Chideock provides a magnificent setting for a great day out where there will be about 30 stalls including many selling specialist plants and garden crafts, as well as displays, lectures, creative flower arranging demonstrations, delicious lunches and cream teas.


The event is at the invitation of Howard & Deirdre Coates who have been the owners since 1996. Using Chideock’s landscape as a backdrop, they have created the garden of today with its box and santolina parterre, crab apple and lime walks, rose and clematis archways, stream garden, and paths through the woodland and around the lake.


The Chideock Manor estate is of medieval foundation and has been occupied for over 650 years, principally by the Arundell and Weld families. Chideock has always been an important bastion of Roman Catholicism. The present Roman Catholic Church, where the talks will be held, adjoins the manor house and was built in a highly original Italian Romanesque style in 1870 by the Weld family. The talks, given by Anna Pavord, Tim Richardson and Kim Wilkie, will be introduced by Penelope Hobhouse.


The trust organises Garden Days on alternate years - the four most recent were at Thornhill in 2008, Parnham in 2006, Melbury near Dorchester in 2004, and Encombe near Swanage in 2002. The funds raised at these events enable the DGT to continue its work in protecting the historic parks and gardens of Dorset.


New course on environmentally friendly gardening


Knoll Gardens always keen to promote environmentally friendly gardening


A new course in naturalistic gardening is taking place at Dorset’s Knoll Gardens on 24th June. The Masterclass in Naturalistic Gardening is the first of its kind for Britain’s leading supplier of ornamental grasses, and is particularly suited to anyone interested in creating and maintaining a garden with high ornamental value and great environmental credentials. Led by garden owner Neil Lucas, the


Masterclass provides an accessible, informative and fun insight into gardening the ‘Knoll way’ based on expertise accumulated over years of working within the four- acre Wimborne show garden. Knoll’s extensive range of grasses and perennials was planted primarily for its year-round beauty, minimal maintenance and wide choice of plants for virtually any situation. However, as Neil and his team worked with the grasses it quickly became apparent that their easy naturalistic style also makes a huge contribution to a genuinely sustainable garden. This Masterclass is the first opportunity to discover the principles that guide Knoll’s naturalistic planting and gardening style, and gain an overview on developing your own environmentally friendly garden. Knoll’s Naturalistic Gardening Masterclass costs just £30, which includes a Dorset cream tea. For more information call 01202 873931 or visit www.knollgardens.co.uk


Riverford pitches up to deliver fresh food


Riverford Organics is literally pitching up for two weeks from 27th May to 6th June as it brings freshly picked organic food from field to table in a giant yurt (nomadic tent). Riverford’s new Travelling Field Kitchen has Upper Norton Farm in Hampshire as its first port of call on a nationwide mission to bring fresh produce and inspiring cooking to people up and down the country.


Riverford promises field-to-table in a giant yurt


Serving recipes from the original award winning Devon-based Riverford Field Kitchen restaurant, head chef Jane Baxter will be taking what’s best in the local fields and transforming a variety of vegetables and fruits into a feast of gutsy flavours.


As well as serving lunch and supper in the


yurt, Upper Norton Farm will be putting on special events, including cooking demonstrations. The menu has been devised to work with the fresh produce that is available during the summer months, as the roving restaurant makes its way round the country. Examples of the sorts of dishes visitors can expect to enjoy, depending on what is ready to pick that day.


Guy Watson, founder of Riverford, will be attending on the 28th May to cook organic produce and meet customers. He said, “We are on a mission: to get Britain using fresh, seasonal vegetables again. Although seasonal produce is very in vogue, we believe that after 40 years of neglect very few people have the culinary skills to commit to eating this way. We want to show people just how exciting cooking from scratch with seasonal produce can be and inspire them back into their kitchens.”


Chideock Manor to host Dorset Garden Trust Open Day


A two course lunch is from £17.50, three course dinner from £22.50. www.riverfordnorton.co.uk


Country Gardener 5


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