Cotswolds Cuttings
GARDENERS CUTTINGS
a look at news, events and happenings in the Cotswolds
Historic garden at Batsford to be developed
Work is under way on a major expansion and development project at one of Britain’s finest collections of trees and shrubs – Batsford Arboretum in Gloucestershire.
The new look Batsford arboretum
Batsford Arboretum, which contains one of the largest woody plant collections outside government control in Britain, was created
in the late 19th century by Lord Redesdale as a woodland garden with Japanese influences. After the Second World War the second Lord Dulverton developed and expanded the Arboretum to 60 acres and opened it to the public. In 1983 he set up a charitable trust – The Batsford Foundation - to manage the Arboretum after his death and to ensure long-term public access to the collection (currently 60,000 people visit per annum). Further objectives for the Foundation include advancing public knowledge of gardens, arboreta and historic landscapes and conservation of the physical and natural environment.
The project takes all of these objectives forward in a spectacular way, with a £2 million investment that will create a superb new entrance building combining visitor centre, interpretation, plant centre, shop and cafe/restaurant, but will also expand the Arboretum by a further seven acres (10 per cent of the current land holding). This will mean that over the course of the next five years more than 500 new trees and shrubs will be added to the collection, including several which are rare and endangered in the wild; such as Xanthocyparis vietnamensis the Golden Vietnamese Cypress; Populus wilsonii (grafted from an original plant discovered by Ernest Wilson in 1907) and wild collected Cercidiphyllum japonicum Katsura Tree - considered to be one of the most beautiful of all Asian trees. Batsford’s National Collection (NCCPG) of Sato- Zakura cherries (Prunus) and its extensive collection of Asian maples (Acers) will also be expanded. It is planned the new building and all its facilities will be open to the public from Easter 2011.
Mill Dene hosts pilates sessions
Gardeners with backache after hours in the garden may find the remedy by attending a workshop on Pilates at Mill Dene Garden, Gloucestershire. The course is to be held on Monday 28th June from 10.30am to 1.30pm.
Sue Dodd of Pilates-et-al will be leading the workshop. Trained as a dancer, she has moved on into health promotion, sports science and corporate fitness, and now lectures in these subjects
Sue’s three and a half hour session in the beautiful and tranquil surroundings of Mill Dene Garden will start with a PowerPoint presentation to show the mechanics of Pilates, then move to its practice to improve posture and ensure that attendees garden until they are at least 80 years of age! Whether weeding, digging or pruning, Pilates can help to use the body more efficiently, improve posture and support gardeners through all their gardening tasks.
The course includes tea and coffee and concludes with a light herby lunch. Tickets cost £45.50 per person. To reserve a place, please telephone Mill Dene Garden’s owner Wendy Dare on 01386 700457.
Country Gardener Learn about the story of trees
If you enjoy looking at trees and wish you could name them, find out more about the history and mysteries of these remarkable plants, then there’s a weekend coming up for you. Farncombe Estate Adult Learning Centre is hosting a Trees in Summer special - starting on 26th June and ending on 28th June with Letta Jones MA. It includes a visit to the arboretum at Batsford and Kiftsgate Court Garden (transport provided) to enjoy the fabulous exotic and rare trees with illustrated talks, walks and practical identification sessions at Farncombe.
www.farncombeestate.co.uk/Tel. 01386 854100
Care home signs up for growing veg
People living at a Cotswold nursing home have been discovering the benefits of growing their own veg.
Brompton House in Broadway has signed up to the Community Crops campaign, and residents have been doing plenty of planting thanks to the help of pupils from St Mary’s Catholic Primary School and volunteers from the Prince’s Trust.
The campaign has taken root in more than 300 gardens and greenhouses at care homes all over the UK and provides vital stimulation for patients suffering from dementia by giving them a chance to reminisce and share their own gardening experiences.
Amanda Francis, home manager, said: “Already our residents are feeling a huge sense of achievement and have taken great pleasure in watching their seedlings grow.
“We have been carefully tending and watering the plants and are really looking forward to the next step of planting the seedlings outside.”
3
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56