Ecology, Sustainability and Environmental Design

Not posted since we started back in September as just been crazy busy!

Projects are going well and have been really interesting.  The last few months have been taken up with assignments on ecology, sustainability and environmental design.  The first, the ecology assignment, I loved and it made me regret I had not done a degree in ecology instead of garden design!   

However, I had to get over it and move on with the other assignments.  Equally as interesting, the next project was studying the characteristics and features of sustainable garden design and construction, encompassing the environmental consideration in terms of wildlife and the ecosystem as a whole, as well as the hard and soft landscaping aspects that need to be considered.  This is going to be quite simply at the core of all of my design work. 

Putting in place the correct landscape management systems to successfully cope with the extremes of water drainage and drought conditions that we are increasingly experiencing is fundamental to the long term success of any garden design as much as is choosing materials from sustainably managed resources and employing construction methods that will endure the test of time whilst reducing impact on the environment as a whole.

Planting for Wildlife - Small Tortoiseshell butterfly and honey bees on Sedum spectabile

Equally important is to ensure materials and planting fit appropriately in the setting where they are being used, using local material in keeping with the wider environment and ensuring plant selection is appropriate for the conditions. 

Not to mention all the wildlife, soil and plant management infrastructure that goes with a well-balanced ‘environmentally friendly’ garden.   Each topic deserves its own discussion page!

Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons - Cultivation Practices

 The vegetable garden at Le Manoir looks just amazing.  Netting and fleece is used to protect susceptible crops from rabbits or flying criters - whether that be insects or the many pigeons that thrive in the garden!             

 

As soon as the seed is sown it is covered with fleece to protect it from being disturbed or eaten by animals or birds and it also helps to create a warm temperature speeding up germination time.  The fleece is used throughout the growing period, not just in the spring and it works a treat.  We sowed the final rows of colourful beetroot for the year 10th August:- Beetroot 'Golden Beet' (a lovely golden yellow beet), 'Chioggia' (red and white striped) and Beetroot 'Bollivar' (good old fashiond deep red/burgundy colour).



Companion planting Calendula either side of Kale

Companion planting techniques are practiced - seen here Calendula (Pot Marigolds) are planted either side of rows of Kale to help prevent white fly infestation.

 

Another example of companion planting was having nasturtians and sunflowers mixed through the squash bed to help with pollination.

 

They also look really pretty of course!

Le Manoir - A Brief Update

Everyone has been asking me how I have been getting on during the summer internship so here's a few more photos and brief update......

Le Manoir is an organicially run garden and certified with the Soil Association.  The gardens cover a 7 acre area with 1 1/2 acres being devoted to the vegetable and herb garden

The main vegetable growing area is laid out in 4 main oblong sections which are managed in rotation, moving vegetable types on from one year to the next, helping to prevent build up of pest and disease particular to one type of vegetable, and it means that plants that enrich the soil nutrient such as legumes (peas, beans etc.) adding nitrogen into the soil, is appreciated by brassicas the following year.

 

If only my vegetable garden looked like this!  I have loved working here.  It is especially nice in the morning while it is still quiet and the sun's heat is still getting going.

Below a snap shot of part of the Asian Garden with the unusual crops like Amaranthe, Orach 'Red', Yacon and Gotu Kola looking colourful.

 

Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons - Gardens Internship Programme

I have now completed my first couple of weeks on my summer internship working in the vegetable garden at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons. 

The first week I think it rained every single day!  Luckily it wasn't too wet so we just got on with it as there were plenty of things to do.  As soon as we arrive we have to pick the crops, herbs and edible flowers for the kitchen which has to be done by 10.00 so the chefs can get on and do what they do working their magic creating the amazing dishes from Le Manoir kitchen. 

My second week, it was so hot it was like working in Mexico!  Here I was planting out some celery plants which was photographed as part of the monthly coverage about Le Manoir vegetable garden in The English Garden magazine.

I love this photo which catches the beautiful bronze fennel next to the flowers of bergamot and running down the row between them some chicory forcing pots which look great sitting there!

And to the right, the view from the main courtyard entrance looking through a Yew archway towards the garden, the path edged with lavendar and the sections divided with perfectly round clipped balls of box.

Hampton Court Flower Show 2012

Its a bit late but things were so manic at the time I didn't get chance to update my blog before!

During June and July I helped garden designer Jayne Thomas build her Hampton Court Flower Show garden Celebration & Jubilation, one of the 'Summer Gardens'  at this years RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2012 . 

It was a great experience, hard work, but very interesting to learn the ropes of sourcing and selecting the plants and getting the garden from the plot of bare mud to the finished show garden.

The beginning, on Monday 18th June, we arrived to an oblong cut out of the turf marking the spot of our garden plot.  Sized to the finished garden plan, we set to marking out the centre and the key elements of the design, namely a central, circular area which will become a hard surface for a seat and surrounded by 'swathes of patriotic planting'.


The design taking shape - the circular shape and path in prepared with a bed of scalpings surrounded by a cemented edging of sandstone bricks.  And in the back ground, the gazebo to protect us from the rain, that never seemed to stop!





A view of the finished garden, finally in a rare moment of sun during the show!!

The reflecting water pools looked great surrounded by grasses and Iris.

In the centre of the garden a beautiful 'Jubilee' seat made by Gaze Burvill that attracted lots of enquiries.








The garden during the show, with the bunting flying and what seemed like millions of people all asking questions and interested in the garden.  We got lots of comments about how pretty the planting was in the garden which was great after all the hard work to build it, especially given the challenges of our English summer weather we had to contend with too!

Spring at Wisley

Snowdrops mean spring  is on the way for me - even if it is in January!

Photograph copyright of Galanthus nivalis and Helleborus orientalis taken by Julia Shaw

January 2012 - I visited Wisley for the snowdrop talk at the end of January and the snowdrops were up in carpets all through the garden. They looked really lovely coming up through the Hellebores and I would suggest a visit if you haven't been lately! 

Other planting companions that would look good are the contrasting colour of Eranthis hyemalis and deep pink Cyclamen coum or the softer colours and shapes of naturalising purple Crocus tommasinianus. I think my favourite though is the deep purple of Iris reticulata 'Pauline' - I love this plant! 

See it below amongst this group of early flowering bulbs at the RHS London Plant and Design Show last week.

Wisley Internship

Wisley Internship - Since 6th October I have been working at RHS Wisley Gardens in Surrey on their Internship Programme. This experience is all going towards the Personal & Professional Development module for my degree in Garden Design.

22nd December 2011

I went in for the final time to wrap up my Wisley internship yesterday. I had my final review meeting and sign off of my work experience journal and diary log and handed back my uniform, at least for now, as I have been invited back to do my second year with the Wisley team if I want to. I need to get on top of some of my course work first though!

My stint at Wisley finished in a really nice festive way with a special team Christmas lunch in the staff canteen with turkey, crackers and silly jokes - how good an ending is that!

Thought I'd share a photo of this festive decoration of airplants and berries that have been adorning the pillars in the glasshouse conservatory - doesn't it look great!
Happy Christmas everyone and see you all in January :)

1st - 9th December 2011

During this last two week period I attended a tree planting Master Class.  This session was a fantastic opportunity for me to join and I not only learnt best horticultural practice for tree care and establishment but also good advice on what to look out for when purchasing a tree which will be important information to consider when choosing and accepting trees purchased for clients in the future.

This included guidance on assessing the age of the tree, checking the root ball condition, the shape, condition and health of the tree and, if the tree was a grafted specimen, information on checking the state of the graft.

I also had a lesson on pruning techniques for tree saplings and learnt about the importance of getting the correct shape as soon as possible when the tree is still young in order to ensure good growth and to avoid energy being wasted producing growth that may later be chopped off; Timely pruning thus diverting energy into new (and correct) growth form. Learnt about the effect of having more than one ‘leader’, ‘bud rubbing’ and correct pruning methods.

The RHS horticulture students have to conduct a weekly ‘Plant File’. This involves them selecting a plant of their choice, writing up about it in a similar format to the information we are required to compile for our Plant Portfolio, and then presenting the information to the others in the group. I have joined several of these sessions during my time in both the Floral and Herbaceous Teams.

One of those sessions took place this week. I wrote up and had the chance to talk about one of the plants I have included in my degree module; I showed the group where the plant was located in the garden and then ran through the details of the plant and gave everyone a copy of my write-up.

If anyone has any questions or wants more details let me know!

17th - November 2011 On 17^th November I moved from the Formal Floral Team to the Herbaceous Team in the gardens at RHS Wisley. Working in the new area not only brought new faces to work with but new and different areas of the garden.My new area encompasses several different areas of the garden including what is known as Severn Acres (apparently actually about 12 acres) which extends from the main restaurant and library buildings to the pathway leading to the Bicentenary Glasshouse and includes the Grass Border, near the garden Library, and the areas around the two lakes.Also The Glasshouse Borders originally designed by Piet Oudolf, the Glasshouse Garden, designed by Tom Stuart-Smith and The Wild Garden.

In my first two weeks in this section I have had chance to work in the Wild Garden and on Severn Acres.Both areas are extremely different from where I have been working in the more formally designed areas of the garden, and also, extremely different from each other.One of my main objectives in seeking to do my work experience at Wisley was to gain exposure to plants and how they have been used at Wisley as developing solid and diverse plant knowledge is going to form the backbone of my future career.I have certainly managed this and in moving to these new areas of the garden I have managed to gain a lot of exposure to the type of plants selected and thriving in these areas.

Specifically, I have spent a fair amount of time over this period working in the Wild Garden and really had chance to see the different plants growing there and the atmosphere created with this style of planting.I can’t wait for the new year when the woodland setting will begin to come alive with the Galanthus and primroses planted there and then on into spring with the many different types of Camellia and Rhododendrons that will bring the garden alive with flower and colour.

The key tasks I've been involved with during the 2 weeks were:-

• Cutting back perennial plant summer growth ready for winter in The Wild Garden
• Lawn edging and path tidying, clearing and cleaning on Severn Acres area near the Wisley Restaurant
• Planting Fritillaria Imperialis ‘Lutea’ by the lake on Severn Acres area
• Mass ‘drift’ planting of spring bulbs on Severn Acres - we plant nearly 4,500 bulbs in the afternoon - lucky there was 10 of us!
• Tender plant protection - I helped make a protective wigwam for an Oleander planted near the restaurant - it caused much discussion amongst the visitors who kept looking at us through the restaurant windows and many stopped and asked us what we were up to - they enjoyed the entertainment as much as we had a laugh building it!

• Summary of the key tasks I've performed over the last 2 weeks are:-

  • working hard cutting back perennial plant growth and tidying flower beds in The Wild Garden ready for the winter
  • attended a Tree Planting Master Class
  • received instruction on correct sapling pruning technique
  • carried out yearly maintenance activities on bamboo
  • removal of the tender Sub-Tropical Border planting scheme
  • moved, divided and replanted bamboo/grass plants to a new site