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.