He is all around us!

I have been working a few days at the Chelsea Flower Show as an external adviser for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) assisting visitors with their gardening enquires while also promoting the great work of the RHS.

The RHS stand boasts a wonderful display of Royal Autographs surrounded by decorative botanical borders by eminent botanical artists of the time. 

After a day of walking past this display occasional giving a brief overview to visitors. I found myself intrigued by one item in particular, feeling that I had seen it before. As I looked closely at the artist signature, it became clear. I was not familiar with this piece however I am with some of the artist other work. I was instantly excited by the find. Just a few quick images I took on my phone so sorry for the poor quality.

Reproduction of the Royal Autograph of Queen Mary (1867-1953) 

Watercolour and ink on paper by E. A. Bowles (1929)

If you would like to see Mr Bowles work along with other the RHS are displaying them at the RHS Garden Wisley please see below for details and dates.

Royal Connections - Celebrating Two Centuries of Royal Patrons The story of the RHS’s long association with the Royal Family can be traced through the archives, photographs and artworks held by the RHS Lindley Library. These include a unique collection of illuminated Royal Autographs with decorated floral borders, painted by leading botanical artists, as a celebration of this royal connection.

21 May to 19 August 2012,
RHS Lindley Library Wisley, RHS Garden Wisley

A Scary Business

The hanging, unloved CDs have become, it would seem, an essential part of any allotment or vegetable garden to scare the unwanted attention of these 'feathered friends' from eating our seeds and cabbages.

What did we do, however, before the invention of these shiny discs?

In search of an alternative to scarecrows, CDs or bird tape, Nicola discovered references to a Victorian bird-scarer made from feathers and a potato which was hung by string from a pole.

After a successful trial last autumn of scaring birds and entertaining foxes with these new bird deterrents we needed to find an alternative this spring to our heritage variety potatoes, which are valuable and short-lived.

A broken brush handle cut down into 150mm (6") lengths and with small holes made by a wood drill bit down either side to allow for the feather to be pushed in.

James in surgery

To allow the bird to be hung, drill one hole halfway along to allow the bird to balance when hung.

Tim Smit opens Victorian Glasshouse Range at Myddelton House Gardens

Last Wednesday, a year on from the completion of the two year Heritage Lottery Funded restoration project opened by the Duchess of Cornwall, Tim Smit opened our latest and most impressive Victorian Glasshouse Range. It was constructed by local contractor Cuttle Construction with the powder coated superstructure created by Alitex glasshouses. The launch marked a nine-month project, funded by the current owner of the garden, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority.

The discovery of the foundations in late 2009 will be a day I remember forever. Tom, our trainee gardener at the time and I started digging along the southern side of the potting shed in the hope of finding evidence of the original structure. We selected a location that we thought we would find the corner of the structure near a path in the hope that the foundations would have been left to help retain the path.

After digging down for nearly three feet we had still not found brick work, it was only with Tom's final throw of the spade that he hit something. It later turned out that we had found the southerly wall of the sunken house. As we chased and uncovered further footings the brick work continued to step up and within eight feet of where we started the foundations were only a few inches under the surface, and to think we very nearly stopped.

Tim Smit and the Lost Gardens of Heligan was the inspiration for my career choice at the age of thirteen when the discovery and restoration of this most magical and captivating Cornish garden was televised. Tim Smit is possibly not the usual hero of a teenager. Sixteen years on, and with the continuation of the restoration and development of E A Bowles' garden, I stood next to my hero. I felt very proud of the achievement we had all made in this garden, in which the spirit and soul of Mr Bowles still lives on.

I wish I could muster the energy right now to describe how wonderful this launch was. I find myself, however, quite exhausted from the day. I will leave you,therefore, to read the wonderful recollection of yesterday's event from Alitex's Laura Bradley on the Alitex blog and to share some of the photos of the big day. More to follow after a few goodnight's sleep.

http://www.alitex.co.uk/newsandevents/post/2012/05/17/A-Tulip-Tea-Party-The-official-opening-of-the-Alitex-Glasshouses-at-Myddelton-Gardens.aspx

For the full 'Blue Peter' Tulip Tea episode please visit my blog soon.

Chartwell by motorbike

Yesterday I rode the motorcycle down into Kent to see a house and garden I have been meaning to visit for years. Chartwell most well known for its previous owner rather than the splendour of the house or gardens.

Chartwell was purchased by Sir Winston Churchill in 1922, unusually without consulting his wife Clementine, for its magnificent views across the Weald of Kent.

The property and grounds, owned and managed by the National Trust, are made more interesting because of the views it borrows from the surrounding countryside, giving it a feel of a grand estate. Because of this the house, although impressive with some parts dating from the Tudor period, it does not equal the setting.

The interior of the house has 90% of the original furniture and laid out as it was during it hey-day in the 1920-30's. Some of the rooms we were able to look round were Lady Churchill's bedroom, Churchill's study, the library and a lift that was installed during Churchill's old age, paid for by Lord Beaverbrook.

The gardens comprise of a series of water-features leading into a large circular swimming pool before flowing into the lake which is home to Black Swans; terraced gardens which lead straight out onto mown parkland; a walled kitchen garden which elevates on the south-facing end up to a terrace which looks over the garden.

Our New Arrivals

Last October saw the untimely death of our eight chickens following a midday visit from our resident fox. These urban burglars are consistently checking to wait for us to restock. 

On Tuesday we went and collected six point-of-lay pullets, three pairs of the breeds: Speckled, Black Rock and Leghorn.

We have increased our security for those dull days when the garden visitors are low and the fox may want to try its luck. We have built an inner sanctum, which allows the chickens to come out of their penthouse accommodation into a 3.6m x 2m wired enclosure.

The penthouse 

The car journey home all boxed up individually 

The inner sanctum, partly built, and on the way to the chicken enclosure
  

Many hands make light work

The first chicken to venture out of the house (Leghorn)

James English comes third in the final of The Young Horticulturist of the Year - 2012

I wrote a month ago that James, our Historical & Botanical  Garden Bursary scheme trainee, was successful at the Eastern regional final of the competition and that he would go on to the grand final, held in Edinburgh. Since then James has been working on expanding his already diverse horticultural  knowledge. We are all so proud. Congratulations and well done!

Physic-al team work

A few weeks ago the Myddelton House Gardens team travelled to Chelsea Physic Garden. With the the launch of their new development, The Garden of Edible and Useful Plants imminent, we offered our labour to help the garden in preparation for their big opening day.

We spent the day mulching along with the staff and volunteers of Chelsea Physic. Twenty of us in total tackled the large pile of horse manure which we managed to distribute and spread. Once the manure was spread we spent the afternoon lifting turfs and transforming an area of shaded lawn into a bed.

Mr Bowles served as Vice Chairman and later Chairman of the Chelsea Physic Garden Management Committee. In correspondence with Dick Trotter, he described the advantages of being a committee member:

"a key to the Garden, and he could take friends 'at any time'; the chance of seeing and getting very unusual plants not obtainable elsewhere in some cases; an interest in one of the oldest and most attractive small gardens in London".

This was a very rewarding day for us all. The Chelsea Physic team will return the favour at Myddleton House Gardens at a later date.