ABC Wednesday 5/ Garden Visit: L is For...

... Lackham Country Park
On the surface Lackham Country Park has a lot to offer. It's just a five minute journey from where I live, the entrance fee is relatively inexpensive and there's a leaflet available to take you on an historical journey around the gardens. It has large grounds with small rural life museum housing both traditional buildings like the one shown above and also farming implements...


... plus an historic house built on a site which has had a manor house on there in various shapes and forms for 1,000 years. It was the headquarters of General Patton and American troops just before the WWII D-Day landings and today often plays host to weddings.

There's views across the large lawn to Lackham Farm and the countryside beyond leading down to the meandering River Avon...

... plus an orchard and a walled kitchen garden with pear trees waiting for their partridges...

... whilst not forgetting colourful flowers...

... and productive beds including a display of wartime vegetable growing over the old air raid shelter.

There's also a large greenhouse containing a citron tree (Citrus medica) which once bore the world's largest lemon - 10lb 9.5oz in 1989.

However, a lot of the garden looked rather tired and scruffy round the edges and the museum is poorly curated. I visited early last month and there was a distinct lack of colour in most parts plus a lot of bare earth. It seemed like a number of projects had been undertaken at various times, which possibly aren't being looked after that well nowadays.

There were also signs of projects to come, probably as part of the practical work component of the courses on offer at the agricultural college housed on the same site.

I'm quite disappointed and mystified. The college offers courses in both garden design and amenity horticulture and whilst funding will be relatively low for a county hall financed operation, I was expecting the grounds to be a showcase of the horticultural talent which does so well at local shows. I wonder if the focus is mainly on the farming operations side, as this will provide a greater income.

Looking at the website, I'm surprised there only seems to be opportunities for volunteers to 'meet and greet' visitors. Perhaps they need to follow the example of places like the National Trust and also offer garden maintenance positions? This would also go some way to help over the vacation periods when students aren't around to look after the gardens.

Just like last week's ABC Wednesday entry, I'll be sending a link to the college for comment.

For further posts on the subject of L, do Look at the Lovely ABC Wednesday blog.

Comments

  1. Frances7 October 2009 at 15:10

    Sorry VP, but are you saying, Lacking lacks? Too bad, those volunteer ag students would get a real hands on learning experience by planting and maintaining this space. Someone needs a pinch to get this going.
    Frances

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sylvia (England)7 October 2009 at 15:12

    I know that feeling 'lovely garden but needs more love'. Our local agricultural college Kingston Maurward, has beautiful gardens - well worth a visit if you are in the area again. Last time I went in September, the have collections of penstomen and salvas so it was a good time to visit.

    Best wishes Sylvia

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sylvia K7 October 2009 at 15:56

    So sad to see places like this deteriorate! Looks like a lovely place! Yes, someone does need a pinch to get moving on improvements! Very interesting post and lovely shots for the L Day!

    Enjoy!

    Sylvia (Seattle)

    ReplyDelete
  4. petoskystone7 October 2009 at 16:18

    a pity, it seems that latham got halfway up the hill & then stalled out! although the wartime vegs seem to be holding thier own.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nutty Gnome7 October 2009 at 16:25

    I'd volunteer to go and do some gardening there, it has such potential for improvement!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lucy Corrander7 October 2009 at 16:29

    I wonder what it's like at other times of year.

    Lucy

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dawn/LittleGreenFingers7 October 2009 at 17:50

    Am loving the look of rhubarb over air raid shelter! I must get one, if only for a veg supporting structure...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bay Area Tendrils7 October 2009 at 18:12

    There's something that comes across as rather poignant about the place that draws me in... the post perhaps masking the lack of care/attention to the place despite photos to the contrary.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hermes7 October 2009 at 18:33

    Great place, been there many times.

    ReplyDelete
  10. VP7 October 2009 at 19:19

    Frances - it has the makings of a really great garden, but for whatever reason it doesn't at the moment. That's my opinion, you'll see Hermes, who lives not far from me thinks differently.

    Sylvia - I wondered how Kingston Maurward compared - I would expect them to be of a similar standard.

    Sylvia K - welcome! It is a lovely place and some TLC would make it even lovelier. It would also mean the possibility of making a better income for the college too as it's close to a number of towns.

    Petoskystone - they are very healthy aren't they!

    Nutty Gnome - that's exactly what I was saying to myself as I went round. It has so much potential.

    Lucy - I have been earlier in the year, but it was quite a while ago. My overall impression is of a slight improvement, but there's still a long way to go.

    Dawn - I love rhubarb - one of the best things on my plot. Your children would love hiding under it and using the leaves as umbrellas :)

    Bay Area Tendrils - welcome! It's got that air of knowing it's had a glorious past doesn't it? Around the front of the house there's a glimpse of what could be as the areas much better kept, presumably because the area used for weddings.

    Hermes - for once we're in a slight disagreement. I think it's a good place which could be great. There's perhaps a bit of a catch-22, the entrance fee could be more, thus generating a better income to help with maintenance costs, BUT the gardens need to be better maintained to justify that increase.

    It was interesting the last time I was there because it was a special event, so the costs were higher £4.50, though you could get a discount if you were a member of the local gaden centre's gardening club. I saw at least 2 families of 4, plus several people turn away because they thought that was too expensive for what was on offer.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Dragonstar7 October 2009 at 20:59

    What a lovely place, and what a shame it's not living up to its potential. I hope you get a good response from your e-mail.

    Thanks for your post this week.
    The ABC Team.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Plant Mad Nige8 October 2009 at 16:04

    What a delightuful visit. Thanks. I love espalier pears, specially when the ripe fruit hangs so temptingly. Almost like a Christmas tree with baubles that are just a tad too big.

    The wartime planting, round what looks like an Anderson shelter, looks fun. I can remember one like that in a friend's garden when I was very little in the 1950s

    ReplyDelete
  13. Tumblewords:9 October 2009 at 03:34

    Too bad it isn't kept as well as it could be - seems like it would be such fun to work there...

    ReplyDelete
  14. Roger Owen Green9 October 2009 at 08:40

    I wonder if it's an economic problem that is reflected in the LACK of LOVE.

    ReplyDelete
  15. VP11 October 2009 at 21:04

    Dragonstar - thanks, I do enjoy ABCWednesdays!

    Nige - I always think of oversize earrings when I see pears like these. I can just about remember an Anderson shelter in a garden when I was a child - I can't remember if it was in ours or a neighbour's garden though.

    Tumblewords - yes, it's a shame.

    Roger - it's been that way for quite a while. Lack of money is a factor I'm sure, but I think there might be a lack of vision too

    ReplyDelete

New comments are not allowed.

Your essential reads

That blue flower: A spring spotter's guide

Image
Spring is a prime time for blue flowers and my daily walks currently have several from the same plant family* lining the local footpaths. As I walked past the Donkey Field the other day, I overheard some children ask their parents** what the pictured blue flower was. It reminded me it's often mistaken for those other familial blues and this time was no different, as they said it was forget-me-not, instead of the green alkanet it actually is. As well as similar flowers, most of these plants are hairy in their nature, flower around the same time, and favour damp, shady places. Many of them are great for pollinators too, especially bees and this week's warm weather has certainly drawn them to these flowers. This makes it even more likely for these plants to be mistaken for each other and it's a great opportunity for me to put together a spotter's guide in case you find the same flowers on your outings. Staying with green alkanet, the key features which set it ...
Read more

Jack Go To Bed At Noon

Image
Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl...
Read more

Red Nose Day - Gardening Jokes Anyone?

Image
The nation goes ever so slightly bonkers on Red Nose Day - hurrah! Previously, it's been very easy to join in - usually via a dress down day at work plus lots of people up to mad things at the station and in the office. Everyone smiling for once - it's a real feel good day and all in a good cause. This year's different - every day's a dress down day for me now - my friend L suggested yesterday that perhaps I could have a dress up day instead and whilst that's a good idea, I confess that ballgowns and tiaras don't really feature in my wardrobe: scruffy student's always been my favourite look. So my Red Nose Day contribution for this year is to compile a list of gardening related jokes. For each one (clean ones only please) you leave in the comments below, I'll make a donation of 50p to the cause. Here's a few for starters just to get you warmed up: Q Why do potatoes make good detectives? A Because they keep their eyes peeled. Q What did the grape...
Read more

Salad Days: Mastering Lettuce

Image
I've decided one of my salad challenges for this year is to grow as many lettuce varieties as I can, ready for the publication of my planned Factsheet* later on. The idea is to grow as many of the Tried and Trusted lettuce varieties last year's Salad Challengers helped compile, then provide a visual guide and as many lettuce facts as I can muster. So far I've found around half of those listed**. Then naturally whilst I was out searching - because such is the way with seeds - a number of other varieties found their way home too ;) A couple of weeks ago I sowed 22 varieties***. Just the simple act of sowing them has me intrigued. Why are some lettuce seeds black and others white****? They split into about half white to half black in my sample and as far as I can tell it's nothing to do with whether they're a type of cos, iceberg, or whatever. I sowed them indoors and popped them into a propagator on the windowsill. The soil's too cold outside for sowing ...
Read more

VPs VIPs: Derry Watkins of Special Plants

Image
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Derry Watkins at her home, garden and nursery - the acclaimed Special Plants - just a few miles along the road from me. I first met Derry at one of her open garden days last year and was keen to find out more about her wonderful garden and running an independent nursery. She specialises in tender perennials and regularly goes on plant hunting trips to find new treasures, particularly in South Africa. As well as running Special Plants and opening her garden under the NGS scheme , Derry holds day courses at her nursery, hosts Special Tuesdays from April until September, lectures and has written a couple of books. How did you find your way from Connecticut to the UK? I'd started a biodynamic vegetable garden in Connecticut and we used to have people come along at weekends to help out. A particular young man turned up: he returned many times and at the end of the summer I married him. So it was all down to love? Isn't that the...
Read more

#mygardenrightnow: heading into summer with the Chelsea Fringe

Image
Ahhhhhh, that's better! I love walking through dewy grass in bare feet, not that there's much in the way of grass on my back lawn this weekend. My wild and woolly lawn has morphed into meadow of sorts this month, which even NAH admits looks attractive*. It's also proved a great source for my Flowers for mum project so far, yielding self-sown perennial cornflowers, lamb's ears, and lemon balm in addition to the blooms you can see. These originated from elsewhere in the garden, the ox-eye daisies must have blown in from the A350 nearby. * = he got very stroppy about the weeds aka self-sown foxgloves in the lawn one year, so he's come along a bit since then. Skimble's demanding to say hello to you too. He does enjoy the patio when it warms up. If the embedded video doesn't work try this link instead. The Nectaroscordum are a revelation. I planted the bulbs around 2 years ago, but it's only this year they've bloomed properly. The bee...
Read more

Make Use of Mildew

Image
On my garden patrol this morning I spotted some powdery mildew on a couple of my new Verbena bonariensis plants. I suppose it was almost inevitable as I prefer to grow my plants hard - this means no water for them unless they look absolutely desperate. This approach means plants root themselves more deeply and have a better chance of survival during spells of dry weather like we've had lately. However, it also means I run the risk of problems like today's, especially with any garden newbies planted late in the season. We've had a good drop of rain overnight, so this should help my plants survive. I'll mulch them later today to help lock in the moisture as it's water stress which encourages the mildew to take hold. I've also removed the infected leaves and sprayed the rest with a milky drink.* I'm also pleased to find there's a use for my infected leaves. Oliver Ellingham at Reading University has started a PhD - sponsored by the RHS - researchi...
Read more

The Resilient Garden

Image
  Part of Tom Massey's Resilient Garden at RHS Hampton Court I've been pondering VP Gardens a lot lately. Last year's drought conditions set me off initially, then our harsher than usual winter combined with this summer's flip and flop weather means the thinking continues. It's a huge topic which I freely admit I'm struggling to get my head around. Tom Massey's Resilient Garden  at Hampton Court recently  tackled this topic brilliantly and was a timely interlude which gave me much food for thought. There he encapsulated the detailed research he'd found which informed both his show garden and book of the same name. I think it's one of the most important show gardens I've ever seen. It's clear the way I garden needs to change so that I have my own resilient garden. I haven't worked out the exact details yet, but Tom's book plus a couple of others (see below), alongside the rainwater management handout from the show garden's  sponso...
Read more

Chelsea Fringe 2014: Shows of Hands - Episode I

Image
The gloves NAH used to build the raised bed . The effects are L to R, top to bottom:  Original photo, Warhol, HDR, Green tint, B&W, Posterize, Boost, Cross process and Sepia Welcome to Shows of Hands - my Chelsea Fringe project for 2014! As you can see I've been having a bit of a play around in Pic Monkey for my first contribution. You're welcome to join in between now and 8th June 2014. The idea behind this year's project is to highlight the tool most precious to a gardener: their hands. How do I take part? It's simple. All you need to do is take a photo of hand(s) in a gardening context and then share it via your blog or other social media (such as Twitter or Facebook), then make sure I know you've done so. I've set up Mr Linky below for your blog contributions. The Chelsea Fringe photo on the right sidebar links to this post, so you can easily find it again when you're ready to add your contribution. If you share your photo on Twitter, ...
Read more

Testing Times: Tomatoes

Image
  I've run a couple of tomato trials this year. The first is a revisit of the biochar trial with Oxford University I attempted some years ago (with a different organisation this time), and the second is a trial of a water gadget called Plantsurge which I was given to try at Malvern Spring Show earlier this year. Most of you have probably heard of biochar already and the claim that this inert, carbon-rich material can help soil fertility and plant health. The RHS information in the above link says results can be mixed, with reduced effects found in alkaline soils. This may help to explain the lack of difference I found in my previous trial as VP Gardens is on a lime-rich soil. Plantsurge is a different beast altogether. It's a strong magnet which is attached to a hosepipe as shown in the photo above. It's claimed that it softens water, with the result more like watering with rainwater. The higher nitrogen found in rainwater is thought to be beneficial to plants. Gardener...
Read more