Bulldog Spirit I understand that its probably not everyone’s idea of excitement but gardening tools are one subject that is guaranteed to bring me to life . Obviously they are an essential part of a gardeners existence and it would be a pretty tough game without them but when they are made well there [...]
Hello there – I’m Chris Collins, I’m the director of horticuture at vegetableseds.net, and I’m very much looking forward to becoming part of the vegblogs community.
This year I’m going to grow veg in my innercity backgarden, i’m using the Lottie Collection from vegetablseeds.net.
Here’s a picture of the garden as it is now. I’m going to get cracking on digging it over in the next few days.
Vegetableseeds.net Blog (5) March 22nd 2012
Up and away for some Eastern Delight – Part 2 – Japan
After having a mind blowing time in China I’m off to my favorite country for the first time in years . Having lived in Tokyo for five years it felt a little bit like coming home , although a very different type of home to the one I live and grew up in . My destination this time though is not Tokyo but the Southern Island of Kyushu , which is familiar to me due to my wife’s family living but for all other intents and purposes might as well be a different planet.
Kyushu is a stunningly beautiful Island and after arriving late I could not get up and out the door quick enough . Like all of Japan Kyushu is covered in up to 80 percent mountains , these are covered in Bamboo forest mixed with Cinnamon , Zelkova and Crytptomeria trees . It really is staggeringly beautiful and is a plants man’s paradise . It takes a little while for your head to adjust to seeing Bamboo on this scale and the soft nature of its appearance when it’s on mass is off set with the dark brown winter colour of Cryptomeria Japonica .
Bamboo forest mountains near Matabase , Kyushu island
A trip up to a few Temples in the mountains provides the opportunity to get a closer look and it does not disappoint . Stopping off to enjoy some Sashimi on the way makes the day perfect . This part of my trip though is not just about tourism as I intended to have a look at the food and sustainability that many of the small towns and villages practice. The people here believe in fresh food , it comes out the ground or out the sea . There are Macdonald’ s here (well they have excellent toilets if nothing else ) but I can’t imagine anyone I the smaller villages even entertaining the idea . In the village of my mother in-law it seems very common for people to use their outdoor space as small holdings and popping out the front door to add Pak Choi or salad leaves fresh from the ground is the norm . I’m unsure if this is transferring down to younger people but it seems like a way of life to the older generation.
A typical house with its small holding of vegetables
So it was time for me to trade my skills for a taste of the local diet and I was invited to take a look at some Grapes that were struggling on a small holding in exchange for a traditional lunch. Having given my assessment on the Grapes I was shown one of the many Citrus Groves that sit low on the side of the mountains , here the biggest Oranges in the world are produced and as you can see from the photo they are one hell of a size. I thought they would not taste so flavorsome being their size but they do really spike the taste buds . But on to lunch , we visited a typical Japanese house and were shown to the guest room complete with Shrine and beautiful blinds and Tatami flooring , the Japanese have a great cultural taste and only the leg less chairs and tables caused me a problem , even after my exerts I re-building the Blue peter garden my body was not supple enough to sit crossed legged much to the amusement of my hosts .
The giant Orange of Kyushu
I know it’s not to everybody’s taste but fresh Sashimi or raw fish straight out of the water is my idea of heaven and you know the fish is fresh when its practically still moving on the plate . Giant King Prawns and freshly caught squid were also on the menu and it left me thinking that cooking fish almost seemed criminal . fresh spring onion , the biggest I’ve ever seen and Tofu completed a meal I will never forget.
Fresh Fish straight from the water and onto the plate, eaten raw with soya sauce and Wasabi
This was to set the trend for my visit to Matabase but whilst here I intended to visit as many gardens as possible . The Japanese love to topiary their plants and it really is an art form . Turning Podocarpus , Pines and Camellias into an art form . The gardens are silhouetted by their shapes and along with the style of the houses the whole landscape is an alien one to the Western mind.
A typical Japanese garden and planting
A sculptured Pine tree typically found in a Japanese doorway
It also has to be said that the courtesy and kindness of the people came across on my journey was at time almost overwhelming. The place is also spotless and people even carry their own portable ashtrays meaning not even a cigarette graces the floor.
The influence of English gardening reaches here also though as it does all over the world and it does not take me long to track down their version of the well- known DIY stores that are so common o the UK .
Hands man is one example of the all under one roof DIY store that has been commonly seen in the UK for a while but is relatively new in Japan . It was however the garden section that interested me though most and it was a good example of the Japanese are hankering for something new . Many colorful bedding plants on display as well as vegetables and herbs many types of composts and even an impressive indoor plant section . The usual array of items such as pots and trellis are also present . This is exactly the type of shop I help create with Mitsukoshi in the nineties so it’s interesting to see how much it’s taken off . They do not really know yet how to throw it all together and so some displays that are seen don’t quite pull off but they have the desire to break out of their garden inhibitions so who knows where it will lead , I think they just need the guidance of an expert English gardener , a modest one at that of course.
A Hands Man garden center in Kumamoto to very much in the style of an English garden center
Well , to finish this quick description of my tour of japan we will travel to Japans fifth largest city and the main hub of Kyushu island . The city of Fukuoka is a city of 2 million people and sits on a beautiful coast line and is surrounded by mountains . even here it’s rare to see a western face and I think I counted around 7 the whole time I was there . It is an incredible place though , clean and crime free as is much of Japan and as always full of incredible food . Famous for its Buddhist temples it is an excellent place to get a real feel of a Japanese city . A always a small piece of nature is important to the residents and a raised bed complete with a small tree (usually a Pine or Maple ) and a rock is found in a raised bed outside an apartment block . They do have also some excellent gardens and none better than their very own Botanical garden . as with all Botanic gardens it is involved in scientific work and houses an excellent collection of plants , a fantastic Camellia collection can be found with some plants resembling medium sized trees rather the shrubs we know them to be . Fantastic displays of neatly clipped Azaleas remind me in Japan and they are incredibly skillful .
Clipped Azalea with Cherry over story in Fukuoka Botanic garden
The panoramic views of the gardens which nestles at the base of the mountains on the edge of the city make this garden special though. It does serve to remind me though how unusual I am in this part of the world as I could easily have been the most photographed thing I the garden that afternoon but again the Japanese courtesy is always present and a lot of bowing was undertaken by myself and the other visitors.
With such a small Western presence here I’m sure there would be a massive interest in what an English gardener could bring to the party one disadvantage would be though that hardly anyone speaks English and that leaves me to the conclusion that I need to start learning more Japanese from my wife .
To finish off my stay I cannot resist going to see the local Baseball team , Baseball is the main game in Japan and was my life line when I lived in Tokyo , it gave me an outlet outside work and gave something to watch on the TV that I could understand , it was an emotional evening in an incredible stadium , highly recommended .
It is on this note that I leave you with a photo of my-self and four generations of my Japanese in-laws. Family is everything there and it’s not uncommon to see four generations living under the same roof . I’m sure it has its difficulties but its something maybe we are missing back here in the UK .
Four generations of my wife’s family and of course my good self.
Up and away for some Eastern Delight – Part 1
So after some back breaking work and some high excitement I am on my way to China and Japan for some seriously deep end traveling . First stop is the city of Shanghai , a city that can only be described as being on the march . We are staying in the center of the city in the Astor house hotel , a hotel that was built in 1861 and has boasted previous guests that include Einstein and Charlie Chaplin . This hotel was fantastic and a real step back in time , excellent service and the best breakfast facilities I have yet to come across set in a classic banqueting hall complete with giant chandeliers . The hotel nestles alongside the giant brand new skyscrapers of modern Shanghai it really is a throw back in time .
Once we are settled in and we are out and about its apparent there is serious money pouring into this city , the cement trucks are rolling in 24 / 7 and everything looks recently built . Now and again you can see the remnants of the old Shanghai but these are quickly being swept away as progress marches on. Despite all this the city seems pretty relaxed and the people very friendly , I suppose it’s not the sort of place you would want to step out of line but I feel the Chinese are proud of the progress going on around them .
There is though signs of an emerging class that seems to be doing very well out of the new China . It’s not uncommon to see a man on a bike carting a huge load of cardboard or scrap metal pull up at some lights and alongside someone will be cutting about in a brand new Porsche . This is highlighted to me when after visiting the museum that represents the spot where the Communist party was born you walk round the corner to come across the Shanghai Rolls Royce car showroom , evidence indeed that successful business breeds disparity . I wonder what Chairman Mao would make of it all , considering he constantly purged anyone who got to comfortable I can’t help feeling he would have a field day in modern China . It also must be a precarious game being a successful business person in days China , as maybe the wind could be liable to change. However, I am making assumptions and walking around a clean litter free city and being able to say hello to people and get a response , is at the end of the day quite refreshing .
Moving on to what quickly became my favorite part of the visit , the food , I knew it would always be good but it exceeded expectations . If you visit this city seek out one of the back street restaurants , they can be a bit rough and ready but don’t let that fool you . Top of my list would be any fish , they steam it and serve it up in a spicy soup , also unforgettable is the Dim Sum . as always I do like to deep end it with local cuisine so a wee nibble of Pigs Trotters was attempted , I’m sure it’s not every English man’s cup of tea but perfectly edible just not as good as the fish.
Fresh vegetables are in abundance as is the fish , Pa Choi seemed to be very much in season and came with every meal which is no bad thing in my book. A further delicacy that I remember tweeting about is the fruit of the Gingko tree , this I found interesting as the fruit is only produced by the female tree and is totally avoided when Ginkgo’s are planted in the UK as the fruit is frowned upon . Horses for courses and different tastes make the world an interesting place.
As well as the stunning modern sky line of Shanghai the old city can be sought out and although these areas have been heavily given over to tourism and shopping the architecture is exactly what we feel China should look like and if you wonder away from the main areas , busy Chinese markets with all their hustle and bustle can be found . I wonder though how long these places will last as the Chinese are definitely gearing up to capture their own consumer market . Brand new and huge shopping centers have sprung up all over the center of Shanghai and the weird thing is that hardly anybody seems to be using them . On closer inspection the prices are steep but it seems they are getting ready for developing their internal markets. Once you have a had a good look around the busy areas a walk along the huge river that cuts through the center of Shanghai gives a real scale of the city , it is on an almost unbelievable scale , high rises stretching as far as the eye can see , as I said before this is a city that is really on the move.
One problem that can be easily overlooked when a city grows like this is green areas can be neglected . This had certainly happened in Tokyo and was apparent to me when I lived there . The progress is so quick that areas of greenery can be over looked . Certainly Shanghai could do with a bit more greenery although it is not entirely absent , Cinnamon trees are everywhere and along with the oriental Plane tree which it should be added are very cleverly used by the locals as washing lines with a little help of some Bamboo canes.
The parks I did visit contained large avenues of Magnolia grandiflora , which are incredibly striking and must look a picture when in flower . Many of the trees are under planted with what I think is an Ophiopogon grass that looks magnificent . Azalea Rhododendron is also common place as is winter Jasmine and shrubs such as Osmanthus and Viburnum. Crazy bedding displays can also be found in the new part of Shanghai , I wonder where they got that idea from?
This city was slightly trumped in my eyes the one day I went out to see the small town of Zhonzhuang , which is dubbed the Venice of China. This place is about an hour’s drive from the city and again the sheer scale of the place is emphasised . It also crisscrossed with a massive canal structure which is still very much in use and seems to be heavily relied on . Barges filled with coal constantly move down both the canals and rivers so it’s easy to understand why the country is producing so much pollution , that poor old ozone layer. The roads on the way out of the city are lined with masses of Rice fields and huge amounts of Peach trees and can’t imagined anyone being short of a Peach here in summer.
Old City Shanghai with classic buildings
Barges of coal against the skyscraper background keeping the city alight
Crazy bedding displays in central Shanghai
As we reach Zhonzhuang , I feel I have now really delved into China , maybe it’s a cliché but I feel like I have walked onto the set of a Chinese film . Small traditional housing which is interspersed with a system of canals and some really magnificent temples that just seem to belong to another era. The Temples are very ornate and brightly decorated and the gardens tranquil . gateways seem to take on a particular importance in these gardens and frame many different points of the temple grounds as well as water . The planting as opposed to the Temples is kept fairly simple with clipped Pine being quite striking . Cherry and Plum are prominent and regularly make focus points but alas it was a bit too early to appreciate them in full . still the town of Zhonzhuang and its beautiful canal ways and buildings is one for the book and I recommend it highly . To finish the day we tucked into a Mandarin fish that was hooked out the tank in front of us with fresh garlic prawns and a seaweed salad washed down with a couple of beers and all for 20 quid . perfect end to my time in China , next stop Japan.
Ophiopogon sp under planted near the Communist party headquarters in Shanghai
The water ways of Zhonzhuang , the Venice of China
Transporting a very famous garden , Percy Thrower lives on.
What a difference a few weeks can make or maybe 4 or 5 weeks . The sun is out and the scent of spring really is in the air. There is something so distinct about this change over in seasons and to us gardeners it’s like welcoming home an old friend . It’s also a time to get busy and having spent so little time at my own home I have a lot of work to get on with but first , for those that are interested I am going to reflect on the events of the last five or six weeks. I’ll split this up into a few blogs and apologise for not writing the sooner but an awful lot has gone on.
It seems like another lifetime now but at the beginning of February with temperatures getting down to -5 plus and snow on the ground of London town we set off for Manchester and the rebuilding of the Percy Thrower sunken garden at Media City in Salford. As you can imagine my main concern was will it snow and make life really difficult and maybe more so will I get this job done with the allotted amount of time . We had (team of three) , in a nutshell , 10 days to rebuild this garden . After this Princess Anne was due to open the garden and I was booked on a plane to Shanghai , no room for error or bad weather . This job in very real terms was riddled with jeopardy , never mind at least the TV crew will be happy.
Driving North it seemed a long time ago we actually dismantled the garden and what a job that was , Percy Thrower built things to last and his mortar mix for the walls seemed to have been a ratio of one part sand and one part cement . The first pneumatic drill just bounced off the wall so it was a case of returning to get a larger one and this was then preceded by four bone crunching hours of work . This felt strange to be honest , after 8 years of keeping an eye on this garden I was now dismantling it , in some ways , it felt like playing with history . But one thing I knew if it was not moved it would go to wreck and ruin and a few months absence from me due to the end of the last Blue Peter series had already left it looking in a rather sorry state . This garden needed a fresh breath of life and that was our reason for being here.
Obviously , this garden needed rebuilding so the idea of just digging it up any old how was likely to cause me problems when I reached Manchester and tried to put it back together again . This I felt was especially important with the floor and steps so they were all coded and numbered this also made a nice story line for the filming of the move , at the time it gave it an archaeological touch . It turned out however to be a stroke of genius (even if I say so myself ) as once the rebuilding of the patio area began it proved to be fundamental in regaining the original look of Percy’s sunken garden. Also , to be perfectly frank , it made our lives much , much easier , especially after the gruelling first few days we were about to endure in Manchester.
Breaking down and dismantling of original Percy thrower garden at TV centre , Shepard’s Bush
A dis-mantled Percy Thrower’s garden awaiting to be placed on pallets and placed in storage - July 2011.
Before getting into the rebuild I wanted just to chat about how to make the most of being away from home when work demands it . As its quite a lot of the time in my case it’s important to me to try and get the feel of a place , hence I booked us into ‘The Beehive ‘ bed and breakfast in Salford , a real Manchester pub set on an industrial estate near Salford shopping centre . This place would provide the perfect foil for our graft at Media city , enabling us to meet the locals , share a beer , enjoy a Karaoke and even win a few quid at the Bingo . This is so much better at staying at a major hotel chain and although these chain hotels may provide more comfort they are neutral to their surroundings . A Holiday Inn in Manchester is no different from one in London and hence the atmosphere of a place is lost on the visitor . It’s nice also to support a local business.
Anyhow , I digress and so on with the build . I had visited the site some weeks before and a grassed area with tiered steps connected to the surrounding Jubilee gardens had been the choice . These brick steps I was informed would be layed on normal foundation and easily dug up and removed . We would then relocate the bricks (large granite stones) to the front of the site to form a retaining wall and hence a sunken area would be created . Well , as with all building projects , particularly garden builds this would not be anywhere near as straight forward . My granite blocks , it turned out would be layed on over one square meters of solid concrete . The first mechanical digger did not even touch this concrete and hence the first day’s work was lost while we waited for a lager , two tonne digger to be delivered . It would transpire that over six tonnes of concrete would need to be removed and removed by hand and transported to a yard a good 400 meters away . To make matters harder we would constantly have to ask for security clearance to get in and out of the area . To top it all it rained and rained and rained . At this point I have to say a big thank you to the two lads from Peel ( the company that runs the Media City site) , Steve and Dave both of who broke their backs to help us . I truth they were under no obligation to do this and I truly thank them for their efforts toward what was back breaking work . A the end of the third day , when the site was cleared I could think of those words that occur to me on a regular basis nowadays and they are ‘It’s a young man’s game!’
Still , we had overcome this huge hurdle and Mark my mason had also now joined us on site and despite being worryingly behind time we could now get on with the build . It’s worth mentioning that whilst all this graft is going on we are also making a film for Blue Peter and making sure Gemma (the director) is getting everything she needs to capture the whole event is very much part of my job. I do however have two top boys working with me and when Cormac and Mark get to work , concrete footings go in and a wall soon starts to appear . It’s always a real pleasure watching a specialist tradesman at work . The laying out and pinning of his lines are they key to the efficiency of his work and Cormac’s ability to feed him the pug ( mortar mix) he requires to build with , completes the circle.
It’s now I need to mention that we are working in freezing temperatures and as Media city empties as the sun sets we are rigging lights and working into the night . Our mortar is always in danger of freezing so a kettle of boiling water is added to each mix. So ‘Put the Pug kettle on’ becomes the slogan of the job and it echoed across the site throughout the duration of the build.
Two tonne digger gets to grips with the concrete that needed to be defeated before work could commence. A full size skip and a half of concrete would eventually be removed below the granite blocks.
Dave and Steve mucking in and going above and beyond the call of duty . Two grafters without question and without their help the initial hill we had to be climbed would have been a lot steeper .
The girls out to win some money playing Bingo in the Beehive . Not sure they were to impressed when Cormac won the main prize.
As our walls begin to grow and the first signs of the original sunken garden begin to appear and despite the long days and cold temperatures we begin to enjoy our work. We are as I always say ‘warming to the cause’ . Even the Granite blocks , a real Bain throughout the job but essential for the final outcome , are viewed as being unable to defeat us . These blocks cannot be lifted , only rolled and it takes two of us to move them . I can only imagine that they would have been put in by machine originally as they are definitely not meant for manual lifting . Once they are out the way and stacked ready for re-use I get on with digging out the pond . This job also provides me with dilemmas as the original pond was made with concrete and treated with a waterproof coating. This is what I hope to replicate but the low temperatures make this impossible . The waterproofing paint will not work in the cold so I’m left to improvise . I build a wooden shutter and concrete the pond in but instead of treating with waterproofing the pond is lined with Butyl , this will do for a few years but can be replaced later when the weather is more accommodating .
As the whole garden is now open to the public (as opposed to Shepard’s Bush which was enclosed in TV centre) safety is always paramount so further improvisation is required and a metal grid devised and pugged in to cover the pond , preventing any accidents.
Once this work is done the patio floor can now go down and the numbered slabs are easily slotted into place , the work is fast and effective and the original Percy Thrower garden is really taking shape . it’s disconcerting for my mind as I’m so used to seeing it in London , this is compounded by the fact that Tram lines runs right behind it. Barney , the Blue Peter presenter turns up to give us hand which is always welcome and the filming carries the story along.
Percy Throwers pond is reborn in Salford
Working under lights at night to the bemusement of Tram passengers in the background
Cormac and the vital piece of equipment that is the Pug kettle.
With the bulk of the hard landscaping starting to look done its time for us to start concentrating on the surrounding areas . Massive piles of soil still surround the sunken garden making it look like a giant mutant Mole has been on the loose . This all needs distributing around the site and I’m praying that its eaten and not excess as if it is the long journey the the skip beckons . To find this out we can no longer put off the building of the retaining wall from our favourite item , the Granite stone blocks . These two parts of the build , the landscaping and moulding of the soil and the walling really make the job ‘pop’ , by this I mean make sudden progression and with a day of full on graft we achieve this milestone . Mark and Cormac smoothly build the retaining wall and I set about reducing our giant piles of soil and spoil . This I literally do this with a bucket and old dustbin , its purely physical work and no matter how much I rack my brain to think of an easier way to do it , deep down I know it’s this way or no way . It’s at this part of the job that our bodies are really feeling it and getting out the car at the end of the day when we return to the Beehive is now accompanied by groaning sound effects . It always amazes me what the human body can take and it knows that tomorrow I’ll get up and make it do it all over again.
Having had the first ‘pop’ of the build turning up the next day means we have a real feeling of achievement , the finishing touches beckon . A large forklift is ordered in as it is now time to bring in the famous Petra bust. The bronze head is attached to a very large concrete base meaning that the whole thing weighs just over a tonne . No way Pedro , are we going to be able to lift this in by hand . I also know that the large amount of spoil , crates and generally debris from the job can quickly be removed with the help of this machine . Two birds one stone and some clever management will really put the ball in the net .
It’s a proud moment when Petra swings into place , overlooking the sunken garden as she has for over three decades . It’s not the real garden without this bust and suddenly everybody is paying attention to what has gone on , even people from the Blue Peter office emerge. Once it’s in I get the site cleared of everything we don’t need and the planting can be done . At this point the planting is set to match in with the surrounding Jubilee gardens which is mainly hardy shrub and herbaceous planting . Initially plants like Cotoneaster , Nardinia , Viburnums and Choisya are placed in as these will do what they say on the tin initially . Later I hope to develop this and hopefully tie it in with some gardening TV strands on Blue Peter . A vegetable area would be good and I look forward to bringing the pond to life . Eventually I would like every plant to have a story , as ultimately they all do.
One important job left to do is leave our hand and footprints in the concrete . This entails myself Barney and Helen (fresh back from the South pole) taking of our shoes
and socks off and imprinting them in wet concrete. I feel like I’m going down in history , surely this is the nearest I’ll get to being a Hollywood star . Casting my hands in concrete on a rainy day in Manchester . Mark finishes off a pathway to enable the less able bodied to access the garden , we lay down a bark top dress and we are pretty much there with the Blue Peter garden rebuild. What’s incredible is we have actually come in a day early . All in all , three of us have broken down and rebuilt the garden in 12 days . the original garden was built with eight men over three months , we live in different times . Only one job left to do now and that’s come back next Wednesday and plant a tree with Princess Anne.
Hand prints of history with Helen , Barney and Barney the dog.
I hope we have done Percy thrower proud as his sunken garden lives on.
So all that remains to be done is the grand opening of the garden so in theory I should have returned to London a day early and had a few days rest . Like Cormac and Mark it felt like I had gone ten rounds with Lloyd Mayweather. But when it’s on it’s on so after a the weekend I was of visiting schools in Nottingham and although it felt like an effort and another night away from home this was a brilliant trip and the kids I met were brand new. I hope to be doing more work with them in the future so I’m sure to return to this at a later date. Straight after this it’s off to Manchester to plant a tree with Princess Anne and officially open the new garden. This proved to be a lavish occasion with a big film crew with all the great and the good appearing . It’s good to see that everybody is happy , well they should be really , the work that has gone in . still , I can’t deny the job satisfaction that I’m feeling .
Princess Anne was good fun , dry humour and down to earth and not afraid to get her hands dirty , we planted a Betula pendula together , a nice ending to a successful venture , next stop China.
Meeting Princess Anne with the Blue Peter presenters at the grand opening of the new Blue Peter garden . Mission accomplished
Well this sudden outbreak of cold weather may have put the kibosh on some of our gardening plans , it’s funny really everybody isacting surprised , no its not a surprise it’s called February , it’s supposed to be cold . Although it has delayed my preparation for my Vegetable plot , this cold weather does have advantages . Many temperate plants need a decent cold snap , it helps stimulate but we have a massive added bonus of all those potential pest and diseases being killed off . Aphids can over-winter on things like Honeysuckle and they would have been quite cosy until now. Nature’s way of keeping things in check . Of course there is a downside to it , nobody seems
to be bothered about clearing the pavements of snow , roads take priority so dancing on ice for all pedestrians . I should it’s a nightmare for our more senior citizens.
Not all horticulture is lost though , you can start thinking about seed sowing although that is not possible for me as I am hardly going to be at home in the next four weeks , I would normally be thinking about giving my Tomatoes a nice warm early start in a propagator , even thinking about early Potatoes and a few lines of Parsnips and Carrots this will have to wait now , but it’s no biggie , it will just be all go come the middle of march . OF course the big thing on the agenda is the re-building of the Percy Thrower Sunken garden , I think I have been marching around making it sound like a Hollywood Blockbuster . Got a certain ring to it definitely . Anyway it’s a big deal to me , for several reasons really , one it’s a piece of history , two I worked on it for eight years at TV Centre , so I’m quite attached to it and three I may well be battling the weather , which in television terms is my jeopardy . Why do it now I hear you ask in load unison , well , it’s quite a nice story really , the reason being that I am to plant a tree with Princess Anne on the 23rd of February , in said new garden . I am still waiting for confirmation but it’s looking pretty likely. So hence all the rush .
New Salford
site
The original
Percy thrower Sunken Garden
As for the job itself I have some good boys working with me , both known from my time at Westminster Abbey , Cormac will be with me shortly and we will drive up to Manchester . The next three days will be all about getting everything dug out and all the footings set in , ready for walls and slate flooring to go in from Saturday. We have a mechanical digger for the morning tomorrow so this will knock some time off the job. Well its 10 days to do all this , you can follow me on twitter as I’ll be pinging off the progress of the job and all its trials and tribulations . Above are a few pictures to compare with the blog I’ll write upon my return ,hopefully buzzing from a successful mission.
Happy gardening . Chris
Collins
It’s getting to that point in the winter where everybody is starting to pine for its end . Its proper cold outside , cold and dark. The good thing about being a gardener is your never far away from something that will cheer you up , in this case it is a plant in my next door neighbours garden called Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’ . A large shrub which is currently naked of leaves but covered in pink flowers and when you get close it gives off a highly sweet scent. It also has , unfortunately an old plastic shopping bag stuck in it’s branches , which , if I’m in a more serious mood makes me sombrely think of the difference between what human beings pay attention too and the beauty of nature. The scent of the plant luckily , snaps me out of my malaise. I suppose I could go and pull the bag out myself but then I might get done for trespassing or the neighbour may come out and I’ll get I a fight when I tell him to pick his bloody litter up and then there will be a head line ‘Blue Peter gardener goes Womble and leathers neighbour’ . Best just to concentrate on the Viburnums and all its finery.
Briefly staying on the subject of winter plants I’ll just quickly mention another one , Sarcococca humilis is a small evergreen non-descript shrub most of the time and in winter it producers small non-descript white flowers , which all in all make it a plant that you would walk past a thousand times in the summer without once giving it a glance . These flowers however have the most delicious sweet scent , bringing light to the darkest of winter days , every plant has a party piece and this one is exceptional. An ideal plant for a small garden , Sarcococca comes recommended.
I feel like a coiled spring when it comes to my own garden (honestly) no not all wound up , just ready to go. A combination of seeing winter out and an impending trip abroad means it’s going to be a little while yet before I can get sowing my vegetableseeds.net seeds , but I will dig up my lawn in preparation soon and being winter it’s the ideal time to move stuff about . So ground work is very much on the agenda and like most hand skills , preparation is everything . Once I have the turf up I will double dig my ground and add some well-rotted manure I’m expecting the soil to be in good nick as it’s a town house , quite old so I expect it’s not the first time the garden has been used for food production. If you want to keep warm on a winters day , double digging is the way and it will also help you shed a few pounds too. The old boys on the parks used to call it ‘bastard trenching’ , excuse my French ladies and children but the description is very accurate . Worth it though as it’s an excellent method for adding nutrient a brilliant soil improver , it breaks up any sub soil pan that may have formed so it aids drainage and provides your surface with a nice workable tilth . A magical activity .
Well , my big thing at the moment is the pending project of re-building of Percy Throwers sunken garden , up in Manchester , starting next Tuesday. I will save the details for future blogs , my only real concern at the moment is what the weather is going to do as we have ten days to build it with no compromise (please don’t snow!) .
Before I sign off a quick thank you to Wendy , Natasa and Rick and anyone else who have responded to my blog. I look forward to future banter on the site.
Cheers Chris
At last , after many years of patience my first book has been published. Evolving from nine years combining my horticultural proffession with children , Blue peter , schools and the media , this book sets out to provide horticultural knowlegde , science andf projects. Its all about learning and having fun and for those of you that choose to indulge – happy gardening!
welcome to my first official vegseeds blog . I am currently sitting in my house with fellow director Ben organising my new blog site. I am just contemplating the garden and all that will take part in it over the impending growing season . maybe like most people having time for a full sized allotment and living in London where availability is scarce , I have decided to dig up my back garden and put my vegetable seeds Lottie collection to use. this gives me some chunky topics for my blog as no doubt given the large Walnut tree , large Ash tree and numerous cats in the area my task is bound to contain jeopardy!
As well as blogging on my vegetable growing I will wonder off subject and hope to take you on my many travels and media experiences , so look out for tales of Percy Thrower rebuilt sunken garden and travels to China and Japan coming shortly.
