Conservation – The Chi Gardener

Published!

There are no words to describe the immense joy I feel about appearing in the My Real Garden book, alongside its creators Ann-Marie Powell and Tamsin Westhorpe, and the rest of the contributors in our My Real Garden community.

Writing a book is tough enough, but when you factor in the pressure of having to crowdfund the publishing costs, collating contributions and an impossibly tight deadline, it’s a miracle that we have it in our hands at all!

I have nothing but pride and admiration for what our community have achieved, together, for Greenfingers Charity. It’s a beautiful memento of a life-affirming year, and I am just so privileged to be bound together with you all.

When I began creating my garden, I never imagined that it would be leading a chapter on Tropical Retreats and the close connections it would bring me, be that on Instagram or the gardening community as a whole.

In these pages I take you on a journey through my garden and discuss my love of lush, architectural foliage, planting for pollinators, my passion for ponds and healthy, happy hedgehogs. I even share my tips for growing space-saving vegetables.

Compassion for my community shines through, be that my love for Leasowes Walled Garden or how a pandemic inspired the Plant a Thought project, launched to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week.

I am now part of a philanthropic phenomenon, where kindness is king and people in the community send you handmade bunting to help you celebrate this special occasion. WE DID IT!

The book will be exclusively launched through British Garden Centres Group. Retail outlet details can be found on http://britishgardencentres.com. It will go on general release through Amazon from 1st April 2021.

Your purchase will support Greenfingers – the wonderful UK charity that funds magical gardens in children’s hospices, giving life-limited children and their families precious time together.

‘Moonlight Garden’ wins ‘Best Indoor Feature’ Award at Gardeners’ World Live.

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I’ve just found out that our recent collaboration with the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT), at this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Live, has resulted in the prestigious ‘Best Indoor Feature’ Award. Congratulations to our friends, at BCT!

The show organisers have made the announcement across social media, featuring the stand and our garden’s display, with ‘Leasowes Walled Garden’ clearly visible; a great bit of national exposure for BCT and our restoration project.

GWL_Award Screen grab

I’m very proud of all of the volunteers who have inspired such recognition and who work tirelessly to improve our community, both inside and outside of the walled garden, for Halesowen Abbey Trust. We have many people to thank for this, not least Joe and Andreia, for offering us space on their stand.

Andreia’s straw bale sofa was a masterstroke, and the kind donations of flowers, from stands exhibiting nearby, as well as those provided by ourselves and our sponsors, Brookfield Nurseries, went down a storm. With Joe’s expert guidance we can do more to encourage and promote bats.

GWL Award_Twitter

This just goes to show that if you do what you love, with passion, and surround yourself with good people, who care, you can make a huge difference to your community and positively contribute to the wonderful Wild About Gardens conservation effort. Go, team LWG and BCT!

Darren

Walled garden to exhibit at Gardeners’ World Live

The Leasowes Walled Garden is joining forces with the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) at this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Live, taking place at the NEC Birmingham, between 15-18 June. The collaboration came about after the walled garden entered and won the group category of last year’s Wild About Gardens Week ‘Plant a bat feast’ photo competition, organised by The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), The Wildlife Trusts and Bat Conservation Trust (BCT).

Since winning the competition with its ‘Biodiversity and Bats’ area, created by volunteers, the walled garden has continued to build on its conservation efforts, incorporating a wildlife pond into what will become a beautifully spacious and well-thought-out wildflower meadow. Volunteers and visitors alike are free to take in the peace and quiet of the walled garden and heritage orchard, during designated hours, benefitting from this unique and restorative setting.

Visitors to the show are invited to come along and meet one of several volunteers who will be on hand to talk about the restoration project and this year’s Wild About Gardens ‘Bee Creative’ campaign, or you can pick up tips from a resident bat expert who will be giving talks throughout the duration of the show on stand G425. The walled garden’s display will also feature flowers by husband-and-wife team, Paul and Jo Hill of Brookfield Nurseries, Belbroughton, renowned for their award-winning hanging baskets – key to the success of Halesowen In Bloom’s coveted gold award.

The 18th-century walled garden was created in 1776 by Edward Horne, who took ownership of The Leasowes following the poet and landscape designer William Shenstone. It was purchased in perpetuity for the public, by Halesowen Abbey Trust, in November 2014, and is managed with nature in mind. The site comprises 2 acres of community gardens, maintained by volunteers and funded by welcome charitable donations. Mick Freer, project leader, said: “We are delighted that the Bat Conservation Trust has asked us to participate on their stand and have this opportunity to raise the profile of our conservation work and its continued reliance on funding.”

To make a donation, please visit www.leasoweswalledgarden.co.uk or make cheques payable to Halesowen Abbey Trust and send to 59 The Hawnelands, Halesowen, B63 3RT.

Heartfelt Haven

One makeshift meadow sown, and a bug hotel in progress. It’s ironic that it looks heart-shaped from this angle, given that it’s in what you’d call dry shade for the second half of the afternoon, and I could be heading for heartbreak…

But, as there is a real buzz about bees at the moment, I decided to dedicate some of my time towards clearing an awkward and unloved plot of land, at the bottom of the garden, and have set to work transforming it into a wildlife haven.

I’m so pressed for time, right now, and feel like I’m trying to save the world – let alone the bees – but this is really important and if we all do our bit, we will be creating much-needed habitat for our floral foragers and creating a corridor from garden to garden.

The location, it has to be said, is not ideal: it’s at the bottom of a South West facing garden, flanked by a sizeable Silver Fir, and fencing, but as the only available option I’ve done my best to maximise sun exposure, pondering from different angles, and siting key elements accordingly.

It’s far from finished, but as one of 2200 citizen scientists I’ve made a commitment to Blooms for Bees, participating in their Dahlia Mignon Series Trial 2017, and will also be following the Wild About Gardens ‘Bee Creative’ campaign with interest. Watch this space for more news or follow progress on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

Darren

Blooms for Bees

Let the trials begin!

White, red or purple Dahlia ‘Mignon’? Place your bets, now!

Dahlia ‘Mignon’ trial seeds 2017 to determine whether the different colours of ‘Mignon’ dahlias vary in their attractiveness to bumblebees, on behalf of Leasowes Walled Garden. www.leasoweswalledgarden.co.uk

Blooms for Bees Coventry University Bumblebee Conservation Trust Garden Organic RHS – Royal Horticultural Society Heritage Lottery Fund

Meadow Sweet

I’ve got my sights set on a wildflower meadow, beyond the silver fir, at the bottom of the garden. No idea where I’ll relocate the – as yet – immature Gunnera Manicata, but I’m sure I can find a solution. Besides, our bees need us and I think my Bramley would be happy to share its home with wildflowers!

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