a rich tapestry: horticulture

Showing posts with label horticulture. Show all posts

November 28, 2017

Floral Bliss # 49 - The Walled Garden in Autumn

I usually take a walk to our local library in the park once a week - yesterday I went to our afternoon book group meeting - and then I have a wander around the walled garden. This is what I saw there this month although gradually there are fewer flowers and more dry seed heads to photograph and colours are beginning to fade.

the kitchen garden

some of the decorated bird boxes

the rose garden

the Mediterranean-type plants and grasses area

the old stable block

Plants for sale which I sometimes buy to take home for my planters.

Joining Riitta's Floral Bliss no 49 this week.

November 23, 2017

The Winter Garden, Sheffield

Here are some facts about the Winter Garden taken from an information board.

The Winter Garden was developed together with the Millennium Galleries (which conjoin the Winter Garden) as part of Sheffield's Heart of the City project.

The purpose of the building is to provide an indoor garden for the public as an extension to the outdoor Peace Gardens nearby. It's a temperate glasshouse with background frost protection to a minimum of 4 degrees Celsius provided by underfloor heating.

The planting is organised by arranging plants with similar requirements or from similar habitats. For example, drought-tolerant plants are placed at the sunny south end of the building with shade-lovers planted in the north.

Watering is carried out by hosepipe, watering can and mist spray. Even in today's age of technology it is the best way to ensure that each plant receives its individual requirements. Some plants need a dry period at certain times during the year whilst others require misting regularly.

400 tons of topsoil have been used to fill the plant beds (enough to fill 3,600 wheelbarrows). The beds contain 150 species of plants; more than 2,500 plants in total.

I took the above photos just after they had been spray watered.

(Photos below) The Winter Garden has been decorated with artificial flowers, butterflies etc. for the festive season and the fairy people are back!

In the summer and early autumn months there was an impressive installation hanging from the inside roof arches of the Winter Garden building featuring the scientific world.

November 24, 2014

A walk in the monastery grounds

This abbey is one that attracts visitors from far and wide so we're fortunate to be able to spend time within the grounds. The pharmacy, the shop that sells monastic items, the parish office and social rooms, the farm shop, the college high school and the retreat houses are run by the monks and also provide employment as well as a local service. The post office is within the outer walls of the monastery complex and the sports ground is now managed by the parish. The olive groves on the moors behind the abbey are also rented out and cultivated by the locals. However, the landscape remains unspoilt because the land is in a conservation area and building regulations are very strict.

One morning we took a walk around the area that's mainly cultivated for the needs of the monastery and college, which is a boarding school as well as a day school. We then walked through the college gardens and back into the monastery inner courtyard gardens.

Old columns have stood there for centuries.The lift on the left has been installed recently which must benefit the elderly members of the community.

Wine can be bought from the monastery cantina.

The above building is the kitchen and dining room for the people working on the land and in the monastery.

We met one of the gardeners and had a chat about horticulture. He had lived and studied in England and America and spoke excellent English. He gave me a kiwi to try.