Horticultural PR

Sunflowers, snowdrops, no dig plots, bee hives and wildflower meadows – Scotland’s Gardens Scheme launches 2024 season

Sunflowers, snowdrops, no dig plots, bee hives and wildflower meadows – Scotland’s Gardens Scheme launches 2024 season

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Scotland’s Gardens Scheme returns for 2024 with an exciting new season of gardens, raising funds for hundreds of charities and involving over 1000 volunteers and garden openers.

2024 season highlights include:

  • Over 50 new gardens will open their garden gates with Scotland’s Gardens Scheme for the first time
  • 26 group and village openings
  • 37 gardens opening as part of the Scottish Snowdrop Festival
  • 11 community and education gardens participating
  • An increasing trend towards wildlife-friendly and eco-conscious gardening

WELCOMING NEW GARDENS
Scotland’s Gardens Scheme is excited to welcome new gardens great and small and despite a tradition of stately homes and castles, it continues to see an increase in the number of smaller gardens enquiring about opening with Scotland’s Gardens Scheme. These gardens are appealing to garden visitors, providing real-life inspiration for their own gardens. However, castles and large gardens remain very popular for an insight into gardening on a grand scale.

Sunflower Dreams in Nairn (13 July) truly lives up to its name; the garden is a wildlife-friendly space with upcycled features and filled with blooms, including helichrysum, dahlias, nicotiana,  bedding plants – and of course sunflowers – all grown from seed in the owners’ greenhouse. Plenty of inspiration for those gardening on a budget.

Meanwhile, another newcomer to Scotland’s Gardens Scheme, Aldourie Castle (11 August) sits in a wonderful position overlooking Loch Ness. The garden has been designed by Tom Stuart-Smith and is an ambitious modern re-imagining of a traditional castle garden and grounds, including a 1.3 acre walled garden with a large productive area hosting a range of vegetables and cut flowers.

PLANT SALES & SPECIAL EVENTS

As well as a range of plant sales where visitors can snap up plant bargains, often including the rare and unusual, some gardens also include special features in their open days to make the day go with a swing.  Redcroft (11 & 12 May) and 20 Blackford Road (2 June), both in Edinburgh, will feature musical entertainment at their open days. Westgate in Dundee (19 & 20 October) and 12 Chatelherault Avenue in Glasgow (14 September) both feature later season openings, with the opportunity for an atmospheric evening, as the former garden is floodlit and the latter will feature pizza from their garden pizza oven.

Some events hark back to their historic origins with traditional family fun days; Drummond Castle near Crieff (4 August), with its magnificent Italianate parterre will run its lovely annual open day for Scotland’s Gardens Scheme, which features family attractions, ice cream and teas in August. In East Lothian, Winton Castle (14 April) celebrates the start of spring – and its 90th open day with Scotland’s Gardens Scheme – with its wonderful garden fete where visitors can meander through swathes of thousands of daffodils.

CELEBRATING SNOWDROPS
Scotland’s Gardens Scheme celebrates the Scottish Snowdrop Festival with 37 participating gardens, including beautiful white carpets of thousands of snowdrops at Danevale in Kirkcudbrightshire (18 February), Craig in Dumfriesshire (18 February) or curated collections of rare and unusual treasures at Bruckhills Croft in Aberdeenshire (by arrangement 3 February to 17 March), Shepherd House in East Lothian (18 February and Tuesdays/Thursdays throughout the month) and 10 Pilmuir Road West in Moray (by arrangement 25 January – 11 March). Scone Palace will also open its gates for the charity with the chance to join Head Gardener, Beechgrove regular and Scotland’s Gardens Scheme Ambassador, Brian Cunningham and his team to plant snowdrops in the green on Sunday 25th February.

Read more about snowdrop gardens here: https://scotlandsgardens.org/snowdrops-and-winter-walks/

WILDLIFE- FRIENDLY AND ECO-CONSCIOUS GARDENING

Reflecting the growing trend across many UK gardens, Scotland’s Gardens Scheme’s 2024 programme includes an increasing number of gardens that actively seek to incorporate environmentally-friendly practises in their gardens. Indeed, there are few gardens these days that don’t include a pollinator patch, compost heap, unmown section of grass or wildlife-friendly corner of the garden, however small, and garden visitors find these touches fascinating and take inspiration for their own gardens.

A number of garden owners are beekeepers and you can find hives at quite a few; Barochreal in Argyl (by arrangement 1 May to 30 September) even has a purpose-built bee shelter to prevent hives from getting waterlogged in the area’s wet climate. The Moorhouse in the Scottish Borders (23 June) specialises in eco-friendly ‘grown not flown’ cut flowers, grown without chemical fertilisers and pesticides and floristry and visitors will be able to see how they grow their cut flowers and experience bouquet workshops on their open day.  Over the past few years, Willowhill in Fife (by arrangement and also specific open dates from 27 April – 31 August) has created new ‘no dig’ herbaceous borders and visitors are invited to view these through the season and learn from the owners’ experience.  And a new group of gardens at Covington in Lanarkshire (16 June) will include wildflower meadows with 80 species spotted in 2023, and a moth expert who will be on hand to show the different species of moth found in gardens.

WHERE THE MONEY WENT IN 2023

Last year Scotland’s Gardens Scheme gave £289,700 in total to a range of good causes. The charity is unique in that 60% of funds raised may go to a cause selected by garden owners. Last year, over £230,000 went directly to charities and good causes chosen by garden owners. In addition, £16,000 each went to Scotland’s Gardens Scheme core charity partners, Perennial, Maggie’s and the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland.  A new bursary scheme launched in March 2023 gave £8,200 for grants to horticulturists in Scotland, for personal and professional training and development, administered by the Professional Gardeners’ Trust on behalf of Scotland’s Gardens Scheme, while a further £3,500 was donated to the National Trust for Scotland, supporting the professional development of their gardeners.

“We’re thrilled to launch another season of exciting garden open days to the public. As always, it’s such a pleasure to welcome a host of new gardens into the fold and we know our visitors take great pleasure and inspiration from these gardens, whatever their shape, style or size. Opening gardens is really a joyful way to raise money for charity and it’s such a ‘win-win’ – as well as fundraising, our gardeners and visitors are sharing good gardening practices, meeting new people and spending time together in the great outdoors – all such great ways to boost the wellbeing benefits of gardens and gardening. We hope you’ll join us in 2024.” said Liz Stewart, Scotland’s Gardens Scheme Chief Executive.

For details of all this and lots more to whet the appetite for the garden visiting season ahead, browse through the Scotland’s Gardens Scheme website or buy the 2024 guidebook, available on the website at scotlandsgardens.org.

ENDS

 If you would like a copy of the 2024 Guidebook, please email info@scotlandsgardens.org with your name and address.

For trade sales, books can be ordered through Bookspeed: https://www.bookspeed.com/product/140009/scottish-gardens-open-for-charity-2024-by-scotlands-gardens-scheme

For more information:

Emma Mason emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433
Jessica Taylor jessica@scotlandsgardens.org

https://scotlandsgardens.org

NOTES FOR EDITORS 

Scotland’s Gardens Scheme supports the opening of gardens throughout Scotland to the public, raising funds for charity through garden gate tickets, plant sales and teas. Most are privately owned and are normally inaccessible to the public at other times.  60% of funds raised at each garden opening may go to garden owner’s charity of choice with the remainder being donated to Scotland’s Gardens Scheme and its beneficiary charities, Maggie’s, the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland and Perennial. Scotland’s Gardens Scheme is powered by volunteers and has been raising funds for charity through garden openings since 1931.

Full garden details can be found at scotlandsgardens.org. Garden and charity highlights can also be found on:

X @ScotGardens   
Instagram @ScotlandGardenScheme  
Facebook @ScotlandsGardens  

TikTok @scotlandsgardens

LinkedIn
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/ScotlandsGardensScheme

RHS Resilient Garden – sustainable gardening for a changing climate by award-winning designer Tom Massey

RHS Resilient Garden – sustainable gardening for a changing climate by award-winning designer Tom Massey

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GARDENS FIT FOR THE FUTURE 

TOM MASSEY COMBINES NEW RHS CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH WITH CUTTING EDGE DESIGN & VIRTUAL REALITY

6 April 2023 | £27.00 | Hardback | 256 pages

  • In the first book to feature latest RHS climate change research, celebrated designer Tom Massey uses his expert knowledge and virtual reality to showcase an immersive garden for the future
  • Advice on how to create productive outdoor spaces that are brilliant for biodiversity
  • Techniques to help reduce the impact of climate change such as resilient gardening; analysing your plot; practical projects; sustainable materials and plant choices
  • A ‘climate emergency’ call to action for gardeners to work with the environment, the book includes case studies of innovative resilient gardens from around the world and interviews with leading scientists, experts and growers
  • Tips on building your own backyard food forest, green roof and swale planting, rainwater harvesting, hügelkultur mounds, rewilded zones and choosing anti-pollution plants
  • One of the foremost designers of his generation, Tom Massey runs his own London-based design studio, has appeared on BBC show ‘Your Garden Made Perfect’ and won multiple awards including a gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2021

Award-winning designer Tom Massey uses the very latest RHS climate change research and ground-breaking design techniques to show how we can future-proof our gardens, making them more sustainable, resilient, and beautiful places to enjoy for years to come.

RHS Resilient Garden innovatively taps into the virtual world, inviting the reader to explore a computer-generated garden for the future, inspired by the principles outlined by Tom in this, his debut, book.

Providing a passionate narrative into why, and how, gardeners can make changes in their outdoor spaces, Tom gives an expert insight from gardens and people he has met around the world. Fascinating case studies of intelligent, sustainable garden designs are punctuated throughout with practical and relatable advice for gardeners to learn and understand how they can make the right plant and design choices, for their own gardens.

RHS Resilient Garden is grounded in the latest research. The book explains the importance of planting mixed hedging for pollution trapping, how a patio affects waterlogging, the benefits of green walls and roofs for insects and pollinators, how to rewild patches of our gardens, why we should all compost and use circular waste systems, and how to reap the rewards of a backyard food forest.

Readers worldwide will be able to analyse the needs of their plot, looking at wind, sun, soil, water, wildlife, air quality and carbon. Tom offers innovative ideas on how we can all combat ‘eco-anguish’ with positive solutions to inspire gardeners to do ‘their bit’ to help and support the environment and wildlife.

With diagrams and infographics to illustrate key concepts, the book contains stunning images of Tom’s design ideas.

RHS Resilient Garden is believed to be the first garden design book to use immersive virtual reality. Via a QR code, readers are transported into Tom’s virtual garden for the future, seeing for themselves how a small urban garden can be transformed from the ordinary to an extraordinarily beautiful and sustainable design.

Tom said: “Radical and resilient garden design has been employed throughout history and we need to learn from the inspiring pioneers so that we can become the radicals of the future.

“I wanted to share what I have learnt from inspiring people and places around the world and from the latest research undertaken by the RHS and others, to show that we can all come together as gardeners and collectively make a difference. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of the climate emergency, but if all gardeners come together to make small, ecologically focused changes, this will combine to have a big impact in helping to mitigate the effects of climate change and halt biodiversity decline. Together we can build a network of sustainable and resilient gardens designed for the future.”

ENDS

For further information contact Jane Southcott jane@janesouthcottpr.co.uk 07787 527430 or Emma Mason emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433

Notes for editors:  

About the Author Tom Massey works with nature to produce sustainable, ecological and beautifully designed gardens that support wildlife, promote biodiversity and use sustainable growing mediums. After graduating from the London College of Garden Design at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, he founded Tom Massey Studio in 2015. His work has won multiple awards, including a gold medal and BBC People’s Choice Award for the Yeo Valley Organic Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2021. Tom also appeared on the BBC2 television series ‘Your Garden Made Perfect’ in 2021 and 2022.

  • In 2021, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) warned that more extreme weather is to be expected in coming years: some 87% of UK homes have a garden, making up to 433,000 hectares of land that can be used in the fight against climate change
  • Responding to climate change was a key issue at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in September 2021: the COP26 Garden demonstrated how gardens play an integral part in protecting our planet to ensure a greener, more resilient future
  • The RHS has recently launched its Sustainability Strategy, raising awareness of the effects of climate change on gardens both in the UK and worldwide

ABOUT DK

DK | For the curious

We believe in the power of discovery. That’s why we create books for everyone that explore ideas and nurture curiosity about the world we live in. From first words to the Big Bang, from the wonders of nature to city adventures, you will find expert knowledge, hours of fun and endless inspiration in the pages of our books.

Not Another Jungle by Tony Le-Britton – how to take your houseplant growing to the next level

Not Another Jungle by Tony Le-Britton – how to take your houseplant growing to the next level

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Comprehensive care for extraordinary houseplants by leading houseplant influencer Tony Le-Britton

6 April 2023 | £16.99 | Hardback | 155 pages

HOW TO TAKE YOUR HOUSEPLANT GROWING TO THE NEXT LEVEL

  • Expert advice on how to care for some of the most desirable and beautiful houseplants available so they can thrive in your home
  • Award-winning photographer Tony Le-Britton switched his career focus during lockdown and is now one of the UK’s leading indoor ‘plantfluencers’ @NotAnotherJungle with 221k followers
  • Self-taught and now a professional grower, Tony is a prolific houseplant collector of some of the world’s rarest plants
  • Includes myth-busting, tips on watering, propagating, feeding, lighting, pests and diseases, as well as sustainability, responsible growing and sourcing
  • The science of how houseplants actually grow explained
  • Inspirational step-by-step ‘how to’ photography and stunning images of the rare plant jewels in Tony’s own collection – ideal for those obsessed with houseplants and newbie owners too

One of the country’s most popular growers Tony Le-Britton, shares his infectious passion and expansive knowledge for houseplants in his debut book Not Another Jungle.

Tony’s new book is aimed at anyone who loves houseplants and wants to find out how to progress their rare plant collections, and how to help them flourish with bespoke care techniques. For houseplant novices there are his easy-to-follow tips and methods for ensuring their plants not only survive but thrive. Tony’s personal and easy-to-read text helps ensure everyone can understand how to get the best from their houseplants.

Tony, who began as an amateur enthusiast and is now a leading professional grower with his own houseplant shop, says: “I want to help readers take their houseplant growing to the next level, by sharing my knowledge and explaining how to care for and nurture your plants, but also the reasons behind why we do what we do for them and why plants behave in certain ways.”

A breakout social media star, Tony, aka @NotAnotherJungle, has established a large following with his calming plant-filled videos, helpful advice and intriguing peeks inside his stunning indoor greenhouse at home. He actively engages with his audience, and shares so much of his passion, his followers feel they are there growing the plants with him. His book cleverly covers everything houseplant lovers need, with detailed chapters on light, water, humidity, fertiliser, variegation, propagation, and pests and diseases so you can confidently care for your inside garden.

Having travelled the world to explore and learn about plants in their natural habitats, Tony empowers readers to create the optimum environment in their own home so their plants will thrive. Combining detailed information and stunning imagery, the book’s curated plants include Monstera, Anthurium, Philodendron, Rhaphidophora, Alocasia and Begonia, with a special focus on desirable and unusual varieties, including beautiful variegated plants.

Tony discusses the history of plant exploration, touching on the impact to indigenous peoples and habitats, and the blight of modern-day plant poaching. He gives practical advice on how to source and grow plants responsibly, encouraging readers to value their collections, rehome rather than throw away, and use environmentally friendly growing materials and practices.

Tony says: “I want to make sure that enthusiasts choose a plant that is right for their specific growing conditions – my aim is to enable everyone to be successful with houseplants. I also want to inspire them to explore plant growing and to cut down on unnecessary waste by keeping their plants longer and rejecting the throwaway plant culture. It’s a win-win. The feeling that comes from nurturing individual living things and seeing them grow is something that can’t be rivalled.”

ENDS

For further information contact Emma Mason emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433 or Jane Southcott jane@janesouthcottpr.co.uk 07787 527430

Notes for editors:

Tony Le-Britton is a self-taught grower and prolific houseplant collector of some of the world’s rarest plants. Taught to garden as a child by his grandparents, this book will bring together 30 years of growing experience and plant knowledge. His Instagram account @NotAnotherJungle has built up over 188k followers since he set it up in 2020 and many ask for plant care advice. Featured on BBC Gardeners’ World. He is also one of the UK’s most respected hair and beauty photographers. https://www.hji.co.uk/latest/tony-le-britton-photographer

DK | For the curious

We believe in the power of discovery. That’s why we create books for everyone that explore

ideas and nurture curiosity about the world we live in. From first words to the Big Bang, from the wonders of nature to city adventures, you will find expert knowledge, hours of fun and endless inspiration in the pages of our books.

 

 

Rekha’s Kitchen Garden

Rekha’s Kitchen Garden

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Seasonal produce and home-grown wisdom from one gardener’s allotment year 

by Rekha Mistry

2 February 2023 | £18.99 | Hardback |  192 pages

The urban gardener who swapped a successful business for an ‘allotment career’ – Rekha spills the beans on growing delicious veg throughout the year

·         In her first book, Rekha Mistry reveals how to grow more than 40 seasonal crops with garden and kitchen tips, monthly tasks, and favourite seed varieties

·         From successful businesswoman to busy north London allotment blogger and garden writer, Rekha Mistry is now a regular presenter on BBC TV Gardeners’ World where she shares her 30+ years’ experience from a self-taught amateur to professional gardener.

·         Ideal for those who love cooking and eating seasonally, the book is organised by the time of year crops are harvested

In her debut book, Rekha’s Kitchen Garden, garden and food writer Rekha Mistry shares her veg’ growing secrets from her inspiring North London allotment that bursts with the very best seasonal produce all year round.

With easy-to-follow tips on how to grow organic vegetables, fruits and herbs, the book is packed with personality, humour, honesty and stunning photography that follows a full growing year on Rekha’s allotment. As a firm believer in cooking and eating seasonal food, the author has designed the book around when crops are harvested, to ensure you can make the most of your tasty produce.

Seasonal ‘Garden tips’ on every page offer advice and solutions that Rekha uses in her own allotment, while ‘Kitchen tips’ reveal how Rekha makes the most of her harvest. ‘Planting partners introduce readers to companion planting, while suggested varieties reveal the crops that Rekha recommends from her own growing experience.

Rekha’s Kitchen Garden also brims with advice on how to grow organically, prevent disease and pests and how to successfully try crop rotation. There is also a very handy month-by-month task list for the home, greenhouse and outdoors so you can keep your growing on track.

Rekha also shares her inspiring gardening journey from helping her mother on her childhood Zambian kitchen garden, to her current plot. She said: “I wasn’t born with a silver garden fork in my hand. In the beginning, I was self-taught, learning along the way. I asked questions. I researched how I could grow food organically and sustainably. I scoured second-hand gardening books, picking up tips from these writers and experts.

“Before long, my allotment became far more than a pastime. I said goodbye to a successful 25-year career running our family business, started my gardening blog, and discovered a love for photography. I enrolled for an RHS diploma in Horticulture, which led to work as a professional gardener in a prestigious London garden – and at the same time kick-started a career as a garden and food writer and TV presenter.

“Now, my love for fresh produce has outgrown the paradise that was my mother’s kitchen garden; it’s outgrown that tiny space that doubled as a family football pitch. It has become a way for me to share my experiences, my expertise, and – more importantly – my love for all things grow-your-own. It has led, one way or another, to this book.”

ENDS

For further information contact Emma Mason emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433 or Jane Southcott jane@janesouthcottpr.co.uk 07787 527430

Notes for editors:

Rekha Mistry is a writer and kitchen gardener, named by Country Living Magazine as one to watch in 2021. After reaching the quarter-final of the BBC’s Big Allotment Challenge in 2015 and achieving the RHS Diploma in Horticulture, she is now a regular writer for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine and the RHS, and worked as a gardener at the historic Inner Temple Garden. Her North London allotment appears on Gardeners’ World (BBC), and as a gardening influencer her Instagram account @Rekha.garden.kitchen has over 100k followers.

Nature heals: Pioneering intensive care project opening at Plymouth’s Derriford Hospital

Nature heals: Pioneering intensive care project opening at Plymouth’s Derriford Hospital

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  • Bespoke outdoor/indoor treatment area fitted with specialist equipment so critical care patients can spend time in the fresh air and sunshine whilst fully ventilated 
  • Outdoor garden space designed by award-winning BBC TV gardening expert, wheelchair user and former ICU patient Mark Lane
  • Embracing the benefits of nature aims to improve rehab experience and outcomes for seriously ill patients and families 

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) is to harness the positive healing power of nature by encouraging intensive care patients to spend time outdoors, even whilst fully ventilated, thanks to a new £625k treatment area opening in December 2022. 

Patients and staff will be able to feel the breeze and sun on their faces when the bespoke critical care rehabilitation garden room, called The Secret Garden, opens at Derriford Hospital, part of University Hospitals Plymouth (UHP) NHS Trust.

Innovatively, the unit’s life-saving ventilation equipment will be able to run outdoors in the courtyard garden, meaning patients can spend time outside, in a non-clinical environment – an important recovery steppingstone for many. Uniquely, it has been designed by Mark Lane, the UK’s first garden designer in a wheelchair, who himself spent months in a critical care unit after a serious car crash.

The project was inspired by a former patient, Andrew Heveran’s desire to get outside, to feel fresh air, after a life changing attack that left him paralysed. Andrew will be there to cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony.

Kate Tantam, Critical Care Specialist Rehabilitation Sister, who spearheaded the project, said: “Our patients and their loved ones tell us that being in critical care is like a bomb going off in your life, that everything is blown apart. Our job as a multi-professional team is to support them in rebuilding their lives.

“Part of supporting people with their recovery journey after critical care is getting to know them as individuals and exploring with them what they most want out of their future.  For many it is simply time with loved ones, time to restore relationships and play with children and grandchildren in non-clinical environments. It was the desire to support this that the idea for the secret garden at University Hospitals Plymouth was born.”

Getting patients who require ventilation to support their breathing outside in the fresh air takes a lot of work. “They need a team of people and it is not without risk. It is also very challenging in busy hospitals to find private spaces, where patients can relax without feeling overlooked,” said Dr Sam Waddy Critical Care Consultant at UHP.

The team decided in 2018 it needed to build a bespoke garden space where ventilated patients and the critically ill could be cared for in the fresh air with all the specialist equipment that requires. With no similar facilities in the Southwest like this at the time, the staff knew it was going to be a big challenge, made even more complex as COVID-19 hit a year into the project.

Despite this, the team raised the funds for the garden thanks to Plymouth Hospitals Charity, NHS Charities Together and the Trust’s budget.  The new-look secret garden is a bespoke critical care therapy space with floor to ceiling glass exposing a walled flower garden.  Full of nurturing botanicals it provides a space for patients, loved ones and staff to recover together.

Mark Lane has designed the garden to be fully inclusive and accessible, with space for beds and wheelchairs, walking frames and sticks, and with slip-resistant, anti-glare, self-binding gravel surfaces. There will be mixed height planting, some in-ground, others in raised beds so patients laying down or seated can see plants. He said: “Outdoor, green spaces are enjoyed by many, but when your life turns a different corner and you end up in ICU, like I did after my car accident, you become completely unaware of the changing seasons, whether it’s sunny or raining outside and, if like me, you’re fortunate to be able to go outside again the first thing that hits you is the sun on your face, the breeze and the colour green.

“So, when I was commissioned to design this garden for Derriford I felt truly honoured to be able to create a space for patients to enjoy, to improve their physical and mental wellbeing by introducing a Secret Garden. Yes, it’s an awkward space with high walls around all four sides, but this lent itself to a nurturing woodland-style of garden with pops of colour here and there. I wanted the patients to feel the plants and enjoy the textures, engage with the garden, whether that be passively or actively getting their hands dirty during rehabilitation and have a space to reflect. I know, because of the incredible staff, and their amazing fundraising activities, that this garden will flourish over the years and make a huge difference to people’s lives, patients, visitors and staff.”

The secret garden has gone from an abandoned courtyard, to a bespoke critical care garden room with specialist capacity to facilitate full care for ICU patients and their loved ones wherever they are in their recovery journey.  It also provides a welcome outside space for clinical staff to support them with the challenges of working in ICU.

ENDS

Notes for editors:

Mark Lane – Mark Lane has gained recognition as a first-class landscape designer, being the UK’s first garden designer in a wheelchair, as well as the first BBC gardening presenter in a wheelchair. As a broadcaster, he’s the gardening expert on BBC One’s Morning Live. He has also been a presenter of the award-winning Gardeners’ World on BBC Two as well as for BBC Gardeners’ World Live and the BBC’s coverage of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Flower Shows – Chelsea, Chatsworth, Hampton Court Palace and Tatton. In 2001 Mark was in a car accident and had to have operations on his spine, which were complicated by him being born with spina bifida. Following a long rehabilitation period Mark studied garden/landscape design through an Open Learning course at KLC, Hampton Court.

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust – If you would like more information on the hospital itself or want to talk to staff please contact communications.phnt@nhs.net

 

Rock garden rarities and dazzling dahlias to entice at Newby Hall in 2021

Rock garden rarities and dazzling dahlias to entice at Newby Hall in 2021

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  • Newby Hall & Gardens reopens to the public on 1 April 2021 with Covid safety measures1 in place
  • First phase of historic rock garden restoration now complete
  • Dahlia bed revamp with 21st century colour twist
  • Famous double herbaceous border in full bloom after lockdown
  • Harrogate Autumn Flower Show to be held at Newby Hall 17-19 September

When visitors return to one of the north’s most famous gardens in April, they will get the first rare-plant-filled glimpse of the major restoration of a historic Edwardian rock garden – thought to be one of the largest of its kind in the UK.

Newby Hall’s expansive rock garden2, boasting a waterfall, hidden nooks and even a miniature aquaduct, is undergoing a five-year refurbishment and the initial phase is now complete. Scores of new rare and unusual plants, many of which will be in full spring bloom when Newby Hall opens for the season, have replaced overgrown foliage in the iconic garden, and large architectural rocks unearthed.

Dating back to pre-WW1 and measuring over an acre, it was originally designed with the help of visionary Edwardian plantswoman Ellen Willmott. But a century later, many of its shrubs, plants and trees had outgrown the space, and specialist work by the garden team is restoring it to its former glory.

Also getting a 21st century revamp are the dazzling dahlia beds at Newby Hall with dozens of new varieties getting their first showing this year in an eye-popping, contemporary colour palette. Delicate fritillaries, oxslips and tulips have been planted under apple and quince trees in the Orchard Garden to give a full-on, late spring display, and Newby Hall’s famous 172 metre-long double herbaceous border is on track to give a real flower-powered punch all season long.

For the first time, the popular three-day Harrogate Autumn Flower Show will be held in the grounds of Newby Hall (17-19 September) and show goers will get free access to the gardens as part of their admission ticket. The event is famed for its giant vegetable competition, the Northern Championships for the National Vegetable Society and one of the best autumn bloom displays in the UK, so both flower lovers and grow-your-own aficionados alike will get their horticultural fix. The season at Newby Hall culminates with Apple Day and the Apple Throwing Championships on 3 October.

Other garden gems at Newby Hall include a national Cornus collection, a stunning autumn garden packed with late-flowering salvias, magnificent magnolias in the Tropical Garden and a traditional sweet-smelling rose garden.

ENDS

For further information contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433 or Louise Scott on louise.s@newbyhall.com  01423 320412

newbyhall.com Twitter – @newbyhall @newbyhallgarden Facebook – newbyhallandgardens Instagram – newbyhallandgardens

NOTES TO EDITORS

  • Newby Hall is a William and Mary house located between Ripon and Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire, built in the 1690s until the guidance of Christopher Wren. John Carr remodelled the house in the 18th century, with interiors by Robert Adam and furniture by Chippendale. Owner Richard Compton is the 10th generation of his family to live at Newby.
  • The House and Gardens are open to the public from April to September, attracting around 140,000 visitors each season. The venue boasts a restaurant, miniature railway, gift shop and plant centre, day visitor events and weddings.
  • The gardening team has a head gardener, 6 full time gardeners and a handful of volunteers.  They care for the 25 acres of formal gardens, boasting 15 stunning ‘garden rooms’, and a further 15 acres of woodland and orchard, plus a national collection of Cornus.
  • Newby Hall is just a few miles from the A1(M), the main London to Edinburgh motorway. Close by are the magnificent Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire Moors National Parks and the historic cities of York and Ripon.

1: Covid safety measures – Visitors advised to check website for opening details as Government guidelines will need to be followed. Online ticket booking only to manage the number of visitors each day, with a limit on numbers arriving in three different arrival periods.  Safety information is given to visitors at the start of their visit to ensure social distancing and staff at the visitor entrance are protected by plastic screens, as are the team at the onsite café providing take-away refreshments.  Additional toilets have been opened in the gardens and a rigorous hygiene regime implemented for all outdoor areas.

2: Rock garden – Working closely with specialists Kevock Garden Plants & Design, Newby Hall’s head gardener Phil Cormie and owners Richard and Lucinda Compton, aim to transform the space to ensure it is conserved for generations of visitors to come. Unusual plants already in place include:

  • Rhododendron primuliflorum‘Doker-La’ – an unusual dwarf rhododendron with pink, daphne-like flowers.
  • Meconopsis x cookei‘Old Rose’ – beautiful poppy with erect stems of pendulous, dusky pink flowers in spring
  • Iris kerneriana –a  lovely narrow, tidy leaved iris with delicate 40 cm long stems bearing sulphur- yellow and cream flowers.
  • Antirrhinum molle– most people think of snapdragons as being annuals but this one is small shrub with velvety grey leaves and large white or pink flowers.
  • Saxifraga ‘Nicholas’ -absolutely outstanding silver saxifrage with huge, tumbling sprays of white flowers.
  • Sorbus reducta– a dwarf rowan only growing up to 1.5 metres tall with berries that start red and turn pink as the autumn season progresses.
  • Pseudocodon convolvulaceus subsp. Forrestii –an unusual climber which gently twines through shrubs and small trees. Beautiful bell-shaped, pale blue flowers mark these plants out as a Campanula relative.
  • Gentiana acaulis – a spectacular rock garden plant, the Stemless Gentian throws out deep blue, trumpet shaped flowers with a spotted green throat.
  • Rhododendron campylogynum Myrtilloides Group – a charming dwarf species of rhododendron with beautiful thimble-shaped, nodding, plum-purple flowers.
  • Meconopsis ‘Huntfield’ – a beautiful variety of the Blue Poppy with a hint of purple shading the blue flowers.

The second phase of the heritage garden project is now underway with plans for an alpine lawn, New Zealand corner and revamped cascade.

 

 

Dalefoot Composts adds comfrey into its peat-free range to give plants a nutrient super boost

Dalefoot Composts adds comfrey into its peat-free range to give plants a nutrient super boost

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  • Comfrey – the organic gardener’s best friend – a ‘dynamic accumulator’ packed with nutrients is added into the Wool Compost range
  • ‘Bocking 14’ variety has high levels of potassium, phosphorous & nitrogen for healthy plant growth, larger flowers & bigger crops
  • Comfrey now being grown sustainably at Dalefoot farm as company scales up peat-free compost production to supply many more garden centres and nurseries across the UK, plus online for home delivery
  • Bracken for Dalefoot’s products sourced from Exmoor, Northumberland & Wales, helping farming communities & local biodiversity further afiel

Dalefoot Composts, the Lake District peat-free compost maker, has added comfrey into its peat-free Wool Compost range giving an extra super charge of nutrients and trace elements for blooming, healthy plants.

Now with a hat-trick of performance-packed natural ingredients – comfrey, bracken and sheep’s wool – the Wool Compost range feeds plants for at least a season, requires less watering, as wool cleverly retains moisture, and is Soil Association-approved for organic gardening. Wool Compost is available in Potting, Seeds, Vegetables & Salads, Tomatoes, Double Strength and Ericaceous1.

Comfrey is renowned in the gardening world for being a plant superfood. It has very long roots so is able to absorb nutrients deep in the soil as it grows, and when harvested and then added to compost or a traditional comfrey tea, the nutrients give a growing ‘kick’ to other plants, encouraging strong, healthy growth.

The introduction of comfrey to the compost mix marks the culmination of a five-year project by the Dalefoot team to grow the plant on a commercial scale, sustainably on the farm, and harness its extraordinary qualities. The fast-growing comfrey crop can be harvested four times a year, so there is plenty on tap to meet rising demand for the company’s premium composts in the future.

The company is also now sourcing bracken from Exmoor, Northumberland and Wales, as well as locally in Cumbria – helping a diversity of farming communities and local landscapes. Bracken is an invasive plant but when harvested sustainably and composted, provides rich potash for plants and acts as a fantastic soil conditioner. Sheep farmers are benefitting too as supplying wool for the compost means they have a market for a product they struggle to sell.

Dalefoot’s peat-free products are unique as they use a fully-traceable, sustainable blend of wool, bracken and now comfrey to make composts for every gardening need. Wool releases a steady stream of nitrogen and other must-have nutrients which, when combined with bracken and comfrey, means no further feed is required over the growing season.

Professor Jane Barker of Dalefoot Composts said: “Comfrey is a truly remarkable plant offering a multitude of uses and we’re excited to grow it right here on the farm for our compost. We’ll be looking at how we can use it in other products for the gardener in the future.

“Our farm’s bees, insects and wildlife are also benefitting from the biodiversity boost the new comfrey fields and their nectar-rich flowers bring to the local environment.”

Over the past 12 months, compost production has doubled at Dalefoot, with 177 garden centres and nurseries now stocking its products.

The Dalefoot team also restores peat bogs, some of which were once owned by peat compost companies, across the UK for the likes of Natural England, NatureScot, South West Water and wildlife trusts. Peat bogs store more carbon than forests and many in the UK are now in poor condition, releasing carbon rather than just storing it. To date, this work equates to 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions – equivalent to 500,000 flights from London to New York – saved since Dalefoot started two decades ago.

ENDS

For further information contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433

1 – Wool Compost Ericaceous, Lakeland Gold and Bulb Compost do not contain comfrey

Dalefoot’s story – The entrepreneurial couple behind Dalefoot, environmental scientist Professor Jane Barker and farmer Simon Bland, started making compost from the natural ingredients around their Cumbrian farm in 1997. Inspired by early 20th century gardening books that mentioned wool as a garden mulch, and a desire to make good use of the invasive bracken growing on the fells, the couple invented their secret compost recipe, bagged the product up themselves and started selling at local farmers’ markets. Twenty years later the compost is sold across the UK and has been shortlisted for RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden Product of the Year. The business employs 18 local people, and sources bracken and wool from farmers.

The range is available online at www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk from £11.99 per bag down to £8.50 each for orders of 50 bags plus delivery, and also from a growing list of stockists.

Tel: 01931 713281   Email: sales@dalefootcomposts.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

Charles Dowding

Charles Dowding’s new online course on how to grow the A-Z of ‘no dig’ veg

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Want to know the optimum time to sow runner beans, transplant cabbage and harvest your courgettes? Or when to water celery, how to banish carrot fly and why not digging your garden is more productive? Learning how to sow, grow, harvest and store the tastiest crops is made easy, one vegetable at a time, thanks to a new online course from no dig gardening pioneer Charles Dowding.

A world authority on no dig vegetable gardening, and a break-out grow-your-own social media star – his latest video on compost racked up 100,000 views in just five days – Somerset-based Charles spills the beans on his growing methods in his latest online course.

From the comfort of your own home, you can watch Charles explain in eleven exclusive videos the specific needs and qualities of 15 vegetables – from aubergine to cucumber – and how to ensure successful and tasty harvests, all using his tried and tested no dig gardening methods. His detailed tips are explained in easy-to-follow ‘lessons’, packed with 60,000 words and 880 illustrative photos, so even the most novice of gardeners can get growing.

This new course, called Online Course 3A Seed to Harvest, is the first in a two-parter that will eventually cover over 40 vegetables in total. Both courses have been designed to complement his existing best-selling courses on no dig gardening basics (Course 1) and growing success (Course 2). Thousands of gardeners across the world, from Australia to Chile, have downloaded Charles’s courses since they were launched in March 2019.

No dig vegetable gardening involves simply mulching soil with compost, rather than laboriously digging it. Charles’s no-frills methods resonate with beginner and experienced gardeners alike, with millions of views of his YouTube videos. He has over 700,000 followers on social media.

More details:

Online Course 3A – Seed to harvest, the first 18 vegetables from aubergine to cucumber – Charles Dowding’s best tips on each vegetable’s types and varieties, sowing methods, how to transplant, watering, ways of picking to maximise output and quality, storage, pest protection, clearing and what to plant next.

Each lesson concentrates on one vegetable, which he explains within the same outline structure. The aim is for you to understand each vegetable’s special needs and qualities, so that successful harvests are likely. There is only occasional reference to bed preparation and weeding. With the no dig gardening method, these are minimal jobs, and are the same for all vegetables. Lessons finish with a multiple-choice quiz to consolidate learning.

60000+ words, 880+ photos with explanatory captions, and 11 videos which are unique to this course, not available elsewhere.

Vegetables included – Aubergine; Beans – Broad; Beans – French, Runner, Soy; Beetroot;  Broccoli; Brussels; Cabbage; Carrot;  Cauliflower & Kohlrabi; Celery and Celeriac;  Chard & Leaf Beet; Chicory/Radicchio; Chinese Cabbage & Pak Choi;  Courgette/Zucchini; Cucumber, cordon and ridge

ENDS

For further information contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433.

Charles Dowding has made no dig popular and is a world authority on the subject. His productive and weed-free garden illustrates the benefits simply of mulching soil to feed its microorganisms. They “turn on the tap” of making food and moisture available to our plants, as well as improving soil structure.

  • Drainage and aeration improve, in an easy and long-lasting way
  • The method is simple and requires less work
  • The result is fewer weeds and healthier, more resilient plants
  • Carbon is retained in the soil

Since 1982 he has created and cropped four no dig market gardens on different soils, from stone to silt to clay. In the 1980s he cropped 7.5 acres (3ha) of no dig beds. In the 1990s he farmed in France.

Currently he grows vegetables on 0.25 acres/1000 square metres in Somerset, SW England zone 8. He sells £20,000 of harvests locally, mainly salad leaves, and vegetables are served on courses at Homeacres.

There are two crops a year from beds which are cheap to establish and quick to maintain. Charles’ methods are easy to understand and work on small areas as well as large ones. No dig scales up and down easily.

He has written ten books and an annual calendar of sowing dates, runs a You Tube channel with 36.8 million views, writes for national gardening magazines, and gives talks and courses at home and abroad. He has created online courses in no dig gardening and on vegetable growing.

More information can be found at charlesdowding.co.uk