winter 2020/21 the walled garden
TRANSCRIPT
New Ventures in 2021 Welcometothefirstissueofournewsletterfor2021.Wellithascertainlybeenthemostchallengingwinterwehaveexperiencedsofar.Theweatherhasbeenverywetattimesandmorerecentlycoldandsnowy.Thepandemichasmeantwehavehadtobeverycarefulabouthowmanypeoplewecouldallowintoworkinthegardenatanyonetimeandofcoursetheneedforsocialdistancinghasmadeitmoredifficulttogetsometasksdone.Despiteallofthis,ahugeamounthasbeenachieved,bothintermsofupkeepandmaintenancebutalsoindeliveringthelandscapedesign.
Inthisissuewedescribesomenewareasinmoredetail,namelytheJapanesegardenandthelawnsforthesouthwestquadrant.WearealsoembarkingonaninnovativenewwayoforganicvegetablegrowingusingtheNoDigmethod,underthewatchfuleyeofNoDigexpert,CherryTaylor.
Ifyouareinterestedinhelpingout,asavolunteergardenerorinanassociatedcapacity,pleasereadonformoredetails.Ourcontactdetailscanbefoundonthebackpage.
• NewVenturesin2021• Accessandvolunteeringnews• New"NoDig"organic
growingproject• TheJapaneseGarden• CommunityGardenLawns• Membershipnews• Seedswapscheme• Newsinbrief• Andnowherecomethe
daffodils• Contactus
W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 / 2 1
Newsletter of the Friends of Llanfrechfa Grange Walled Garden
The Walled Garden
In this Issue
THE WALLED GARDEN WINTER 2020/21
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Volunteering and our COVID plan
TheWalledgardendevelopmentreliessolelyonthegoodwillandhelpfromverycommittedanddedicatedvolunteers.Duringthelockdownperiod,wehavereliedonthemtohelpuscontinueessentialmaintenanceinthegarden.Initiallywehadadailyrotaofjust4peopleatatime,toensuresocialdistancing,butthishasnowbeenraisedto6perhalfaday.TherearestricthygienemeasuresinplaceandwrittenguidelinesforCOVID-19safety.
Wehave18regularvolunteerswhoareengagedinactivitiesacrossallpartsofthegarden;buildingtheJapaneseGarden,participatingintheNoDigorganicvegetablecourse,plantsowingandpropagation,procuringstonesandothermaterialsfromvarioussitesforhardlandscapingandplantingourspringbulbs.Youcanreadmoreabouttheseinthefollowingpages.
Thegardenworkhasprogressedwiththetirelessinputfromourvolunteersinallweather.Themorevulnerablevolunteershavesensiblystayedawayfromthegardenincludingsomewhohavetoprovidecareforvulnerablefamilymembers.Keepingthegardenopenforessentialworkhashowever,providedmanyofourvolunteerswithasenseofpurposeandimprovedmentalwellbeingduringthelockdown.
Access and Volunteering News Whathaveourvolunteersbeenuptoandhowarewemanagingduringthepandemic?
OuroriginalplanwastoformallyopentheWalledGardentothepublicinspring2021tocoincidewith,whatwasthengoingtobe,theopeningdateforthenewGrangeUniversityHospital.Asweareallonlytooaware,agreatdealhashappenedsincethenduetothepandemic.Thenewhospitalopenedearlyandasthingscurrentlystand,wearelikelytoremaininsomedegreeofLockdownforseveralmoremonthstocome.ItiswithgreatsadnessthereforethattheTrusteeshavedecidedthatopeningmustbedeferreduntilitissafetodoso.Weremainhopefulthatthiswillbeearlysummertimein2021.
Thelawnareadesign-SWquadrant
Opening Date Deferred
THE WALLED GARDEN WINTER 2020/21
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New Project - "No Dig" Organic Vegetables
BetweenJanuaryandJune2021,wewillbeguidedthroughtheprocessofgrowing15typesofvegetablesusingCharlesDowding’sNoDigandorganicmethods.ThedealisthatweshareourlearningwithourmembersandvolunteersandhelptoraiseawarenessofthebenefitsoforganicgrowingusingtheNoDigmethod,whichweare,ofcourse,veryhappytodo.
Duringthecoursewewilllearnhowto:
• MakeNoDigbedsorconvertexistingones• Dealwithpestsandweedswithoutusing
chemicals• Sowandprickoutattheoptimumtimefor
eachvegetable• Plantattheappropriatespacings• Nurture,harvestandstoreourownlovely
freshorganicveg
Howwillwedothis,especiallywiththelimitationsimposedbythepandemicrestrictions?
ThecourseisbeingrunviaaprivatesocialmediagrouphostedbyCherryonFacebookandweeklygroupZoomlessons.Thisisallsupplementedwithhandoutnotes,YouTubevideodemonstrationsandgroupchats.AlltheseedshavebeenprovidedbythecoursesothateveryonegrowsthesamethingsatthesametimealongsideCherry,intheirownvegetableplots,bethatbackgarden,allotment,schoolorcommunitygarden.Wehaveallocatedabed1mx5minourProduceGardeninthenortheastquadrantoftheWalledGardenforthispurpose(Bed#3).
OurleadforthecourseisourTrusteeSecretary,AngelaFry.Shewillattendallthelessonsandguideinterestedmembersandvolunteerswhowanttoshareourlearningfromthecourse.WewillshareregularupdatesonourprogressviaourmainwebsitepagesandFacebook.YoucanalsosendusquestionstoraisewiththeNoDigcommunityaboutthemethod.
Newfor2021,wearedelightedtohavebeengivenacomplimentaryplaceasaCommunityGardenparticipantintheNoDigorganicvegetablegrowingcourserunbyVegOutco-founder
andorganicmarketgardenerCherryTaylor.
#3'NoDigbed'intheNEQandtheseedswewillbegrowingthroughoutthecourse.
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TraditionalJapanesegardendesignprinciplesaimtousenaturalmaterialsandtoincorporatesimplicity,flowandasenseofserenity.Ourgardenwillbesimilarlyunderstatedandassymetricalwithcleanlinesandsubdued,naturalcoloursandtextures.Smoothrocksandstoneswillbelaidinaserpentinepatterntosuggestwaterwithcarefullyplacedbiggerrocksandstonesintendedtosymboliseeternity,stabilityandharmony.Steppingstoneswillencourageavisittoaquietstonebenchortoviewourtraditionalgranitelanternupclose.ThreecherrytreesarealreadyinplaceandweplantoaddarangeofotherJapanesestyleplantsinspring.Abamboofencewillprovideprivacytothenorthernsideofthegardenandamoongateawelcomingentrancenearthelawnarea.
InspiredbytraditionalJapanesegardendesignprinciples,oneofourfirst"Show"gardensisbeingbuiltintheSouthwestquadrant.
Left:Asimplestonebridgecrossingoverourdryriverbed.Madefromwhatmighthavebeenheavywindowledgesorlintelsthatwefoundburriedinthegarden.
The Japanese Garden
Right:Oursimplegranitebenchhasbeenbuiltfromsparekerbstonessalvagedfromthenewhospitalbuildingsite.Itwilleventuallybeshelteredbyanopenmock‘teahouse’wherevisitorscansitquietlyandwatchoverthegarden.
Above:ConceptdesigndrawingfortheJapanesegarden.
AlanfromAPWatersskillfullymanouvredtwoenormousegranitestonesoverthewallusinghisremotecontrolhyab.Thestones,donatedbyhomeownerTomGoodingofAbergavenny,werecollectedbyAlanlastyearandhavebeensatoutsidewaitingfortheirnewhometobeready.
Abeautiful5fttallKasugaNaralantern,fundedbytheMonmouthshireBuildingSocietyCharitableFoundation,isunderconstruction.Handcarvedfromsilver-greygranitethenameofthisornatelanterncomesfromtheancientKasugaGrandShrineinNara,Japan.Thelanternsweretraditionallyusedastempleguardians.OnefaceoftheintricatelycarvedlightboxbearsanimageofasacredJapanesenativeSikadeerwhilethetopresemblesalotusblossom,theflowerofparadiseandasymbolofpurity.
THE WALLED GARDEN WINTER 2020/21
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TheCommunitygardeninthesouthwestquadrantisgoingtobehometoanumberofdifferent'show'gardens.Asfeaturedabove,theseincludeaJapaneseGardenandacircularlawn.Therewillalsobeashrubbery,astumperyandbogarea,awildlifegarden,screeandphysicgardens.Wewillsharemoreontheseinfutureissues.Beneathtwoofthethreeornamentalcherrytrees,wewillbeplantingasecond,smallerlawn,thisoneplantedwithchamomile.Thisisnotthesortofchamomileyoumaketeawithbutaspecialvarietythatislowgrowing,lowmaintenanceandnon-flowering.Itishoweverbeautifultolookatandalsofragrant.
The Chamomile Lawn
The Community Garden Circular Lawn
Preparingthelawnarearequiredmanyweeksofweeding,rakingandlevelingthegroundbutfinallythedaycamewhenthegrasscouldbeputin.Thelawnisfastemerging,butasyoucansee,soalsoarethemolehills!Thenexttaskistoplanttheedging.Wehaveselectedthreebeautifulornamentalgrasses;MiscanthusNepalensis,MiscanthusSinensis"Starlight"andMiscanthusSinensis"KleineSilberspinne".Eachborderwillbebetween9and13mlongwithanopeningbetweeneachonetoprovideaccessontothelawn.
Theornamentalgrassesaredeciduousperennialsthatwillgrowuptoabout1mtallandprovidechangingcolourandtexturethroughtheseasons.ThelawnareahasbeenpartfundedbyPonthirCommunityCouncil.Alawnmowerhasalsobeendonatedbyoneofoursupporters!
AcircularlawnboundedbybeautifulornamentalgrassesistobeakeyfeaturefortheCommunityGardeninthesouthwestquadrant.
Above-thelawnarea,beforeandafterplanting
Clockwisefromtopleft-MiscanthusNepalensis,MiscanthusSinensis"Starlight"andMiscanthusSinensis"KleineSilberspinne"
Chamomilenobile"Treneague".
THE WALLED GARDEN WINTER 2020/21
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Seed Swap Scheme Wehavesetupanewseedswapschemetoencouragethesharingofanyspareseedandtorecycleourownsurpluses.Theschemeisoperatedfromwithinthegardensofornowisonlyopentoourmembersandregularvolunteers.Seedsforswappingarelistedinthe'MembersArea'ofourwebsite.Theseedsarestoredinamarkedair-tightcontainerinthegreenhouse.Newdonationsshouldbedepositedinaseparatemarkedbagforcheckinginwhatwecanuseandwhattoallocatetotheseedswap.Anyonewhowantstotakefromtheswapbucketjustneedstojotdownwhattheyhavetaken.Don'thaveanyswapstodonate?That'sfine.Perhapspledgetogrowacoupleofextraplantsforustosellorleaveasmalldonationinstead.FormoreinformationpleasevisittheMembersareaofthewebsite.
Membership News
AsaRegisteredCharity,havingasupportnetworkofAssociateMembersisveryusefulfortheproject.BenefitsfortheCharityinclude:
• providinguswithasmallbutreliableincomefromsubscriptions,whichhelpswiththerunningcostsofthegarden.
• increasingtherangeandsizeofgrantswecanapplyfor.
• FeedbackandinputfrommembershelpstheTrusteesknowiftheyareguidingtheprojectintherightdirection.
TherearealsobenefitsinbecominganAssociateMember:
• Membersaresentquarterlynewsletters.• ThereisaMembersonlysectionofour
websitewhichgivesaccesstomoredetailedinformationontheprogressofthegarden,ournewseedswapscheme(seebelow)andsharedlearningfromtheCharity'sparticipationinthe2021'NoDig'organicgrowingcourse.
• SharebenefitsofWalledGardenaffiliationssuchasSocialFarmsandGardens.
• Invitationstosocialandothereventsatthegarden.
Thebestpartis–membershipissuchgoodvalue!Alloftheaboveforonly£4ayear!
Sodo,please,showusyoursupport.Wenowhaveanelectronicmembershipformonourwebsite:https://llanfrechfawalledgarden.wordpress.comOremailMembershipSecretary:[email protected],chequeorbanktransfer(seemembershipformfordetails).Welookforwardtohearingfromyousoon!
RecruitingmemberstoourRegisteredCharitybringsimportantbenefitstotheWalledGardenandisagreatwayforpeopletoshowtheirsupportandgetinvolved.
THE WALLED GARDEN WINTER 2020/21
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News in Brief
Our Annual Report 2019-20 TheFriendsofLlanfrechfaGrangeWalledGardenAnnualReport,whichincludesourannualfinancialreturnfor2019/20,hasrecentlybeensubmittedtoTheCharityCommissionforEngland&Wales.ItcanbeviewedatTheCharityCommission'swebsiteatthislink:https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/5108442
Grants and Donations
TheJapaneseGardenhasagainbenefitedfromthehelpofAdrianWatersandalsoreceivedtwogenerousdonations.Adrianhoistedtwoenormousgranitestonesoverthewallintothegarden;TheSoroptimistsClubofCwmbranhasfundedoneofthecherrytreestocommemoratethecentenaryofSoroptimistsInternational;andtheMonmouthshireBuildingSocietyCharitableFoundationhasfundedourgranitelantern.Wehavealsoreceived8barerootfruittreesfromKeepWalesTidyaspartofour2021applicationfortheGreenFlagCommunityAward.Theseinclude2Victoriaplumand3typesofappletree.OnceagainwearedelightedtohavebeengrantedfundingfromourtwolocalCommunityCouncils.TheLlanyravonandCroesyceiliogCCgrantwillhelpfundthestumperyplantsandthegrantfromPonthirCCwillbeusedforthePhysicGarden.
Making Leaf Mould ThetreesaroundGrangeHousedropahugevolumeofleavesintheautumn.Whilethesecanbeanuisanceunderfoottheyareperfectformakingleafmould.Looselypackedintotwobespokebinstheleaveswillbebrokendownbytheslowactionoffungi,ratherthanbybacteriathatdecomposeothercompostbiningredients,andwillbereadyformulchingorpottingonnextautumn.
WearesorrytoreportthatthespringraffleorganisedbytheNewportUskmouthRotaryClubwillnotbetakingplacethisyear,duetothedifficultiesaroundcoordinatingthisduringtheCOVIDcrisis.Thiseventnormallyraisesover£150fortheWalledGardensoitwillbemissed.Wehopeitwillbebacknextspring.
Spring Raffle Cancelled
Newcompostingbinsfromsalvagedpallets
And now here come the Daffodils... And now here come the daffodils,
The trumpeters of spring, All tooting joy, which thrills and thrills,
The while again they bring Their happiest note attuned with cheer
To tell that spring is truly here.
I am always glad when daffodils Lift up their golden horn,
To wake a day whose waking fills With mellowness the morn,
And lures the south winds thru the air To bear away my winter's care.
Daffodils (excerpt) by Charles A Heath
Springiscomingandjusttomakesureno-onemissesit,ourvolunteershavebeenbusyplantingupallsortsofspringfloweringbulbsalloverthegardentobringsomemuchneededcolourandjoyinthecomingmonths.Wewillhavemanydifferentvarietiesofdaffodils,crocus,tulips,muscari,fritillaries,anemonesandsnowdrops,whichwehopearegoingtoresultinariotofcolour.Ourthankstoallourvolunteersfortheirhardwork,wewillbesuretosharepicturesinournextissue.
Contact Us FriendsofLlanfrechfaGrangeWalledGarden,LlanfrechfaGrange,Cwmbran,Torfaen,NP448YN
THE WALLED GARDEN
WINTER 2020/21
Registered Charity number 1176172
Email:[email protected]:https://llanfrechfawalledgarden.wordpress.com/
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