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Welcome to the
Isle of Wight
Garden Plant Group
Gerry Price - The Coastal Gardener
When Shakespeare wrote of “this scepter’d isle, this earth of majesty, this precious
stone set in the silver sea,this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England” it’s
unlikely that he had ever tried coastal gardening on the Isle Wight. But one person who
has, with great success, is Gerry Price. I went to meet Gerry on a chilly, foggy morning
at her Coastal Gardener Nursery in St Helens. She explained that a visit to Derek
Jarman’s garden in Dungeness was inspirational. “When I arrived there it was like a
lightbulb moment of thinking this is what I want to make. An open space where things
grow and change, so I made an installation at Rufford Park in Nottinghamshire for my MA
degree show piece.”
Her arts background, both as a teacher and practitioner, coupled with an early love of
gardening led to her involvement with community and schools projects in the Midlands
during the 1990’s. The project she ran at the Oliver Quibell Infant School in Newark
winning the RHS Best School Garden Award. In the early 2000’s she moved to the Island.
Her new home was very near the coast and she began replanting the front garden but couldn’t find suitable plants on sale here so grew from seed. She began selling plants
from home but needed space to expand and found an ideal site at Fakenham Farm. This
nursery (old pig pens) has become the hub for learning about how to garden on the
coast. There is of course a lot to bear in mind.
Gerry said, “You’ve got the unholy trinity, Sand, Salt, Wind, they all damage plants. If
you are very close to the beach you’re probably contending with all of those. You go
inland a bit and again depending on the geography and how sheltered your garden is
you’re probably not getting sand any more, but you’re probably getting salt and wind
damage.
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The problems with those three things is the damage they will do to plants, so the nearer you are to the sea my advice is to stick with the native coastal plants, they are helpfully called things with ‘Sea’ or Maritima’ in the Latin part of the name such as Sea Holly, Sea Kale (Crambe maritima), Sea Campion, Rock Samphire and Thrift. These would grow naturally in shingle and sand dune conditions. Then coming back a little bit you’ve got a range of plants with tough waxy leaves for example Griselinia, Cordline australis, Eryngium, hairy leaves like Convolvulus cneorum, Echium, Brachyglottis things that keep the salt off, or grasses that won’t snap in the wind such as Stipa tenuissima, Deschampsia or Festuca.”
This year Gerry will be developing the nursery as a hub for learning; there will be a series of “How To” workshops including propagation, coastal and sustainable gardening. The nursury will also be the venue for six themed open days. On a Sunday each month, from April to September local artists and crafts people, gardeners and small businesses will be on hand to answer questions and demonstrate what they do and be part of the Coastal Gardener community.
The Coastal Gardener Nursery is at Fakenham Farm, Eddington Road, St Helens, PO 33 1XS
For further information about courses, open days and events call 07977 550050 or visit www.thecoastalgardener.co.uk
A VISIT TO PETER’S SHED
Readers will be familiar with our regular mention of ‘Peter’s Shed’ a free repair and garden tool maintenance service offered by Peter Tutty. Peter and his wife Anne moved to the Island seven years ago and have since then transformed their house and garden. Before retirement Anne, a keen gardener, worked for many years at John Lewis in Windsor (holders of the Royal Warrant no less!) and Peter had a long career in teaching and maintenance management and has a genuine enthusiasm for all things practical. I’ll be returning to interview them about their garden for our summer newsletter but I particularly wanted ask Peter’s advice on safe practice in the garden.
We began by discussing batteries. Peter, when an apprentice joiner, used unpowered hand tools exclusively. Many tools are now battery operated, and are much better than they used to be. Batteries of course need charging appropriately. For instance a strimmer battery can be charge once and then stored away until its next use. However a lawn mower can be left on constant charge.
Simple precautions can save a lot of trouble and expense. Turning off a water supply and (this is the important bit) emptying any external pipe prevents water freezing and potentially causing damage.
Gardens are not inherently dangerous but I ask Peter what should we be looking out for in the garden? “ Well, when not in use the business end of rakes and hoes should be upright and facing the wall, that way you’re not going to step on them. Always wear appropriate clothing, stout gloves are a must. It depends on what you’re doing of course. A small drill is fine but get into an argument with a chainsaw and that is quite another issue!”
The good news is that nowadays we are all more aware of safety. “Lots of things in my day, as a relative youngster, I wouldn't dream of doing now. For example safety googles weren’t around, ear defenders were a new thing then but these can both be of real use.” His advice on digging is also worth bearing in mind, don’t indulge in what Peter terms “Speed digging. On his allotment he preferred to “Go through each forkful of soil four times to extract all the weeds that I could.” I was pleased to hear this as I only have two speeds, Dead Slow and Stop.
Peter’s Shed itself is, as you would expect, very well organised with an extensive range of equipment. This is a free repair service but donations to the Group are welcome. He can be reached on 612764.
Coppicing
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I first learned about coppicing on a woodland management course many years ago. The idea that you could cut a tree right down to the ground and it would grow back was incredible. We learned about the uses of coppiced timber and we had a go at coppicing hazel. We split some to make a woven hurdle.
Now I have a woodland of my own. I coppice one seventh of the hazel each year so that there are always sections - called ‘coups’, at different stages of growth. This provides me with a continuous supply of wood and creates wonderful habitat for all sorts of plants and animals.
Red squirrels love hazel nuts - cutting the shells neatly in half with their teeth. Woodmice, field voles, jays and dormice also eat hazelnuts, and many species of moth and other insects feed on hazel leaves.
In spring bees collect pollen from the distinctive yellow catkins. The catkins are a collection of the male flowers. There are also tiny, delicate pink female flowers on the branches. Hazels are wind pollinated. If you tap a catkin you can see the pollen drifting on the breeze.
Coppicing allows more light to reach the woodland floor, allowing greater biodiversity. In my woodland bluebells, snakeshead frittilaries, wood anenomes, primroses and wild garlic appear in spring. Later there’s drifts of delicate stitchwort and bugle, campion and herb Robert.
Winter is coppicing season. Traditionally hazel was used for hurdles, bean poles, pea sticks, thatching spars, baskets and charcoal. Sweet chestnut, hornbeam, alder, ash, field maple and oak have also been coppiced, and used for charcoal, firewood and construction etc. Willow grows well on damp soil. Some are cut yearly for baskets, but other willow types are used for making cricket bats, furniture etc
In the Somerset levels archeologists discovered an ancient causeway built from coppiced wood across boggy ground. Called ‘The sweet track’, it was built in 3807, and was thought to be the oldest roadway in the world until an older track was found in Greenwich, which at around 6000 years old, predates Stonehenge by over 500 years.
By the mid 13th century most of our U.K. woodland was managed. In later years many woodlands were cleared for the war effort, and mass production of imported goods made from modern materials meant that many crafts nearly disappeared. Woodlands that had been coppiced for centuries were left unmanaged or were grubbed up for agriculture.
But recently coppicing and green woodworking have become popular. I make plant support tipis, walking sticks, coffee scoops and cooking spoons. I sell them at craft fairs. Meeting customers
makes a change from my solitary woodland work.
The recent popularity of Forest Schools has meant that lots of children have spent time in woodlands and have tried whittling. With forest bathing, woodland glamping sites and green woodworking, there seems to be a growing appreciation of woodlands.
If you grow hazel you can cut the rods to use instead of bamboo canes. Happy coppicing!
James Bradley
You can see more of Jim’s land and what he makes from coppiced wood at
www.facebook.com/jimswoodcraftisleofwight or www.instagram/jimswoodcraft.com
Meet Jonathan & Anne Toase
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Our open garden planned for last year at the home of Jonathan and Anne Toase was scuppered by, of all people, Wight Fibre. It transpired that there would be no access to their garden due to the ubiquitous road works. Luckily I was able to meet them and hear a fascinating story of what brought them to the Island.
At 18 Jonathan spent an an idyllic summer working at an organic smallholding in Totland, This was his introduction to developing an interest in all things natural, particularly producing healthy food. It was also where he met his future wife Anne, a very talented artist.
Jonathan explained “In 1975 we started a health food co-op on the island We used to hire a van and drive up to London, there were three wholesalers of health foods and we would buy from them and return to the Island. “Eventually I got a job with one of the wholesalers, and so we moved to London. Anne laughs and takes up the story: “We were always very poor! But Jonathan went to America on business and discovered one of the first milk substitutes which he brought back and sold throughout the UK and Europe.” This led to consultancy work with wholefood companies which continues to this day.
Their home on the Island contains one of the most beautifully laid out vegetable gardens imaginable. Jonathan describes it modestly as “An extension of the kitchen garden. I’ve been wanting to learn about the whole ecosystem and really developing a much more in depth understanding of what the ecosystem is. It's all connected, not just with nutrition and health but climate change, biodiversity - that's a big part of it”
Anne explains: We're running out of time , we can't dither and deliberate, and have so many committees because it's all coming to a point. The damage to the system needs repairing and quickly, the younger generation are kinder, more aware, they get it, they understand. But we really thought we were going to change the world! Jonathan, “In the 70's there was a whole moment that was happening and some young people like ourselves found themselves a part of it. It wasn't thought through or planned.
There are reasons to be hopeful, it's happening all over. I’ve been reading about family farms in the US, that have been in the same family for multiple generations. They find they are having to spend more and more on chemical input to get anything out of the soil. They can’t make money. So they’ve become open to another approach, because it’s not working. When they’re shown that if you reduce ploughing then and using cover crops and compost tea their yields are good or even better. Then you can get rid of the use of chemicals.
This is the last of a series of articles inspired by receiving a present of a trilogy of books written by the Edwardian gardener E A Bowles.
MY GARDEN IN WINTER
at Dolphin Cottage by Rose Ingham
Winter is often seen as a difficult time in the garden but my back garden usually stays quite green with evergreen shrubs and some evergreen perennials and I really love the fine tracery of the bare branches of the trees. It is a time when shady woodland areas shine.
It is exciting to see the first flowers of snowdrops, cyclamen coum, and winter aconites. Most of my snowdrops are Galanthus nivalis which start to appear in January but I have a small clump of the larger G elwesii which flower in December and I am starting to collect a few special ones. James Backouse is clumping up well and my only yellow one (on the ovaries that is) Primrose Warburg is increasing slowly. Yellow aconites are happy in grass under our wooden horse: they were bought 'in the green' mail order a few years ago and are very cheering sight and win the race as the first winter bulb to flower en mass.
For some reason the aconites did not take under the hazel tree at the top of our 'woodland ' but there I have common snowdrops, cyclamen coum, and the pale blue flowers of Scilla mischtschenkoana first nestled against the ground as they emerge then rising to around 4” followed by bright green leaves and later on Anemone blanda.
Minature irises flower in February. I find these best in shallow terracotta pans which I place on the patio table when buds show. Before that I keep them in a cold greenhouse to bring them forward. My favourites are I. recticulata Harmony & Pixie and I.histrioides Lady Beatrix Stanley and the unusual coloured Katherine Hodgkins. I repot them every year, keeping only the largest bulbs and purchasing new ones.
The evergreen climber Clematis cirrhosa is an especially cheering plant since its scented cream flowers come out so early, usually before Christmas. Also early is the smallish highly scented, glossy small evergreen shrub, Sarcococca confusa and the somewhat larger S ruscifolia. Like most people I have these near the front door so that the perfume can be appreciated. I do not do so well with daphnes, having killed an expensive D Jacqueline Postill and moved a happy D odora only a few days before reading that daphnes will not tolerate being moved! I'm now trying with an Eternal Fragrance in a pot out the front and another tiny Jacqueline Postill bought from Julian Sutton who gave a talk at the Parish Rooms in 2021- so far this is surviving but no sign of flowers.
A mainstay of winter are the various forms of Hellebore. I have some unnamed orientalis hybrids in colours of pink, cream and dark red in woodsy spots which start to show their buds in January. I cut off the old leaves in December. My favourite is the pink H Walberton's Rosemary which is vigorous and holds its flowers up. I also had H Anna's Red which in the past has been magnificent but which unaccountably died two years ago. I am trying again. I have some of the newer HGC hybrids which I think are bred in Germany; they have tough leaves and I hope will prove to be tough plants. These are sold in coloured pots, mine from Honnor & Jeffries down the road. Epimediums give good evergreen ground cover. It is difficult to remember to cut back the leaves in time to reveal their dainty flowers which come in shades the of white, red and yellow. Various evergreen ferns such as Polystichum, Dryopteris and Asplenium provide useful architectural structure.
Flowering shrubs are probably the backbone of my winter garden. I have a small number of witch hazels. The reddish orange ones like Jelena flower first but this is unscented and does not show up well; I prefer the later, scented, yellow Hamamelis pallida. Interestingly in Autumn, in tune with the flower colour, Jelena has good red/orange leaves whilst those of pallida are buttery yellow. The attractive scented evergreen yellow Coronilla glauca, including the paler variety Citrina, starts to flower in winter and continues to May. Spiny leaved evergreen Mahonia Winter Sun and Charity are also good value with their scented yellow flowers from November. Should one get too big you can chop it back under where it flowered and two spikes will grow. Nearby to one I have, as yet, a small Virburnum x bodnantense Dawn which flowers on bare wood. These are a pretty pink and have a beautiful perfume and this makes up for its gawky habit and rather dull leaves in the summer. Evergreen Virburnum tinus has pinky buds and white flowers: some people find their smell objectionable, like wet dog fur or worst but I can't detect it!
I have a few special winter trees. Out the front is the pretty Prunus x subhirtella Autumnalis Rosea which puts out its delicate pale pink flowerrs on bare stems from November to April if the weather is not too cold. I have tried the plain version i.e. not Rosea but found the flowers were a slightly dingy very pale pink. Another tree which I have at both the front and the back is Acacia dealbata which starts to put out its bright yellow fluffy flowers in December or January most years. It is good value because its feathery evergreen leaves look good all year. When I planted these, I didn't realise how large they could grow. It is only seeing towering trees around the Island that I realise they will become a nuisance where I've put them! I also have two architectural evergreen trees, each currently about 5' high, which will look imposing when they grow; a loquat with glossy corrugated leaves which I hope will soon have furry scented flowers in the winter and one day, if I'm lucky, edible fruit and Magnolia delavayi which can reach 33' tall. This has paddle shaped leaves up to 12” long and may one day have white flowers in late summer unless the neighbours ask me to cut it down! The first was a gift as a seedling, the second was a bedraggled specimen from H&J's reduced bin. I also have a little Judas tree, Cercis siliquastrum, which puts out its magenta flowers on bare branches and even the trunk in late winter; this was another kind gift and is currently in a pot.
If you would like to visit my garden in winter please ring me on 754894