Bicester Shopping Village

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all had a good new year and January isn't getting you down too much. I am back down south and back at work. It's bitterly cold outside but the sun has had some warmth in it which makes working outside at this time of year much better.

Last weekend I visited Bicester shopping village with a friend from work and to my surprise there was great outdoor planting which brightens up otherwise grey and blue surroundings.

https://www.bicestervillage.com/en/home/

Bicycle displayed next to potted ferns and conifers.

Bear statue next to planted conifers.

Benches are integrated into the design of the village displays to provide a place for shoppers to sit and rest.

Recycled glass propagator planted with entangled climber.

 
The village's display made use of classic winter bedding plants such as Cyclamen and winter-flowering heather alongside everyday items such as bicycles and benches. I really enjoyed my trip out and I am not ashamed to say I spent for time outside taking pictures than inside the shops.

Thanks for reading 😄

Botanic Light Show

Hi Everyone,

First I must apologise for my lack of updates recently I have been very busy and, of course, would like to say: I hope you all had a great Christmas and I wish you a Happy New Year when it comes.  I had a very fun Christmas week staying with my parents. I saw a pantomime, visited my friends and saw the Botanic Light Show at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

 http://www.rbge.org.uk/

 One of my all time favourite gardens, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is situated in the heart of the Scottish capital.  This garden is saturated with historical importance, paramount conservation work and the obvious passion of very knowledgeable staff.

"To explore, conserve and explain the world of plants for a better future"- RBGE Mission Statement.

A commendable and apt phrase, the mission statement of RBGE is a great example of the goal that RBGE works towards through botany, education and horticulture.  The garden is a place where people from many walks of life can merge and meet. Scientists, horticulturists, members of the public can mingle and share ideas.

Botanic Christmas Light Show

During my week at home I had the pleasure of visiting RBGE at nighttime for the Christmas light show which has been running throughout December. A fantastic way to spend an evening on the lead up to Christmas, the show has something to offer for people of all ages: couples, families and friends.

The light show had fascinating attractions compelling you around every corner with a bubble show and a light projection onto the Palm house being just a couple. My favourite part of the show was the part of the woodland garden known as Conifer walk. The walk was the last part of the trail for those who entered the garden using the east gate. Several of the trees on the walk had been wrapped in lights which change colour in time with the choir music which was playing. The piece was very effective in the darkness and created a magical atmosphere.

The light show is a wonderful way to bring people to a garden which may not normally go at any other time and bring people into the garden in the winter season. I think many more gardens and estates should use this or similar shows as a way to add revenue and wonder to a cold season. My only real criticism of the evening was that although the trail led you through and past food stalls which had a good selection of easy to eat food there was very few options in these for people with gluten intolerances, food allergies and vegetarians. The staff were very helpful and had a checklist for each item containing allergy information but still a very limited option was available. This meant my mother could not eat anything other than marshmallows and pork until later in the evening.

 

I sincerely hope that RBGE have another show next year and for many years to come as this may become a new family tradition. Before wrapping this post up I would just like to say I am very grateful to my mother who came along on this trip with me and has provided me with some great photographs to put up alongside this blog.

Thanks very much for reading.
Have a great new year. 😃

Bletchley Park

Hi Everyone,

https://bletchleypark.org.uk/our-story

Not long ago I said in another blog that I wouldn't go to Milton Keynes again any time soon. Well, somehow I have seemed to go back on my word. A colleague of mine suggested that we visit Bletchley Park together this weekend, I agreed on the condition that we weren't going to go shopping afterwards. Again, somehow we managed to shopping later on in the afternoon. I need to work on saying "No" to people.

Bletchley Park was an intriguing visit. It is possibly one of the most important sites in Britain regarding World War 2 and the impressive work done by the civilians and military working on the site at the time. It it a place with an alluring history which should be protected and not forgotten.

Alan Turing's office.

Bletchley Park showcases the huts from which Alan Turing and his teams worked on the Bombes and the lives of the WRNS operators who worked all day every day to decode messages. 

Lakeside next to the Mansion house.

As part of the exhibitions on at Bletchley, the lives of people working there during the war have been explored. In particular, I was taken by the lake in front of the Mansion house which had a couple of information panels which explained that many people would visit to sit on the lake edge during their breaks so that they could clear their heads and have romantic rendezvous. It was compelling to hear that so many relationships started and endured at Bletchley despite not being able to talk about what they were working on with each other. 

My friend and I were delighted to find out that despite being adults we were allowed to join in on the children's activities in the museum. The friendly and welcoming staff  had put together an arts and crafts day for the visiting children. The idea was to create Bletchley Park inspired Shadowboxes to take home. These boxes were created by filling cardboard boxes with anything you like including leaves, pictures, drawings, stamps and string all held together with a liberal application of glue. 

My shadow box created for Bletchley.

A great morning out overall and I highly recommend a visit. The only negative thing I would mention is that the ticket prices for entry are very steep at £17.00 for an adult and £15 for a student although I understand that the high prices are needed to ensure the survival of this historical site. 

Thanks for reading, 
Curiously Muddy

Plant seminar at the beginning of October.

Hi Everyone,

Almost a month since my last post which was not intentional but unavoidable. With the dodgy Internet and a trip to a plant seminar in Midhurst I have unfortunately been very busy.

At the start of October I attended a plant seminar in Midhurst with  fellow horticultural trainees from around the United Kingdom. The purpose of this seminar was to meet other people at the start of their careers passionate about plants. A part of this course was visits to 3 gardens -RHS Wisley, National Trust's Woolbeding and West Dean Gardens- and attending evening lectures and plant talks.

On the first evening every trainee was given the opportunity to talk about a plant of their choice. It was interesting to hear the different approaches that the trainees had taken to the talk. One trainee chose to talk about the Sequoiadendron giganteum (Giant Sequoia) planted in the Garden she was working in and the history behind that particular plant. Another trainee came at it with a different angle talking about the botanical significance Araucaria araucana (Monkey Puzzle) bringing in roasted seeds for everyone to try. I chose to speak about Rubus biflorus (Two-flowered raspberry), a tall suckering shrub with white stems, and it's uses as a specimen plant within garden design specifically winter gardens.

RHS WISLEY

https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley

I was looking forward to visiting RHS Wisley most at the start of my trip and it did not disappoint. Although I spent the whole day, there was not enough time appreciate the whole site. I was fortunate to be taken around on a tour by a set of students who were being accessed on their tour guiding skills that same day. They hid their nervousness well and were very knowledgeable about the garden as a whole. The students did their best to give us an idea of the type of work they do there and the history behind each part of the garden in the limited time we had.

Bonsai Garden at RHS Wisley

Musa basjoo growing outside at RHS Wisley.

Arid glasshouse at RHS Wisley

Experimental box replacement hedging at RHS Wisley. 

NATIONAL TRUST'S WOOLBEDING

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/woolbeding-gardens

This garden is a great example of modern gardening. I loved having the chance to visit as it was unexpected welcome surprise. Given to the National Trust in 1957, Woolbeding is a fairly young garden being lovingly planned and redesigned in the 1980s and 1990s by Lanning Roper and the Bannermans. The gardens offer a curious range of sites such as the orangery, the follies and the west borders. These features are continuously redesigned to maintain the attraction of visiting Woolbeding and to experiment with different plantings.

Folly at NT Woolbeding

Statue within the water garden at Woolbeding.

Flint sculpture and fountain at Woolbeding.

Border next to the glasshouse at Woolbeding.

WEST DEAN

https://www.westdean.org.uk/gardens

West Dean was taken into the care of Sarah Wain and her husband  in the 1980s and under their close management  and supervision the garden has transformed into beautiful College grounds where horticultural students can visit can gain experience kitchen gardening ad glasshouse gardening. The main feature of West Dean is its large kitchen garden where produce is grown for show or a large scale and small scale home gardening. Adjacent is the apple orchard where trees are grown in various ornamental apple training.

Fruit training at West Dean.

River overflow gardens.

Glasshouses at West Dean with 60s retro theme.

Kitchen Garden at West Dean

It was wonderful to visit all of these gardens and I am looking forward to visiting them again to see how they have developed and changed. My personal favourite of the bunch was Woolbeding because I greatly admired the homely and loved feel they have managed to achieve with their gardening and friendly staff.

Thanks for reading,
Curiously Muddy.

Waterperry Gardens

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday, blessed with sunny weather I decided to visit Waterperry gardens. Located not far from Oxford, Waterperry is a nice example of a plant centre with a show garden as part of the package. Read more about the history of the plant centre on their website linked below.

https://www.waterperrygardens.co.uk/

Well cared for plants and knowledgeable staff are what I was greeted with when I arrived.  After a wee wander around the plant centre I became really tempted to buy a Cerris I found but just managed to stop myself. It will have to wait for another day.

The entrance to the garden leads you out to look upon an amphitheatre which is open for bookings for small plays. I followed the path along the edge of a wall to come out upon a small rock garden. I decided to follow the woodland path along truth trail and river walk. This path takes you through the woods surrounding the garden and alongside a river.

Canal

Coming to the end of the path I saw an intriguing fairly new yew hedge maze. This yew hedge maze could have been a good idea but looked out of place and in need of some attention. I followed the stock beds full of Asters along to be pleasantly surprised to see a small 'Canal'. This canal features a sculpture of a young dancing girl backed by a border of reds and golds. 



Hidden behind a tall yew hedge the reflection garden stole the show with its quiet beauty and lovingly tended beds. A gem of a place to come and sit in solitude thinking about nothing in particular. The grasses and Sedum surrounding the statue of a young girl and bird give the garden an ethereal quality and twisting Wisteria alludes to year round peacefulness.

Reflection garden hidden behing a yew hedge.

Herbaceous border.

The herbaceous border and walled garden was the last stop on my trip through the garden. The herbaceous border was a great way to show off the variety of herbaceous perennials for sale in the plant centre.  Asters feature heavily in the design with purples and yellows being a prominent theme. Taller plants bring flowers to eye level with Clematis and roses climbing the wall giving even greater height. The herbaceous border splits in the middle to leads you through the walled vegetable garden and the garden exit. The walled garden houses a great selection of fruit and vegetables grown for the plant centre.
 It also has a wee surprise in store. To the side of the walled garden is the National Plant Collection of Saxifrage. I don't have much of an interest in alpine plants but these little treasures were displayed very well and clearly. I have to admit I was more enthralled by the great example of a Pinus picea at the centre of the display.  

Saxifrage collection in the walled garden.

Unfortunately I didn't have time to visit all the garden or the museum attached but I will definitely be back in the spring to see the spring bulbs shine.

Thanks for reading,

Curiously Muddy.