On 09/06/2014 13:34, Martin wrote:
On Mon, 09 Jun 2014 11:41:26 +0100, Martin Brown
wrote:
On 09/06/2014 09:34, Martin wrote:
On Sun, 08 Jun 2014 14:44:36 +0100, Martin Brown
wrote:
On 07/06/2014 21:15, Janet wrote:
Something we enjoy a lot with beef, beetroot etc. So, I acquired a
small root, potted it up and it's growing away nicely.
The question is; is it a rampageous spreader I would regret letting
loose in the garden, or should it be held captive (perhaps in a large
buried pot)?
Janer
It is invasive and vigorous. I would be inclined to grow it in a largish
isolated surrounded by concrete raised bed. The old walled garden ~2
acres not far from me was full of the stuff. It took them about three
years to dig it out to the point where it didn't return.
Is that the Helmsley Walled Garden?
No another about 15 miles from there which has now become a small
specialist nursery - Dark Star Plants doing mostly black plants. They
have some old breed apples, pears, mulberries and other fruit trees that
came with the plot with fruit sold there and a nearby farm shop.
http://darkstarplants.co.uk/index.html
We will visit them when we are in England next month. Thanks!
It is about a mile off the A19 just south of Yarm. Not far away is
Mountgrace Priory (English Heritage/Nation Trust members free) which is
also worth a visit. Nearby Roots farm shop does good food too.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mount-grace-priory/
Beningborough Hall (NT) on the A19 to York and RHS Harlow Carr near
Harrogate are also worth a look in summer.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/beningbrough-hall/
If you are interested in walled gardens I think the newish one at
Scampston is probably more interesting to visit than Helmsley especially
if you pick a weekend when they are hosting a plant fair.
http://www.scampston.co.uk/gardens.html
They have some very choice stuff on sale and will propagate rare plants
from their garden collection to order if you ask nicely. (for a price)
We've been to Scampston, once, and the Helmsley Walled Garden countless times.
They are at opposite ends of the walled garden spectrum.
http://www.helmsleywalledgarden.org.uk/
Helmsley WG belonged to Duncombe Park. The garden was abandoned in the 1920s
when the house was turned into a girls school. It was totally derelict until the
late 1990s, when a woman, now dead, started to restore it. The owners of
Duncombe Park gave it to the trust that manages the walled garden. The work is
done by amateurs with the help of one gardener. The gardener's job was
advertised this year. Salary £8.50/hour for a 40 hour week in summer and a 30
hour week in winter. If the salary is typical, it explains why young people are
not interested in a career in horticulture.
Garden "designers" get *much* bigger fees, but the people who know how
to plant and grow things tend to do rather poorly by comparison. Heck
they can't even get jobs on the likes of Gardeners World these days.
--
Regards,
Martin Brown