HILLTOP GARDENING CLUB HAPPENINGS IN MARCH - 2024
Kevin Ward, Museum Development Manager at The Museum in the Park, Stroud, was guest speaker at our first evening meeting of 2024, in Eastcombe Village Hall. His fascinating talk was called ‘Unlocking the Secret Garden at the Museum in the Park’. It described the transformation of a wild and unruly plot into the stunning walled garden on view today.
The Stratford Park Estate’s walled garden dates back to the nineteenth century. The Museum opened in the mansion in 2001, by which time the walled garden had been derelict for 20 years. Its restoration began in 2012. Work was made possible by the dedicated support of Stroud District Council, Museum Friends, the local community, and funding bodies.
There were many problems. For example, Japanese knotweed had to be removed and the Victorian glasshouse was carefully demolished, as it was riddled with asbestos. Despite the challenges, the pavilion building and new garden entrance were completed in 2015 and planting commenced in 2016. The artist, Cleo Mussi, designed the borders, using plants from her own and her mother’s gardens and local apple and pear tree varieties.
The walled garden was formally opened in 2016. Today it is supported and maintained by dedicated volunteers and enjoyed by a variety of community groups. For example, Stroud Buzzy Club has installed hives in the garden, and a local hedgehog hospital has put in hedgehog houses.
The annual snowdrop celebrations, first held in 2020, are popular: over 1,000 people visited 2024’s event.
February 2024 - Meeting Notes
Gail Plant - Winter Scent
On a bleak February afternoon, following our Annual General Meeting, Hilltop Gardening Club members were treated to a heady, multi-sensory, handling session that brighten the day.
Gail Plant arrived from Much Marcle, laden with freshly-cut foliage, blossoms, posies, herbs and early flowering bulbs which filled the scout-hut with ‘Winter Scent’, the title of her talk. Instead of a power-point we experienced close-up looking, touching and sniffing as plants were passed around.
Encouraged to interact there was much chatter as scents and textures unlocked memories and emotions and the tiny, exquisite winter flowers heralded the coming of spring.
Handling christmas box, heather, daphne, snowdrop, mahonia, primrose, violet, myrtle, winter sweet, witch-hazel, winter honeysuckle, camomile and others, the multi-disciplinary talk, moved from pungent rosemary’s beneficial effect on memory, to practical advice on planting, pruning and purchasing for winter scents as well as an academic introduction to the science of smell, the complexity of botany and pollination and botanical history.
The abilities to detect fragrance levels were, we learned, deeply personal often dependent on temperature, light-levels, recent pollination and even on gender. The focus on winter plants involved understanding plant adaptions, resilience and flower structure needed to survive winter weather.
Adept at weaving together an accessible narrative of practical gardening knowledge and academic interest Gail shared an expert’s familiarity with training plants for specific sites, striking cuttings and caring for trickier plants, as well as details of rare cultivars beyond the familiar to extend our seasonal gardens. The restorative properties of winter gardening was clear through a close encounter with winter scents, making for a memorable afternoon.
‘Mistletoe, Fact, Myth and Legend.’
On 6th December, Hilltop Gardening Club held the last of this year’s meetings in Eastcombe Scout Hut (our daytime winter quarters). There was a good turn-out for the Christmas event of our year.
A stalwart party arrived early to decorate the hall. Tablecloths and candles and winter floral decorations bedecked the tables and mulled wine and mince pies served.
Members, old and new and visitors were treated to a fascinating lecture. Botanist, Dr Michael Jones talked on Mistletoe-Fact, Myth & Legend entrusting his audience to sort out which was which. Michael’s enthusiasm for his semi-parasitic subject was backed by a lifetime’s personal, wide-ranging research, international university teaching and plenty of astonishing, tenacious fieldwork, much of it in the Gambia.
The talk’s botanical introduction was both fascinating and accessible laying the ground for a better understanding of such a familiar plant with its social history in ritual, medicine and folklore. Michael gave an interesting account of the famous mistletoe auction at Tenby Wells
.
The global spread of the plant, originally endemic to Australia, to its most northerly host, England, where the July temperature is over the 16 degrees necessary for germination, was a revelation.
The well-illustrated talk was peppered with humour and insight. In fact, according to comments later by the Committee- It was one of the best talks we had ever had!
An excellent way to end the year.
The Chalford Biodiversity Trail
On the 1 November Jim Bocock, a highly respected resident of Chalford and former Chalford Hill Primary School Headteacher, came to speak to us about Chalford Biodiversity Trail. He kindly stepped in as Grace O’Donavan was working away from home on a rewilding project, identifying habitats.
So with gusto, Jim illustrated the talk by his animation and descriptions, providing plans of the trail to members, without a Powerpoint presentation of slides, which was a healthy alternative!
The OUTCOME of grants and member action was a seriously long and incredible trail of 10km that takes you up and down steep hills with various habitats including those with very rare species. It is a necklace of existing sites for wildlife with flora, along with new spaces identified and enhanced by changes in mowing regimes, and changes in light density in woodland to open up the canopy for flowers, and takes in a length of the canal. Bee orchids, Broomrape, Rock Rose and other limestone species and many grasses now grace the land. Time to get out your wild flower/mosses and lichens/grasses identification books! There is so much to relish away from noisy roads even in winter. There are accessible paths and you can join the Trail at different points.
In 2019 ChalCan, short for Chalford Climate Action Network in collaboration with Chalford Parish Council ,had declared they would be carbon neutral by 2030. This enterprising group is aiming to halt climate change by local action. If you would like to know more, please contact info@chalcan.org.uk chalcan.org.uk. There are different groups you may wish to join- Transport, Food and Waste, and Energy. Biodiversity is a sub-group who have been very busy adopting sites for habitat enhancement and creation throughout the parish. Cotswold National Landscapes- which you may know as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Beauty, and Chalford Parish Council gave grants towards it.
or if you wish to join BisCan for the parish of Bisley-with Lypiatt, please contact them at bisleyeastcombeoakridgecan@gmail.com who also have been upgrading footpaths through stunning terrain.
