News Update
Dear Friends
I hope you will agree that the formal gardens were again wonderfully presented and maintained during 2009 thanks to the continued hard work of Janet and David Harley in the Sunken Garden and Rosaleen Wilkinson in the Herbaceous Borders.
The work within the arboretum is now really paying dividends and thanks must go to Ian Southwell and his valued band of volunteers who have worked extremely hard to clear previously overgrown areas. The arboretum is really beginning to take shape and visitors this year will be pleasantly surprised, especially if viewing during the May open day when the blossoms and bluebells will be at their best.
Matt Hunt, who manages the grounds of Townhill Park House, must again receive a special mention for the tremendous amount of work he undertakes within the grounds. Matt has received very valued support in the grounds this year from Rod Clay and Jonathan Southwell, their support and dedication having been very important to the overall appearance.
Other members have worked hard to raise the profile of the gardens and thanks go to Lynn Black for her work developing our excellent website and to Jacky Searle who tirelessly distributed open day information at numerous external functions and directly to local housing.
Finally, our open days would not be the same without the teas and wonderful cakes made and served by Sue Field and Michelle Morrisey, so my thanks also go to them.
I do hope that all members will renew their membership for 2010 as this will help with the continued development of the wonderful Gertrude Jekyll gardens and other new emerging areas.
Our next arboretum clearance day is scheduled for Sunday 9 May, 10.00pm to 1.00pm, and all volunteers are very welcome! If you are interested in helping on any future days it would help if you could register your interest with Ian Southwell on 023 8044 0390 or via milestoneseven@btinternet.com so that you can be kept informed about the relevant dates
Open Days
Sunday, 14th March from 2.00pm to 4.00pm.
The recent cold weather might limit the daffodils this year, but come along for tea, cake and a chat.
Monday, 3rd May (Bank Holiday) from 2.00pm to 5.00pm.
Enjoy the bluebells and blossoms in the arboretum. The school’s Jazz band will be playing.
Sunday, 11th July from 2.00pm to 5.00pm
This is when the gardens are most colourful. Meridian Winds will again be playing.
Sunday, 12th September 2.00pm to 5.00pm
This is Heritage Day and the house will again be open for guided tours.
Web Site
The Gardens web site has recently been updated with many new photographs. Please look and see the progress being made within the gardens and grounds.
Committee
If anyone would like to get more involved they would be very welcome, please contact any member of the committee.
The current members of the committee are as follows and can be contacted through the school on 023 8047 2133 or by email: office@gregg.southampton.sch.uk.
Vince Davies
Chairman & Secretary (School Bursar)
Peter Wilkinson
Treasurer
Janet & David Harley
Co-ordinators of the Italian Garden
Janet is Minutes Secretary
Rosaleen Wilkinson
Co-ordinator of the Herbaceous Borders and Historian
Matthew Hunt
Estate Manager
Jacky Searle
Publicity
Ian Southwell
Co-ordinator of the Arboretum and North Terrace border
Committee Members
Adrienne Harris
Steve Harris
Rod Clay
Anne Clay
Italian Garden and Pond
(by Janet and David Harley)
We have worked in the Gardens on 25 days and we are happy with the results as are the visitors who come on Open Days. As with any garden the work is never finished and if we came on 50 days we would always find something needing to be done. This year we have enjoyed and appreciated Rod Clay’s help and expertise.
Vandalism and animal damage has decreased over the year due to the extra fencing. We do have a problem with Mare’s Tail but we get it out when we can but the roots are under the brick paths. As this winter has been so cold and wet it will be interesting to see what has survived.
Our plans for the summer of 2010 are to replace the lavenders, many of which are past their sell-by-date and remove some of the plants along the upper beds which have a short flowering period. Planting will include more and different grasses for winter interest and climbers on the pergola. The pond is being established but we accept that it will be a slow job.
Much of this report is a repeat of 2009 but gardening is like that and we are still trying to keep to the Gertrude Jekyll principle of drifts of colour. As usual our thanks to Matt for his support, and work of neat hedge trimming and grass mowing which do improve the whole look of the garden.
Herbaceous Borders Report
(by Rosaleen Wilkinson)
Thanks to another wet summer, the herbaceous borders again looked lovely in 2009. I was particularly pleased with the purple Verbena Bonariensis down at the far ends of the borders, which flowered late on into the autumn. Some areas began to look rather overcrowded as plants such as Phygelius and Crocosmia spread their roots underground and wove into anything in their path, so I noted them down for attention later.
Although it seemed a shame to cut down attractive seed heads and the last few colourful flowers of Summer, I made a fairly early start on the Autumn clearance this year. I had a hip replacement operation planned for January, so I knew I had a deadline to meet. I ruthlessly dug up the offending Phygelius and thinned out the Crocosmia, discarded some elderly lavenders and replaced them with new, transplanted self-set things in the wrong places, and hacked back shrubs in the borders under the terrace and weeded and dug the soil.
On the afternoon when I announced to Matthew that I thought I had finished, his parting words were prophetic, “They say it might snow next week.” Well we all know what a miserable winter we have had since then, so I was lucky to get the work done before it set in. All the borders are ready for spring, but I hardly dare look to see what has been killed off by the frost and snow!
North Border
(by Ian Southwell)
Fairly disappointing through summer and autumn, possibly due to excess wet or dry, or lack of nutrition.
Many plantings of the last few years are gaining in size, such as the Myrtle and Choisya. This year we added 2 Aconitum ‘Monkswood’, 3 Scabious, Arum Lily, 2 Oregano, Feverfew, Potentilla, Liriope ‘Muscari’ and others to fill the gaps, including some summer bedding. Plants such as 3 Lupins, Phlox, and Echinops, 4 Varieties of Nerine (‘Kodora’, ‘Nikita’, ‘Bowdenii’ & ‘Stephani’), 2 varieties of Agapanthus including ‘Blue Triumphator’ and 3 Echinacea Pupurea ‘White Swan’ (Coneflower) were poor or have failed completely. We have also planted more Tulips, ‘Clusiana’, ‘Stresa’ and ‘Red Riding Hood’ for 2010 as they were good. Also for 2010 we have planted several Alliums ‘Purple Sensation’ and Bulgaricum, and Tiarella ‘Wyerryi’.
We have not yet progressed the proposed side fencing or the adjacent border.
Herb Garden Report
Matthew Hunt had finally won the battle with the Mare’s Tail weed in the Herb Garden (well, nearly) so 2009 was the year we could start getting the area planted.
I thought that it might be more interesting if we had a different scheme to that in the herbaceous sections, so I planned blue and white coloured borders. I bought white and blue lavenders, Agapanthus, Ceratostigma, blue grass, white Penstemons, Nepeta, grey foliage plants and white Lychnis Coronaria. We are very restricted in what we can grow because of the deer in the gardens, but I knew all these plants were tried and tested.
Of course, although we had a wet summer, there was a drought when I did most of the planting in May. However, Matt has bought a new hose-pipe and has repaired a tap in the Herb Garden, so I was able to water everything until it got established and the rain set in anyway.
Although one must make allowances for the fact that the plants are still immature and there are big spaces between them, I was rather disappointed with the effect of the colour scheme. I think that due to the deer and badgers, perhaps we are too restricted in the different varieties we can successfully grow to limit the choice even further by colour. There was no problem with the deer when the garden was originally laid out because they had acres of countryside and farmland to roam, whereas now the animals are squeezed into a smaller and smaller area by housing development and have nowhere else to go.
The original Gertrude Jekyll plan shows a mass of different colours, so perhaps I might have to re-think the scheme in 2010 and add in more plants which I know to be reliable.
Orchard
(by Ian Southwell)
Seven new trees have been purchased and planted as a result of a grant. We overlooked doing the bug-bands in the autumn but will ensure they are done in autumn 2010. Rod has again excelled himself in doing a major pruning on those trees not done last year, and by re-pruning those already done. Most trees are now identified, mapped and labelled. On Heritage Day we had a larger amount of good quality fruit, fresh and fallen, which helped to swell the cash donations made on the day. More work is still needed in the corner, with invasive weeds, fallen apple trees and the broken Cedar
Sundial Garden
The restoration of the pergola has now been completed with new oak beams and trellis work. Many thanks go to Paul Hunt for undertaking the work and the Hampshire Gardens Trust and an anonymous donor for the funds to enable this costly project to take place. Although the beautiful Wisteria has needed to be cut back the many ground shoots should enable quick recovery.
Pond
The drainage pipe from the pond is blocked (or broken). This means the fountain cannot now be used on Open Days. It has been suggested that a solar-powered one be used. The brick path around the pond is damaged and when this is replaced or repaired it would be the time to consider a new pipe.
Arboretum
(by Ian Southwell)
Four clearance sessions have been completed in 2009 and the small volunteer taskforce (average size 11) continues to work miracles. Sessions are on Sundays between 10am and 1pm.
Clearance and restoration work was centred on areas around the Basketball Court and removing pruned wood from The Orchard. The back of the Orchard Yew Hedging is now fully exposed. We have increased the Taskforce Dates to 7 for 2010, hoping to provide opportunity for others to join us as we continue the work. We also continue to focus on re-planting where possible, asking for sponsorships, memorials or grants whenever possible. We had one ‘memorial tree’ sponsorship, and one major grant that resulted in the purchase and planting of various bulbs, shrubs, plant labels, new bird nesting and bat boxes. It also paid for the new Gingko Tree. Another grant is due to be submitted by 31 March 2010 with which we would like to purchase 5 Japanese Maples for the ‘skittle alley’, and we also applied to the Elm Tree Trust for a trial planting to be awarded in 2010, so we hope we will be lucky.
The Volunteers list is maintained after each session and is slowly growing, with two new contacts added since Heritage Day. We shall also start to create a ‘Hydrangea Walkway’ (which will double as the school Cross-Country route) near the new cricket field in 2010.
Membership
To renew your membership of the Friends of Townhill Park House Gardens for 2010, please download and complete the membership form. Membership is £5.00 for single membership, or £7.50 for family membership.
Other News
Rosaleen Wilkinson has recently published a book called the Life and Times of a Gertrude Jekyll Garden about the fascinating history of Townhill Park House and its gardens. The book brings to life the world of the grand country estate through the eye-witness accounts of members of Lord Swaythling's family, their servants and gardeners, and the people who have lived and worked at Townhill up to the present day. It is a "must" for Gertrude Jekyll enthusiasts. The book, price £12, is available at Open Days, from the Gregg School, Bitterne History Society shop, or by post - Tel 023 8078 1012
We were most grateful to receive generous donations of £800 from Hampshire Gardens Trust and £100 from West End Parish Council towards the restoration of the dry-stone walling around the Sunk Garden .
Visits by members of The Friends of Townhill Park House Gardens can be arranged by prior appointment. Unfortunately visits during school ours are not possible.
Finally a big thank you goes to Sue Field, The Gregg School Catering Manager, who continues to make and serve her wonderful tea and cake at our open days.
Vince Davies
(Chairman)
