
Yes, thankfully, the garden is open again!
However, with no income for the garden during the past 3 months, it has been a critical and uncertain time.
After some research, we submitted a claim for government pandemic assistance.
Our hope was, that as both a small business and a tourism venue, we would be eligible to apply for a grant. I am very relieved to say that this was accepted. This was a lifeline. Although it will not solve all the problems caused by lack of visitors and entrance fees it gives us a breathing space. It may make a crucial difference to our finances in this very difficult year.
With a robust COVID-19 strategy in place from the start of the lock-down, we are now confident that we meet all the criteria to reopen safely.
Things are working well and I would encourage you to visit soon to enjoy this quiet time. If your personal situation does not permit you to visit yet, we send you our best wishes. It is not an easy time. Be assured that we will keep things in good order (with regular updates) until we can welcome you into the garden again.
Garden Update
Plants for Duncan’s design on the bank of the top pond (Fitzroy pond) have arrived and been planted. This area is now looking a lot more focussed and attractive. Other bog plants, supplied by Duncan, were planted in the bottom pond and are starting to put on new growth.
The stone path replacing the board-walk on the lower left of the garden is now finished. Having completed it, Nigel, Vaughan and I, are now tidying the area where this path meets the bottom pond. Work here will continue through the summer, making this a much more attractive and accessible area throughout the year.
The bulbs of Scilla, lilio-hyacinthus, growing in a small area on the left of the garden, have been lifted and split again this year with the aim of helping them spread over a larger area. This is something we have done most years but was in doubt without our full volunteer team. In this case, my partner put in the extra hours. We could not have kept the garden in good heart and ready to open quickly without calling in the help of family and Friends. We do urgently need more volunteers to help fill the gaps left by the loyal volunteers who are still ‘shielding’
New aster-like flower introduced to a few areas of the garden. Eurybia divaricata is a delicate late summer flowering daisy that spreads slowly with an attractive leaf. Its small flowers will provide a feature at a time when little else is flowering and it should be a good ground cover as long as the rabbits leave it alone! It is a bit of an experiment, but it could prove a very useful addition to the under-planting and, if successful, we can propagate it ourselves from cuttings.
Good progress continues in recently replanted areas
The recently renovated and replanted areas of the garden are proving to be very successful and attractive. In the early years, a mulch layer for weed suppression and moisture retention is key to success. We are now looking for ways to finance another bulk order of Strulch to top the existing and new areas. This will cost in the region of £330 per pallet, with a first load needed as soon as funds can be found.
Nursery
The commercial grafts finally arrived from Yorkshire, after some delays and uncertainty created by the pandemic. Normally, we receive the grafts from Richard about a month earlier, when they are only just starting to leaf out.
This year, because of staff and travel issues at his end, our grafts were delayed. As a consequence, they had already put on a lot of sappy growth and needed potting up ‘immediately’. Another call for ‘emergency help’. Local Friends Barry, Janet, David, Ruth and Rachel, came at very short notice for ‘shifts’
at the outdoor potting table. I am relieved to report that the grafts are now all in pots in the poly-tunnel. This was a tremendous joint effort and it was only afterwards that I realised just how stressed I had felt about the grafts this year. Our grafter, Richard, is extremely experienced, but growing conditions are unpredictable. This year turned out to be a poor year for grafting. Although he failed to graft the full number ordered, we do now have sufficient stocks to see us through next season, with roughly 1000 grafted trees in the poly-tunnel.
The candelabra primulas we are growing from seed (some for sale and some for planting in the garden) have now been moved to the poly-tunnel we are renting at South Zeal. This generous arrangement, costing the charity only £5 per week, is a cost-efficient way of obtaining much needed, extra poly-tunnel space, at least in the short term.
Earlier in the Spring we planted out hundreds of the pink flowered candelabra Primula pulverulenta at various locations. These grew very quickly and put on a fine display, though now mostly going over. During the early days of the lock-down I started selling surplus primulas from outside my house in Chagford. These went like hot cakes and we made about £280, with a few bulk sales to locals with large boggy areas.
The prolonged dry late spring has unfortunately caused some stress to the young nursery trees. As I write this the rain is falling at last. I hope it will enable the trees to pick up again, but it will have slowed their growth.
The extension to our top nursery is now well underway, with the posts on site, ready for me to erect the fence. The plan is to eradicate the weeds before spreading last year’s toilet compost and rotovating it into the soil. This new area will then be ready for planting out the young trees from the poly-tunnel.
Volunteers
Unfortunately, owing to the pandemic, through no fault of their own, we have lost the help of some of our most regular garden volunteers. This is a huge loss to the garden at our busiest time. We miss them all and send them our very best wishes. We hope they will be able to come back soon.
Help needed please
We are in serious need of new volunteers to help us get through the summer. Our best route to volunteers has always been through our Friends and their contacts. If you know anyone who can offer a few hours on a regular – or even once in a while – basis please ask them to get in touch asap.
Looking ahead to the new arboretum
Planning and design of the new arboretum area continues. This is now back on the agenda for action after taking a step back during the last few months of the pandemic when I (and Trustees) have had to focus our resources on safeguarding the garden and its immediate needs.
With the garden reopening, we are trying to look to the longer term once again. Duncan, Keith and I are keen to start the detailed plans, knowing that it will take some time for a project of this size to get from paper to fruition.
We are all excited about the prospect of bringing this to life.