Taking Flight

Evidence in the form of bat droppings suggests the lofts over the house at Uppark are once again accessed by bats. The droppings lead us to believe these are the Long-eared bat, probably the Brown Long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus) and are more common than the Grey Long-eared bat.  Moths are the primary food source for the Long-eared bat. The bats can hover to take insects from plants and will then hang up to eat each insect and discard the wings, so if a heap of moth wings is found it’s a good sign you may have found a feeding roost.

Sue Harris has been monitoring the bats hibernating in the walls of the underground tunnels for the last few years together with Martyn Phillis who regularly visits Uppark to give his very popular ‘bat talks‘.

The bats are monitored three times each winter, once in December, once in January and then February. The numbers vary but they have found up to 6 different species of bats hibernating. These have included Daubentons ( Myotis daubentonii ) Natterers ( Myotis  nattereri) and whiskered/brandts/alcathoe. This last group are very similar so in a hibernation situation it’s difficult to make an accurate identification. These are classified as medium sized bats.

Bats need a cool and humid environment to hibernate in and the tunnels at Uppark can provide this, although at times some sections of the wall get a bit too wet.

Above and below Uppark’s Tunnels: Access for the bats is available through the tunnel lights which provide light and ventilation.

Although bats hibernate they do wake regularly, this may be due to fluctuations in temperature, the bats will move to a more suitable place, to drink or to have a snack if the weather is warm enough for insects to be about. They can also mate during the winter. All the bats in this country feed on insects and each species have specific dietary requirements so they choose different types such as midges to moths to beetles. If you’re interested in more information about bats than have a look at the Bat Conservation Trust website.

Thanks to Sue Harris for her help with this post; providing us with a fascinating insight into the secret world of bats at Uppark.

Taking Flight

It’s also time for me to take flight at Uppark. I’ve been offered a seasonal position at Nymans -  it’s a fabulous garden if you get a chance to visit and it’s with very mixed feelings that I leave Uppark. I’ve really enjoyed my time here and learned an incredible amount, especially about garden machinery. I’ve had the pleasure to work alongside a very dedicated team of staff and volunteers and I thank them all for the way they’ve made me feel welcome and part of the team right from the beginning. I would especially like to thank Andy Lewis for giving me the opportunity to work for the National Trust. Hopefully I will be back to visit Uppark soon and see how the garden is progressing. In the meantime I can keep up to date by reading this blog!

Overground, underground, Spring into Uppark

Everything about our return visit to Uppark yesterday was unexpected.  Of course we were immediately struck by its unique beauty when we visited a couple of months ago – how could we not be?  But returning was like a second date during which it suddenly hits you that this is the start of a love affair.  Spring has been stumbling on unconvincingly for some time, but yesterday gained a new intensity and that was reflected in a difference in light and colour at Uppark.  The greens were greener, the lawns were softer, the texture of the borders was totally changed.  Where our first time at Uppark was dazzling, now we were able to relax and breathe it in.

One of the great things about a return visit is that, having got the lay of the land last time, we were under no pressure to cover every inch again and instead could take it at our own pace.  Or, more accurately speaking, at our two year old’s pace which seems to be the only way to sanity at the moment.  So with this in mind, and playing to the amazing spring day, our visit was completely spent in the gardens.  Well, that is if you don’t count the tunnels, because it would be tantamount to child cruelty not to make use of the remarkable underground network that HG Wells inhabited as a boy, and which apparently inspired his Time Machine.  There is something very magical about secret rooms, and this part of Uppark alone would be a draw, with its bat roosts, echoey chambers and beautiful ventilation shafts peeping out at ground level, like giant walkie-talkies.  Its cool shadows are a total contrast to the warm business of the gardens, and a reminder of the industry at work ‘below stairs’ servicing the great house in times gone by.

But first there was important hill-rolling to be done.  As luck would have it Katie (2) had discovered hill-rolling the previous day, which she was keen to showcase, and the first feature of the landscape as you pass through Uppark’s golden-tipped gates is a hill.  We used the trail to gently guide us around the garden, but the largest chunk of our time was devoted to the huge meadow in front of the house which looks out over the South Downs.  Just breath-taking, and from this angle the house looks like an extraordinary doll’s house dropped into the countryside.  In a brilliant piece of positioning, the meadow is equipped with an outdoor toy box, which kept the children entertained for hours.  We discovered that Harry looks a bit of a natural behind a cricket bat (so my husband tells me).  And it was the perfect location for Charlotte to work on her cartwheels and handstands.  But the thing about meandering around Uppark is that you feel compelled to stop and sit in so many places, and each of them has such a beautiful new perspective that it’s difficult to keep moving!

By late afternoon, and interspersed with essential refuelling at the café – taken outside – we headed over to watch the final Punch and Judy show. This was something of a gamble since Katie is not known for her focus or stillness, and I was unsure how well a puppet show would compare with Peppa Pig.  But fairly astoundingly she was mesmerised, and was rewarded with an impressively convincing balloon pig from the kind puppeteers’ assistant. Harry, stayed loyal to Star Wars and went for a light-sabre sword, while Charlotte – girl power & that, but still a little unpredictably – chose a machine gun!  Serious ballooning.  Harry (5) later had a concerned chat to me about Punch being rather rough, especially with the baby (he loves babies), which made me wonder how much puppets have a real physical presence to children?  The girls took it totally at slapstick value, and were in hysterics.  I noticed Harry watched it very seriously, but quickly went into a social laugh when one of his sisters glanced at him, a separateness that I recognise in myself.  But I digress …  It was fascinating to watch the audience as much as anything, and an impressive feat these days to hold a mixed age group totally rapt for half an hour.  The setting, in a nook in the scented garden was also inspired and made it feel like a room tucked away from the rest of Uppark.

Although we hadn’t planned it, this weekend was the launch of the National Trust’s ’50 things to do before you’re 11¾ ‘ campaign, and  living close enough to Mottisfont to drop in for a couple of hours, we’d kick-started this the previous day.  So Charlotte (7, The Organiser) had already had a chance to study the booklet and set her mind on the particular missions to be completed in Uppark.  This was to be grass trumpeting and bug hunting – she had packed a rucksack and everything!  By the end of the day – and using a bit of retrospective licence – I was reliably informed that we were now 18 items down.  Some of these adventures are rather more ambitious/age-reliant than others – for example, making a daisy chain versus learning to ride a horse, so I suspect there will be some variation in how dutifully these scrapbooks are completed.  But for now they are a total hit, and list ticking being indeed what lights the older two’s fires .

Despite arriving not long after 11 we were dragging our feet by 5 o’clock reluctant to be leaving.  Katie quite literally.  Somehow time seems to work differently in Uppark, although the chiming of the clock tower is a gentle reminder of the outside world.  An absolutely perfect day to end the bank holiday weekend, and as we floated back home, not a single child bickered in the car.  Now that you can’t buy.  Thank-you to everyone at Uppark for creating such a special place.

Disclaimer: No payment was received for this post.

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Shadow of the Copper Beech

The wonderful sight of the Copper Beech shadow with Uppark House and East Pavilion (Restaurant) in the background)

Fritillaria meleagris  - Snake’s Head Fritillary in the South Meadow

The drip line of the Copper Beech – we’re extending the path around the ‘Crown’ of the tree. By cutting an additional mowing strip further away from the tree, we’re reducing the compaction on the rootplate. During the winter, the Meadow is grazed by between 40-80 Sheep, they seek shelter under the tree and over the years the roots have become exposed. We have plenty of other trees in the Meadow that can provide shelter but we’d like to preserve this stunning tree by fencing it off. We also cause compaction – just by walking around it; we’re just doing the right thing for the tree.

Yellow Rattle growing in our Meadow, Copper Beech in the background

The South Meadow April 2013

Leaves unfurling 

 

Bright Blue Sky

Yellow Crown Imperial (Fritillaria imperalis ‘Lutea‘) in one of the Island beds

Daisies (Bellis perrenis)

Sapphire Anemones (Anemone blanda) in the tea garden

Violets (Viola) naturalising in the tea garden grass

Siberian Squill (Scilla sibirica) in one of the Island beds

Siberian Squill

Miniature Daffodils at Golden Gate garden entrance

Hellebore (Helleborus orientalis) cultivars above and below on one of the Island beds

Emerging leaves on Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) along the main drive to the House

Hazel screen made by garden team from Hazel coppiced from the woodland  in the scented garden – East Pavilion clock tower (shop and restaurant) in the background

Buzzard sitting in a tree at the entrance to the car park

Lime Green Zing

April 17 2010

Why is this significant? Because it was a cold late Spring as it has been this year – and it was also a week before I was due to start my new job as Head Gardener at Uppark House and Garden.

I remember marvelling at the Snake’s Head Fritillaries in flower in the South Meadow and I remember my walk to work through the woodland each day, my own journey of discovery, feeling the magic of this arboreal setting as it emerged from its winter slumber. The leaves gradually forced their way out of their cocooned cigar-shaped buds.

If you feel so inclined to visit us and we sincerely hope you do, take a moment to look at the zillions of casually discarded Beech buds, lining the drive and marvel at the many trees bursting into life at this precious time of year. Notice too, how slight breeze; a zephyr, gently disturbs this new organic carpet along the drive, a passing car is enough to do this and the husks are swept up and scattered elsewhere.

I love Beech trees; I love the lime green zing that pervades through the woodland at this time of year. I love the delicate leaves unfurling, the birds swishing around through the trees in search of nesting materials or just swishing and swooshing in a playful mood. Whilst you’re looking at the trees, listen to the birds and the birdsong, find your playful mood.

Find your zest for life at Uppark this Spring and visit us soon, make us your special place.

Rural Crafts and Activities

This year for Father’s Day, we’re going rural.

Last week I challenged one of my garden volunteers, Bronek, who’s an experimental cook and a good one at that, to research traditional Sussex recipes. I was thinking of Cornish pasties that were filled with a savoury filling in one end, a sweet at the other and were the original ‘packed’ lunch. I thought perhaps, there was a Sussex equivalent: I thought right. Bronek found a Sussex Blanket Pudding, a very traditional, economical country recipe that can be used as a sweet or savoury dish. In some areas the pudding was actually made sweet at one end and savoury at the other with a pastry divider in the middle.

If you work on the land, you can quickly develop a healthy appetite and on some days it’s amazing what you consume in order to fuel the system. I’ve often eaten my lunch during morning break and then had to pop out at lunchtime!

So over to Bronek:

So I’ve just finished making the last of my dough into puddings and I’ve put them all into boil, I modified the recipe this time and instead of one big blanket pudding I made 12 smaller ones, so cooking time in theory will be less, as the suet pastry is about 3-4 times as thin(and it’s only this part that needs cooking as far as I can tell).

Anyway all very exciting stuff, and I thought I’d send an update while they boil.

A delicious looking roast Lamb filling

Quince and apple filling

Prepped pastry cases

Add sweet filling

Wrap it up

Add to floured cloth

Tie up cloth

In the boil for about an hour

Apparently Bron is dropping by today for a taste session….I will let you know! Images and enthusiasm courtesy of Bronek.

Rural Crafts and Activities Father’s Day June 16 11am-5pm – will we see you then?

Reduce + Re-use + Recycle = Natural Play

Following recent tree work we’ve reduced, re-used and recycled tree stumps and trunks to create some natural play along our Woodland Walk.

Time Piece

On Sunday 31st March the clocks will go forward 1 hour to set the start of British Summer Time(BST) .
BST is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)+1 or Universal Time Coordinated (UTC)+1.
GMT and UTC are also known as Zulu time in the military and aviation world.
Spring began at the start of the Winter equinox on 20th March this year and the Summer solstice (the longest day) will be on 22nd June. So where is Spring and Summer ? it’s all very confusing.

The truth is that the clocks change back and forwards and time marches relentlessly on but nature does it own thing and will give us Spring and Summer when it’s good and ready.

At Uppark, this is the time of year when we take our clock out of its winter sleep and start it ticking again.
To conserve the integrity of the mechanism, we give it a rest by stopping it at the end of October and restart it at the start of BST.

The clock is one of a pair of turret clocks made by John Seddon (1743-1752). Major repairs to  the clock were carried out in  1825, 1846 and 1900. The Minute hand was added in 1825 by Thwaites and Reed of Clerkenwell. The bell in the cupola is inscribed SR. MATTHEW FEATHERSTON 1754.
The clock mechanism requires a regular weekly wind up which is done by members of the garden team.

The House and Garden teams have spent a lot of time over the winter preparing for this season with new things to see and do.

There’s a range of events scheduled between now and December. Why not take advantage of the long daylight hours and come to our “Cameras at dawn” event on 13th May when the sunrise is at 05:12 am?
Alternatively there is “An evening in the garden” event on 17th July when the sunset is 21:09 pm.

So with time ticking on and Summer just around the corner don’t delay in getting you diary out and plan some visits to Uppark.

A Life of Surprises

Gardening is full of surprises; sometimes you have an idea of what to expect based on previous knowledge and experience, other times nature surprises and delights in equal measure.

Last week, the beautiful late afternoon light drew my attention to this stunning Helleborus orientalis (the Lenten rose).

© Jo Crawford 2013

I carefully lifted the head of the Hellebore flower to admire the beauty within… wow! The dark cerise speckles on the inside of the petals looked like a tiny paintbursh had delicately flicked the beautiful veined white background – already tinged with a lime green watercolour ‘wash’. The inner petals, an avocado green ruffled collar, setting off the bright cream stamens to perfection.

As new flowers emerge in the garden, my sense of curiosity takes over and I feel compelled to rush over to see what has unfurled in recent days.

Light levels are changing, butterflies are beginning to bask in the sun, and bees will soon be frantically collecting pollen. I feel drawn to look closely at the detail of the plants that mesmerise such insects.

I would love to try botanical illustration; I’d like to study the intricacy of plants. I want to capture their natural beauty.

Above: This Hellebore cultivar is so subtle yet stunning, captured on camera by Simon Bowler last year in the early morning sunlight at Uppark.

Hellebores are great to propagate. If you have a friend with Hellebores in their garden, you could ask them to ‘pot up’ some seedlings for you in spring. Or, as Hellebore cultivars are great at self-seeding, you could collect the seed as the flowers fade in the summer, and sow yourself.

Mainly woodland plants, Hellebores prefer good drainage and some degree of shade and shelter. Incorporate leaf mould or mushroom compost before planting any Hellebore and mulch every autumn thereafter.

Remove any damaged or dead leaves throughout the year, and once seed has been collected, do a general tidy of leaves and removal of old leaves and flowers in autumn. New ones will grow back as spring unfolds.

© Jo Crawford 2013

Above: Naturalised in the UK, Helleborus foetidus, whose common name of Stinking Hellebore is not flattering or particularly appropriate. Dramatic yet subtle, the yellowish-green flowers look like they have been dipped ever-so-gently in dark red paint.

A Mother’s Love

We’re a caring profession,  we nurture our plants and do what we can to make sure they thrive. As gardeners we’re taught and we learn to read the signs and symptoms of growing plants and respond if we feel we need to step in.

For our trees, we survey them. We have some spectacular trees in the South Meadow. The wonderful Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea’) looks amazing whatever the weather, whatever the season, shaped by the prevailing winds it reveals a simple imposing beauty of its own. It reminds me of an only child making its way in the world and adapting to the conditions around it.  In recent years the Beech has been joined by a younger sibling, planted within the last ten years presumably with the intention of carrying  on the family tradition. Trees suffer from compaction on their root plate due to vehicular or pedestrian traffic. We don’t mow directly under the Copper Beech to discourage compaction.  We’re also considering extending the circular path around the tree to give this majestic tree room to grow and thrive.

There’s also a lovely group of three Oak (Quercus robur) trees, growing in close proximity together but revealing individual characteristics and strengths, rather like siblings within a family.  We surveyed these trees recently and we’re now just sitting back and letting them do their thing, there’s a small amount of deadwood in the crown but not enough to worry about and we’re happy they can look after themselves, we’ll be back again next year to check on them.

It’s Mothering Sunday on March 10, look after her and remember what she has done for you. My Mother died 30 years ago this year so it’s always a difficult time for our family but I still remember a Mother’s love.

If you’d like to visit Uppark House and Garden on Mother’s Day we’d love to see you and your family. We’re offering a mini tour of the house and a high tea for £15 between 2-4pm. Booking is essential call 01730 825 415 or e-mail uppark@nationaltrust.org.uk