The Last Post

2015 has been a very busy year for the Uppark Garden team.

We have been preparing and dealing with 7 day-a-week opening, building a new glasshouse, creating a flower cutting garden, providing flower arrangements for the house, thinning out the woodland trees, hedgelaying in the car park, running garden and woodland events and much more at the same time as maintaining and enhancing the Uppark Garden.

In the forth coming year we’re going to be busier than ever with plans to create a recreation area in the west copse in the south meadow, reintroduce historic garden pathways, re-sculpt the Coade Urn mound, reshape some of the island beds, plant up regenerated borders and continue our progress with renewing sections of the wide glade borders.

2015 has been another good year for the Uppark blog. We have created marginally less (33) posts in 2015 than previous years and had 13,824 viewings. For a more detailed look at our post stats check out the WordPress end of year report.

uparkgarden/2015/annual-report/

We started the Uppark Blog back in 2011 and have had a great time producing 405 posts which has generated 75,486 blog views by 23,035 visitors, from 88 countries around the world. It has far outreached our expectations.

However, the Uppark Blog no longer fits with the National Trust business model and our ongoing commitments make it more difficult for us to find the time to create new and interesting posts. So it is with much regret that we have decided to stop posting and close the blog from the start of this new year.

All good things come to an end, as they say, but I hope you will agree that it was good while it lasted.

The Uppark blog has only been successful due to the authors efforts in creating the posts and to you the readers and followers for taking such an interest in what we have created.

So many thanks to all of our guest bloggers, followers and viewers. We hope that you have enjoyed our blog content and will continue to follow the events and changes at Uppark via Facebook and our National Trust – Uppark website.

Why not make one of your New Year resolutions to visit Uppark House and Garden in 2016.

From all here at Uppark we wish you a happy and prosperous New year and hope to see you at Uppark soon.

 

Editor’s note:  

A great final blog from Alan and the rest of the blogging team. Thank you all for making the Uppark garden blog so special. If you’d like to follow me I’m on Twitter and Instagram here @andylewishg – own views naturally. 

Jacarandas, Javelins and Jelly-legs*

As the clocks changed in late October, I swapped Autumn sunsets for Spring sunshine and headed for Australia…

Jacaranda mimosifolia – known locally as purple panic as its flowering season coincides with exam time for schools/colleges.

Ficus macrophylla subspecies macrophylla  (Moreton Bay Fig) above and below outside the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

Deutzia in flower, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

Charred Banksia seed heads in the Blue Mountains. We believe this was a routine roadside burn, done in accordance with state or territory law requirements as a bush-fire management technique.

Grevillea (Spider flower) in Uluru (Ayres Rock)

Asphodelus albus in flower in the Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens in Mount Tomah – we have these in cultivation at Uppark.

The Blue Puya, related to the pineapple, in flower in the Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens in Mount Tomah.

 Aborigine dancer in Uluru

Amazing views and wildlife at Mount Tomah 

  
*Jelly-legs = I don’t like flying!

Trees – What to spot at Uppark, a beginner’s guide.

What’s the first thing you see as you approach Uppark and how does this colour your over-riding first of impression of the place? What strikes you? What can’t you ignore?

Trees, lots of lovely trees.

Edward Thomas, a South Downs man if ever there was, liked trees

“for their still shade and their rippling or calm shimmering…for the quicksilver drip of dawn…for all their sounds and motions …”

(The South Country).

I like trees too. I suspect we all do.

Trees overhang the north and south approach drives to Uppark and the presence of many beautiful trees within the garden itself is essential to its ambience. Myriad shades of green combine to create the cathedralesque canopy which dapples the approach drives with sunlight in the spring and summer, autumn ushers in a dazzle of mottled russet, golden yellow and a fading echo of lost summer verdancy whilst winter’s stark tracery of leaf bereft branches complicates against a low sun.

Under Andy’s direction we have, quite naturally, focused my occasional “Learn With David” pieces on the colours, names and origins of a range of seasonal stand out plants and flowers (and let’s be honest, we had to start somewhere given what I have to learn!). Given the importance of trees to the character of Uppark, however, and as we enter a new season it now makes absolute sense to feature some of our notable specimens and whilst it’s natural for those of us who thrive on the sunlight and warmth of summer to quail at the thought of autumn, increasingly dark evenings and inevitable leaf-fall, I must admit I’d forgotten how beautiful autumn can be until it actually arrived and I started to think clearly about its treasures again.

Our November newsletter* contains further detail on all that follows.

Known to the non-specialist as the tulip tree for its tulip shaped summer flowers, Uppark has two Liriodendron tulipifera (above and below) the most eye-catching of which is the one next to the Golden Gate garden entrance. Also known variously as canary whitewood and saddle tree, I gather that Liriodendron is the Greek for “lily tree” and also that it’s a member of the Magnolia family. We’re just about to come into a spectacular time for our tulip trees as the changing season brings on a fabulous display of autumn colour.

Also handily placed next to the Golden Gate, Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’ (below) might be better known to you as Irish yew, blue john or florence court yew. Baccata is Latin for “bearing red berries” and the contrast of these against dark green foliage is striking.

Over in the tea garden, close to the plant sales area, you’ll find Aralia elata (below) the Japanese angelica (or spikenard) tree. Like Liriodendron tulipifera, the Japanese angelica tree is another provider of outstanding autumn colour once its white late summer flowers have finished. In its native Japan, spring shoots are picked and fried in tempura butter (in Korea, they apparently pan-fry the shoots with minced beef and batter!).

Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine – below) This is a tall, statuesque evergreen conifer; it’s a conspicuous component of our skyline and is identifiable by its mature irregular outline.

Focusing on the main garden, lawn and island beds to the north of the house, there are a number of lovely trees to point out. Don’t miss Tilia tomentosa ‘Petiolaris’, the silver-leaved lime (below). It seems to me that opinion is divided as to whether or not the highly scented flowers of Tilia tomentosa ‘Petiolaris’ are, indeed, either poisonous or narcotic to bees but there’s no doubting the elegance of this statuesque tree.

Next door stands the Acer saccharinum (below) planted at Uppark by the Queen Mother in 1964. Given the presence of saccharinum in its name, it’s not surprising that this picturesque Acer is also commonly known as sugar maple (and silver or soft maple). The leaves are now helping to colour the red and yellow element of Uppark’s beautiful autumn palette.

You’ll also find Morus nigra (below) in one of the island beds across from the silver lime and sugar maple. Commonly known as black mulberry, this is an ancient species thought to have originated in the mountainous areas of Mesopotamia and Persia; it’s flourished in Britain since Roman times and was common in royal gardens from the Tudor period. Last year, one of our summer trails for the children came with the instruction to hop around the island bed in which this tree is located; great exercise (especially if coming straight after a roll down the Coade Urn mound!) and great, glee-filled entertainment too.

Finally in this section, a tree I was asked about during the garden tour a couple of weeks ago (with thanks to Judy for riding to the rescue). I can see why Fraxinus excelsior ‘Jaspidea’ (below) caught my inquisitors eye since golden ash is an entirely apt alternative common name for this tree particularly if you’re lucky enough to witness it when captured within the warm embrace and glow of autumnal afternoon sunshine.

Found widely within the Uppark estate, Fagus sylvatica, the common beech (below) is one of my favourite trees especially at this time of year when its leaves turn a rich brown.

Even more striking, if I’ve found the correct name, is the Fagus sylvatica Atropurpurea group as this includes Fagus sylvatica Purpurea, the truly irresistible copper or purple beech (below).

Two of Uppark’s finest examples of this amazing tree can be found (purposefully aligned to my eyes) at the northern edge of the main garden by the flint wall (above in winter) and again in glorious isolation down in the south meadow (below).

Andy has lowered the height of the shrubs which previously obscured the view between these two majestic trees and I can only think that the hand of man rather than that of nature created their connecting line.

Back to my starting point at the Golden Gate, the avenue of trees lining the north drive are Acer platanoides or Norway maples (below)

These too have now put on the autumn shades of yellow, orange and brown that reflect the colours of the wider estate woodland. Uppark’s Norway Maples were only planted in the 1990s and if you take a look at the video the house team have made detailing the incredible restorative work of that time, you’ll see how small they look and how quickly they’ve grown. Back towards the path from the car park outside the flint garden wall on the right, is one of our Davidia involucrata (below). Davidia involucrata is native to South Central and Southern China and is named for Father Armand David, a French missionary and keen naturalist who lived in China. He first described the tree in 1869 and subsequently sent back specimens to Paris. Also known as the dove tree (its “bract” flutter dove-like in the breeze) and spookily, the ghost tree, you can find another specimen in one of the island beds.

Andy mentioned in a recent tweet that we aim to make our garden tours both “informative and entertaining”. These have been another highlight of my second summer at Uppark; they’ve been great fun to lead and I think we’ve managed to fulfill Andy’s criteria most of the time. The same is true of my occasional skirmishes with plant, and now tree, nomenclature within the Uppark garden blog…..it’ll be interesting to see, again, how much sticks.

Editor’s note: Thank you to Bob France, David Bridges, Jenny Swatton and David Edyvean – Uppark garden tour leaders this year; fabulous work thank you!

* available at the golden gate kiosk in November (or ask at the ticket office)

Dahlia Haze

  
Dahlia ‘Purple Haze’

We’ve got some great late season colour in the garden at the moment. D. ‘Purple Haze’ is a bushy, clump-forming, tuberous perennial with toothed, pinnate, dark green leaves and upright, red-flushed stems bearing double, reddish-purple to magenta flowers in summer and autumn.

  
Dahlia ‘Arabian Night’

D. ‘Arabian Night’ is a branching, tuberous tender perennial cultivar with deep-red flowers, almost black looking, with slightly incurved petals. The fully double flowers are as large as 10cm. wide. 

  
Dahlia ‘Snowflake’ 

D. ‘Snowflake’ is a pompon-flowered dahlia with an erect habit, deeply-divided, blue-green leaves and in summer abundant small white ball-shaped flowers.

October days…

  Above Uppark House and the South meadow at sunrise (photo credit: Kirsty Brown)

Above Beautiful displays from the cut flower team greeted visitors during the first weekend of October.

 Above South meadow at sunrise with a view of the South Downs beyond (photo credit: Kirsty Brown)

Above Dahlia ‘Arabian Night’

Above Lovely combinations of Dahlia ‘Arabian Night’, D. ‘Purple Gem’ Anemone hupehensis japonica, Verbena bonariensis and deep red foliage of Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’

Above Guelder rose (Viburnum opulus) berries providing wonderful colour on the edge of the South meadow near the dairy bank. 

Above Abelia x grandiflora gives great interest late into the season at the entrance to the scented garden. 

Scrub Management

Above: A contractor demonstrates a radio-controlled rough grass mower on the South Downs.

Last week I attended a two day National Trust workshop expertly led by South Downs Countryside Head Ranger Charlie Cain.

Above and below: South Downs Countryside Head Ranger Charlie Cain discusses scrub management with the group.
We visited a number of sites within the South Downs portfolio to consider and share various approaches to shrub and scrub management.

So what is scrub management?

It’s a variety of techniques to promote and preserve diverse wildlife habitats within the landscape. We discussed where scrub is viewed from the perspective as being of value to numerous wildlife habitats where it is to be encouraged or maintained, through to being reduced or eradicated as it invades on more important vegetation.The ‘more important vegetation’ in question here was the conservation of chalk grassland. I couldn’t help but admire predominance of Devil’s-bit Scabious in one of the downland areas we were looking at.

How does this relate to the work we’re doing at Uppark House and Garden? 

We’ve been gradually thinning the woodland over the past five years. We’ve also been carrying out viewpoint restoration to open up views from within the woodland. The resultant regrowth requires follow up work, failure to do this leads to what could be described as secondary woodland. Secondary woodland is the term given to woodlands that have regrown on abandoned or neglected ground that had previously been used for agriculture, grazing or development of towns, villages, industry and roads. Some sections of the woodland are steep and machinery access can be an issue, as is operating machinery on slopes. This is where the remote control mowers come into their own. So plenty of options to consider!

We’ve got some decisions to make to decide what our woodland management objectives are. We know our primary objective; it’s the maintenance of safe access to and from the site all year round in line with our strategy of being open 7 days a week.

The deeply wooded North and South access drives need to be maintained, the priorities here are to:

1. remove deadwood overhanging the drives.
2. remove/make safe any structurally unsound trees
3. thin out the woodland to promote robust trees lining the access routes more able to withstand the impact of high winds. This work will also provide more light to the woodland floor which will encourage greater bio-diversity of flora and fauna.

I’d also like to see greater access throughout the woodland in the coming years so more people have the opportunity to enjoy this landscape.

Space to Grow; the Glasshouse Project

Alan, Rae and Carleton begin the glazing process

When I first started volunteering at Uppark I was surprised and a little disappointed to find that Uppark garden didn’t have a glasshouse.
Having long been a gardener I feel no fine garden is complete without a glasshouse and was puzzled as to why there were no glasshouses at Uppark. Glasshouses became very popular during Victorian times and all notable gardens were well provisioned with glasshouses, hothouses, alpine houses, orangeries, and cold frames for propagating plants, protecting exotic plants, growing tropical fruits and flowers. In my view, the finest example of all these type of glasshouses can be seen at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew.
I soon found out that historically Uppark had a glasshouse range within the walled garden. Although part of the original Uppark estate, the walled garden is privately owned and not open to visitors.

Since 2010, the Uppark garden team have very fortunate to be able to use the show glasshouses at Alitex in at Torberry Farm, just outside of South Harting.
Alitex design and manufacture bespoke Victorian greenhouses, conservatories, roof lights and atriums in aluminium and also produce a range of glasshouses specifically for the National Trust.
The Alitex glasshouses have been invaluable for the Uppark garden team, enabling the gardeners to sow and propagate new plants for the garden at Uppark and particularly for the cut flower garden.

Some TLC required!

There has however always been a strong desire to have our own glasshouse at Uppark and about September last year we discovered nearby National Trust place Petworth House and Park had a glasshouse which was no longer of use to them. We jumped at the chance to have this glasshouse and arranged a visit to Petworth with Shaun from Alitex (for technical advice) to take a look at the glasshouse. Senior gardener Martin told us the glasshouse was about 25 years old and had little use for it now so we were welcome to take it down and reuse it at Uppark; so the Glasshouse Project started.

Glasshouse at Petworth

The Petworth glasshouse was in need of some TLC; broken glass, crumbling brickwork, overgrown ivy, buddleia and clematis had left it looking a bit sad and required a good deal of clearing up before it was ready to be dismantled.

Rae starts the clean up

The glasshouse is made of an aluminium frame bolted together with the glass held in by wire clips and is about 3.4m  x 7.3m in size. It was going to be tricky job to dismantle it due to the fragile glass, rusty clips and corroded bolts.
For those with a liking for facts and figures you may be interested to know that glasshouse consists of 139 pieces of aluminium, 198 sheets of glass, 284 nuts and bolts and 183m of glazing rubber, 240 z clips and 480 w clips. 
There was lot of work to do but the Uppark garden team particularly relish a recycling challenge, somehow a greater satisfaction comes from recycling or regenerating something from what would otherwise be scrapped.

Left, former gardener Jenny on the mini digger during the clearing phase in autumn 2014 and right Iain from Alitex helps with the glazing phase in August 2015.

The location of the Uppark glasshouse was soon established and work commenced on clearing and levelling a site next to the biomass heating building in the garden compound. This involved the removal of a number of Portugual laurels and tons of flint, chalk and soil. It was hard graft and machines had to be brought in to complete the clearance work.

The clearance work starts with the mini digger

A base was laid by local builders, glasshouse parts such a glazing rubber, bolts and clips were purchased and eventually the site was ready for installation.

At this point Alitex assisted us once again and offered to dismantle the glasshouse at Petworth and also to transport the aluminium and glass to the Uppark site.

Once on site the aluminium framework was jet washed to remove moss, algae and the remnants of ivy and clematis. The glass was carefully washed by hand to remove grime and staining accumulated during its years of exposure to the elements and was then stacked ready for installation.

Rae and Ric start the frame assembly

Assembly of the frame was carried out by Uppark volunteer gardeners and after some straightening and repair work was soon ready for the glass which was installed with the assistance of Iain from Alitex.
A few final touches and fitting of the doors and it was looking like a glasshouse once again.

Work now begins on fitting out the interior with timber staging, lighting and warm air heating which will be sourced from excess heat in the nearby biomass heating installation.

So, should we call it a greenhouse ? a glasshouse ? or a hot house?

It’s been about a year in the making and there’s still a few things to do before we can start to use the glasshouse for sowing and propagating but I think we can say it’s a job well done.

Glasshouse completed

Editor’s note:

Since 2005 Alitex have contributed a fixed percentage of their National Trust greenhouse revenue to the National Trust each year last year this exceeded £75,000.

September : a month of Eastern promise in the garden at Uppark.

There was a sense of South American exuberance about the Garden in August. We travel East for September in order to bring you a month full of exotic promise.

Vita Sackville West once wrote:

I cannot bear to see another summer go, and I recoil from what the first hint of autumn means.

…but although this may be a sobering thought, don’t give up on summer yet and don’t be fooled by some of the leaves which are already beginning to drip from the trees. September, one of our most beautiful months, is truly jewel laden and Uppark will have a plethora of its’ own late summer gems on display.

In the spirit of previous “learn with David” pieces, I’ve dug up what I hope will be some interesting snippets to augment our September newsletter so off we go….

Hydrangea aspera ‘Villosa group’

A native of China and Tibet, Hydrangea aspera is the first of our September Eastern promise plants. This late summer flowering deciduous shrub can be found in the island beds close to the entrance to the tea garden. The proximity of Cotinus coggyria ‘Grace’ deep red leaves serves as a foil to the rich pink and purple flowers of Hydrangea aspera. Incidentally, ‘aspera’ comes from the Latin for ‘rough textured’ and this nomenclature refers to the downy lower surface of Hydrangea aspera’s leaves.

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Kyushu’

Another Eastern import, Kyushu is Japan’s third largest island, home to the nations most active volcano (Mount Aso) and many hot springs (quick geography lesson for you there!). ‘paniculata’ refers to the fact that Kyushu is ‘panicled’ insofar as it’s made up of a multi-branched ‘inflorescence’, or cluster, of flowers arranged on a stem. Plant names – it’s amazing how the search for one word leads to another, then another, then another. Suffice to say, creamy white is the predominant colour of the late summer flowers of Hydrangea paniculata ‘Kyushu‘. 

Clerodendrum trichotomum.

A native of China and Japan, Clerodendrum trichotomum has some brilliant common names, amongst which my favourites are ‘harlequin glorybower’, ‘glorytree’ and ‘peanut butter tree’ (apparently its crushed leaves can produce a peanut like odour). We get two bites of the cherry with Clerodendrum trichotomum since its’ white, star shaped flowers are followed by bright blue berries in October. This is where trichotomum comes from; the blue pigment of these strikingly coloured berries contains trichotomine.

Anemone hupehensis var. japonica.

Also well known commonly as Chinese or Japanese anemone and probably less obviously as ‘thimbleweed’ or ‘windflower’ (what lovely descriptions!), Anemone hupehensis japonica was first named in the 1784 ‘Flora Japonica’ by Carl Thunberg. The influence of the Dutch and British East India Companies on the introduction of plants into Europe from the East is apparent everywhere and the story of Anemone hupehensis japonica illustrates this brilliantly. Thunberg was a doctor in the Dutch East India Company but was actually a Swede who, having learned the language was able to pass himself off as Dutch. This was critical to his access to all things Japanese as at that time, Japan was only open to Protestant Dutch Missionaries. A certain Robert Fortune was responsible for introducing Anemone hupehensis japonica to the UK from China in 1844. This is interesting enough in its’ own right but Fortune’s probable greater claim to fame was his responsibility for the transportation of tea plants from China to India in 1848 on behalf of the British East India Company. Think of the repercussions of that! (although the original plants were found to be very difficult to keep healthy). Fortune’s escapades in the East required dissembling similar to that of Thunberg insofar as since the purchase of tea plants by westerners was forbidden by the Chinese government of the day, it was necessary to disguise oneself as a Chinese merchant in order to get one’s hands on such valuable plants. Ingenious C18th and C19th determination of the highest calibre and this pair of stories provide a very colourful background to this equally colourful plant.

Aster novae-angliae ‘September Ruby’

Also known variously as ‘Fall Aster’, ‘New England Aster’, ‘Michaelmas Daisy’ and ‘Septemberrubin’ we move from the mystic East towards Eastern North America for our next highlight. Asters have traditionally been used to provide vibrant splashes of late summer colour (even I know that!) and the deep ruby-red blooms of Aster novae-angliae ‘September Ruby’, which are also great for cutting, are no exception.

Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘Heavenly Blue’

Found in front of the Orangery Café and in the dairy bank border, we return to East Asia to highlight Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘Heavenly Blue’. This blue flowered hybrid has now largely replaced the original Caryopteris species in many gardens and I was delighted to discover that Caryopteris x clandonensis is an accidental creation from the garden of Arthur Simmonds at Clandon (hence clandonensis). It’s lovely to have found such a happy link between the two National Trust places. Other cultivars include the very evocatively named ‘Blue Mist’, ‘Longwood Blue’, ‘Dark Knight’ and ‘Summer Sorbet’….the poetry of plant nomenclature never ceases to inspire me.

Perovskia atriplicifolia ‘Blue Spire’

This is a plant I do not forget as I once tried, and failed, to enunciate ‘atriplicifolia’ at the end of a reasonably sized garden tour once we’d arrived at the scented garden. I think I gained the sympathy of the group for trying (‘nice but dim’ probably worked) but I now tend to stick to just Perovskia or Blue Spire. A native of South West and Central Asia and also known as Russian Sage, Perovskia atriplicifolia is, apparently, neither Russian nor in the same genus as sage (although its’ fragrance is similar). The name ‘Perovskia’ is in memory of V.A Perovski, a Russian General who introduced the plant to Western gardeners in the mid C19th whilst leading Imperial Russian troops on campaign in Afghanistan (since Perovski had earlier been captured by French troops during the retreat to Moscow from the Napoleonic 1812 Battle of Borodino and remained in captivity until the fall of Paris in 1814, he evidently had a lively formative career!). The crushed flowers of ‘Blue Spire’ provide a blue colourant useful for culinary purposes and in the textile and cosmetics industries. Find Perovskia atriplicifolia in the scented garden and dairy bank borders – once autumn has slid into winter, its’ silvery stems will provide some very welcome colour.

Ceratostigma willmottianum

Native to Western China and Tibet, Ceratostigma is also commonly known as Leadwort or Plumbago. The epithet ‘willmottianum” was given by Ernest Wilson, another traveller to China and the Middle East, in honour of his initially wealthy, but later debt laden and increasingly eccentric sponsor, Ellen Willmott who is said to have cultivated over 100,000 different species of plant. In addition, the colourful Willmott appears to have been a gardener of uncompromising standards, sacking gardeners for leaving weeds in situ and justifying her policy of employing only male gardeners by stating that

women would be a disaster in the border….’.

Ellen Willmott’s words not mine, I say nothing and keep the peace!

Ligustrum lucidum

Much better known as Chinese privet, not surprisingly this small evergreen tree (or large shrub depending on your point of view) is another native of Southern China. Also known as ‘broad leaf privet’ and ‘wax-leaf privet’, an alternative common name, ‘glossy privet’, elucidates the Latin lucidum that relates to ‘bright’ and/or ‘shiny’ in reference to its glossy leaves. Another plant that keeps on giving (its white summer flowers are followed by black or deep purple berries) Ligustrum lucidum has a slightly alarming number of uses in traditional Chinese medicine including the nourishment of the liver and kidney together with treatments for tinnitus, vertigo, premature greying and weakness of the lower back and knees. That’s quite a list and you learnt it here with David!

Although I hesitate to say it I am, indeed, coming to the end of my second summer in the garden at Uppark. It’s been inspirational, I know more than I did last year, I have a better understanding of how the property operates as whole and I have loved sharing my enthusiasm for the garden within the pages of this blog and, especially, face to face with our visitors – hope to see you soon!

Uppark garden and countryside

Summer skips by; it’s August already and there’s an autumn feel in the air. In the surrounding fields the harvest is well underway.

This is the view at the end of the South drive. A mature beech tree growing too close to a power line was recently removed. Beech trees don’t respond particularly well to severe pruning. That’s what was required here to ensure there was adequate clearance between the tree and power line. Compliance cutting is carried out by the utility company in this area every four years, in my time here, the frequency of power failures has dropped significantly; it can’t be a coincidence. The regrowth on the beech tree would have been regularly pruned as part of this compliance cutting regime. I considered this to be an unsatisfactory way of managing this tree so the decision to remove the tree and open up the view was taken.

Above: The newly created view from the end of the South drive. Take a moment to admire as you leave Uppark.

The head gardener position I hold here is frequently described by colleagues as “more of a ranger role” in truth I’m not sure what to make of this. I have such admiration for my ranger colleagues within the National Trust, but would never describe myself as a ranger. The depth of knowledge required for such a role is extensive and I think I’m only scratching the surface; I’m a gardener first, with a keen interest in trees and the natural environment. The woodland at Uppark holds a fascination for me and I feel the woodland margins, especially the areas that border the visitor car park are really benefiting from the approach we’re taking. Hedges are being layed by the garden team and the dark, oppressive, arboreal landscape is gradually being thinned, creating new habitats for both wildlife and wildflowers.

Below: Completion of a successful day of compliance cutting on 7 July 2015.

Garden

 

Above: The Wednesday garden and countryside team.

We’re making great progress in the garden, the newly opened cutting garden has been drawing much comment and admiration.

Below: Gypsophilla ‘Covent Garden’ flourishing in the cutting garden.

Credit here goes to Jenny and the highly creative cut flower team she’s assembled. At the weekend, I decided to work near the cut flower garden to see how much interest there was in this new area. There was a steady flow of visitors keen to see this lovely collection of flowering plants.

Above: An impromptu bunch of flowers from the cutting garden.

Last weekend, the South meadow was transformed into a “flying arena”, local bird of prey experts Hawking About put on a fabulous flying demonstration, it was great to see so many people utterly enthralled by this mesmerising avian display and skilful handling. My favourite quote from the weekend came from head falconer Kevin as the peregrine falcon banked around Uppark House at terrific speed:

Mind the windows!

I’m so pleased the house manager Sarah wasn’t in that day! If you missed the opportunity to see the falconry displays, Hawking About are at Hinton Ampner on Sunday (16/8) as part of their Tudor sports day.

Above: Image courtesy of Clare Seaman Photography

The last word has to go to the countryside. We’ve been making posts for a new dead hedge in the West copse in the South meadow (above). We’d like to turn this area into a natural play area and the new installation is shaping up well. If you do visit this area – please don’t move the hosepipe! We’re using this to mark the lines of the dead hedge.

August – An exuberant month in the garden at Uppark.

Above: Hydrangea aspera Villosa group

Byron once commented, with typical (but unfair) panache:

The English winter – ending in July,

To recommence in August.

Byron’s audience expected a certain insouciance, I suppose, but really…..our English summers aren’t that bad and, anyway, it’s simply too easy to chalk up cheap shots at your homelands’ expense whilst dandying around under endless Mediterranean blue skies and sunshine.

To further dispel too cynical an interpretation of the English summer, my sense is that the gardens at Uppark are absolutely thriving; the chalky, hilltop location places a premium on the natural bounty of summer rainfall and this, combined with generally warm days and plentiful daylight, has conspired to keep things in good shape without the need to use the scarce water resource unnecessarily.

Additionally, we’ve been having such a happy time working together in the garden. Andy has assembled a Thursday team which combines some fairly serious garden knowledge and the capacity for solid work with a delightful bonhomie, a large slice of marvellous cake and biscuit baking skill, impeccable gardening couture, a shared sense of humour and a mutual capacity for (generally good humoured) grumpiness. We like to talk to our visitors, they tell us how much they’re enjoying the gardens and amazing views, we take encouragement from this, we enthuse some more about what we’re trying to achieve and in so doing radiate back the energy and passion our visitors bring into the garden.

In this sense, the relationship between Uppark and its visitors is a win/win partnership; it’s mutual, self-generating and self-perpetuating.

Hot colours, exotic flavours.

It strikes me that although the plants that put on such a fabulous spring and summer display went over some time ago, August ushers in an even more vibrant stage show despite our reluctant sense that the best of summer may already be in the past. Our August Newsletter contains the really important nuts and bolts detail with regard to the following but here’s a parallel “Learn with David, I really need to try and remember some of this” interpretation.

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) 

I was aware of the medicinal and culinary uses of fennel (not my favourite taste I’m afraid to say) but until it was pointed out to me, I wouldn’t have guessed that Foeniculum vulgare was a member of the carrot family. Thinking about it now, I can see a wispy resemblance although I don’t associate fennel with yellow flowers (I do now). Having ploughed my way through Herodotus “Histories” a couple of years ago, I was genuinely (honestly!) intrigued to discover that fennels’ Greek name is “Marathon”. This is, indeed, the Marathon we all associate with the great Greek/Persian battle and the Olympic race of the same name. Literally “a plain with fennels” this is a plant indigenous to the Mediterranean (so Byron would have come across it in its natural habitat also).

You can find excellent examples of fennel in our restoration border (to the left of the Coade Urn mound as you enter the garden through the Golden Gate) and in the border in front of the scented garden (on your right as you approach the house down the North drive)

Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis) 

Found in the South meadow and commonly known as field scabious, I was amazed at the number of local and household pseudonyms under which Knautia arvensis is also known; I thought gypsy rose, lady’s cushion and clodweed were amongst the most evocative but there are lots more. Did you know that Knautia arvensis was named after the C17th German botanist Christian Knaut or that scabious comes from the Latin Scabere (literally “scratch”) and that, as a result, certain species have traditionally been used to treat skin afflictions including (unsuccessfully for far too many) Bubonic Plague? (Well….there you go).

 

Dahlia ‘Arabian Night’

Above: Dahlia ‘Arabian Night’ planted in the tea garden a couple of years ago, it can now be found just outside the cut flower garden.

Now here’s a plant to bring some South American exuberance to Uppark in August. A native of Mexico, Dahlia ‘Arabian Night’ is a member of the Asteraceae family and as such related species include sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum and zinnia. Until I checked, I hadn’t realised that Dahlia ‘Arabian Night’ uses its deep colour (dark burgundy appearing almost black in a certain light) to make up for its lack of scent. Dahlia ‘Arabian Night’ can be found next to the cut flower garden.

Purple Top (Verbena bonariensis) 

Another native of South America, Verbena bonariensis is one of the most striking plants at Uppark and one of my favourites. Introduced into our Reptonesque restoration border in 2013, Verbena bonariensis nearly always get remarked upon by individual visitors and garden tour groups and it’s easy to see why; its height and vibrant colour make Verbena a real feature plant and since it can be seen from both within and without the garden, it has natural magnetism. Purple Verbena and yellow Achillea are both residents of the restoration border and I think it’s currently a toss up with regard to which attracts the most admiring comments. Verbena readily self-seeds so you can now also find specimens in the tea garden amongst the Acanthus and Nepeta (the butterflies and bees are having a lovely time).

Mexican fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus) 

August is certainly South American month at Uppark, hot colours abound, so don’t miss our mexican fleabane which currently flower in tubs outside the ticket office. Also known under various alternative common names including Spanish daisy, Santa Barbara daisy, Karwinsky’s fleabane (after Wilhelm Friedrich Karwinski von Karin who collected the plant in Mexico) and bony-tip fleabane (don’t ask me why!), Erigeron karvinskianus is another member of the Asteraceae family.

Helenium ‘Wyndley‘ and Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’

Above: Helenium ‘Wyndley’ Below: H. ‘Moerheim Beauty’

Found on opposite sides of the same mulberry tree island bed, here are two more plants bursting with August colour – yellow in the case of Wyndley, copper-red for Moerheim. I was rather pleased to discover that the epithet Helenium derives from Helen of Troy, the daughter of Zeus and Leda within Greek Mythology. Helen was reputably the most beautiful woman of her time, so beautiful in fact that her abduction kicked off the Trojan Wars! Rather more prosaically, did you know that some Helenium are also known as sneezeweed, due to the fact that their dried leaves were used in the manufacture of snuff? I had no idea…..

Potentilla thurberi ‘Monarch’s Velvet’ 

Also known as Strawberry cinquefoil since the foliage looks so like that of a strawberry plant, Monarch’s Velvet flowers from July until September. Given our exposed and dry location, Potentilla thurberi is an ideal plant for Uppark since it can thrive in sunny, drought resistant borders.

Hydrangea arborescens ‘Grandiflora’ 

Finally, I tell you, these are looking absolutely fantastic this month and the size of these Grandiflora heads have to be seen to be believed. Beautiful specimens can be seen in the island beds and the display that’s currently being put on in the tea garden is wonderful. Last year we didn’t do any deadheading or cutting back for some time after the plants had gone over since their dried brown heads continue to provide real architectural interest. We get amazing value from this beautiful plant.

We’re receiving fabulous feedback from our visitors; they’re clearly enjoying the way the garden is evolving, the vision Andy is implementing and the direction in which we’re going. Although I’ve known the gardens at Uppark for many years, this is only my second summer working as part of the volunteer team; the difference that everyone’s work has made even in this very short period of time is incredible and it’s so satisfying to see our effort paying dividends.

We were joking over lunch the other day how monochrome my life must have been prior to joining the Uppark garden team. My riposte to this was that now, naturally, I must be living in multi-coloured high definition (ha, ha). Sometimes the most off the cuff, throwaway comments contain the simplest, most profound truths and I am grateful for that.