PLANTS IN FLOWER: Roses (including the climber 'Compassion'), various Clematis, Water Lily, Oriental Lilies, Chives, Marjoram, Oregano, Day Lilies, Evening Primrose, Nepeta, Japanese Anemone, Perovskia, Cosmos.
At the beginning of the month I visited Fenton House in Hampstead since I had read that it had a lovely and long-standing wholly organic vegetable and fruit garden tucked away behind the stately National Trust property. It was pouring with rain when I arrived at the garden gate, but even if it had been blazing sunshine during my visit, I'm sure I would still have left with a slight feeling of disappointment. Although the garden itself had a well-established and formal structure, with massive clipped yew hedges and a very mature orchard, the overall appearance of the wide borders beneath the walls and the vegetable garden itself appeared a little neglected. There were considerable gaps in the planting and I couldn't help thinking that the beautiful, high stone walls which surrounded the entire garden could have been utilized to better effect. Maybe it was just a little late in the year to enjoy the garden to full effect. Nevertheless, the mix of vegetables and flowers, ripe fruit and herbs all laid out in a rectangular area with a small greenhouse at one end did inspire me to get to work on my own plot of land.
Since I was adamant that I was not prepared to use weed killers of any kind on the small field at Green Valley, I was faced with two alternatives: covering designated areas of turf with black plastic for at least a season or two (taking into account the well established bramble roots) or digging it over laboriously by hand. I opted for the latter, using industrial black plastic from the local farmer's merchants to contain the soil in the raised beds and to stop the weeds from encroaching underneath the railway sleepers later on. I had no idea what the soil would be like when I put the fork into the ground on the first morning, but to my astonishment it was of an excellent consistency. It then occurred to me that a horse had grazed the field for many years previous to my arrival, which had fed the soil indirectly and stopped it from turning into a complete wilderness. There were masses of bramble roots and nettles to extract, but apart from these there was no dock or bindweed or other pernicious weeds to uproot. After a few days of digging from 8am to 7pm each day, pretty much non-stop, I was virtually dead: it was very hard work! Laying weed resistant mesh around the beds was the next task, ready to be covered with bark from my builder. He also promised to reserve me some additional top soil which he had in his yard to top-up the deep beds before the Spring.
Another bonus was a mound of hay, bracken and horse manure that had been cleared out of the old stable a few weeks earlier. This proved to be fantastic compost so I started shoveling it onto the two newly prepared deep beds immediately. At one point, looking closely at the remaining pile, I thought I saw something moving amongst the leaves. Then I saw that there was not one - but five baby hedgehogs living in the heap together with their mother. It was the most touching moment I had experienced for weeks in the garden ... and I clearly could not continue dismantling their home. So now the compost and the other deep beds will have to wait a while longer to be completed ...
Early on in October I also managed to clip back and tidy all the plants and grasses in the south facing Mediterranean gravel bed. Next summer I hope it really starts to show its full potential, as some of the aromatics mature and fill it out. The herb garden outside the kitchen is also beginning to look quite good now I have taken out all the annual rocket and salad leaves. Most herbs grow so quickly that in less than six months this garden already looks quite established, although the miniature box hedge that surrounds it has a long way to go. I also managed to plant over two hundred Iris Reticulata 'Harmony' around the terrace, so I hope next February there will be quite a show!