Six group members formed a ‘Planting Sub-committee’ to decide what to plant. Planting took place in spring 2011 and the garden opened to the public on Saturday 2nd July 2011.
By December 2010 we were able to begin planting up the garden, starting with daffodil bulbs.
Bulbs
Saturday 4th December 2010 – Bulb Planting
It was a fairly balmy 2°C on our Bulb Planting Day. Members of the Grapes Hill Community Garden Group spent the morning planting daffodil bulbs in the garden, in a couple of deep beds and around the lawn circle.
The soil had been protected by the snow and was only slightly frozen on the surface. We planted mixed mini daffodils and the appropriately named daffodil “Ice Follies”, whose flowers have a yellow centre and white petals.
Thanks to everyone who took part and to Fran for hot soup afterwards. We look forward to seeing the daffodils in flower in the spring.
By early April 2011 the daffodils were in flower. Left – “Ice Follies” and right – mini daffodils (moved to edge of wildflower meadow):
Bindweed
In early December we discovered that the topsoil that had been delivered to us in November from a Norwich City Council store by Mousehold Heath was full of bindweed roots, which we had to remove before planting up the garden.
Tuesday 28th December 2010 – Post-Christmas Garden Work Party
Eight of us spent the morning removing bindweed roots. It was good to get outside after all the snowy weather and heavy Christmas food!
Saturday 15th January 2011 – Bindweed Removal Weekend (Day One)
Seven of us spent the morning digging over the soil to remove bindweed roots, pieces of concrete and litter. Right: End of day.
Sunday 16th January 2011 – Bindweed Removal Weekend (Day Two)
We had a very productive and enjoyable day, and about twenty people took part, including volunteers from Norwich Community Green Gym. We finished digging bindweed roots out from the areas where we want to plant trees and we also cut down all the Buddleia bushes along the northern edge of the garden.
Trees
Sunday 23rd January 2011 – Tree Planting
We planted fruit trees, soft fruit and grape vines in the garden. It was hard work (especially breaking up the subsoil) but very enjoyable and we managed to plant everything! Thanks to everyone who took part.
The trees and bushes came from Reads Nursery at Hales Hall, near Loddon.
The trees were paid for by a Norfolk County Council Landscape Conservation Grant. Thanks to Jason Kidman for arranging this.
Above: Planting our first tree – Apple “Falstaff”.
Above left to right: Planting our fig, autumn raspberries and grapevines.
Above left to right: Planting pears, quince, blackcurrant and medlar.
Garden Work Days
We held a series of Garden Work Days during late winter and spring 2011, to plant up the garden and prepare for its opening to the general public on Saturday 2nd July 2011.
Sunday 13th February 2011
Filling deep beds.
Sunday 27th February 2011
We enjoyed a beautifully sunny day at the garden. It was a very productive day too and by the end we had removed yet more bindweed(!), spread 20 tonnes of soil, planted shrubs, laid slabs, put up wires to train fruit – and eaten some very fine cake.
We planted a Juneberry (Amelanchier lamarckii), a climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris), a Wisteria (Wisteria chinensis), a Winter Jasmine (Jasminium nudiflorum) and a Tummelberry.
Sunday 13th March 2011
We had over twenty volunteers helping today, including a return visit from Norwich Community Green Gym.
It started off sunny and warm and we had rain in the afternoon. We achieved what we’d set out to do. We moved all except a small pile of soil, weeded the lawn area and banked up soil around Patrick’s log structure, put up our banner and planted fruit, shrubs and vegetable seeds. We enjoyed copious amounts of tea, cake and homemade soup as well.
We planted three Japanese wineberries (Rubus phoenicolasius), two blue honeysuckle bushes(Lonicera caerulea), a Witch Hazel (Hamamelis mollis ‘Pallida’), a Fatsia japonica, an Escallonia ‘Apple Blossom’ – and a cherry tree that was donated to us.
Photos by Jeremy Bartlett and Adrian Howes.
Thursday 17th March 2011
Four of us sowed a wildflower mix under the apple trees and a couple of patches of cornfield wild flowers. The seed came from Emorsgate Seeds near Kings Lynn and was paid for by our Norfolk County Council Landscape Conservation Grant.
We also planted a Rosa Mundi (Rosa gallica ‘Versicolor’) bush near the garden gate, which arrived yesterday from Peter Beales Roses. This is an old variety of rose with very distinctive striped pink flowers.
Photos by Vanna Bartlett.
Wednesday 23rd – Thursday 24th March 2011
Over two sunny and warm days, we finished Patrick’s log structure, laid turf and watered it in.
Sunday 27th March 2011
We planted woodland wildflowers and vegetable seeds and removed Cotoneaster from just outside the gates. The wildflower plants came from British Wildflower Plants at North Burlingham.
And at the end of the afternoon we saw 20 Waxwings in trees by Grapes Hill.
Sunday 3rd April 2011
We planted herbaceous perennials, bamboo and some climbers. Today’s plants came from Robin Tacchi Plants at Garboldisham.
The daffodils we planted in December are in full flower and our trees are starting to come into leaf.
Tuesday 12th April 2011
We’ve been doing more work in the garden in the last week or so.
Left to right: Newly planted lavenders, pruned fan-trained cherry tree, chamomile path, radishes and parsnips.
Sunday 17th April 2011
On a beautifully sunny day we planted some lovely perennials from Howard Nurseries, including some day lilies (Hemerocallis), ornamental grasses, hostas, Rudbeckia, heucheras and bronze fennel. We also replanted daffodils from one of the deep beds and weeded out the bindweed growing in it.
Top row: Planting perennials, weeding a deep bed, filling watering cans, Ostrich Fern.
Bottom row: Magnolia ‘Yellow Bird’, newly planted perennials, a primrose (planted on 27th March).
Monday 25th April 2011
We planted around 200 herb plants, supplied by Norfolk Herbs.
We also weeded the wildflower meadow (removing seedlings of Fat Hen, Annual Nettle, Cow Parsley and White Bryony), did work on the deep beds and watered in the new plants.
In the previous week we planted four pyramidal Bay Trees and some Winter Savory, and mowed the lawn for the first time.
Sunday 15th May 2011
We weeded, planted more perennials from Robin Tacchi Plants, watered and mulched with compost from Shrubbs Farm, Edgefield.
Below – Some of the plants in the garden. Left to right: Salvia ‘Mainacht’, Bunny’s Tails grass (Lagurus ovatus) with Foxes and Cubs (Hieracium aurantiaca), Bloody Cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum var. striatum) and (mulched!) Golden Hops.
Friday 1st July 2011
We made final preparations for opening the garden to the public – installing Patrick’s benches, weeding and cutting the lawn.
Benches being installed in the garden – and tried out.
Raking the lawn; completed benches.
Words and photographs by Jeremy Bartlett.