winter 2020/21 the walled garden

New Ventures in 2021 Welcometothefirstissueofournewsletterfor2021.Wellithascertainlybeenthemostchallengingwinterwehaveexperiencedsofar.Theweatherhasbeenverywetattimesandmorerecentlycoldandsnowy.Thepandemichasmeantwehavehadtobeverycarefulabouthowmanypeoplewecouldallowintoworkinthegardenatanyonetimeandofcoursetheneedforsocialdistancinghasmadeitmoredifficulttogetsometasksdone.Despiteallofthis,ahugeamounthasbeenachieved,bothintermsofupkeepandmaintenancebutalsoindeliveringthelandscapedesign.

Inthisissuewedescribesomenewareasinmoredetail,namelytheJapanesegardenandthelawnsforthesouthwestquadrant.WearealsoembarkingonaninnovativenewwayoforganicvegetablegrowingusingtheNoDigmethod,underthewatchfuleyeofNoDigexpert,CherryTaylor.

Ifyouareinterestedinhelpingout,asavolunteergardenerorinanassociatedcapacity,pleasereadonformoredetails.Ourcontactdetailscanbefoundonthebackpage.

• NewVenturesin2021• Accessandvolunteeringnews• New"NoDig"organic

growingproject• TheJapaneseGarden• CommunityGardenLawns• Membershipnews• Seedswapscheme• Newsinbrief• Andnowherecomethe

daffodils• Contactus

W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 / 2 1

Newsletter of the Friends of Llanfrechfa Grange Walled Garden

The Walled Garden

In this Issue

THE WALLED GARDEN WINTER 2020/21

2

Volunteering and our COVID plan

TheWalledgardendevelopmentreliessolelyonthegoodwillandhelpfromverycommittedanddedicatedvolunteers.Duringthelockdownperiod,wehavereliedonthemtohelpuscontinueessentialmaintenanceinthegarden.Initiallywehadadailyrotaofjust4peopleatatime,toensuresocialdistancing,butthishasnowbeenraisedto6perhalfaday.TherearestricthygienemeasuresinplaceandwrittenguidelinesforCOVID-19safety.

Wehave18regularvolunteerswhoareengagedinactivitiesacrossallpartsofthegarden;buildingtheJapaneseGarden,participatingintheNoDigorganicvegetablecourse,plantsowingandpropagation,procuringstonesandothermaterialsfromvarioussitesforhardlandscapingandplantingourspringbulbs.Youcanreadmoreabouttheseinthefollowingpages.

Thegardenworkhasprogressedwiththetirelessinputfromourvolunteersinallweather.Themorevulnerablevolunteershavesensiblystayedawayfromthegardenincludingsomewhohavetoprovidecareforvulnerablefamilymembers.Keepingthegardenopenforessentialworkhashowever,providedmanyofourvolunteerswithasenseofpurposeandimprovedmentalwellbeingduringthelockdown.

Access and Volunteering News Whathaveourvolunteersbeenuptoandhowarewemanagingduringthepandemic?

OuroriginalplanwastoformallyopentheWalledGardentothepublicinspring2021tocoincidewith,whatwasthengoingtobe,theopeningdateforthenewGrangeUniversityHospital.Asweareallonlytooaware,agreatdealhashappenedsincethenduetothepandemic.Thenewhospitalopenedearlyandasthingscurrentlystand,wearelikelytoremaininsomedegreeofLockdownforseveralmoremonthstocome.ItiswithgreatsadnessthereforethattheTrusteeshavedecidedthatopeningmustbedeferreduntilitissafetodoso.Weremainhopefulthatthiswillbeearlysummertimein2021.

Thelawnareadesign-SWquadrant

Opening Date Deferred

THE WALLED GARDEN WINTER 2020/21

3

New Project - "No Dig" Organic Vegetables

BetweenJanuaryandJune2021,wewillbeguidedthroughtheprocessofgrowing15typesofvegetablesusingCharlesDowding’sNoDigandorganicmethods.ThedealisthatweshareourlearningwithourmembersandvolunteersandhelptoraiseawarenessofthebenefitsoforganicgrowingusingtheNoDigmethod,whichweare,ofcourse,veryhappytodo.

Duringthecoursewewilllearnhowto:

• MakeNoDigbedsorconvertexistingones• Dealwithpestsandweedswithoutusing

chemicals• Sowandprickoutattheoptimumtimefor

eachvegetable• Plantattheappropriatespacings• Nurture,harvestandstoreourownlovely

freshorganicveg

Howwillwedothis,especiallywiththelimitationsimposedbythepandemicrestrictions?

ThecourseisbeingrunviaaprivatesocialmediagrouphostedbyCherryonFacebookandweeklygroupZoomlessons.Thisisallsupplementedwithhandoutnotes,YouTubevideodemonstrationsandgroupchats.AlltheseedshavebeenprovidedbythecoursesothateveryonegrowsthesamethingsatthesametimealongsideCherry,intheirownvegetableplots,bethatbackgarden,allotment,schoolorcommunitygarden.Wehaveallocatedabed1mx5minourProduceGardeninthenortheastquadrantoftheWalledGardenforthispurpose(Bed#3).

OurleadforthecourseisourTrusteeSecretary,AngelaFry.Shewillattendallthelessonsandguideinterestedmembersandvolunteerswhowanttoshareourlearningfromthecourse.WewillshareregularupdatesonourprogressviaourmainwebsitepagesandFacebook.YoucanalsosendusquestionstoraisewiththeNoDigcommunityaboutthemethod.

Pleasecontactusatinfo.lgh.garden@gmail.comformoreinformation.

Newfor2021,wearedelightedtohavebeengivenacomplimentaryplaceasaCommunityGardenparticipantintheNoDigorganicvegetablegrowingcourserunbyVegOutco-founder

andorganicmarketgardenerCherryTaylor.

#3'NoDigbed'intheNEQandtheseedswewillbegrowingthroughoutthecourse.

THE WALLED GARDEN WINTER 2020/21

4

TraditionalJapanesegardendesignprinciplesaimtousenaturalmaterialsandtoincorporatesimplicity,flowandasenseofserenity.Ourgardenwillbesimilarlyunderstatedandassymetricalwithcleanlinesandsubdued,naturalcoloursandtextures.Smoothrocksandstoneswillbelaidinaserpentinepatterntosuggestwaterwithcarefullyplacedbiggerrocksandstonesintendedtosymboliseeternity,stabilityandharmony.Steppingstoneswillencourageavisittoaquietstonebenchortoviewourtraditionalgranitelanternupclose.ThreecherrytreesarealreadyinplaceandweplantoaddarangeofotherJapanesestyleplantsinspring.Abamboofencewillprovideprivacytothenorthernsideofthegardenandamoongateawelcomingentrancenearthelawnarea.

InspiredbytraditionalJapanesegardendesignprinciples,oneofourfirst"Show"gardensisbeingbuiltintheSouthwestquadrant.

Left:Asimplestonebridgecrossingoverourdryriverbed.Madefromwhatmighthavebeenheavywindowledgesorlintelsthatwefoundburriedinthegarden.

The Japanese Garden

Right:Oursimplegranitebenchhasbeenbuiltfromsparekerbstonessalvagedfromthenewhospitalbuildingsite.Itwilleventuallybeshelteredbyanopenmock‘teahouse’wherevisitorscansitquietlyandwatchoverthegarden.

Above:ConceptdesigndrawingfortheJapanesegarden.

AlanfromAPWatersskillfullymanouvredtwoenormousegranitestonesoverthewallusinghisremotecontrolhyab.Thestones,donatedbyhomeownerTomGoodingofAbergavenny,werecollectedbyAlanlastyearandhavebeensatoutsidewaitingfortheirnewhometobeready.

Abeautiful5fttallKasugaNaralantern,fundedbytheMonmouthshireBuildingSocietyCharitableFoundation,isunderconstruction.Handcarvedfromsilver-greygranitethenameofthisornatelanterncomesfromtheancientKasugaGrandShrineinNara,Japan.Thelanternsweretraditionallyusedastempleguardians.OnefaceoftheintricatelycarvedlightboxbearsanimageofasacredJapanesenativeSikadeerwhilethetopresemblesalotusblossom,theflowerofparadiseandasymbolofpurity.

THE WALLED GARDEN WINTER 2020/21

5

TheCommunitygardeninthesouthwestquadrantisgoingtobehometoanumberofdifferent'show'gardens.Asfeaturedabove,theseincludeaJapaneseGardenandacircularlawn.Therewillalsobeashrubbery,astumperyandbogarea,awildlifegarden,screeandphysicgardens.Wewillsharemoreontheseinfutureissues.Beneathtwoofthethreeornamentalcherrytrees,wewillbeplantingasecond,smallerlawn,thisoneplantedwithchamomile.Thisisnotthesortofchamomileyoumaketeawithbutaspecialvarietythatislowgrowing,lowmaintenanceandnon-flowering.Itishoweverbeautifultolookatandalsofragrant.

The Chamomile Lawn

The Community Garden Circular Lawn

Preparingthelawnarearequiredmanyweeksofweeding,rakingandlevelingthegroundbutfinallythedaycamewhenthegrasscouldbeputin.Thelawnisfastemerging,butasyoucansee,soalsoarethemolehills!Thenexttaskistoplanttheedging.Wehaveselectedthreebeautifulornamentalgrasses;MiscanthusNepalensis,MiscanthusSinensis"Starlight"andMiscanthusSinensis"KleineSilberspinne".Eachborderwillbebetween9and13mlongwithanopeningbetweeneachonetoprovideaccessontothelawn.

Theornamentalgrassesaredeciduousperennialsthatwillgrowuptoabout1mtallandprovidechangingcolourandtexturethroughtheseasons.ThelawnareahasbeenpartfundedbyPonthirCommunityCouncil.Alawnmowerhasalsobeendonatedbyoneofoursupporters!

AcircularlawnboundedbybeautifulornamentalgrassesistobeakeyfeaturefortheCommunityGardeninthesouthwestquadrant.

Above-thelawnarea,beforeandafterplanting

Clockwisefromtopleft-MiscanthusNepalensis,MiscanthusSinensis"Starlight"andMiscanthusSinensis"KleineSilberspinne"

Chamomilenobile"Treneague".

THE WALLED GARDEN WINTER 2020/21

6

Seed Swap Scheme Wehavesetupanewseedswapschemetoencouragethesharingofanyspareseedandtorecycleourownsurpluses.Theschemeisoperatedfromwithinthegardensofornowisonlyopentoourmembersandregularvolunteers.Seedsforswappingarelistedinthe'MembersArea'ofourwebsite.Theseedsarestoredinamarkedair-tightcontainerinthegreenhouse.Newdonationsshouldbedepositedinaseparatemarkedbagforcheckinginwhatwecanuseandwhattoallocatetotheseedswap.Anyonewhowantstotakefromtheswapbucketjustneedstojotdownwhattheyhavetaken.Don'thaveanyswapstodonate?That'sfine.Perhapspledgetogrowacoupleofextraplantsforustosellorleaveasmalldonationinstead.FormoreinformationpleasevisittheMembersareaofthewebsite.

Membership News

AsaRegisteredCharity,havingasupportnetworkofAssociateMembersisveryusefulfortheproject.BenefitsfortheCharityinclude:

• providinguswithasmallbutreliableincomefromsubscriptions,whichhelpswiththerunningcostsofthegarden.

• increasingtherangeandsizeofgrantswecanapplyfor.

• FeedbackandinputfrommembershelpstheTrusteesknowiftheyareguidingtheprojectintherightdirection.

TherearealsobenefitsinbecominganAssociateMember:

• Membersaresentquarterlynewsletters.• ThereisaMembersonlysectionofour

websitewhichgivesaccesstomoredetailedinformationontheprogressofthegarden,ournewseedswapscheme(seebelow)andsharedlearningfromtheCharity'sparticipationinthe2021'NoDig'organicgrowingcourse.

• SharebenefitsofWalledGardenaffiliationssuchasSocialFarmsandGardens.

• Invitationstosocialandothereventsatthegarden.

Thebestpartis–membershipissuchgoodvalue!Alloftheaboveforonly£4ayear!

Sodo,please,showusyoursupport.Wenowhaveanelectronicmembershipformonourwebsite:https://llanfrechfawalledgarden.wordpress.comOremailMembershipSecretary:info.lgh.garden@gmail.comSubscriptionscanbepaidbycash,chequeorbanktransfer(seemembershipformfordetails).Welookforwardtohearingfromyousoon!

RecruitingmemberstoourRegisteredCharitybringsimportantbenefitstotheWalledGardenandisagreatwayforpeopletoshowtheirsupportandgetinvolved.

THE WALLED GARDEN WINTER 2020/21

7

News in Brief

Our Annual Report 2019-20 TheFriendsofLlanfrechfaGrangeWalledGardenAnnualReport,whichincludesourannualfinancialreturnfor2019/20,hasrecentlybeensubmittedtoTheCharityCommissionforEngland&Wales.ItcanbeviewedatTheCharityCommission'swebsiteatthislink:https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/5108442

Grants and Donations

TheJapaneseGardenhasagainbenefitedfromthehelpofAdrianWatersandalsoreceivedtwogenerousdonations.Adrianhoistedtwoenormousgranitestonesoverthewallintothegarden;TheSoroptimistsClubofCwmbranhasfundedoneofthecherrytreestocommemoratethecentenaryofSoroptimistsInternational;andtheMonmouthshireBuildingSocietyCharitableFoundationhasfundedourgranitelantern.Wehavealsoreceived8barerootfruittreesfromKeepWalesTidyaspartofour2021applicationfortheGreenFlagCommunityAward.Theseinclude2Victoriaplumand3typesofappletree.OnceagainwearedelightedtohavebeengrantedfundingfromourtwolocalCommunityCouncils.TheLlanyravonandCroesyceiliogCCgrantwillhelpfundthestumperyplantsandthegrantfromPonthirCCwillbeusedforthePhysicGarden.

Making Leaf Mould ThetreesaroundGrangeHousedropahugevolumeofleavesintheautumn.Whilethesecanbeanuisanceunderfoottheyareperfectformakingleafmould.Looselypackedintotwobespokebinstheleaveswillbebrokendownbytheslowactionoffungi,ratherthanbybacteriathatdecomposeothercompostbiningredients,andwillbereadyformulchingorpottingonnextautumn.

WearesorrytoreportthatthespringraffleorganisedbytheNewportUskmouthRotaryClubwillnotbetakingplacethisyear,duetothedifficultiesaroundcoordinatingthisduringtheCOVIDcrisis.Thiseventnormallyraisesover£150fortheWalledGardensoitwillbemissed.Wehopeitwillbebacknextspring.

Spring Raffle Cancelled

Newcompostingbinsfromsalvagedpallets

And now here come the Daffodils... And now here come the daffodils,

The trumpeters of spring, All tooting joy, which thrills and thrills,

The while again they bring Their happiest note attuned with cheer

To tell that spring is truly here.

I am always glad when daffodils Lift up their golden horn,

To wake a day whose waking fills With mellowness the morn,

And lures the south winds thru the air To bear away my winter's care.

Daffodils (excerpt) by Charles A Heath

Springiscomingandjusttomakesureno-onemissesit,ourvolunteershavebeenbusyplantingupallsortsofspringfloweringbulbsalloverthegardentobringsomemuchneededcolourandjoyinthecomingmonths.Wewillhavemanydifferentvarietiesofdaffodils,crocus,tulips,muscari,fritillaries,anemonesandsnowdrops,whichwehopearegoingtoresultinariotofcolour.Ourthankstoallourvolunteersfortheirhardwork,wewillbesuretosharepicturesinournextissue.

Contact Us FriendsofLlanfrechfaGrangeWalledGarden,LlanfrechfaGrange,Cwmbran,Torfaen,NP448YN

THE WALLED GARDEN

WINTER 2020/21

Registered Charity number 1176172

Email:info.lgh.garden@gmail.comWebsite:https://llanfrechfawalledgarden.wordpress.com/

FindusonFacebookat:llanfrechfagrangewalledgarden