Garden news & views – Page 5 – Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

The Woodlands Farm Cottage Garden

If RHS gold medals could be given to individual gardens, then The Woodlands Farm Cottage Garden deserves that honour. I am, at the moment of writing, sat on one of the many benches enjoying this charming garden.

Volunteers started working to create a cottage garden back in 1998 and now, 25 years on I am gazing at their ‘gold-medal’ creation. The garden has everything one would want: wide gravel paths edged with brick or logs meandering around several large informal flowering beds; a rose and clematis-framed timber pergola walkway; glasshouse; summerhouse; raised vegetable and fruit beds; propagation area; pond; a bug hotel; and, very importantly, tables and chairs for family snack times.

Beds in the Woodlands Farm Cottage Garden

A wren has announced its arrival on the beautifully pruned Exochorda and children and mothers are coming in to excitedly explore and admire the garden’s loveliness. From my bench are carefully pruned shrubs arising tall from the spring beds. This allows visitors to clearly view the purple honesty, inky-blue aquilegias, mauve vinca, forget-me-nots, narcissi, tulips, camassias, allium buds, geraniums, hellebores, wallflowers, bergenia, primulas, lamiums and more – all looking their very, early-spring best. Masses of tall cow-parsley are breaking into flower in front of the flowering choisya and viburnums, creating an harmonious effect. And I’ve spotted purple-stemmed cow parsley looking extremely healthy, as well (most envious!)

Seat in the Woodlands Farm Cottage Garden

This cottage garden is sheltered and faces south. It is surrounded by mature trees and many evergreen shrubs so it has its own little micro-climate.

Before I leave, I glance once again at the charming, delicately-pink blossom on the spreading branches of the old apple tree. With a table and chairs set beneath its canopy and spring flowers in the foreground, it is a really lovely vision. And it’s a gold-medal from me! The garden is open to the general public. More information about Woodlands Farm Trust here. Do visit before the spring flowers fade.

Anna L

Batley Park, The Standard, London, SE3

The residents of London, SE3 and SE7 are treated to a two-month spectacle every year when the spring bulbs burst open beneath the London Plane trees in their local green space, called Batley Park.

Batley Park consists of a triangular space at the heart of the south-east London shopping centre, known as The Standard, surrounded by the busy, one-way B210 road.

During the winter, the park comes alive with the thousands of purple, mauve and white crocus sprinkled amongst the green sward, followed quickly by swathes and swathes of yellow daffodils, glowing like bright lanterns in the soft sunlight. It’s mother nature’s tapestry and a lovely sight to behold.

Crocus and daffodils among the trees in Batley Park

The park’s existence is all due to local campaigners, including The Rev John William Marshall, in the late 19th century, unhappy about the appearance of their village green. At that time it was known as Sheepgate Green, and due to their determination the space was transformed. Trees were planted and railings installed and thus renamed Batley Park, after the philanthropist, William Fox Batley, who contributed to the improvements. In 1889 a final touch was added – a Memorial Fountain was included on the south-west corner of the park. If you have not yet seen this year’s spectacle, do visit the park whilst visiting The Standard. At the time of writing I noticed that the daffodil clumps were still producing buds so that means local residents can enjoy this display for a few more weeks.

Anna L

Anna’s Visit to the Tibetan Peace Garden, Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park, Lambeth

After the busyness of a visit during half-term to the Imperial War Museum, it was relaxing to visit the adjacent Tibetan Peace Garden on an amazingly warm and sunny, winter’s day in February.

This is a lovely, partially enclosed garden which was opened by the Dalal Lama in 1999 and it was named ‘Samten Kyil’, meaning the Garden of Contemplation and this is exactly what the designers have achieved.

The garden is made up of two parts: an outer garden of trees and lawn sweeping around and enclosing the inner circular garden, the whole bordered by a circular pathway in which to enjoy the views. White-barked Himalayan Birches, making a striking contrast against the green and blue of the grass and the sky, are interspersed with Weeping Cherries and Prunus serrula (Tibetan Cherry) with polished, red-purple bark.

Sparkle in the Park 2023 – Avery Hill Park, SE9

As a special, early, Christmas treat, on a very mild evening on 30th November 2023, a friend and I visited Greenwich Council’s Light Festival, the magical Sparkle in the Park, held this year at Avery Hill Park. This was Greenwich Council’s 4th Sparkle in the Park event, this time featuring many new displays, and it was nice to see the many artists being acknowledged for their spectacular creations. The excitement was palpable as the winter wonderland trail lead visitors through an illumination of lights and enchanting displays amongst the trees.

Are we Feeling Christmas-y yet?

At this ho-ho jolly time of year I expect everyone is looking forward to getting some good Christmas gardening presents! (Yes? No? Bah Humbug?)

I asked the committee what ideas they have this year, and we came up with the selection below. I hope it gives you some inspiration, or at least is something you can use when asked the dreaded question “What would you like for Christmas this year?”

Books: The Power of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. This was reviewed recently in the RHS magazine and I have seen it recommended elsewhere too. Waterstones says it is “a manifesto aimed at preserving the future of our forests and debunking accepted wisdom about tree-planting schemes”.

Books: What did the Tree See by Charlotte Guillain. I bought this for my grandson, it’s one of those childrens books that covers a huge age range. He is far too young to understand the whole thing at 3, but loves the pictures and storytelling. Much older children will like the historical side of it. And OAP’s like me love it too!

Wellbeing Garden at Lewisham Hospital

During September 2023 I revisited the newly-built Wellbeing Garden, located at the rear of University Hospital, Lewisham.

There have been some exciting changes and the most notable is the large, beautifully-built, pergola that pulls the whole garden together. The pergola not only provides shelter but acts as a meeting place for various classes, including the Gardening Club. Some of the structure’s uprights are decorated with painted terracotta tiles, showcasing talented and creative individuals.

The planting in the garden had matured, and, being autumn, the grasses were in their prime, growing alongside the flowering stars of pink Tulbaghia violacea. I noticed a Snow Drop tree (Halesia diptera) and an additional small tree, Heptacodium miconioides, a species I had never seen before. The tree was displaying clusters of prominent, white, flowers with an intoxicating perfume, so, for me, this was an exciting find.

Down at Down House

According to my (many) English Heritage emails, Down House and garden is one of the best of their sites to visit in the autumn. We went expecting a show of bright autumn colours but I have to say we were rather disappointed.

However, there were compensations. There were autumn colours aplenty on the drive down with the low autumn sun sparkling through the yellow trees.

The house itself is very interesting. The staff were friendly and welcoming and keen to impart their knowledge of Charles Darwin and to ensure that we were enjoying our visit. The original kitchen with its flag-stoned floor is a good place to start with coffee and cakes.

Charles Darwin lived in the house for 40 years with his wife, Emma Wedgewood (also his first cousin). They had ten children, seven of whom survived beyond the age of eleven. Darwin was an unconventional Victorian father, allowing the children into his study and providing them with the means to play noisily in the house, building a wooden slide that fitted on one of the staircases.

Sedum or Hylotelephium? Aster or Symphyotrichum?

Hylotelephium telephium 'Touchdown Teak'

But which is which?

I’m sure you know by now that herb garden favourite rosemary had its botanical name changed following DNA testing. It was reclassified to the Salvia family and its proper name is now Salvia rosmarinus (while the common name of course remains ‘rosemary’). Another common garden plant, Perovskia (aka Russian sage), has been renamed Salvia yangii. And then there are the sedums, some (but not all) of which must have needed a few more syllables to sound properly botanical!

Gardeners often wonder why this happens, and feel like botanical names are simply there to confuse us. Many gardeners choose to stick to the ‘old’ names, and occasionally (but not usually!) this is rewarded as science progresses, as is pointed out in this useful article from Gardens Illustrated.

Overbeck’s Garden Devon

On a recent visit to Devon we decided to visit Overbeck’s Garden owned by the National Trust. If you can brave the narrowest of South Devon lanes (and scarily so!) you’ll come to Overbecks built into a cliffside at Salcombe and overlooking the Kingsbridge estuary. The setting is stunning and because it’s so sheltered supports plants and trees from around the globe.

The day was very warm but luckily there’s plenty of shade provided by the collection of trees including magnolias, olives and palms of various sorts and the feel is very much sub-tropical. Amongst many areas there’s a Gazebo Garden, a Banana Garden, the Old Quarry, the Statue Garden and a lovely shady Woodland garden with a viewing point over to Salcombe with stunning views. Many lovely plants grow on the slopes and with only 3 full time gardeners I should think they rely heavily on volunteers although how they regularly navigate those lanes was a mystery to us. There’s a refreshment area (outdoors) and a picnic area. If you are in South Devon it is very well worth a visit and I hope the pictures convey the variety of lovely plants and trees you can see.

Charlton House Horn Fair 2023

Once again we ran a successful plant stall at this lovely family event, huge thank you to everyone who donated plants or came along to help. And it was sunny, hooray, even if it was perishing in the shade!

Charlton House and stalls — Producers market

We had a great time dressing up the Gardens with ghosts, bats, spiders etc to make them ‘haunted’, and devising the children’s Pumpkin Trail. In the end we had over 130 children charging about the gardens, doing the Pumpkin Puzzle to find the name of the Charlton House ghost, or just spotting all the silly things we had put in the beds!

The gardens were looking peaceful first thing…

Painting the pumpkins — Setting up the puzzle

Webs in the beds — Setting up the puzzle

Preparations underway. And then it got busy..!