Charles has been hard at work in the garden now for weeks, in the sad absence of any paid help. There are several bonuses to this – one is the amazing amount of work which has been wiped off the job board. Another is the money we’ve saved. And then the engagement that this has given Charles with parts of the garden which are a bit background for him.
It’s quite a big garden for two people to manage and to appreciate, and of course, it changes all the time. It’s quite easy for one of us to not visit a part of the garden for months – maybe even longer if for those who don’t have prime responsibility. Moreover, if you just visit for a quick look, your consciousness of that part of the garden is likely to be very superficial.
Working in any part of the garden does a variety of things. It makes you conscious of what that part of the garden is about, what it’s supposed to do and when, and therefore how we need to manage it. It’s going to make you more aware of whether it succeeds in doing what it’s intended to and if not, maybe why not. It may make you interested to go back and see the results of your work hopefully bearing fruit. It may make you more critical of that part of the garden – always a useful thing – and even have ideas for how to improve it.
Then we were watching Monty Don in Japan last night. (he was in Japan, we were by the fire at home) It’s always good to see people taking gardens as seriously as he and the Japanese were doing – and this included Monty doing gardening there.
Now I know it’s a religion with the BBC and their take on gardening – there’s always got to be a bit of practical stuff. So far so boring. But it make me aware that it was probably making Monty understand the gardens better and in a way he would have missed if he’d just been looking and talking to the camera.
This all has made me wonder if we should not simply be visiting gardens, but also spending a little time working in them, if we truly want to understand and enjoy them. Learning to garden in the particular ways of the garden owner would, of course, as with Monty in Japan, be critical. I know this will be greeted by the same incredulity that opening a garden without serving tea and cake does. But hey – some of us are really serious about this art. So should we be making provision for visitors to book, pay and come and garden?
PS. Given the response I think I need to emphasise: I don’t mean volunteers. And probably not here, either.. After all, I published this piece: https://thinkingardens.co.uk/articles/volunteer-gardeners-the-enemy-within-by-rachel-cassidy/
Well, we could test the water and see if there is any appetite for this. Come for an afternoon to do some work and then have tea and cake over a chat about whatever comes up. But what would we charge?
Yes,it’s been good to be gardening but it’s meaning I have been creating new work as well as wiping stuff off the board. Like finding a lot of rot in our hardwood planks and crumbling mortar on the Veddw Seat.
You (finding new problems) are also a bit of a menace! Xx
Personally, I would love the chance to come and garden. It will probably be a while before it is practically possible, since I live in Denmark – but I like the idea a lot and who knows, maybe other garden owners would catch on if you start the trend.
I would like to hear from other garden owners…..
Let me check with Gracie and see if she would be okay with this…. I think the idea of traveling from the middle of the US to Wales to pay to work in your garden sounds AWESOME!!!
hugs!
K
And you, Kev the Yank, are also awesome! I look forward to your efforts!! (or Gracie’s, while you sit and watch?)
Xxx
hmmm…but will you get the ignorant making a botch of things…or the strong-willed imposing their will on Veddw? Yours is not a garden for light tinkering, it needs someone to do your projects under you instruction. Imagine if I sat on your reflecting pool bench and acted on my vision to tweak one set of the yew curves…the next project would probably be digging a deep hole in the woods.
It would (deep hole in woods!). The point would also be the learning – as with Monty. Hence the charge, as you’re right, it would need hands on work with the learner. I can see I didn’t emphasise this aspect enough!
Why not?
Friends of ours spent a couple of weeks at Great Dixter and of course loved it!
Don’t know how I would go with a novice(s) tramping all over the garden though!!
The point would be – rather like Monty in Japan, you would be teaching people to garden the way the garden owner does. But damage could still follow, I imagine!
I’m begining to rethink this!
I always look forward to reading your emails but today was a particular joy. It arrived as I lay in bed contemplating getting up for my regular morning of volunteer gardening in a place that lacks funds and needs help.Not NT. Offering gardening experience is a brilliant idea. I’d come even though I live miles away. What sort of experience you offered that was successful for participants, yourself and the garden would need a bit of thinking through, and the dreaded health and safety would need to be considered, but I’m sure many people would be interested. If you could find a way of organising it so it was really meaningful for people, not just ‘pulling up weeds’ but really engaging with a particular part of the garden with lots of back up chat and background info.it would work I’m sure. Rain might be a drawback … .. You wouldn’t even need to provide cake. People could bring their own picnic. As to how much to charge, depends what and for how long but I’d look to see what other establishments are charging for ‘opportunities’. Go for it.
Agree with you re Monty Don. Intelligent passion, humour, humanity and SERIOUS about gardening. Great.
In my ignorance, I imagined that, as well as paid help, you also had keen and willing local volunteers!
A local friend signed up for a gardening course, and the group gelled so well that they continued to meet weekly and garden visit. They then decided to garden as group in one of their gardens in per week. The host garden would provide the tea and cake. This continued until they all started needing new hips and things, so now the tea and cake predominate.
I wonder if they would have been happy gardening our way? That would be an interesting aspect.
Anne I think this is a wonderful idea. I would suggest that you select a specific garden area which needs some serious work, plan what you want to achieve and use this as the basis of the Gardening at Veddw experience. Considering the enthusiastic response you’ve had you might want to consider doing an afternoon + Morning event which allows people to stay overnight at your local BnB venue. The afternoon could be about understanding the garden as a whole and then how the part you’ll be working on contributes to the whole, the second session would be hands on, there might be time for mor hands on depending on what there is to be accomplished. I’m unlikely to come for half a day, it’s a bit too far to travel, but I’d willingly stay over to be able to achieve more. I still do garden visits with some of the women who did the Garden Design course with me, we look for opportunities like this, as a way to have a get together and immerse ourselves in gardens, plants and design. So, as soon as you’ve decided what you and Charles have in mind do let me know, I’m happy to be one of the guinea pigs for the first course.
Thank you for this, Cherie. It requires serious thought, given my hermit tendencies…. You will hear more when we’ve thought. (mornings are out, but I’m sure we could work round that..)
You are very brave to think of having random folk in your garden. I am currently on the naughty step for a pruning error in our own garden; enthusiasm and better weather were too much and discretion went by the board. Practically you would have to be insured and are there Health and Safety issues? And supervision would take up your time too. So maybe you just have to slog along as now??!!
I wasn’t really thinking so much of us – it really wouldn’t suit my hermit qualities, though given the enthusiastic response, I must see how Charles might feel about it. It would need detailed and close supervision. We have had our paid gardener disasters…I wasn’t looking for cheap help. Xxx
I know two local gardens which regularly use voluteers, and it works brilliantly. The gardens gets extra attention and the volunteers enjoy each other’s company. One group consists of people with learning difficulties, and one thing they learn is that anyone can garden. The other group are pretty skilled gardeners on the whole, and they share their knowledge with each other.
I think I’ve put this badly. I’m not looking for volunteers. My thought was about people learning about the garden – one off. And other people’s gardens really, rather than us! I would be very anxious of employing skilled gardeners even paid: they would be much less likely to do it my way…
Hmmm! A practical course in “Gardening the Wareham Way”. Sitting down with you for a chat over tea and cake (though I’ll believe the latter when I see it!) and occasionally getting up to pop my head out of the door/window to shout “Oi, Charles, get a move on. And while you’re out there ……” Yup. Could be quite enjoyable. xx
Chatting though – not my style… Hiding more like it. Xx
“But hey–some of us are really serious about this art.”
Thanks, Anne, for saying that….
Sheppard Craige
Bosco della Ragnaia
And somehow I get lots of talk about having volunteers, which kind of missed the point…..Xxxxx
We have a 1.25 acre perennial flower garden with 1/2 mile of hedging which we garden full-time from March to September. For the past 8 months we have had help from a Work and Retrain As a Gardener Scheme lady (WRAGS). In return for one day a week for two years (paid at the National Living Wage) she works in the garden under our direction and we have a responsibility to ensure that she learns all the different aspects of gardening. It has been a complete joy for both parties. Her knowledge has grown and the garden has benefitted. I can see that her experience of the garden is more profound than on her first visit and that she understands the ethos of the garden. She has become a witness to the and the only other person who understands what goes into making it work.( We also ply her with coffee and cake! )
I have come across this scheme. I was thinking more of a one off but I can see that would work for some people. And I was thinking of people paying the garden owner.
I am that WRAGS lady that has had the pleasure of working alongside such a committed and knowledgeable gardener. I view gardens so differently now appreciating how much planning, vision, risk taking, nurturing and grafting it takes to create and maintain a garden such as this one. I also understand why so many gardens fail in a world which demands instant success. Jo challenges and trusts me to tackle jobs throughout the garden and try things out. I’ve learned the value of closely observing plants to work out what they need to enable them to flourish. I understand how spectacle is created through thoughtful planting taking into account, colour, texture, and shape. I enjoy the logistics and practicalities of gardening (and doing them properly!) digging, planting, staking, watering – and witnessing the results. There is a profound joy in standing, looking and listening after a days work in the garden.
I understand that you are suggesting a one off experience with knowledgeable gardeners. I believe people would pay to gain insight, understanding and practical skills. This is common practice in other spheres of life such as master classes in music, painting and acting.
You bring me back to my original thought – the gain in understanding a garden. I’d be incidentally interested how you’d find the practicalities of gardening improperly, with no staking,digging…. But most of all, I appreciate your understanding – a master class is exactly what I had in mind. Thank you! xXx
Believe me I started out not “gardening properly”! I thought I knew how to dig, stake and mow until I was doing it in someone else’s garden! I now know about what good, soil looks like and feels like in my hand and what can be done to improve it. I’ve been shown how dig a hole and prepare it so that the plant going into it has the best chance of thriving. There is an assumption that everyone can just garden through you tube because they want to. So many of my assumptions have changed and I have great respect for those who devote time to acquiring skills and knowledge and have the dedication to carrying them out. Common traits these people share are the joy of learning and generosity in sharing knowledge.
You may find the Garden Professors useful – I recommend https://www.facebook.com/TheGardenProfessors/. I garden dreadfully if successfully….(believing, for example, that staking should be reserved for vampires) Xxx
Thanks Anne I’ll take a look!
Excellent idea! I am a fab garden designer, teacher and lecturer, slave driver too but a lot of fun could be had gardening in my spanking new garden in France which at the mo is mostly grass with a few trees and shrubs. Gardening from scratch, learning all about design, history (the garden comes w an ancient presbytery attached and all that jazz. It will be a hoot. Oi, no pushing you lot in the back, just keep your dosh at the ready and loads of it.
XXX Yolanda
I live in Northland, New Zealand on a 1.5 acre property, and for several years have used Helpx.net volunteers to help keep the place under control. This is similar to Wwoof, but not confined to organic properties, and any kind of work can be agreed upon. The host provides bed and board; tasks and hours are negotiable. The site allows you to select age, nationality, and skills of your helpers. I’ve had a German couple in their sixties who cut and chopped a 2-year supply of firewood and did all my clothes mending; an arborist from Oregon who pruned and felled and also fixed computer problems, and many strong young people who turned compost heaps,cleared drains, and cut hedges. Providing a tray of weed species and admonishing that only those should be removed usually prevents disasters. My favourite helpers were a Czech botanist and hydrologist who were fascinated by all the life forms in the garden.
A couple of years ago I decided it was time I saw the South Island, and went as a helper to several places. I’m in my sixties so specified no digging, but skilled weeding. Had a wonderful time.
Thanks, Jess. Xx
I would love a day gardening elbow to elbow with you! Can I pay you in Scrabble marmalade and wine?
Discuss….Xxxx