Topiary for five year olds

 

A few weeks ago I held a really fun garden workshop for Reception Class at my son's school. The ages of the children are four to five. I made the first initial of every child using some poplar branches I harvested locally. They were from trees that are pollarded so the new shoots were growing very low down the tree and were easy to reach. I lined all the letters up in the field and the children came out to find their initial. They really loved doing this.

We went over to the edge of the field where some ivy was growing under a tree. We talked about the places that ivy likes to grow then each child used the fork to dig some up. We looked at the roots and put the lengths of ivy into a bucket of water. We went back to the little garden outside the classroom leaving the bucket in a shady spot.

 The next day the children arrived in fancy dress costume as it was the last day of term. So we had Robin Hood, Superman, Minnie Mouse and a princess, to name a few, doing garden activities. The children filled pots up with compost then planted their letters. They made a hole in the compost for the ivy to go in. We spoke about which end of the ivy should be planted and I told them about the roots having an important job of taking in nutrients and water. The pots were filled up with some more compost then watered.

As the ivy grows it will wrap itself around the letters and can be trimmed to control the shape. The poplar branches will sprout leaves as well which will be a fun surprise. This was a really great activity to introduce children to propagation, plant biology, planting, plant care and topiary. Children as young as five make great horticulturists.

Signs of Early Summer's Arrival

With the unusually wet and cold weather we've been having lately it's hard to believe we are coming into early summer. The Jack in the Green Festival which happens every May bank holiday weekend in Hastings is a celebration to mark the end of the winter. Now in it's twenty-ninth year, it is based on an old festival by the local chimney sweeps who would celebrate the new season of chimney sweeping once the winter fires had been put out. It is said that Jack began as a small garland worn by a sweep. These days Jack is a crowned giant of evergreen foliage who leads a merry procession through the streets of Hastings and into the castle for an afternoon of singing, dancing and boozing. Genuine sweeps still take part in the parade as well as Morris dancers, folk musicians, giants that represent summer and winter and a green mermaid as tall as the trees. All through the old town large bunches of laurel leaves and colourful ribbons adorn houses, railings and lamp posts. All the shops have a green themed window display. It's fun to see each different interpretation of Jack in the Green as well as the incredible costumes in the parade which seem to get more elaborate every year. This year the grey clouds hanging overhead and the chilly showers all cleared once Jack had been symbolically slain and the spirit of summer was released for another year.

Another sign that the winter is over and summer is on our doorstep is the emergence of the dragonfly from it's underwater home. The alien like nymphs that have hatched from eggs live in ponds and marshes while they grow into dragonflies. This portion of the life cycle can take an incredible four years to complete. When the weather is right the nymphs start to crawl out of the water up the stems of plants. The metamorphosis is complete when the dragonfly breaks out of the nymph skin, leaving it behind as a dry empty shell called the exuvia. Perched on the leaves with their wings outstretched drying them, you can see just how intricate and stunning the design of the dragonfly is. Amazingly these beautiful creatures only live for about two months. It's enough time to find a female mate who will lay eggs and the whole cycle starts again. These photos were taken at the allotment on the punk's plot. He's delighted to discover his pond is allowed to stay because the newts are protected.

Do you celebrate the coming of summer? What signs and symbols represent this change for you?

World Earth Day

Lesser Celandine & Dandelion

Forget-me-not & Bluebells

Nettles & Wild chives

Wild primrose & Lady's Smock

Bay Tree

Wild Garlic

Wild violet & Angelica

Angelica

Angelica

In the last few weeks we've been blessed with a world of overflowing colour, pattern and form. So much is taken from the earth but it just keeps giving. I've got an abundant, organic deli on my doorstep where everything is free. Dandelion and nettle leaves are at their best this time of year when they're fresh and young. Wild garlic can be used to make pesto or soups, and when mixed with butter can be used to make garlic bread. You can't mistake it and end up eating something poisonous because you will know when you find it; the strong garlic smell pierces the air when the leaves are walked on. Am I worried that dogs have peed all over this woodland salad bar? No. I walk my dog here often and he has never peed anywhere near the edible plants. And I think a bit of pee is far less disgusting than a vat of poisonous spray. The other day I noticed someone at the allotment had sprayed their plot. The beds were surrounded by paths of collapsed, yellow, dying grass. Fortunately the plot is quite a distance from mine and the majority of allotment holders these days grow organically, without dangerous chemicals. The rules and regulations, issued by the Council, that are there to insure everyone enjoys their growing experience and gets the best from their land, do not include a ban on herbicides. Why? What kind of crazy world are we living in?

 I used to hate dandelions. I'd had years of indoctrination. "Pick a dandelion and you'll wet the bed" I heard often as a child. The French name is pis-en-lit. Taraxacum officinale. It wasn't long ago that I discovered the myth comes from the use of the dandelion as a diuretic in herbal medicine. Bees and beneficial insects love them. The use of herbicides to kill dandelions and other wild plants has been linked to Parkinsons disease, cancer, embryonic cell damage, infertility, genetic damage and a decline in bird species in the UK. There's no need for herbicides and it's a disgrace they are still being used with abandon. It's time to start loving our wild plants and flowers. We need them more than they need us.

Loving Magnolia

When I saw the text from my neighbour last week letting me know her magnolia tree had flowered, I rushed over with my camera. The forecast had been for rain but we were lucky to have a whole week of fine weather; the best way to admire the handkerchief coral tepals is under sea blue sky. The spread of the branches takes up a quarter of her small back garden and creates shade for most of the year. She has thought about cutting it back but never has because she is worried it would stop flowering. The magnolia flower represents "splendid beauty and dignity". From a little sappling she thought didn't look so well when she planted it, to a diva of spring in our neighbourhood.

Spring in the Woods

I hope you're all having wonderful Easter holidays. I've been enjoying catching up with friends and spending time in Alexandra Park and Guestling Wood where the anemones were sprinkled over the woodland floor like fallen stars and above our heads tiny birds were chirping and trilling while a woodpecker knocked out rhythmic beats. When did you last go for a walk in the woods?

Spring Sale

I'm having a MAD SPRING SALE over at my shop. Enter the codes in the description to save £££s

£15 off rag dolls.

£3 off drawstring bags, crochet rose corsages and dog cushions.

All handmade with quality vintage fabrics by The Green Lady in Hastings.  

* Ends 15th April *

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Loving willow

 "Sproing" was the word that came to mind when cycling around town today. All at once there is an incredible display of colour on the trees. I saw milky white magnolia flowers pouring over a camellia dotted with strawberry red blooms, tiny tissue like pink blossoms decorating a tree in someone's front garden and my favourite at the moment, dainty little furry catkins on the willow trees. The bees love them too as they are a good source of early pollen. 

There are so many things to love about willow. The fact that it can be used dried as a craft and sculptural material and in the green as living willow hedges, domes and tunnels. Artist's charcoal is made from willow. Willow wood is used to make furniture, toys, cricket bats, baskets and wreaths. A broken willow branch left in water will grow roots and they successfully root in the ground from very thick pieces of stem.

Willow bark contains natural plant growth hormones; indolebutyric acid and salicylic acid. You may have heard of salicylic acid because it is a chemical similar to the headache medicine aspirin. In fact thousands of years ago patients were advised to chew on the bark to reduce fever and inflammation. Before you start gnawing on any branches, aspirin is a synthetically altered version of the chemical which causes less digestive upset. These chemicals also help plants fight off infection which is why willow water is a very useful, natural (and free) hormone rooting aid for cuttings.

 I found this recipe on the Deep Green Permaculture website:

How to Make “Willow Water”

1. Collect young first-year twigs and stems of any of willow (Salix spp.) species, these have green or yellow bark. Don’t use the older growth that has brown or gray bark.
2. Remove all the leaves, these are not used. Don’t waste good green material though, compost the leaves or throw them in the garden as mulch.
3. Take the twigs and cut them up into short pieces around 1" (2.5cm) long.
4. The next step is to add the water. there are several techniques to extract the natural plant rooting hormones: a) Place the chopped willow twigs in a container and cover with boiling water, just like making tea, and allow the “tea” to stand overnight.
   b) Place the chopped willow twigs in a container and cover with tap water (unheated), and let it soak for several days.
5. When finished, separate the liquid from the twigs by carefully pouring out the liquid, or pouring it through a strainer or sieve. The liquid is now ready to use for rooting cuttings. You can keep the liquid for up to two months if you put it in a jar with a tight fitting lid and keep the liquid in the refrigerator. Remember to label the jar so you remember what it is, and write down the date you brewed it up, and to aid the memory, write down the date that it should be used by, which is two months from the date it was made!  
6. To use, just pour some willow water into a small jar, and place the cuttings in there like flowers in a vase, and leave them there to soak overnight for several hours so that they take up the plant rooting hormone. Then prepare them as you would when propagating any other cuttings. The second way to use willow water is to use it to water the propagating medium in which you have placed cuttings. Watering your cuttings twice with willow water should be enough to help them root.
   
   I will be sharing some more fun projects using willow soon.