Author: David Betterton

Our first evening event of the 2022 season saw members of MUWAGA and guests enjoying a lively and informative talk on “Wildflowers of the Cotswolds” from naturalist and former County Ecologist for Oxfordshire, Craig Blackwell.

For us in the Cotswolds, we are part of an outcrop of Jurassic rocks (210-140 million years ago) which runs northeast from the Dorset coast to Yorkshire. There are sections of these which dip gently eastwards towards the Thames Valley and London and comprise some of the most complete sections of Oolite rocks to be found anywhere in the country. Oolitic limestone is a type of limestone made up of small round grains. These formed in shallow, warm waters similar those found today around Florida and parts of the Caribbean Sea, where calcium carbonate is deposited from sea creatures as well as sea water due to evaporation.

The introduction set the scene for a presentation of the wide range of wildflowers which thrive in each, and a lively Q&A session.

We were invited to identify each plant in a series of slides relating to each landscape type. This led to an enthusiastic participation from many knowledgeable members. Most examples were correctly identified, sometimes with a little gentle prompting, but everyone was able to learn something new.

We were reminded of the importance of each habitat and its plants in terms of biodiversity and the importance of several sites of scientific interest.

Example Wildflowers

These are just a sample of some of the wildflowers whch made up Craig’s presentation – the sheer numbers kept us busy with our attempts to name each of them. A delightful evening.

About Craig Blackwell

Craig Blackwell was County Ecologist with Oxfordshire County Council between 1990 and 2009 involved in many projects to improve biodiversity and access These included the Lower Windrush Valley Project and the Saltway Local Nature Reserve, as well as a network of road verge nature reserves.

Craig was also closely involved with the Wychwood Project which was launched at the Dean Pit Nature Reserve which he established.

He remains involved with various local biodiversity projects, and recently developed a scheme at Chipping Norton Health Centre to create a herbaceous border attracting bumblebees and other invertebrates throughout the summer. A number of other Surgeries and Health Centres throughout the County have followed this model.

Our April evening talk was well-attended, with 30+ members and guests and was by Rob Jacobs, Horticultural Manager at the famous Waterperry Gardens. Rob presented a whistle-stop, copiously illustrated tour of a year behind the scenes at Waterperry, with a focus on key activities for each month of the year.

There is now a Formal Garden, the Mary Rose Garden, a Waterlily Canal and the Long Colour (Herbaceous) Border. There is now also an arboretum in the meadow area beyond the canal.

Highlights for February are the snowdrops, with varieties developed to extend the season as much as possible, with an eye always to keep plenty of interest for visitors year-round. Also in February, much work is done to cut fresh Hazel stalks for use in the all-important herbaceous border.

Seed-sowing for the nurseries, vegetable garden and the walled garden, gets into full swing in March. Important also is the work to divide out the herbaceous border for its 3-season displays. A particular plant group Rob mentioned was Saxifrage, a wonderful and diverse set of plants – including the Silver Saxifraga which flowers in April.

Already looking forward to the Christmas season, April also sees the pruning and shearing of Christmas trees, and the flowering of the Fritillary meadow – another important seasonal colourful attraction which keeps visitor interest.

As we would expect, from May the visitor season starts to pick up, and the herbaceous border gets going with Euphorbia and Irises in the mix. With late frosts a continued threat, apple-blossom is vulnerable – as indeed is the Wisteria Arch, which because the flowers are growing in the open air and not against a wall, create possibly a once-in-10-year experience!

For June, work includes the cutting and shaping of the Box hedges in the formal gardens, and here the variety of Box has fortunately not been vulnerable to the ravages suffered by other varieties. Cuttings now are also taken for Michaelmas Daisies, Asters are staked, and Roses – difficult to grow in the sandy loam, which is Waterperry, are carefully mulched and nurtured.

In July through to September, the herbaceous border is in full glory, with the tall Delphiniums in full show, and later the September Asters are at their peak, and this is also Michaelmas Daisy season, and the changing colour scheme continues with a change towards varieties of green.

Amongst all the other tasks, the first apples are now ready for picking. Waterperry now has a wide range of fruit – with 65 varieties of apple, for example. Only about 25 of these are available commercially. The others are being trialled for juice or preserved to ensure heritage varieties do not die out. Rob showed us the work done using grafting techniques to propagate fruit varieties.

Picking begins mid-August when Discovery and Arthur Turner become available and goes right through to early November with the final crops of Crispin and Sturmer. Waterperry also has plums, greengages and pears, including unusual varieties like Beurre Hardy, Gorham and Glou Morceau.

The autumn season features orchard tours and talks, and burgeoning sales of apple juices especially during October, and November sees the clearing of the herbaceous border to start the cycle again, paying attention to the proliferation of Aster seeds, planting Tulips and lifting out Dahlias. Rose- training, and especially the use of domed caging is a feature of activity at this time. We learned that the idea of domed caging originated at Waterperry, despite the claims made by Sissinghurst Castle!

December, unsurprisingly, is Christmas-focussed with Christmas tree sales and the creation of wreaths from the varieties of foliage so lovingly nurtured over the year.

Yes, indeed, this talk was a whistle-stop tour – and these notes probably cover less than half of the activities Rob touched on. Nevertheless, hopefully they give a flavour of the continued dedication of Rob and the team he represents, to work hard behind the scenes to maintain year-round excellence at Waterperry.

Visit Waterperry Gardens

Chris opened his talk with a reminder of the old BBC sitcom “The Good Life” and its arrival during the serious economic pressures of the mid-1970s, and its popularisation of the idea of self-sufficiency. In the case of “The Good Life” this was taken to comic extremes, but the issue of “growing your own” became a mainstream notion. We have had times of economic fluctuations since those days, and it seems we are back again to the beginnings of familiar territory of financial pressures and inflation concerns. Certainly then, the time is right to increase our skills in growing our own and to encourage others to do the same.

Also of course in these times of difficulty the benefits of growing our own for mental wellbeing can’t be overestimated . That message is clear, given that over 100,000 people are now on waiting lists for allotment plots nationwide. Perhaps the time is right to revitalise the now defunct Landshare scheme initiated by food campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, where time-poor individuals with large gardens could share them with people ready and able to make full use of them.

Chris’s tips included the advice not to waste space with unnecessary crops. Always best also to grow things that we are used to eating and not overly cheap to buy in the shops, so we have for example beans courgettes, beet, onions and salad crops.

He gave his tips on soil improvement, controlling weeds and pests, as well as advocating where possible the use of raised beds for easy maintenance, and to keep pests at bay with the use, for example, of copper tape to deter slugs. We were reminded of the debate around the use of peat-based composts, and how this is being phased out by legislation which penalises horticulturalists, and which requires some considered thinking over the use of alternatives.

An interesting space-saving idea is the use of mixed-bed planting. In flower-beds it can be attractive to include varieties of plants, for example Lollo Rossa, a red lettuce which can add a colourful complement to those flower borders.

Chris gave plenty of tips on the seasonal growing of potatoes, beans, courgettes, micro-greens and a host of other popular vegetables. His discussion on tomatoes included mention of new “grafted-in” types which have become available via garden centres, having been developed by commercial growers for the supermarket.

These two headed up a list which included blackberries, gooseberries as potentially easy to grow, but some warning about the difficulties of looking after kiwi-fruit and goji berries. Some welcome advice was also on offer on choosing the right size of neighbour-friendly apple and pear trees, and also the idea of using fruit bushes as a barrier or screen to divide growing areas.

We had an opportunity for questions, and to buy from a fine range of plants which Chris had provided.

We soon learned about the wide range of planting styles, many of which link with and complement the animals’ living spaces. We had Jan’s insights into the thinking behind these planting styles which go beyond the purely decorative – although that is important. The aim is for a sense of exploration as well as shelter and shade – a sense of “plant theatre” using foliage and colour.

Opened in 1970 the 160-acre wildlife park is home to some 300 species of animals and birds. It comprises a variety of themed areas which lend themselves to differing approaches to planting. These include the walled garden with its various aviaries and free-roaming small mammals, a Woodland Walk with its variety of larger animals, moated paddocks which are home to larger mammals including the park’s now famous rhinos, its giraffes and Bactrian camels, and the caged area for big cats. Not least there is the manor house at the hub of it all, with its mature trees and with its orangery home for red pandas and the nearby giant tortoise enclosure. All these and more are complemented by the gardening skills of Jan’s team.

Especially important in this respect is the focus on planting for animals to “browse”, for example bamboos for the red pandas and lemurs and nettles for the giant tortoises, and grasses for nesting birds.

Of note was Jan’s description of the Tropical House with its use of bark mulching to soften the difference between the indoor and outdoor themes creating a unique flow, and also the varieties of pampas grasses which adorn the Rhino paddock, involving much hard work but achieving a fine visual outlook.

Year-round interest has been achieved through a cumulative build-up of plant varieties – springtime snowdrops, wild daffodils and fritillaries for example, and later magnolia, polyanthus, anemones, forget-me-knots, and wallflowers, plus of course the huge varieties planned annually for the summer bedding.

Jan’s descriptions of the changes between seasons were a reminder of the dedicated work of her team, including the underplanting of several thousands of tulip bulbs of different varieties, and the moving indoors under glass of the many cactus plants, succulents such as the splendid aeoniums – and surprising to many of us, spider plants – which adorn the park in summertime. We learned of the maintenance of the myriad hanging baskets of petunias and begonias which are watered on a drip system. Then of course the lifting of the bulbs and laying out the summer planting of canna lilies, geraniums and varieties of bamboo included.

There are many classic herbaceous borders with penstemon, roses, cosmos, and similar traditional planting, but there are experiments now with less formal areas with varieties of narcissus as well as quite stunning meadow mixes supplied by Pictorial Meadows which add a glorious dimension of colour.

All this activity takes place with a few challenges from the all-important creature-residents of the park. Apart from the rogue vole which enjoys digging up bulbs and leaving a suspect trail, or peacocks enjoying the chard and basil in the kitchen garden, there are ring-tailed lemurs who enjoy engaging with humans and breaking things with impunity. All this and more Jan described as part of the interesting relationship her work has in the greater scheme of things.

Our review here can only offer a flavour of the work at the Wildlife Park. The 45+ gathering of MUWAGA members and guests certainly enjoyed a fascinating evening – our first since the easing of Covid restrictions – and a reminder of the benefits of our social gatherings. We are grateful to Jan for her enthusiasm and her knowledge, which made for an entertaining and informative time for all.

See more here on the Cotswold Wildlife Park website.