On that really great programme "You and Yours" (BBCRadio4)today there was an interesting article on Manchester Community Allotments Project (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/items/02/2009_20_fri.shtml) which led me on to check out their website for other interesting bits...
There are photos on line to follow their progress.
This one is about schools putting aside a little piece of land to give children hands on experience at growing and then eating...
hhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/items/01/2009_21_wed.shtml
and this item is interesting about how councils are pursuing people when there allotments remain uncultivated when and how "... local authorities can meet the challenge of more than eighty thousand people waiting for an allotment."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/items/03/2009_22_fri.shtml
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
The German Garden - 1
Hanover-
Herrenhausen Gardens - formal gardens in Hanover. Capitol of Lower Saxony, and closely linked to the Hanoverians. Thus directly to the English kings and queens of the 20th century.The gardens were strongly influenced by the English Garden which was de rigeur architecturally and botanically in the 18th century.
Immaculate formal gardens which at the time did not sit well with me as it meant you were not able to walk on the grass which kind of defeated the idea of a garden for me. However Germany makes up for this with their thousands of wanderwegs** I suppose.
Not very far away is -Schloss Schwoebber (now a hotel with golf course and other amenities) but I lived within the castle for nearly two years in the 70s). The castle was surrounded by an English Garden which has become synonymous with an informally landscaped garden perfected by Capability Brown in a number of famous parks in Britain. The park was full of specimen trees, the schloss edged with a lake, swans, a tea house and an ice house below it.
This castle has a very strong literary connection as the castle had originally belonged to Baron von Muenchausen.
- The tea house set in the English Garden is a gardening preference that gets copied all over fashionable gardens of the 18th Century. George Washington's home showed his passion for gardening and Thomas Madison 's home has the most delightful teahouse over the ice house. In USA. These connections come together in a spectacular way in
Munich
which has a classic and huge English Garden (Englischer Garten), This equates with Richmond Park near London and Central Park in New York.
It owes its development and style to an American soldier Benjamen Thompson, born in Massachusetts and who fought on the English side. After their defeat in USA he moved in to the service of Carl Theodor. An interesting collaboration which actively had soldiers gardening and learning methods of agriculture in order to create recreation areas which would also be open to the public. In 1789 Friedrich von Sckell the Royal Gardener became consultant to the project. Von Sckell had studied landscape gardening in England and we begin to see how these gardening ideas got to be repeated all over Europe and beyond.
Nowadays the Englisher Garten has a Japanese Teehaus and one park of the park where nude bathing is permitted. And there is a standing wave for surfers..... the ultimate in water features?
Berlin - Botanical Garden in Berlin
Dessau - The Garden Kingdom of Desau-Worlitz - more of which anon
Potsdam - botanical garden can be found the Orangery Palace
**Wanderwegs are well marked walks through woodlands etc.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Allotments - Spain
Whilst researching various topics I have come across a number of references to academic studies and the promotion or otherwise of what we must translate as public allotments. This piece of research done by Geography Department of Barcelona University I discovered on a site "City Farmers" (See (1) below - a title I like and may be a better way of looking at the issue these days. However here we have data on "vegetable gardens" in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona. At the time of the research 132 plot holders were interviewed. Their characteristics generally were of post-retirement working class men who had migrated to the region and used their gardens for what appears to be a mixed and common set of aims for many allotment holders in Europe ie supporting their families with extra food, a social element and a general bonding which keeps rural traditions alive.
The authors go on to say though that there is a contradiction in public policies between those who would eliminate these urban gardens and the "greening of the city" and policies of sustainability. Where have we heard that before?
There is a great deal of evidence I could drag on to this site which shows that private business interests will succeed over public and neighbourhood policies but I wont bore you with it... except to say that image promotion of a potential Olympic city draws out promises given to the indigenous population not necessarily implemented by planners (Barcelona, Athens - so watch out London!) and to quote what I consider to be an important pointer to the future in this quote (2) :
"One particular case of urban agriculture is allotments located in public land in periurban areas. Although they are considered as marginal in areas such as the Barcelona metropolis, this is one activity which, if carefully regulated and even suitably promoted, can contribute to structuring peri-urban areas, generating laudable landscapes and satisfying the needs of many people. Examples of this can be seen in the outskirts of many central and northern European towns and cities. Private allotments can be compatible with traditional open spaces or incorporated into new metropolitan open spaces.Transforming this avocation, removing it from marginal spaces and relocatingit in suitable locations where it can be regulated, is something which needs to be done, but we can also see it as a good solution to shaping to our open spaces. Many European cities are going back to the policy of including allotments in public parks, thus reclaiming the tradition begun in Germany at the end of the 19th century."
There is very little mention in the literature of any other sensible town and public policy for Spain other than Barcelona. I believe Valencia has made some moves in this direction. However I was intrigued when I heard that some of the Spanish "townies" had been asking around for available plots of unworked land. Maybe there is change in the wind here as well.....
References
1.
http://www.cityfarmer.info/urbanization-and-class-produced-natures-vegetable-gardens-in-the-barcelona-metropolitan-region-mrb-spain/
2.
http://ddd.uab.cat/pub/prmb/18883621n47p91.pdf
The authors go on to say though that there is a contradiction in public policies between those who would eliminate these urban gardens and the "greening of the city" and policies of sustainability. Where have we heard that before?
There is a great deal of evidence I could drag on to this site which shows that private business interests will succeed over public and neighbourhood policies but I wont bore you with it... except to say that image promotion of a potential Olympic city draws out promises given to the indigenous population not necessarily implemented by planners (Barcelona, Athens - so watch out London!) and to quote what I consider to be an important pointer to the future in this quote (2) :
"One particular case of urban agriculture is allotments located in public land in periurban areas. Although they are considered as marginal in areas such as the Barcelona metropolis, this is one activity which, if carefully regulated and even suitably promoted, can contribute to structuring peri-urban areas, generating laudable landscapes and satisfying the needs of many people. Examples of this can be seen in the outskirts of many central and northern European towns and cities. Private allotments can be compatible with traditional open spaces or incorporated into new metropolitan open spaces.Transforming this avocation, removing it from marginal spaces and relocatingit in suitable locations where it can be regulated, is something which needs to be done, but we can also see it as a good solution to shaping to our open spaces. Many European cities are going back to the policy of including allotments in public parks, thus reclaiming the tradition begun in Germany at the end of the 19th century."
There is very little mention in the literature of any other sensible town and public policy for Spain other than Barcelona. I believe Valencia has made some moves in this direction. However I was intrigued when I heard that some of the Spanish "townies" had been asking around for available plots of unworked land. Maybe there is change in the wind here as well.....
References
1.
http://www.cityfarmer.info/urbanization-and-class-produced-natures-vegetable-gardens-in-the-barcelona-metropolitan-region-mrb-spain/
2.
http://ddd.uab.cat/pub/prmb/18883621n47p91.pdf
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Allotments - UK
Having just spent a week around my old stamping ground in UK, and despite mid July weather ie wet and cold, I made a visit with my friends to a city allotment area in Southampton which I had previously only vaguely 
been aware of. They now have a good little vegetable patch which has been a pretty steep learning curve for them over the last year. However there is apparently a lovely communality among the allotment holders and generally someone has put them right.
been aware of. They now have a good little vegetable patch which has been a pretty steep learning curve for them over the last year. However there is apparently a lovely communality among the allotment holders and generally someone has put them right.
I got to eat kale and sprouting broccoli and raspberries with red currants for supper that night and jolly nice it was too.Tucked away with a substantial wooded area there are deer hiding close by ready to eat anything the holders leave unprotected for their delectation. There are some things which they just don't seem to like which must be one up for the allotment holders:
French marigolds with everything....There was a substantial variation in the layout and general upkeep of what must be around a hundred lots. Some were gems of gardens with seats in secluded areas, mown lawns, neat raised beds, companion plantings, composting of course and vast piles of manure. 
I found myself absorbing small ideas from each area to possibly apply back in my spanish vegetable plot. Some of the gardens had a few chickens in what must be good pickings for city foxes if anyone fails to estimate how good they are at getting in or over fences and other devices..
I found myself absorbing small ideas from each area to possibly apply back in my spanish vegetable plot. Some of the gardens had a few chickens in what must be good pickings for city foxes if anyone fails to estimate how good they are at getting in or over fences and other devices..
Useful sites
www.allotment.org.uk - load of information and pictures and a source of answers to your problems
www.irishallotments.net -for Ireland
www.allotments.net - Cambridge allotments site -
thinking laterally this is of course an area associated with the fertile rump of Britain where they have been foremost in producing food in bulk. Lincoln. Norfolk and so on....
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Hampton Court Flower Show
I am not there again. Every year I promise to get myself there but things defeat me. Interesting tv coverage though... concept gardens are fascinating but again worth picking up ideas from the sustainable garden project. A HUGE site.
I loved the water chain and I am wondering how I can apply that out here in Murcia. It's a way of a large chain taking water off a roof garden and the overflow drips down into an interesting reservoir and then the chain reaches down to the earth and just gets absorbed into the ground.
Plants are very structural and generally can look after themselves whatever the weather. In fact if I hadnt known better these could have been gardens in the Levante Spain - have a look at the next item.
http://suevista.blogspot.com/2009/07/three-examples-of-structural-cacti-in.html
I loved the water chain and I am wondering how I can apply that out here in Murcia. It's a way of a large chain taking water off a roof garden and the overflow drips down into an interesting reservoir and then the chain reaches down to the earth and just gets absorbed into the ground.
Plants are very structural and generally can look after themselves whatever the weather. In fact if I hadnt known better these could have been gardens in the Levante Spain - have a look at the next item.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Italy again
I wonder if Italy has the record for Botanical gardens. The official website Italia has a complete list - about thirty seven. In Rome there is Ninfa and, also a really great idea, Latium in the heart of (Travestere) which is a 'scent and touch' garden for the visually impaired.
The first was... you've got it .... the Vatican's in the 13th century; Salerno's dates from the 14th century and Padua, Pisa and Florence - the Giadino dei Semplici - all date from the 16th century. However it was the 18th -19th centuries when these botanical gardens were mainly developed.
The University gardens in Catania, Sicily has a garden specifically dealing with the flora of the volcanic soil. Turin in Piedmont is very important as a centre of learning and study of Italian botany; their herbarium being second only to Florence.
And for those interested in such matters I found a couple of sites giving some of the patron saints of gardens and gardening.....
- St. Patrick for organic gardening
- St Fiacre for gardening
- St Francis for herbs and vegetables
- St Bernardo Abad is patron of the Beekeeper
- St Dorothy for fruit trees
The landscape is of course indomitable and I put up a photo of a visit to Umbria of my partner's sister and husband working hard on the slopes of their land to
create a little piece for a vegetable garden.If you stop for a minute to wipe your brow at least the view is a consolation.
And for a lovely fictional read connected with Umbria and a garden, how about William Trevor's "My House in Umbria" which can be found in Penguin Books 'Two Lives' (1992). If you cant be bothered to read then there is always the film which is lovely too.
"We must have a garden,' I had repeatedly said that winter and supring, saying it mainly to myself. 'It is ridiculous that a house like this does not have a garden to it.' ....One April passing through a railway station here in Italy I noticed a great display of azaleas in pots....Ever since I had longed for an azalea garden......"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
