Back to basics with pots in southern Spain

http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5553830583671731465&postID=8513871475774487456                                                                                                                                         Extraordinary weather means relearning how to grow and what to grow when water is a precious commodity.  We experienced vast quantities of rain which we saved to large water butts in Spring. Now nothing - nada. Not even a dampness yet overnight.  

Our almond crop seems to have stood up to strange weather conditions but our olives this year look like being a poor crop.


Attempts to grow vegetables in the ground were pathetic. So I have pulled out a lot of plants and placed them in pots and hey presto! they are coming along nicely. 


Salads - thanks to an English friend who is an avid gardener with little time to waste - I have put in various lettuces in patio containers or in large pots under our trees to provide muted light and heat. So leaves to pick have included Barba dei Frati and Freckles. I have also made good use of seed tape including cucumber and dill -pretty as well. I have chili peppers from another friend in Texas.


Tomatoes are very late but again I have adapted the gro bag by buying 50 litre bags of good soil and cutting them open and providing some holes underneath for drainage. Again they are placed under trees.


Fruit - excellent crop of figs both black and green so I guess I will be making my own fig wine again this year. Drinking last year's crop at present. mmm!
Our grapes are lovely but I have to fight off the wasps which is a mixed blessing.  The grape vines are now also providing shelter on the west side of the house. I am also trying to grow a climbing pumpkin which is good at flowering but not so good at forming fruit. Maybe autumn will help....
Prickly pear crop is wonderful this year and despite what your eyes are taking in the tongue does get a hint of pear and never over sweet.


Aloe vera stock which we keep planting on will get used more this winter probably as soap with our olive oil and lavender.


I am still on a learning curve with our magnificent carob trees.  Collecting the seeds but....

Beauty and the Beast and gardening in Austria

A wonderrful trip out in Carinthia to Burg Hoch Osterwitz during my recent visit to Austria reputed to have been the inspiration for the film  Beauty and the Beast'. One can see why.   The castle has 14 towers each with a different mechanism to pass through to reach the top. So woebetide any enemy trying to take this little baby!  This little burg sits in the middle of farming country and echoes of a working farm can be found all around the base. The heavly blossoming apple trees were also heavy with mistletoe something I see a lot of in this part of Austria.






The castle's barn or bauhof



I loved this pretty garden at the converted bauhof where there is a mix of flowers and vegetable growing and how about this -  diagonal planting.

http://www.burg-hochosterwitz.or.at/-

The Dutch Garden and its modern influences

When I think of the concept of dutch gardening I just recall tulips initially in my mind's eye.  My first visit to the Koekenhof Gardens was in 1959. It almost hurt one's eyes to see so much colour in a singe vista. I was just not used to it. Any interest in  history  and literature will have demonstrated this Dutch passion for tulips and its dramatic effects  on its economy over time.


'The Black Tulip' by Alexander Dumas and my love of art and ceramics,  tin glaze in particular, taught me about the design of dutch ceramic tulip vases - the larger the more ornate the better. Equally think of Dutch art.


Clearly the love of particular types of flowers, cultural and imperial  heritage will all feed into what are the crucial characteristics that define a national garden -  in this case the dutch garden. 


The dutch garden is known for its efficient use of space and generally dense planting.  Not surprising really as Holland is so densely populated and must live always with an eye on the forces of nature.


An example of the English concept of the Dutch garden  is easy to see from this  small extract from  an article by Mrs C W  Earle in 1887 found in the Virago Book of Women Gardeners:

............by far the most enchanting plan for breaking up a lawn.....is to sink a small Dutch garden in the middle of it. The size of the Dutch garden must of course be in proportion to that of the lawn.  If the proportion cannot be kept,  it would be better to leave it alone. It should have a red brick wall all round it and be oblong or square..........the entrances to it are by brick steps one in the middle of each side......The height of the wall is about three feet from the ground on the outside and five feet on the inside.... pp46-47

However a visit to Holland and garden shows such as Chelsea will demonstrate that such formality does not necessarily define the more modern  Dutch garden. Piet Oudolf and the concept of prairie gardening  is now very influential  as designer, and nurseryman.  Grasses and the tall perrenials are key to his ideas providing height and structure but you will also see clipped hedges of the old Dutch garden.  I am also fascinated by his  design elements of the Lurie garden, the green roof of  the Millenium Centre in Chicago and will come back to this shortly in another blog.  (See references below)


I particularly warm to his ideas as his influences are nature, art, space and time which equally affect my attempts to make my garden in the semi desert. 


The long tradition with bulb planting means of course tulips, crocuses, calla lilies, anemones, narcissus - you still probably cant beat the 70 acres of the koekenhof.


The gardens of Oud Valkenberg Castle are probably a good bet for examples of herbariums, kitchen gardens the early dutch formal garden and so on.

References


www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiPvoxVbi94  .
www.oudolf.com/piet-oudolf/references
http://www.scampston.co.uk/metadot/index.pl for the design of the walled garden in 2004
http://www.kasteeltuinoudvalkenburg.nl/content/engels/garden/plattegrond_e.htm

Important Contributions from Spanish Botanists

Jose Celestino Mutis born in 1732 in Cadiz was the author of 'The Botany of Spain'.  He trained as a doctor of medicine and was also a botanist and trained in anatomy, physics, mathematics and astronomy.  His contribution as a botanist was extensive from his time on the South American west coast.  He was in extensive correspondence with Carl Linnaeus and his letters were brought together in a book by Sir James Edward Smith.


For a simple overview of his importance in the field look at 
http://www.virtualherbarium.org/gardenviews/JoseCelestinoMutis.html


I have found 144 plants credited to him as author in the International Plant List and this quote:

'The herbaria of Mutis's collection are prudently estimated at from 20,00 to 24,000 specimens representing some 5000 distinct species.'

His studies into quinine for pharmacological use were extremely important in the fight against malaria. What an ambassador for Colombia he was! He died in Bogota, the Viceroy of New Granada now known as Colombia in 1808   see images of him and some of his drawings and statues in gardens of  Bogota  see
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:hjpB6wizas-krM:http://www.smith.edu/vistas/vistas_web/espanol/images/gallery/precolumbian_lg/precol_botanical-exp_lg.jpg


Hippolite Ruiz left Spain from Cadiz in 1777 for the southern parts of South America. principally Peru and Chile His journal allows us to the continuing relevance of what he saw and wrote for today's world in the face of continuing rape of naturally occurring crops for profit with little concern for its impact on the balance of nature and climate.  For instance he watched what was occurring to the harvesting of the quina tree (from which comes quinine - so vitally important in the treatment of malaria worldwide).  He was appalled at the exploitation and waste of the leftovers after that which had commercial value had been removed. Is this a comment applies to 21st century South America still, the Globe?

'Since the ignorance and greed have led to the production of much soft impure or burned extract with its effective activity much reduced and its medicinal properties changed. This abuse should receive the government's most    . that it can be corrected; otherwise this business so interesting for Spain and so important for mankind will be lost.'  Ruiz too died in Bogota in 1808. The quina tree is the National Tree of Equador and is one of the symbols representing   nature in the shield of Peru.

The Malaspina expedition of 1789 - 94


The Malaspina expedition of 1789 led by an Italian Alessandro Malaspina who worked for the Spanish Navy was carried out under a spanish commission and was a scientific expedition whose collected data surpassed that of James Cook's.  For complex political reasons Malaspina fell out of favour with the Spanish Government and the importance of the expedition was never fully given recognition by the world.


Antonio de Pineda, Luis Nee and Thadeus Haenke were the three scientists commissioned by Carlos IV for the expedition. They all made their contribution to the botany and gardens of Spain.


 But the fate of these men is another story or ten....
At least give them a thought if you ever get to the Real Jardin  Botanico in Madrid

Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb.....

Having managed the near impossible and got my rhubarb seed up to 2'' my recent visit to Carinthia again (see..The Austrian Garden) I found myself with a dilemma looking at something which had appeared over winter. Was it by any chance a self seeded rhubarb plant? Looks more like dock leaves.... no it can't be...! Well.......
...so back to the research books and the history of rhubarb begins to unfold.


A resume


The first mention in any literature of rhubarb (genus rheum)is in China nearly 5000 years ago. when it is used there for its purgative properties. There is an interesting Rhubarb Compendium elsewhere which gives some examples of its 'miracle powers" as medicine. However the same article gives two bits of more modern information.
The first is the recorded planting of rhubarb was in Italy in 1608 and then more generally in the rest of Europe about 30 years later.
The second is in 1778 where rhubarb now has taken on a new function of food.ie as for pie fillings.


It seems to have got to Maine North America around 1800 where a grower was known to be selling plants to other gardeners. Botanical.com has some nicely illustrated types of rhubarbs - Turkey, English and Monk's. But it is the synonyms of the English rhubarb where the light bulb begins to flicker in our heads....


Synonyms: Garden rhubarb, Bastard Rhubarb ans Sweet Round leaved Dock.


Reading on, later we find that the English rhubarb has red veins .and further on in the Culpeper's description for Monks rhubarb it is referred to a s a dock used for its purgative powers. So have we come full circle? Here is some information on DOCKS.


''The name Dock is applied to a widespread tribe of broad-leaved wayside weeds, having roots possessing astringent qualities united in some with a cathartic principle, rendering them valuable as substitutes for Rhubarb, a plant of the same family.'' from Botanicum.com.


So still I dont know for sure what is growing in her garden as it is red veined but with unusual spade like leaves but I do know a lot more about nrhubarb.


I have discovered


a cordial called ZUCCA made from rhubarb roots and used as a basis for cocktails


the French grow it as a pot herb


At shows the are seen in the vegetable section not the fruit section 

 The chinese at the time of the Opium Wars were more worried about their rhubarb commodity being taken over by the british merchant foreigners


A health problem can come from oxalic acid contained within rhubarb - could cause kidney stones a most horrible illness

A quite extraordinary plant then, which I was addicted to whilst carrying my first child - the owner of said garden.  and since this is meant to have a literary value value as well as a gardening value here is a definition of 'rhubarb, rhubarb...'

(italbrac, theatre or film) (italbrac, mainly UK) Background noise of several "conversations", none of which are decipherable since actually all the actors are only repeating the word rhubarb (chosen because it contains no very sharp or recognisable phonemes) or other words with similar attributes. In UK use there is no implication that the "conversations" are intended to be angry, though they may be

For background information of all sorts:
www.rhubarbinfo.com

Spring 2010 - after a poor winter

 

The winter's unpredictability severely damaged much of my new plantings of last year. I suppose for every three new plants one has gone. Sometimes miracles occur so I let stuff stay for a year before pulling out completely. I have done very little writing as I've undergone many hospital tests in Spain. So I have rather reflected the garden - sad and drab. I also corrupted my pc which was totally cleared out and of course I had only backed up some of my stuff - why do we always think it wont ever happen?

Finally Spring has arrived rather late but benefitting from record breaking amounts of rain and of course flooding.

On 7th April the bee eaters arrived back and I spotted a little stonechat at the rear of the house. A hoopoe arrived for a brief stopover. Work done on the vegetable beds last year are showing signs of paying off as beans, spinach, melons and my present from a Texan friend of various peppers and chillies show their heads above soil.

The most exciting of all, I bought and planted four bare soil roses from Peter Beales which I worried for when we had another frost but they are doing very very well. In fact I think it is all the roses which have benefitted from extreme weather here. In due course I will photograph.... We have just been given a cherry tree which is worrying me a little about where to place it. My apple tree has failed I think but there just maybe a major victory over rhubarb production - small seedlings which look like miniature rhubarb sticks.

Gilbert White - A voice from the past

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia contributor

Gilbert White's Contribution to Gardens -

He was born in Selborne, Hampshire, England in 1720. Another phenologist and recorder of nature he is so worth reading at regular intervals. His diaries on natural history, ecology, landscaping, and also the relationship between plants and animals have been pioneering documents because of his extraordinary capacity for observation and recording.

He also worked with William Markwick (born 1739) on identifying and cataloguing many birds of the area. so between them their contribution has been immense.

So far the greatest jewel I have discovered on the internet in respect of this subject ( and something I will pursue further) is the Gutenberg Project which provides a FREE downloadable e-text of “The Natural History of Selborne” by Gilbert White based on a series of letters mainly to Thomas Pennant, the top zoologist at this time..Nothing can beat the original text for a sense of time and place and a tool to anchor us in our present day lives to the not so far away “Then” . Consider his description of the effects of the weather in 1780 for instance in his first letter when he describes a severe hot summer and a preceding dry spring and winter when the ponds dried and the wells failed... so familiar to my ears and eyes in this year 2009.... the fall of a huge important oak tree brought down in a big storm and attempts to recover it.

The wikipedia entry from Gilbert White reminded me of this comment which we should forget at our peril. I know I wish my garden had some of these (not so) common earthworms:

"............Earthworms, though in appearance a small and despicable link in the chain of nature, yet, if lost, would make a lamentable chasm [...] worms seem to be the great promoters of vegetation, which would proceed but lamely without them..."

Links

www.gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk

www.theaa.com In-the-footsteps-of-gilbert-white-at-selborne-420525

here is quite a useful reference from AA (Automobile Association) if you would like to walk “In the footsteps of Gilbert White” about 5 kilometers long and walkable with dogs on leads which has got to be a plus.

My Garden and I - September and a glut of fruit

Having let the last two weeks slip somewhat in the garden we are faced with a glut of our staple fruits. Last year's fig preserves were a great success but do you think I can find the recipe which I had carefully squirreled away?
So I made a guess and overcooked my first lot. Like baking one should not be trying this when a little below par..... Having binned that attempt I went back to the internet and did some more research. I was also wanting to check the charts reference altitude cooking as one must allow a little extra time for the standard English jam/preserve recipe.

I had cottoned on to this problem because here in Spain I never seemed to have a good cup of tea despite appearing to adhere to the normal rules of tea making. I finally had to come to the conclusion that the water was not getting hot enough and checked this out on the internet.

Many people do not realise that Spain is in effect the highest country of Europe after Swizerland. The highest of Iberia's mountains is down the road in the Sierra Nevada – Mulhacen at 3479 meters.
Generally northern Spain is at an average of 800 meters above sea level and southern Spain averages 400 meters. We live at 750 meters.

This charts the difference in boiling point at a variety of altitudes:

Alt in ft Alt in mtrs Boiling pt F. Boiling pt C.

< 0 0 212.0 100.0
500 152 211.0 99.4
1000 305 210.0 98.9
2000 610 208.2 97.9
3000 914 206.2 96.8
4000 1219 204.4 95.8
5000 1524 202.6 94.8
6000 1829 200.7 93.7
7000 2134 198.7 92.6
8000 2438 196.9 91.6
10000 3048 194.0 90.0
12500 3810 189.8 87.7

Because of the changes in air pressure food starts to bubble before reaching boiling point at sea level. This has implications for a lot of food preparation and preservation.

The point of all this is, it is very often necessary to cook jams and say, chips in fat, for some minutes longer and possibly invest in a pressure cooker if in Spain. You may need to experiment with baking as well.

My garden in August

It rained...
for 45 minutes.....

Amazing how it greens things up and rescues us from the risk of bush fires though. Bad year here with the loss of a number of spanish firefighters.
All that aside, the growth and ripening of all the summer crops is well advanced and we have started picking our mammoth crop of almonds at least a week early. Crops are dropping in local fields as they remain unpicked because of the big August Holiday so the boar and foxes are truly having a field day - get it?
Most spanish people flock to the coast for most of August quite sensibly but it does mean it is hard to get anything meaningful achieved at this time. I can get a little annoyed with other nationalities who come and expect to achieve big things in the month of August and then return to their native countries complaining about the spanish people and their manana culture. People should take note of the temperatures here which have been well in excess of 42 degrees C.


Managing our fig crop

I have been positively over the moon about eating our own grapes and honeydew melons as well as courgettes and pumpkins this year. I found an ace site on the internet which said that pumpkins make great chutney which lasts and lasts, so I mixed two recipes for chutney to use my ripening figs to make a very tasty "Susie's Kitchen Chutney". I will also make fig preserve which was a big hit last season.

I am drying black and green figs already. I have constructed my own box consisting of a black plastic tray which allows air through it and lined it with some mosquito net material to keep the insects and birds off them. The figs are laid out without touching each other. Hopefully they should dry in a couple of days in this heat. Prickly pears are already ripe (this is actually another form of fig) Prickly pear leaf pads break down to make an excellent composting material too.
Interestingly I seem to be growing wheat in the nearly prepared raised bed filled with straw and horse manure.......

Where are the bees?

The most worrying feature apart from the increase in temperature this summer is that there are hardly any bees and wasps around this year. Now up til now I havent heard of the local bee keepers complaining about problems so this is merely an observation at this point.

Bits and bobs

I have received my tree and bush propogation pots from Lee Gardens in Canada - of course one should really start things off in the Spring... and my summer sale seeds from secretseeds.co.uk in Tiverton. The penstemons, corriander and rhubarb I planted on my return from UK are up and running. I am also drying off seeds from the root crops etc for next season's planting. Word of advice from the newly wise - make sure you label well as you wont remember what is what when it comes to planting up seeds later on.

It can get quite chilly in the early hours so we are experiencing the greatest daily temperature variations so we need to be on our guard.

The German Garden - 2

I fall over the most interesting and excellent insights into the European World as it is whilst bringing myself up to speed on something that has galvanised me. Having written a little about West Germany - the one I knew about - I wanted to look at the gardens of East Germany - where I wasnt allowed to go - in the 70s. Some fascinating material around but it was the paper by Elizabeth Meyer Renschausen called "Geese in the Garden" which brought me the greatest insights especially into small holdings, allotments and private vegetable gardens and just as in UK economically difficult times leads to a greater interest in vegetable growing and allotments. She gave a paper in USA in 2002 and in it she has a good stab at defining "Small Holder" and "Vegetable Gardener" and how they can overlap....
But the statistic she quotes which puts so much into focus for Germany, its agriculture and the people in the east is this:
"The rapid integration of the GDR (the former East Germany) into the Federal Republic of Germany (the former West Germany) threw 89 percent of those employed in agriculture out of their jobs as early as 1990/91..............Up to two thirds of those unemployed or at most temporarily employed are women. " This was an excellent read.

What she describes is how the Peasant Wife - women's contribution to the agricultural economy - has become such a vital factor as a second and important source of boosting their livelihood either directly by producing food for the family's consumption or as part of the barter economy/payment in kind.
While many such women would prefer waged work because of its social connectivity to others they are aware that the food they grow "...simply tastes better...."

During the difficult years since the wall came down hobby farms and gardens have given many people in the provinces of eastern Germany a way of holding on to a valued sense of meaningful activity, usefulness rather than slipping into feelings of helplessness, grandparents supplying fresh produce for children and even grand children. In fact there has been an attempt to re-evaluate the future of Self Work suggesting that policy makers acknowledge and encourage self-help initiatives.

Dessau - Goethe was apparently totally inspired by Dessau. The formal gardens there are stunning and important to the whole of Europe and the world. In 2000 it was included as a UNESCO World Heritage site. (Leopold III Frederick Franz, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau (b. Dessau, 10 August 1740 - d. Schloss Luisium near Dessau, 9 August 1817 - Wikipedia) and generally known as Prince Franz began its development in the 18th Century, the golden age of formal gardens and much influenced by England and France's gardens.

Gartz on the Oder - near the Polish border gets talked about in "Geese in the Garden" but it is worth remembering that this town is in the one of Germany's National Parks - the lower Oder National Park.

Dresden - so badly bombed in World War Two by the British developed its gardens out of necessity fundamentally on bomb sites. Dresden has started a multicultural garden project I remember being told by a german friend who lived in the country and visited her mother in war-torn Berlin at the end; how she had sat on a bench to eat her lunch and being watched by half starved city people.

Leipzig seems inordinately important if you are physically or virtually interested in gardens of all kinds. The Leipzig Tourism site is in three languages and worth a visit for starters. They have superb photos to tempt and is a good place to start investigating their allotment gardens too.
Lovers of this area included Goethe:
- Goethe in Faust "Mein Leipzig lob' ich mir! Es ist ein klein Paris und bildet seine Leute. (I praise my Leipzig! It is a small Paris and educates its people."


Notes

I include this definition which has come out of many conference on sustainability - SARD (Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development) as a process which meets the following criteria:

* Ensures that the basic nutritional requirements of present and future generations, qualitatively and quantitatively, are met while providing a number of other agricultural products.
* Provides durable employment, sufficient income, and decent living and working conditions for all those engaged in agricultural production.
* Maintains and, where possible, enhances the productive capacity of the natural resource base as a whole, and the regenerative capacity of renewable resources, without disrupting the functioning of basic ecological cycles and natural balances, destroying the socio-cultural attributes of rural communities, or causing contamination of the environment.
* Reduces the vulnerability of the agricultural sector to adverse natural and socio-economic factors and other risks, and strengthens self-reliance.

Postscript to Allotments UK

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

The German Garden - 1

Germany's population's lives is very much apartment-based and use of public space for social use is a central plank in policy. Here is a first go at looking at some of their formal gardens and a little of their history.

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 20^th century.The gardens were strongly influenced by the English Garden which was de rigeur architecturally and botanically in the 18^th 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 18^th 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.

View Larger Map

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

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.

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..

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....

Three examples of structural cacti in a garden near Aguilas

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

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
  

I did find one piece on www.ecologicagardens.com about Italy which struck several vibrant chords with me. This writer is also very involved with design and structure as well and is best read in its entirety but here are some bits that caught my attention."... the roots of the authentic Italian garden have unknowingly displayed a surprising respect for the local landscape and native species within that landscape ..." Here is a photo I took outside the walls of Bavagna which really gives a sense of that.







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......"

My Five Successful gardening ploys for 2009

This idea came from a great blogsite I found while doing the "Great Problogger teach-in" this year. Tod's upside down planter has had a great following on the net for years and now I spot that Lakeland Plastics have a kit in their catalogue.

This cost me nothing; just stuff I had around - please note I have used a smaller bucket to Tod's idea.

I used the same plants in the same compost planted the same time in very hot southern Spain. The upside down planter has won hands down. Still not sure why it is so successful - airflow? gravity? Photo taken June 30th.

My other ploy this year is to use broken down prickly pear and old newspapers in a trough in my veggie garden before planting my melons, courgettes and pumpkin.This really seems to have held the water in the soil. Despite up to 40deg Centigrade we actually have something to show for the summer.

I have finally been convinced that raised gardens are a must and our September bed is now in preparation assisted by horse manure from a local riding school. Should be nicely ready for our winter plantings.

Being somewhat disabled I have come to love an old tool beloved of people around here - the Spanish hoe. Somehow with its shorter handle and heavy metal wide blade you can get some real force behind your controlled swing.

I have ordered an interesting gadget to help propagate trees and bushes which are expensive purchases and often have a heavy carbon footprint. Just so irritated that this is made in Spain and I cannot find a supplier other than an American one for this but in the long run I hope save.

It is a rooter pot and seems to be similar to the portuguese air layering system . I am grateful to Hannes on the Pete Beale Rose Community forum for this one.

Modern Italy - a first look

When most people think of Italy we think of a place as old as the hills literally and metaphorically with gardens conjured in the mind's eye of renaissance statuary and lush rolling hllls with cypresses pointing heavenwards – right and wrong.

The country we now know as Italy consisted of many powerful and autonomous states right up to 187?. Most of them forever fighting each other. Each with its own natural beauty, agricultural gifts and traditions built on timeless patterns of human activity with a lot of input from the natural world. Italy is split down the middle by a massive fault, with tectonic plates which are pushing the whole country toward iits neighbours across the Adriatics pitted with active volcanoes and constantly reminds us of the fact.

So let's remind ourselves of those elements which now constitute Italy.

Let us start with Rome and the Roman Empire. The Romans tried to steal and dominate most of Europe succeeding for the most part for nearly five hundred years. The power and might emanating from the seven hills of Rome. Not surprising therefore they left a mark on other lands.

And now Rome surrounds the enclave of the Papal State. Now there is a force to be reckoned with.

Map of Italy by Tourizm Maps © 2006
Florence, Genoa, Sienna, Padua, Venice - names that trickle off the tongue. Some more powerful states than others. Each had their own centre of learning and it is not surprising that the Republic contains more that 30 botanic gardens, the first being the 13^th century garden of herbs at the Vatican. Latin of course was the academic language of the world as we knew it and in fact is still not dead and wont lie down. Gardeners certainly know this.

Surfing the web there are overwhelming numbers of sites for the Renaissance gardens of Italy to visit. However I will argue that the joy of Italy can be missed if you take a limited approach.

When I visualise and remember what is so wonderful about the gardens and horticulture I remember the fruit trees of the north heavy with blossom, - remember their pears, cherries? fruit trees lining the roads mile on mile. Then the rolling wheat fields of Central Italy , the basis of pasta and the pizza, interspersed with heliotropes, the large sunflower used for oil. Also lets not forget the other key horticultural wonder – the olive industry. Go south to the lemon groves of the Amalfi coast. To see the tomato harvest of plum tomatoes travelling in overflowing lorry loads to the canning factory is gobsmacking eye wateringly astounding given the dirt poor nature of the very south.. The Italian tomato – the food of the people is now a global enterprise.

The North South divide – The link between the foods able to be grown, the climate of each area and the cultural habits that flow from these factors is sharply brought into focus here in Italy.

Ignoring the phenomenal coastline of the Republic which allows for everyday fishing.is mistaken as I guess it is a very good source of fertiliser - (a point I will check up on).

The real key to the states of Italy then is really its horticultural diversity which has managed to keep ordinary people eating and living relatively well despite its feudal history.

Agave Americana - fully grown now

Hard to work out its exact growth over the last six weeks, it is now huge and verdant for a short period. The birds will start to strip the seeds out now. It is over 20 feet anyway and is still about 17 inches around its girth.

Extraordinarily there are American Agaves this year where I have never seen even one before in the Rambla.

Recently driving down to a beach I had never visited in the Cabo de Gata I saw from a distance a series of masts - I thought it really did have a sailing facility... as I got closer of course it was a forest of agaves sailing on a sand dune.