From the Board Garden Life under lock-down

Like everything and everyone else in the country, Burton Manor Gardens haven’t escaped the effects of this terrible pandemic that the country and the world are experiencing. But, despite everything, life in the gardens has continued, albeit within all the rules set out by the government. As soon as the lock-down was announced the volunteers began self-isolating, our planned events were all cancelled, the greenhouse was locked, the offices in The Manor closed, the café shut, and work on the building site ground to a halt.

The walkway down to the icehouse and back was left open for local residents who wanted to walk their dogs …. but the weeds continued to grow, the grass needed cutting, and during that prolonged hot spell the plants needed watering. So, a skeleton team of volunteers working within the requirements for social distancing moved in to keep things under control. Working individually, and often on different days, the beds have been weeded, cuttings taken, plants watered, crops harvested, and the grass has been cut. A new fruit cage has been erected. Lettuce, carrots, leeks, and onions have been planted, and the gardens are looking as good as ever.

Slowly life has been returning to some degree of normality. More volunteers have returned to work. The walled garden has been re-opened to visitors. Plant sales have resumed, and cut flowers have re-appeared. Work on the foundations for the new houses has started again, some of the office staff have returned to The Manor, the café has re-opened for take-away coffee and meals, and hopefully very soon the refurbishing of our bookshop will be completed and

back in service

Our visitor centre and toilets will remain closed for the time being. Volunteers will continue to keep apart and provide their own refreshments, and as always our visitors and dog walkers are asked to take their waste bags home with them. Hopefully it wont be too long before life in the gardens can return to normal. Stay safe everyone and take care.

The Newsletter from The Friends of Burton Manor Gardens

Manor Garden Thymes

Edition 6

In this edition:

★ Putting them in the shade

★ Top 10 for July

★ Top Tip

★ Feel good

★ Events programme

★ How to find us

★ Can we find you

★ David Hughes Remembers

★ Contributors

★ Walking on the Wirral

★ Lock-Down Gallery

Friends of Burton Manor Gardens Newsletter Edition 6; July 2020

Putting Them In The Shade

Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful’ and sitting in the shade. Rudyard Kipling

We have experienced one of the sunniest and driest early summers on record which for those who wish to smear themselves with oil and sit slowly frying in days of endless sunshine may welcome. Those of us who find the constant shining of the celestial orb rather trying this must be one of the more ridiculous ways to enjoy the garden; what we need is shade but that may not be the best option for those plants which are typical of Mediterranean climates, such as Lavender, Ceanothus, Eucalyptus or Kniphofias. If shade is your refuge then plants tolerant of low-ish light levels must be selected.

Small, deciduous trees such as Sorbus. Malus or Acer will provide sufficient shade in time for us to sit under, in the heat of the day’ and for those woodland plants that will provide the second and ground storey plantings. Do not think about a Forestry Commission planting scheme, a single specimen may well be enough. However, in shade and with competition from tree roots, careful establishment procedure will need to include a conscientious approach to watering at least for the first, and maybe, second years after planting

There is a plentiful choice of plants to go beneath the tree including some excellent shrubs. These include some of the small, mountain Rhododendrons such as pink-white Rh.yakushimanum and the deciduous Rh. quinquefolium. Other shrubs to try, given enough space are Hamamelis x intermedia a small variety is H. ‘Arnold Promise’; the yellow flowered currant, Rubus odoratus and Mahonia

japonica

The choice for underplanting with herbaceous perennials is legion and, to a certain extent dependent on what your personal likes and dislikes are. It is often a sensible idea to visit gardens near you that have good collections of woodland plants to give ideas. To find the ones in your locality you could do worse than consulting the pages of the yellow booklets produced each year under the NGS {National Gardens Scheme} There are usually a batch of these for you to pick up in either the glasshouse or Visitor Centre.

Let’s begin with a few bulbs and tubers amongst which Trilliums, Lilies and Erythroniums are some of the best. The first is Trillium grandiflorum, a fine, white North American known as Wake Robin ; if you’re lucky you might find one that turns pink as it fades. Other North American favourites

are the so called Avalanche or Fawn Lilies, of which both E. revolutum, pink, and E. californicum, white and yellow , may be seen bordering the Perimeter Path. Lilium martagon is a European native with turks cap flowers in shades of pink to white.

Ground cover may be provided by early Hacquetia epipactis a most unlikley looking member of the carrot family, but don’t let that you off, Wood anemones in a whole variety of colours from typical white to pink and subltle shades of blue. Foxgloves and Welsh poppies extend the season well into summer but might prove somewhat trying as they do tend to seed around.

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Malus floribunda, a species native to Japan and perhaps the most beautiful of all crabs

Rhododendron yakushimanum

January flowering Mahonia japonica

Friends of Burton Manor Gardens Newsletter Edition 6; July 2020

One could get carried away but we should stop now and hope that you will make your own choices. If some part of our gardens are to be given over to shade so that we may relax on

summer days then, as Kipling implies, some effort needs to be expended to achieve success, and this suggets that now may be good for planning and autumn best for preparing and planting.

Finally, if you are worried about creating a woodland and you feel you have insufficient space it might be wise to bear in mind that a single tree will provide that all important shade. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that you need a lot of space. A group of students had been taken on a tour of the Rothschild Estate in Exbury by Lord Rothschild himself. Yours truly was asked to give a vote of thanks and waxed lyrical about the woodland saying how he coveted that which he had seen. ‘Young man’, said his Lordship. ‘Remember this, no matter how small your estate may be it should always contain at least two acres of woodland’ Hey ho!

Top 10 things to do in July Our peers at the RHS have identified the top 10 jobs for us to do at home during the heady months of July which is often one of the hottest months of the year and a great time to sit out and enjoy your garden. Keep plants looking good by regularly dead-heading, and you'll enjoy a longer display of blooms. Make sure you keep new plants well watered, using grey water where possible, and hoe off weeds, which thrive in the sunshine.

1. Check clematis for signs of clematis wilt 2. Care for houseplant while on holiday 3. Water tubs and new plants if dry, but be water-wise 4. Deadhead bedding plants and repeat-flowering perennials, to ensure continuous flowering 5. Pick courgettes before they become marrows 6. Treat apple scab 7. Clear algae, blanket weeds and debris from ponds, and keep them topped up 8. Order catalogues for next year’s spring-flowering bulbs 9. Give the lawn a quick-acting summer feed, especially if not given a spring feed 10. Harvest apricots, peaches and nectarines

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Erythronium revolutum

Trillium grandiflorum

Friends of Burton Manor Gardens Newsletter Edition 6; July 2020

Top Tip - Think about leaf mould now! What is dark brown, crumbly, good for your garden and completely free? No, it's not chocolate cake. It's leaf mould!. Autumn leaves rot down to make leaf mould. It is easy to make, and it can be used on any soil at any time of the year. It’s also perfect for seed and potting mixes too. And now is about the time to start thinking about it if you do not already collect them!

Making leaf mould is as easy as 1,2,3.Collect fallen autumn leaves. Pack them while damp into a container, bin bag or wireframe. Leave them for a year or two and you have a lovely dark brown mix that supports your soil structure, can be used as a mulch, or as part of your potting mix.

Which leaves? You can use all fallen leaves in the autumn. Even the ones with black spots. Running the mower over the lawn, with blades high, will collect a mix of grass trimmings and shredded leaves. These will rot down fast, especially when damp. You can also collect leaves from parks or cemeteries – but not woodlands. Leave leaves under hedges for not only are they good for the soil but creatures such as hedgehogs may be hibernating there. Don’t use evergreen leaves - such as holly, laurel or Leyland cypress and other conifers - as they can take up to 3 years to rot down. Although pine needles can be gathered. Yes, they will take a long time to rot down, so keep them in a separate pile. But they produce acidic leaf mould, which is ideal for mulching ericaceous plants, such as rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, Pieris and blueberries. See below for the different types of leaves and their nutrients.

What container? Thick plastic bin bags are perfect. They are portable, allowing you to store them out of the way. Once full of leaves, make sure they are damp before tying the top. Pierce the bag a few times to help aerate the contents. If you have a lot of leaves you can make a simple heap. To stop them blowing away, build a frame round the heap using posts and netting.

Compost or leafmould? Small amounts of autumn leaves can be added to your compost heap. They make a good balancing ingredient for wet and soggy materials like kitchen waste. However, autumn leaves are rotted down mainly by the slow, cool action of fungi - rather than the quicker acting bacteria that work in a compost heap. This is why autumn leaves in quantity are best recycled separately in a leaf mould heap.

How to use leaf mould. Young leafmould (1 or 2 years old): Leaves beginning to break up; easily crumbled in the hand.

• Mulch around shrubs, herbaceous, trees, vegetables • Dig in as soil improver for sowing and planting • Autumn top dressing for lawns • Winter cover for bare soil

Well-rotted leafmould (At least 2 years old): Dark brown crumbly material, with no real trace of original leaves visible.

• Use as above • Seed sowing mix - use leafmould on its own, or mixed with equal parts sharp sand and garden

compost • Potting compost - mix equal parts well-rotted leafmould, sharp sand, loam and garden compost •

The science of leafmould Leaves contain up to 80% of the nutrients picked up by a tree. However, as they die, most of these nutrients are reabsorbed by the tree. What remains in the leaf is an important substance called lignin. It acts as a buffer for extremes of mineral flows within the soil, and can hold the soil nutrients in reserve. Lignin is also the fibre in the leaf's cell structure, and is slow to break down. This is worth remembering when gathering your leaves for leafmould. Leaves which are lower in lignin and higher in calcium and nitrogen: ash, cherry, elm, linden, maple, poplar and willow. Leaves which are higher in lignin and lower in nitrogen and calcium: beech, birch, hornbeam, oak, sweet chestnut and magnolia If you mix grass cuttings with the leaves you will increase the nitrate content of the leafmould.

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https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/leafmould#leafscience

Friends of Burton Manor Gardens Newsletter Edition 6; July 2020

Feel Good At least we who have gardens can keep our fitness levels up, but what about wellbeing? We have been through difficult times but, if we are lucky, have come up smelling of roses. Of course, not everyone has been so fortunate some may have lost close relatives and dear friends so the need to develop an increased sense of wellbeing is going to be paramount. Where better to enjoy this crucial part of overall health than in a garden.

A garden is a place for contemplation and allows for peace, quiet and an opportunity to lose ourselves in the wonders of nature. To achieve maximum results it will be important to forget about that weed over there behind the paeony, to put away any thoughts of dead-heading the flowers planted in the colourful borders and to avoid any temptation to work out, no digging, mowing or pruning. Sit back, let the warmth of the air and perfume from the flowers carried on its gentle breeze rock you in its embrace and let the great outdoors take over; it’s magic and can only truly happen in a garden.

There may be a tendency to overdo the good things so if you are feeling up to it get on with the physical side of being in a garden it will lower stress levels and may lead to the production of higher levels of an enzyme called telomerase which may improve overall health and in its own way increase our sense of wellbeing. Sunshine provides much needed Vitamin D which in itself may help to offset any effects of Covid 19

Haven’t got a garden? Well, the nearest park or area of outstanding natural beauty can be a very satisfactory substitute where you can relax or exercise just as if you were working in a garden and with all the same benefits.

Events Programme Please note that all events have been cancelled for the foreseeable future. We hope to be in a position to re-programme them soon, in line with government guidance regarding social distancing and networking. In the meantime, our hallowed grounds will be open and we hope you will pay us a visit to admire all our hard labours.

How to find us!

The Friends of Burton Manor Gardens can be contacted by:

Correspondence should be addressed to: Friends of Burton Manor Gardens, The Village, Burton, Neston, CH64 5SJ Telephone; call: .............0151 336 6154 (Wednesday mornings 10-13:00Hrs) There is an answerphone service so if we are not in, please leave a message and your call will be returned Email: ……………………send a message to burtonmanorgardens@gmail.com Web: ……………………..look for us on the web at https://friendsofburtonmanorgardens.btck.co.uk Facebook………………..search for “The Friends of Burton Manor Gardens”. Our postcode is…………CH64 5SJ. Pop it in the SatNav!!

Can we find you!

We need Your Contact Details!

If you are a member or volunteer, please make sure we have all your contact details and that those we have are the correct ones! We refer to these lists to get in touch with your next of kin should the unimaginable happen! We also wish to keep you in touch with what happens here at Burton Manor Gardens and prefer to do this electronically where possible. Yes it is cheaper but it is more environmentally friendly too.

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https://friendsofburtonmanorgardens.btck.co.uk

Friends of Burton Manor Gardens Newsletter Edition 6; July 2020

David Hughes Remembers.The memories of a young van boy in Burton Village between 1955 and 1965.

David's Father was J.R Hughes. He owned and ran a Bakers and Grocers shop in Neston, which was situated on the site of what is now Dominoes.

Mr.Hughes had 5 delivery vans and these took merchandise to quite a number of the outlying localities surrounding Neston town centre. David left school in 1955 at the age of 14 and became one of his father's van delivery boys. On his rounds he made calls at the big house " Denhall" down on the Marshes , and then through Burton Village en route to Puddington. Approaching the village from the Estuary up Station Road,( on the right side of the road,) lived the farmer Alf Joinson who also owned a stable of race horses. He would then call and deliver to Burton Manor College, owned and run by Liverpool City Council. The chef at that time was a woman called Molly Roberts.

Continuing down the road , his list included calling on the residents of Bishop Wilsons House; further along to a cottage where the Misses Roberts lived; then to the premises of "Fin and Haddy" the nickname given to the owner of the fish shop. Opposite the now defunct bus stop, lived Miss Voil who ran a small cake and grocery shop. Just around the corner ( right on the corner of Mudhouse Lane) Charley Swift had his butchers shop. This was before he relocated to the centre of the village in 1965 when the shop then included the Post Office. Beyond Swifts Butchers was a small cafe owned by Mrs. Lunt. In one of the houses opposite Vicarage Lane, was another grocers shop run by Mr.Wood. Two days a week deliveries were made to Puddington. The school was originally sited at the top of the hill as you approach the village from Ness, before it was relocated to its present site in Puddington Road in 1965. One of the teachers in charge of the small school was Mrs. Jones. The public house called the Stanley Arms had ceased to exist by 1965, and had been in the house now called Stanley House. David's picture of Burton at that time, is of a busy, thriving, self sufficient community, with plenty of local characters to spice up the daily life of the village. In 1965 David made an up grade from his delivery van and took to the road as a long distance driver. If you want to hear more stories about village life as he remembers it, David is a Burton Manor Gardens Volunteer, and you can find him drinking coffee in the Glass House in the Walled Garden about 11.00 most Monday mornings.

This Edition’s Contributors are: Gavin Hunter

Carole Hann

Colin Spencer

Peter Cunnington

Sheila Shaw

David Hughes

Our thanks to them all.

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Friends of Burton Manor Gardens Newsletter Edition 6; July 2020

Walking on the Wirral during Lockdown Some of the benefits of the recent Covid 19 lockdown have been good weather and time for families to be together (in some cases desperately trying to find things to keep the kids occupied and amused!). It has been great to see plenty of walkers out on the hundreds of miles of footpaths and bridleways covering the Wirral Peninsula, sometimes walking paths for the first time and exploring new places. There are plenty of Walking Guides offering a range of circular or linear walks to suit all ages and abilities and there are a number of walking guides provided by Wirral Borough Council which can be picked up at the local Libraries or Visitor Centres when they are open or on the Visit Wirral website

https://www.visitwirral.com/things-to-do/activities/walking In order to ensure that everyone gets the best out of their walk I would draw your attention to the latest Covid 19 version of the Countryside Code.

RESPECT - PROTECT - ENJOY.

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Respect other people• Consider the local community and other people enjoying

the outdoors• Park carefully so access to gateways and driveways are clear• Leave gates and property as you find them• Follow paths but give way to others where it’s narrow

Protect the natural environment• Leave no trace of your visit, take all your litter home• Don’t have BBQs or fires• Keep dogs under effective control• Dog poo - bag it and bin it

Enjoy the outdoors• Plan ahead, check what facilities are

open, be prepared• Follow advice and local signs and

obey social distancing measures

The Countryside Code

Enjoy, be safe

https://www.visitwirral.com/things-to-do/activities/walking

Friends of Burton Manor Gardens Newsletter Edition 6; July 2020

Lock-Down Gallery

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During this period of change (re-development) and challenge (pandemic) to the gardens and volunteers respectively; our cherished grounds have required continual care and maintenance and our thanks are extended to those few who have committed so much time and effort Here are a few photographs of the work that has been undertaken; and we are sure you will enjoy the results. Why not pay is a visit.

Lorem Ipsum Dolor Sit AmetDuis Montes, Tellus LobortisDuis Montes Tellus LobortisLorem ipsumdolor sit ametCurabitur auctorFrom the BoardGarden Life under lock-downLorem ipsum dolor sit amet ligulaPutting Them In The ShadeTop 10 things to do in JulyTop Tip - Think about leaf mould now!Feel GoodEvents ProgrammeHow to find us!The Friends of Burton Manor Gardens can be contacted by:Can we find you!We need Your Contact Details!David Hughes Remembers.This Edition’s Contributors are:Our thanks to them all.Walking on the Wirral during LockdownLock-Down Gallery