Nailing trees.

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People who nail things to trees. To my mind thoughtless vandals. How would you like it if somebody nailed a bird box to your shins? And do these boxes ever get used by birds? Rarely because birds like a bit of cover – not full exposure of their family business. I’ve seen whole lighting strings – for a carpark – nailed to a fine row of birches. Yes – cheaper than a pole I suppose. I would like to see nailing/screwing things into trees made a criminal offence – it’s vandalism. And I don’t accept that ‘bark is dead’ so if the nail is short it doesn’t hurt. What do I know? years of watching injured trees get infected and slowly dying prematurely.

Plant buying @ The Walled Nursery

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Lovely morning working in the sunshine – popped into see Emma and Monty at The Walled Nusery in Hawkhurst and picked up some extra plants for a fussy customer.   As ever Emma and Monty keep a lively stock of some excellent plants and I always come away with an unexpected gem.   Good news too on their plans to renovate the old glasshouses and build the new cafe there.   Well worth a visit.

Bananas and Pineapples

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Frustrated by the mistake with his first fruit, and all the subsequent trouble that followed, God set to work on his second and came up with the banana.   Possibly an in-joke with back-reference to his past fruity mistake but delicious, nutricious and brilliantly pre-packaged none-the-less.   Not long after that he set his fruit designers another task.   The brief has been lost in the sulphurous mists of eons but underneath that hard and prickly exterior lurkes the meltingly seductive golden flesh of the pineapple – and it is as nutricious as the banana too.

The boss probably knows far too much about bananas [the B in BSc means banana];   in the meantime we are very happy to support Fair Trade in a number of edible crops but especially bananas and pineapples.   Check out what is happening before you and your bananas get to the supermarket – see BananaLink

Plants at Kenward – ready for sale

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Production at Kenward House in Yalding is coming to a peak with our sales tables groaning under the strain of sweet peas, beans, toms, and other veg soon to be set out for sale.   Other excellent stuff too – a rare fern [quick – only a few left], hydrangeas, some spotless hostas, dahlias and more herabaceous perennials coming on line soon.

The gardening team from the house also planted out sunflowers and Verbena bonariensis for cutting later in the year.

Do pop in over the bank holiday weekend and fill your car with some very good plants at very good prices.

Look here for details: Kenward Trust

Trees in towns and cities

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Just back from an excellent two day training course with the Arboricultural Association.   Case studies of new tree planting and old tree preservation in cities: planting pits, irrigation, root air and protection.   Plus a close look at standards of tree planting in the UK comapared with the USA and Australia, Canada, Holland and Sweden.   Good to mix with tree officers and other consultants too and discuss new approaches to urban tree care.

Plant Hunting

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In Swanley this week at Provender Nurseries.   Ferns, creeping dogwood, asiatic jasmine and my favourite posh compost [not telling], potted and bagged.   Richard and his friendly team always on hand to help and hunt down other botanical quarry.   And I always get a cup of tea there.   Best nurseries in SE England and a pleasure to visit.   They might need a bigger car park though – very busy with vans and poodled pines taking up my parking space!

New Grass at The Grove – Update

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Friends of The Grove [FOG] met park officers at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and their contractors today in The Grove.   Really pleased to see the new grass has sprouted and a pleasant green fuzz is taking over the bare mud. Storm Katie did her best to blow down some of the protective barrier netting but locals and FOG committeee members got together with a box of cable ties and re-secured the netting.   The Grove looking very good over-all, despite the torrential rain – but at least the new grass will be happy!   Plans for another autumn planting event including two new trees and a possible re-planting of the bed outside The Compasses were also discussed.

Dahlias and Bananas in Kent

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Great day at the Kenward Trust this week volunteering in the nurseries. Just a bit of sun and the polytunnels were hotting up pretty quick. Hundreds of dahlias to pot up and sprout with some cuttings already made earlier looking perky. There are so many varieties of over-wintered tubers that we potted some of them up directly – bypassing the cutting stage. Huge and stirling efforts by the residents outside the polytunnels this week have also seen the dahlia beds prepared and dug-over. Meanwhile two of my own stock bananas were repotted with much-needed help – they are getting pretty heavy – and half a dozen suckers or ‘pups’ were taken off and potted up for growing on and selling later this year or next. Recently split and divided hostas also looking fab – and not a slug or snail in sight.

Come and visit the Kenward Trust near Yalding in Kent soon and get some very high quality plants at very good prices. Vegetables, bedding and some perennials also coming on soon. The dahlias will be ready for picking later in the year – well worth a visit just to see this amazing collection.

Friends of The Grove [Tunbridge Wells].

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Grass Re-seeding in The Grove

Plans are underway to re-seed bare patches of grass in The Grove. Friends of The Grove (FOG) have assisted Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) and their contractors with soil analysis and grass seed choice and we hope to go ahead with the actual reseeding sometime in March or April. The re-seeded areas will be marked off with barrier tape and we urge all users of The Grove – especially the younger ones with footballs – to keep well away from the designated areas until the seed has established. It is difficult to say how long this will be – we are at the mercy of the weather.

In addition to this project this has been a busy year for FOG. We have had regular meetings with TWBC to discuss the maintenance of The Grove and future plans. Over the last year, FOG and TWBC have collaborated to achieve the following:

• bin flaps to prevent foxes emptying the rubbish out
• new signage encouraging park users to respect The Grove
• replanting of the Buckingham Road and Compasses beds
• tree pits re-cut

Email: contact@friendsofthegrove.com
Website: www.friendsofthegrove.com
Facebook: facebook.com/thegrovefriends
Twitter: twitter.com/thegrovetw

The Grove has been designated as an open space for the benefit of the community since 1703. Even today, the park is one of the ‘best kept secrets’ in Tunbridge Wells and is utilised by not only local residents but all those who visit the various attractions of the town.

The ‘Friends of The Grove’ (FOG) was set up in 1984 as an autonomous, non-profit making group to:
• promote The Grove’s unique character and wildlife
• encourage the local community to take an interest in the conservation, enhancement and protection of The Grove
• undertake fund raising as necessary to improve the park, its facilities and all the aspects of this wonderful open space

In order to maintain these objectives, we are asking local residents to consider a suggested donation of £5 to £10 per annum per household. If you wish to donate, FOG’s bank details are as follows:
Account name: The Friends of the Grove
Sort code: 30-98-77
Account number: 47330368
(Please use your name as the reference for administration purposes)

Alternatively, you may send cash or cheques to:
FOG Membership Secretary
Charles Gunning
Belgrove House
No.2 Belgrove
TN1 1YW