On 14th June 2016, I gave a course on perennial vegetables to a group of interested gardeners at Wardington Manor, near to Banbury, invited by Bridget Elworthy and Henrietta Courtauld, The Land Gardeners (see http://thelandgardeners.com/home ). They grow cut flowers for florists, have done garden design in several countries and run sustainable courses from the Manor!
The course was a talk and walk and here are a selection of pictures from this memorable day….I won’t forget the finale when we got caught in traffic to the station, Bridget hurtling through the station with my large suitcase of books and jumping on the train with a minute to spare…wouldn’t do to be late for the Prince would it :) A great day!
Henrietta picking and arranging organically grown cut flowers, part of the Land Gardeners’ business…it was high season, so I earned my breakfast in bed by helping out harvesting when I arrived :)
The permaveggies course started in this room with tea and a chat :)
I loved the books covering most of the tables in the house!!
The view from the house towards the front gate!
The room for the talk!
The room for the talk!
Looking for edibles in the garden! Two cultivars of garden orach (Atriplex hortensis)
Looking for edibles in the garden! Garden orach (Atriplex hortensis) and opium poppy (Papaver somniferum)
Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum)
Sambucus nigra, elderberry
The pond
One of the purple Sambucus nigra, elderberry cultivars
Gunnera!
An old overgrown garden next to the pond was full of food….Hostas and Martagon lily ;)
Ramsons
Sonchus oleraceus is the puha of the Maoris of New Zealand,a very important vegetable for them (see the review of Sonchus in my book and http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?page_id=2271). Bridget and her husband are from New Zealand, so it was natural to talk about this one!
The driveway in to the house had a border of Bistort in full flower, probably the large flowered cultivar “Superba” . Bistort is one of the 80 in my book, important ingredient in traditional Yorkshire dish Easter Ledge Pudding and the “Eskimo Potatoes” that Roald Amundsen bought from the locals when he overwintered for the second time during his successful journey through the North West Passage!
Bistort
Bistort
Allium unifolium is a beautiful edimental
I found a small ornamental sea kale / heartleaf Crambe (Crambe cordifolia), another one in my book and Caucasian cousin of Europe’s Sea Kale…
Papaver somniferum, opium poppy
The white form of red valerian, Centranthus ruber…
Cardoons or artichokes
Actinidia kolomikta, the male has the best variegation and is most widely used. Male and female plants are needed for fruit, delicious mini kiwis (fittingly): http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tuUq6ybl3h8/VUeRW2Ys1nI/AAAAAAAAdLw/2xLVlBFytTs/s1600/Actinidia%2Bkolomiktafruits.jpg
Angelica
The herb garden is near the kitchen
A traditional walled vegetable garden produces a large range of vegetables! This course arose from meeting Bridget at the Walled Kitcehn Garden Network meeting at Croome last autumn: http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?page_id=2554
Jerusalem Artichokes…unharvested…I wonder why ;)
Flowering parsnips, being grown mainly for the cut flower business rather than seed!
Broad beans :)
Course participants on the walled garden tour!
As we walked we picked and this was the salad that resulted :)
Perennial vegetables, Edimentals (plants that are edible and ornamental) and other goings on in The Edible Garden