Dorset Art Weeks taster event

Our taster event was a huge success and our customers certainly seemed to enjoy the beautiful art displayed and in particular chatting to the artists themselves.   There was one piece of work in particular that caused quite a stir – the model of Her Majesty the Queen, complete with accompanying Corgi!! It was very funny to see people do a double take when they passed her!  Totally made from paper mache the full size model was a big hit!!

On Saturday 12 May we held a series of in-house demonstrations which were really enjoyable and informative and each of the 5 artists drew a big crowd of admiring onlookers as you can see from these photos.    On Sunday 13th local artist Sue Hardy took on the task of designing a cow collage with the help of visiting children which was great fun.  There is still a little work to be done on the collage but hopefully once it is finished it will be displayed here at the Garden Centre….. watch this space for more details!

Dorset Arts Weeks starts on 26th May and runs until 10th June.  Brochures are still available here but please contact Anne Hitchcock at info@sladecentre.co.uk for more information.

Orchard Park would like to thank all the artists who displayed their work and gave their time to us and our customers.

Dorset Art Weeks

Needless to say, as a gardener I am in my element at this time of the year; soil warm enough to sow almost anything and enough moisture to aid germination, plus the weeds have not yet taken over.

That leads me to the current hot topic; water conservation. We have had far less than average rainfall so far this year. In general the average rainfall balances up by the end of the year which does of course mean that there may be a large black cloud moving to where you live at some point, and it will rain.

On that basis it is well worth getting a water butt in place to save this valuable commodity. Now water butts have been in scarce supply this year because we have all realised that they are a really good idea, and the manufacturers have been completely caught out. Until the black cloud does appear, there are a number of things you can do to keep the moisture in the soil. It is all very simple; either stop the moisture leaving the soil by using a nice mulch (covering layer) of nicely rotted compost, bark, or soil improver from the garden centre, or add materials to the soil to help it hold more moisture to start with. Again well-rotted compost is ideal, but small gravel also works and of course water retaining crystals hold a fantastic amount of extra water for the plant roots to get into.

Water management is important; avoid digging the soil in dry weather as the dug surfaces will quickly dry out. Water the plants themselves in the cool of the day so that the water can go down to the roots and not evaporate straight away. Consistent watering is generally more effective for most plants than binge drinking for dry plants. This is especially true for the grow-your-own plot where plants deprived of water will not feed the family! Fruit and veg growing is still a fantastic story; it is such a great philosophy and so easy to pick up on. No-one suggest that you can feed the family all year round but a few good meals with wonderful fresh tasting vegetables is well within the reach of most of us whether we are growing in beds and borders, grow bags, raised beds or tubs. The options are plentiful and the garden centres are full of all the bits you need to be successful.

Ingredients

3tbsp olive oil
1 ¼ kg beef mince
2 onions,3 carrots,3 celery sticks, 2 garlic cloves all finely chopped
3tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 large glass red wine
850ml beef stock
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Few thyme sprigs and 2 bay leaves

For the mash

1.8kg potatoes chopped
225ml milk
25g butter
200g strong cheddar such as Westcombe or Montgomerys – grated
Freshly grated nutmeg

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the mince until browned – you may need to do this in batches, set aside as it browns.  Put the rest of the oil into the pan, add the veg and cook on a gentle heat until soft – about 20 mins.  Add the garlic, flour and tomato puree, increase the heat and cook on for a few mins. Then return the beef to the pan.  Pour over the wine and boil to reduce it slightly before adding the stock, add Worstershire and herbs.  Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 45 mins.  By this time the gravy should be thick and coating the meat.  Season well and discard the bay leaves and thyme stalks.
2. Meanwhile, make the mash – in a large saucepan, cover the potatoes in salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until tender.  Drain well, then allow to steam-dry for a few mins.  Mash well with milk, butter and three-quarters of the cheese, then season with nutmeg and salt and pepper.
3. Spoon meat into an ovenproof dish then pipe or spoon the mash to cover.  Sprinkle on the remaining cheese.  Cook at 220C/gas 7 for 25 mins

I have great plans for early salad production which could be important as it seems two thirds of our household are trying to eat healthily [I am of course, the exception]. It is going to require considerable discipline to stick to cropping programmes making sure sowings are made at the right time and that crops are removed once they are finished to make room for the next lot. Veg crops will be vital this year with some longer term crops in to cover the hungry gap next spring. We are just eating our way through purple sprouting and curly kale planted out last summer, and there are still a few parsnips and carrots left. I have salad rocket and parsley overwintered under protection cropping nicely. These things really do make a difference to a variable diet and reduce the food shopping bills. We are lucky enough to have room for hens, so fresh greens and eggs are on the menu! Food costs have levelled out a bit since last year but nothing much has gone down in price and is unlikely to do so. On top of that, I really like to know where my food has come from, and I am notoriously reluctant to buy exotics out of season; it just doesn’t make any sense to me but as a nation we are so used to having everything we want whenever we want it, the joy and surprise of seasonal treats is lost. I think they call that a bit of a rant, and it’s linked to being a grumpy old gardener!

Jobs for the Month

With all the pruning out of the way, feeding and mulching climbers, roses and other shrubs and perennial plants is vital if you want them to perform well this year. Roses may be showing early signs of black spot and the fungicide treatments now could help. Rose Clear or Fungus Fighter should do it. The best techniques will also include good hygiene, removing diseased leaves, and keeping the soil well mulched and fed which in turn creates the great growing conditions. If you are growing roses in pots, don’t let them become stressed through lack of water or feed but avoid watering plants at the end of the day when their leaves will stay wet through the night and give plants enough space to let the air move around their leaves and flowers..

Slugs will soon be out and about and your precious seedlings could disappear overnight. The choice is slug traps filled with beer [what a way to go!] barriers that dissuade slugs from approaching or slug killers that will solve the problem on a more permanent basis. Traditional blue slug pellets should be used sparingly. The blue colour dissuades birds and wildlife from picking them up, but you really don’t need many of them to do the job. The “Safe” slug killers work well and are more weather resistant than they used to be. The pellets swell up when they come into contact with the moist soils and contain a bait to attract the slugs. The slugs eat the poison; stop eating and crawl away to expire. That works for me!

Richard Cumming
MD Orchard Park

Our illustrious panel included Sara Cross of Gold Hill Organic Farm at Child Okeford, garden designer Diana Guy who was BBC Gardener of the Year in 2004, Gavin Cooper of Cranborne Manor and our own Richard Cumming.  The Chairman was Sara Jacson of Melbury Abbas who has spent many years creating a beautiful garden.

The panel were informative, enthusiastic and really interesting, their knowledge and passion for gardening clear.  The audience of nearly 100 thoroughly enjoyed themselves and topics covered included problems with chalky soil, what to do with a clay bank, ideal trees against a south facing wall as well as the inevitable concerns about weeds and wildlife!    There was a long discussion about good gardening techniques in what is expected to be a dry spring and summer.  (If you would like tips about water wise gardening please visit our plant page.)

Chairman of the Tangent Group, Mrs Alison Highnam was clearly delighted with the response to the evening and will confirm how much was raised for Marie Curie at the event in the next few days.

If you would like more information about Shaftesbury & Gillingham Tangent please contact Alison on 01747 838133.

Roast Spring Lamb with Rose Wine and Oranges – serves 6

2 ¼ kg leg of lamb – bone in
75ml olive oil
1tbsp chopped rosemary
2 large carrots, 1 onion, 3 sticks celery all roughly chopped
Small sprigs of rosemary, bay and thyme
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1tsp plain flour
500ml lamb, chicken or veg stock
½ bottle of Rose wine
1tsp redcurrant jelly

Method

• Preheat oven to 200C/Gas mark 6 and using a small knife, trim away any excess fat from the lamb and place the fat in a roasting tin.  Criss-cross the top and sides of the lambn with a sharp knife, making shallow incisions.  Mix half the olive oil with the rosemary, season and set aside.
• Place the roasting tin over a medium heat and warm the lamb fat with the remaining olive oil for a few seconds.  Add the lamb and rub the rosemary oil over the top and into the slashes.  Keep turning the lamb over in the hot oil until it begins to colour all over.
• Tip the vegetables and sprigs of herb into the tin, sprinkle the lamb with a little extra salt and roast in the oven for 50 minutes or until the outside fat starts to brown.  Remove from the tin and turn the temp down to 160C/gas 4
• Scrape the veg away from the bottom of the tin and turn the lamb over.  Baste with a little of the fat then continue to roast for another 50 minutes.  Test by inserting a metal skewer into the thickest part of the leg;  for medium rare the tip should feel warm to the touch and the juices that run out should be fairly pink.  Remove the lamb to a warmed serving dish and cover with a loose tent of foil.  This will prevent heat escaping and will allow the lamb to relax while the gravy is made.
• Blanch the orange zest in boiling water for 1 minute until soft then drain and set aside.  Remove the veg from the roasting tin then put the tin on a medium heat and skim away all but 1 tbsp of the fat.  Sprinkle the flour in and stir very well.  Add the wine, stock, orange juice, zest and boil rapidly for about 10 minutes until the gravy thickens, colours and is reduced by about half.  Taste and season if necessary.  Finally stir in the redcurrant jelly and simmer until melted.
• Serve the lamb with the hot gravy – enjoy!!

Blue skies, sharply focused blossom, sudden heavy showers and the warmth of an April morning. That is spring – absolutely full on, with strong growth from dormant plants now daily changing the colour of our landscape. Nothing can compare with this. It is like the first day of a long awaited holiday, full of anticipation of the season to come. The clocks have now changed with the extra hour in the evening, which means that when I get back from work I can get a few things done so leaving less of a burden for the days off. The weather forecast for the month is reasonable although typical April showers and a few ups and downs in temperature. The long range forecasts I have read, have all been inconclusive and I think it really is anyone’s guess. I am sure we will get some lovely warm sunny days just as we’ll get some cold wet ones. We live on an island and that’s the way it is. Some concerns exist at present that the winter rainfall has been less than average with the result that the soil moisture level is quite a way below where it should be. For a gardener that does mean that good gardening techniques are important for keeping the moisture in the soil. Lots of well-rotted organic mulch added to or spread on top of the soil builds fertility and increases the soil’s capacity to hold water.

I have great plans for early salad production which could be important as it seems two thirds of our household are trying to eat healthily [I am of course, the exception]. It is going to require considerable discipline to stick to cropping programmes making sure sowings are made at the right time and that crops are removed once they are finished to make room for the next lot. Veg crops will be vital this year with some longer term crops in to cover the hungry gap next spring. We are just eating our way through purple sprouting and curly kale planted out last summer, and there are still a few parsnips and carrots left. I have salad rocket and parsley overwintered under protection cropping nicely. These things really do make a difference to a variable diet and reduce the food shopping bills. We are lucky enough to have room for hens, so fresh greens and eggs are on the menu! Food costs have levelled out a bit since last year but nothing much has gone down in price and is unlikely to do so.

On top of that, I really like to know where my food has come from, and I am notoriously reluctant to buy exotics out of season; it just doesn’t make any sense to me but as a nation we are so used to having everything we want whenever we want it, the joy and surprise of seasonal treats is lost. I think they call that a bit of a rant, and it’s linked to being a grumpy old gardener!

Plant of the Month

There are so many fantastic spring flowering shrubs and trees and two that are really worth attention are Amelanchier lamarckii and Cornus Kousa.  These two gorgeous specimens give year-round value to the gardener and particularly come into their own when space is at a premium.  For this reason, both choices work especially well in the smaller garden.

Amelanchier lamarckii – also known by a variety of common names as the Snowy Mespilus, Serviceberry or Juneberry is a real sensation in spring, the branches of this small tree are absolutely bursting with white, star shaped blossom and new copper foliage. In summer the leaves turn a vibrant green and the branches become heavy with delicious fruit before bursting into vibrant flame and red in autumn.  Even in winter, this beauty gives us an attractive striated grey and black trunk.  Add to its obvious ornamental appeal the fact that the British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA) has added it to a list of ‘bee-friendly’ plants then I’m sure you’ll agree that all in all this wonderful plant is a fabulous investment for any garden.

The Cornus family, otherwise known as the dogwoods, is a genus of around 65 species of mostly deciduous shrubs and small trees. The Cornus Kousa var. Chinesis is a small tree of great beauty its inconspicuous flowers are offset with showy, highly decorative bracts 4-6cm long in spring and summer. For the uninitiated, bracts are a modified leaf growing just below a flower or flower stalk.  They are flower-like and attractive.  Cornus kousa is a tapering, deciduous tree with foliage that is dark green in summer, turning deep auburn-ruby in autumn. The dogwood genus is used widely in herbal medicine and in china is prescribed for kidney and bladder disorders. Indeed, dependant on the type of dogwood and the location, this plant has been used throughout history in numerous forms to provide herbal cures for many ailments.

These two shrubs are complementary to one another and both Amelanchier and Cornus will partner effectively with other garden trees including cherries and crab apples.  You can also add to the visual complexity and excitement by growing spring climbers such as Clematis Montana through the shrubs, using their stems as supports to create a visually arresting piece if plant-theatre.

Jobs for the Month

With all the pruning out of the way, feeding and mulching climbers, roses and other shrubs and perennial plants is vital if you want them to perform well this year. Roses may be showing early signs of black spot and the fungicide treatments now could help. Rose Clear or Fungus Fighter should do it. The best techniques will also include good hygiene, removing diseased leaves, and keeping the soil well mulched and fed which in turn creates the great growing conditions. If you are growing roses in pots, don’t let them become stressed through lack of water or feed but avoid watering plants at the end of the day when their leaves will stay wet through the night and give plants enough space to let the air move around their leaves and flowers..

Slugs will soon be out and about and your precious seedlings could disappear overnight. The choice is slug traps filled with beer [what a way to go!] barriers that dissuade slugs from approaching or slug killers that will solve the problem on a more permanent basis. Traditional blue slug pellets should be used sparingly. The blue colour dissuades birds and wildlife from picking them up, but you really don’t need many of them to do the job. The “Safe” slug killers work well and are more weather resistant than they used to be. The pellets swell up when they come into contact with the moist soils and contain a bait to attract the slugs. The slugs eat the poison; stop eating and crawl away to expire. That works for me!

It’s a frantic time in the veg garden if you are serious about growing your own. First early, second early and maincrop spuds should all be in or going in. Tomato, pepper and aubergine plants sown earlier must be kept growing; if you don’t pot them or they will get set back and struggle to make a size big enough to produce a decent crop. With tomatoes I like to sow some early and some late to give a decent spread of crop. Peppers you really only have one shot at as they need a good long period to mature in our climate.

Then all the legumes, the peas and the beans [dwarf French climbing French and runner] should be sown in pots ready to plant out when the risk of frost is passed. Same for courgettes. Sweet corn usually does best sown direct but is often eaten off by slugs as the first leaves break through the soil. That is always a frustration; you time your seed sowing to match the crop, shoots emerge then disappear down the throat of a hungry slug, mouse or bird! Sometimes it is better to start in pots of some sort [Root Trainers are brilliant, so are fibre Grow Tubes] then the plants are big enough to stand a chance.

Herbaceous borders will be showing growth, so make sure that you have plant supports ready for taller growing varieties. Grow-through supports such as the large metal circles or cut hazel twigs, need to be in place before the plant grows through! Other systems such as the curved wire frames, link stakes, or canes can be used as needed.

With the soil warming up, seeds of hardy annuals such as marigold, cosmos, love-in-a-mist, poppy, godetia, statice and scabious can be sown direct in beds and borders throughout the garden. Just a few packets of seeds could easily fill a complete garden with blooms.

Plant up dahlia tubers in individual pots and keep in a frost-free place while they put on fresh new growth. You will then have strong new plants ready to plant out into patio pots or garden borders towards the end of May.

For a great summer lawn cut your grass frequently, but not too short. A weekly trim now, gradually reducing the height of cut in May so that it gets down to it’s minimum length of 2cm (1in) for summer parties. Thin bare patches and yellowing grass are a cry for help. A simple all-in-one lawn treatment such as Evergreen Complete is well worth the cost.

Fruit trees and bushes will be in blossom – and vulnerable to late frost – if they are small enough to cover with fleece then it could make the difference between crop and no crop.
Enjoy!

What could be better than a fresh cheese scone, warm with lashings of butter?  This is a foolproof recipe and remember savoury scones are great with soup or ploughmans  as an alternative to bread. You can vary the recipe in lots of ways by using wholemeal flour or adding onions, olives or chives.  Most cheeses can be used….mozzarella is delicious!
Basic scone recipe;

Ingredients

225g self raising flour
55g butter
1oz grated mature cheddar cheese
Pinch of salt
150ml ml

Method

• Turn oven on at gas mark 7 / 220c
• Mix flour, salt  together in mixing bowl
• Add butter and rub in well
• Stir in cheese – mix well
• Add milk and work into soft dough
• On a floured surface roll out the scone dough to an approx 2cm thick round and using a metal scone cutter cut out  scones and put onto a well greased baking sheet
• Brush top of each scone with a little milk and put into the oven for 12 – 15 minutes

Our regular florists are joined by Claire and Anita and this year the girl’s will be working through the night to meet the demand for their stunning bouquets.    In 2011 our florists made up over 170 bouquets, baskets and hand tied wraps of every description and already the signs are that this year we will beat that total!

Nikki and Charlotte have worked really hard to source the most beautiful, scented flowers from local producer’s and from Europe.

The flowers begin to arrive mid-week and they are carefully chilled to ensure that they are absolutely in peak condition for the big day! Both Friday and Saturday the girls will work through the night (yes literally through the night!! – so its double espresso’s all round!) and for Nikki in particular the most challenging aspect of the entire period is that she and her team meet the exact requirements of every individual customer (yes – just do the sums!).

Nikki says “ For everyone, their Mum is the best Mum in the world and they want their bouquet to express that, often the sender has sent a lot of time and effort choosing  specific flowers that will have a special meaning within their family.   It is vital to make sure that we get it right every single time.   I make it my personal responsibility to check every order, after all I am a Mum myself so I know how important it is to be shown how much your family care about you!

There is a team of 4 van drivers who will be delivering flowers all over the county (and dip into Somerset and Wiltshire!) for more information visit the floristry page but feel free to drop in and have a chat with Nikki about Mother’s Day or any other celebration you may be planning!

Orchard Park Garden Centre

Following the success of the inaugural Rwanda Challenge marathon in 2011, a group of local runners this week flew to Rwamagana, Rwanda to prepare for this year’s marathon which takes place on Sunday 19th February.  They took with them t.shirts sponsored by Orchard Park which all runners will receive after they have crossed he finishing line, last year over 100 runners from this Country as well as Rwandan nationals took part in the marathon.

Msaada hopes to significantly add to the staggering £500,000 already raised since starting the charity in Gillingham in 2005 and Richard Cumming, Managing Director of Orchard Park said “we are thrilled not only to be able to provide some sponsorship for this event for the second time but also to be associated with a charity that enables projects to be established which are then run by the Rwandans themselves.

All our staff and customers wish the runners good luck and in fact next year I may even take part myself, although it may have to be in the half marathon and probably walking at that!!”

You can win one of the Orchard Park Msaada t.shirts in a raffle in aid of Msaada at Orchard Park now or alternatively to make a donation please visit www.msaada.org