Talks 2023-2024 membership year

On Tuesday, November 21st, Lee De Grommont spoke on the gardens at Jesus College.

It has been a November of glorious mornings interspersed with grey, drizzly days, a month when primroses can be found in secluded spots and the grass grows ever longer. To this background, the Fen Ditton Gardening Club welcomed Lee de Grommont, who started his working life as a carpenter but who quickly transferred to landscape gardening before looking after the lovely gardens at Trinity Hall. This led to a period keeping sports grounds, including Fenner’s Cricket Ground, in top condition and finally to his dream job as Head Gardener in charge of five gardeners and a groundsman planning, developing and looking after the 33 glorious acres surrounding Jesus College in the centre of Cambridge. Lee talked with enthusiasm about the gardens and illustrated his talk with some lovely slides.

Jesus College was founded in the early 16th century by John Alcock, Bishop of Ely, on the site of a derelict nunnery. Associated with the building, there were extensive grounds, some of which were sold to provide the finance for building work. Over the years, the college has developed as a series of three sided courts, each of which has a different character.

Entry for visitors is through the ‘Chimney’, a path between high brick walls with the Fellows’ garden on one side and the Master’s Lodge and Garden on the other. This is an austere entrance to the courts which open out beyond. Each court has its own character; the First Court is relatively small, but houses a magnificent wisteria, well over a hundred years old and, like all wisterias, demanding of time and energy to keep it under control. One surprising piece of information from Lee is that Wisteria sinensis needs to have the tendrils twined anti-clockwise around the supports but W floribunda stems should be twined clockwise. Cloister court houses a grapevine which provides the fruit used by the chefs. The Fellows’ garden houses two heated greenhouses and a potting shed in the shape of a large inverted cast iron flower pot, a folly which is hardly appropriate for its intended purpose. There is a wildflower meadow and patches of wildflowers are scattered around the site, as well as a rockery and a wildlife pond. An orchard provides apples, apricots and plums and a woodland area provides shelter for wildlife. Jesus College is justly proud of its biodiversity.

The whole site has various soil types from chalk to sandy loam with no irrigation used apart from the lawn tennis and cricket grounds and is chemical free - the extensive Sports’ grounds are hand weeded. Traditionally the flower beds were very formal with bedding plants but Lee has established many more herbaceous borders and uses drought tolerant plants. He was asked about the impressive display of canna lilies in one slide; these are dug up in the autumn, dried off, stored in a cool shed and then replanted the following year.

Lee was asked how to get a wildflower meadow established and described that the turf needed to be removed and the surface worked to a fine tilth before the seed, mixed with dry sand, is liberally spread and then finally rolled in firmly.

Part of his work entails liaising with architects to make each space as pleasing to the eye as possible such as the use of pleached trees to hide an unsightly building and to develop the piazza, a paved area over the kitchens, with tulip trees and shrubs.

Yes, I can see why this is a dream job – and as well as all these lovely areas to cherish and develop, there is a sculpture trail winding through them. You are welcome to visit – just ‘check in’ with the Porters as you walk down the chimney so that they know who is on site and then enjoy those beautiful spaces.

Peter Jackson gave a most interesting and informative talk to the 26 people who attended the Fen Ditton Gardening Club Meeting. It was a very cold evening but those who came really seemed to enjoy the talk on the subject of Grow Your Own Vegetables.

Although most of those at the garden club are fortunate to own large gardens, Peter pointed out that gardens (particularly those on new housing estates) are getting smaller. However, having less space doesn’t mean you can’t grow anything. We can all learn to use containers, raised beds and hanging baskets and can embrace growing dwarf varieties.

Peter advised members to grow what you want and to look at variations of veg that suit you. Don’t just rely on the garden centre; seed catalogues are also a wealth of information. He also advised us not to be proud – order plants from the mail order companies.

You don’t need to spend lots of money on containers, take used pots from the garden centre, or why not build a cold frame with timber and an old glass shower cubicle? Raised beds are easy to build and Peter advised not to build them too wide – just enough for you to reach across.

Remember compost should be peat-free; mix a bag of half new compost with a bag of half old compost and add vermiculite. Liquid seaweed and tomorite are also good liquid feeds.

Peter’s top tips:

• Rocket and other ‘come and cut’ salad leaves can be grown in pots. Sow your first batch in March/April, followed by another sowing in the Autumn to prolong their season.
• Plant peas in guttering, which has been cut into smaller lengths. They are then easy to transfer to the ground when ready.
• Grow potatoes in bags or containers – sow 4/5 tubers per container. You can train them up canes like a runner bean. They will be less likely to get blight as the rain will fall off the leaves. However, if you do get potato blight, do not put the leaves and plants in the compost heap. Put them in the green wheelie bin.
• Spring onions; plant every 21 days to get crop rotation.
• Onions and shallots; grow what you need. Buy your sets in February/March.
• Start your runner beans in pots and plant in a large container when ready. For a second generation crop, plant a seed between each mature plant. Plant runner beans in a wigwam and remember – beans are just as good on the way up as down!
• Chilli’s and Peppers can also be grown in pots. At the end of the season move them into a sun room or greenhouse and it will prolong growing.
• There are many varieties of carrots Plant them next to rows of onions which help detract carrot fly. Growing under enviromesh will also help stop the little pests!.
• Sweet Corn; plant in blocks, not in a row, to help pollinate.
• Cucumbers; there are some mini varieties to purchase. Seed packets give you all the information you need to know.
• Courgettes; plant seed so it’s vertical and shallow. As it grows add more compost, which helps it get long roots.
• Swedes – they need plenty of water.
• Leeks; a late gemination may help miss leek moth
• Bush Tomatoes are a good option to grow if you have little space – they are easy to grow and can be grown in pots or hanging baskets as they don’t need propping up. Grown in a 15/18” hanging basket. If tomato blight occurs, cut up or pick it off.
• Beetroot. As the beet grows, cut off the leaves and place in a salad.

And finally, Peter’s parting words were ‘no matter the size your garden, it’s always best to keep on top of the weeds and watering. Use aqua spikes (with cut off drink bottles) to help water pots where needed’

Fen Ditton Gardening Club 20^th February 2024

Coming soon!