Newsletter Lindow Moss the Making of a Landscape

Issue No. 56 October 2017 Patron: The Viscount Ashbrook Newsletter Company Limited by Guarantee, no. Charity Number Patron: The Viscount Ashbrook Company Limited by Guarantee, no. 05673816 Charity Number 1119592 www.cheshire-gardens-trust.org.uk Inside: Some future events: Laskey Farm William Andrews Nesfield – 18th November Sansoucci Palace Wreath making – 29th November Repton and Eastham ferry Hellebores, Mike Byford – 20th January Dibleys Nursery – behind the scenes RHS Bridgewater – 24th March Visit to Dorothy Clive Gardens – 14th May LLiinnddooww MMoossss TThhee mmaakkiinngg ooff aa llaannddssccaappee Guided walk around historic peatland with Professor John Handley, Saturday 15th July Last November Cheshire Garden Trust (CGT) John met us at the car park, armed with very was privileged to have a superb informative talk helpful handouts of maps of the area through time on the making of Cheshire landscape by Professor – and a spade! We were led firstly through John Handley, an expert in the field. In July John Lindow Common, designated a Site of Special undertook to lead a walk for CGT around Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Local Nature Lindow Common and Lindow Moss, a raised mire Reserve. John traced the history of the Common, peat bog, an area of particular historic and including its early habitation by gypsies, prior to scientific significance being turned into public common land in1897. 2 It was used for gypsy horse trading, hence is subject to blue-green algae management in Racecourse Road where the horses were put summer (see below). through their paces. From there we walked to the centre of the peat bog, Lindow Moss, with John pointing out the site Plaque recording ownership of Lindow Common of the discovery of Lindow Man. Though John made use of his spade to show us the internationally renowned the site is not marked in composition of soil from the Common, which any way (see photo on front page). Traces of dates back to the Ice Age when gravel, sand and ancient Britons and Celts have been located in clay were carried down from the Pennines and this area, possibly taking refuge from the invading deposited on the Cheshire plains. The resultant Romans. Lindow Man (also known as ‘Pete wetlands saw weeds, algae and mosses thrive and Marsh’) was found on April 19, 1984, and was in time peat formed which eventually sustained dated to 200AD. He appears to have been a man trees. John went on to stress the preservation of of certain status who met a very violent end. the heathland. He acknowledged that trees’ leaves Further excavations have taken place and a and needles had choked water supplies and killed Bronze Age forest has been exposed, with the flora at ground level in the past, hence the need tree roots facing upwards (see below). for careful management. Throughout the year the Countryside Ranger service has extensive work to perform with limited resources. For instance, during winter months areas of woodland may be felled and then scraped as part of the restoration. John again used his spade to show us soil that had been regenerated by the work undertaken (see below). The programme also included invasive The peat bog once covered over 600 hectares (1,500 acres) and has now shrunk to a tenth of its original size. John showed us photographs of the peat extraction, continued to the present day. While there has been considerable discussion over the future of the site, including even the possibility of residential development, the peat workings have continued on a small scale, with many concerns raised about the damage imposed species management and the removal of any and the need for the environmental management garden plant escapees. of such a precious site. We were informed that the future treatment of this historic landscape, We continued our walk along the network of including the modern peat workings, is uncertain. paths around the perimeter of woodland and scrub to come to the man-made lake and a Our sincere thanks to John Handley, who was so number of wildlife ponds, where the Black Lake informative, and to his wife Pauline. If you have 3 not yet visited this site, it is definitely worth a visit. Lindow Peat Bog goes to a depth of about 30 metres and is a perfect carbon record of that environment over the last 4-5000 years. It should be preserved. Margaret Blowey Photos Margaret Blowey, Pauline Handley, Kath Gee, Beric Bartlett Laskey Farm – a designer’s garden and Howard have extended this by cutting into the large lawn and developing further areas of interest. Howard showed us the five ponds interconnected by streams which filter the water, one from the other, acting as a cleansing system. The smaller ponds are mainly for wildlife, although one contains about 35 rescued terrapins of several types (see below). These are fed on hot dog sausages or Spam and are great entertainment on open days. During the winter they are taken indoors as they would not survive a severe cold spell. We met on a rain threatened evening at Laskey The water flows constantly over gravel in places Farm in Thelwall. It is not a working farm in the and leads to a large pond, surrounded by a glass traditional meaning of the word. It was in the Platt balustrade, which contains lily pads and many family for four generations as a working farm, but carp, golden orf and sturgeon. This is known as when Howard and Wendy Platt bought it in 1996 the swimming pond and Howard often swims they did not want to continue the farming around the outside, a distance of 30m. tradition. Instead, Howard followed his father in converting the farm buildings into units to be rented out as commercial premises, which has proved very successful. The Platts had hosted an NGS open day the previous weekend and had welcomed 800 people who enjoyed live music and a children’s treasure hunt, raising an astonishing £5000 for the NGS. Originally an art teacher, Wendy retrained as a garden designer at Reaseheath College and now runs her own business designing gardens for others. Her father-in-law had begun to create a garden adjacent to the farmhouse, but Wendy 4 and a table and chairs, acknowledging that not much will grow in such a shady spot. A new addition was a two storey tree house (see above) that stood without a tree for support. Surrounding the garden was a hedge with a path Entrance with lavender, herbs and roses, in front of pergola inside it to ease cutting the hedges. The grass had Trees such as a tulip tree (Liriodendron), an the straightest edges possible, achieved by the Amelanchier, a Liquidambar and birch, all have their gardener/handyman, Steve. The garden is flat and, own ‘island’ circular beds and have been chosen therefore, Wendy has aimed to introduce to give interest all the year round. structure in the form of trees and a pergola; she As the land has good drainage, it has been has designed the garden in ‘rooms’ with paths designed to require no watering, with even leading you on into the next area, eager to see dahlias left in over winter. Verbenas seed what awaits. As this is a fairly new garden, only ten themselves all over the garden. Wendy believes years old, many of the features are yet to achieve gardeners are sometimes too quick to weed away their full height, but it is full of interest. germinating seedlings, therefore losing free plants. The rose garden has David Austin roses, all chosen She also aims to have the garden bee-friendly, for their scent and planted by Wendy’s father-in- with many plants chosen to encourage insects law. They require gentle pruning, but the flowers into the garden. can be so voluptuous that they break the stems. Whiter Shade of Pale was on the outside of the bed, with Queen Elizabeth in the middle (see below). Prunus serrula amidst grasses and perennials Howard and Wendy have worked together to turn an open, windy field the size of a football Colour is a big part of the garden with a hot bed pitch into an inviting garden with shelter and by the office taking advantage of the warmth from interest wherever the visitor looks. The colours, the wall (see page 3). The plants have been chosen scents and plants make this garden a pleasure to for scent and to blend in with each other. Around stroll around and it is not surprising that they the pergola, the beds contain purple sage and have managed to raise so much money for thyme, with Gertrude Jekyll roses as a back drop. charity. Thank you for having us. A year old hornbeam has had bark placed under it Jackie Cawte Photos Henry Blowey and Sue Eldridge 5 How many palaces can you fit in a park? A visit to Sanssouci Palace, Germany, in May The concept of siting a grand house in a parkland setting is a familiar European tradition. However, German royalty went one step further at Potsdam, near Berlin by building a series of royal palaces all in the one park. Frederick the Great was frankly obsessed with the place and his particular triumph was the palace and gardens of Sanssouci. A short article can only be a minute taster, to encourage CGT members’ to make their own visit. The gardens of the Sanssouci Palace are dominated by a series of terraces running down in front of the Palace. Each ‘step’ contains a line of charming Vineries looking, for all the world, like oversized glass fronted bookcases (below).

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