Wildlife at the Hospice

August 21, 2017August 21, 2017 / thehospicegardener / 2 Comments

One of the joys of working as a gardener, especially in a large garden, is that you get to see a lot of wildlife. In the twelve months that I have been working at the hospice, I have seen frogs, newts, kingfishers and herons (probably why the fish seem to have disappearded), moorhens, buzzards, pheasants and roe deer, to name just a few.

I saw the pheasants today. They are regular visitors to the hospice garden, in the search for food. We have numerous bird feeders outside the patients rooms, which give a huge amount of pleasure to the patients and their families. When you are stuck inside due to ill health it can be very frustrating. Watching the birds feeding outside your bedroom window is very relaxing and therapeutic. We get various tits and finches feeding from the bird stations. They’re messy eaters, leaving seed all over the flower beds. Some of these germinate into various grasses and other plants (yes I know we should probably pay more and get the stuff that won’t germinate), but a lot of the seed on the ground is eaten by the pheasants, or grey squirrels. Earlier in the year, there were only two pheasants. But they had chicks, and now there are five. This afternoon they were all present, hunting for seed for well over an hour. At one point I noticed them chilling out, the male on the ground and two of the now big chicks stood on a picnic table. I had to get my camera from my campervan for a photoshoot, and luckily they were still there on my return.

Pheasants

The hospice is situated next to Amberswood Common , which is 160 hectares of former open cast mines and landfill sites. It is now a nature reserve and is a mix of woodland, grasslands and marshes. There are also ponds of various sizes, known as the Wigan Flashes. Amberswood is home to much wildlife, including the rare Willow Tit. Wigan is home to 10% of the UK’s willow tit population. A patient said that they had seen one in the garden earlier in the year, but I cannot confirm that. Something I can confirm though is the presence of roe deer, because I saw them just before Christmas last year. I like to think that it was Ruddolf and friends checking out the hospice. They were very nervous, but I did manage to get a very poor photo of one of them.

Deer

Patients regularly see the deer in the gardens very early in the morning, before I arrive at work. Occassionally the patients come up to me to tell me of their sighting. They are always very excited, and rightly so.

It is important that we encourage wildlife to our gardens. At the hospice we are developing a new area in the garden, which is going to be called The Amberswood Garden. It looks out onto the common and is going to consist of mainly wildflowers. These will hopefully encourage many insects and other wildlife.

In just over two weeks time we are opening our gardens to the public. So if anyone would like to visit, you’d be more than welcome. They are open on Sunday 10th September 10am – 4pm. It would be lovely to see you then. In the meantime, I have a lot of weeding to do!

A Review of July

August 2, 2017August 2, 2017 / thehospicegardener / 5 Comments

Another month has passed by so I thought it was time for an update on my gardening at the hospice.

I am back from my holiday in Croatia and a good time was had by all. The weather was excellent, the food was excellent, the sightseeing was excellent and the company was alright too! One of the first things that I noticed as I stepped off the plane, after having been hit by the wall of hot air, was how brown and barren everywhere looked. It is the same in many Mediterranean countries. This is obviously the direct result of a lack of rain. By contrast, as you fly back to Manchester, you can’t help but notice how wonderfully green our lovely country is – obviously a result of too much rain! And boy has it been raining a lot since I got back.

The hospice gardens are looking fab, if I say so myself. The raised beds that we planted up at the end of June are looking glorious. I get so many comments from staff and visitors on how nice they are looking. I really appreciate being appreciated – it is so rewarding, in a way that money isn’t always (although I do still want to be paid, if my boss is reading this!).

Raised Beds

We have had another large group of volunteers working with us last week. This time they were from Wigan Councils “Green Space’s” team, and they were very useful to have around! 15 people came for two whole days, so we got masses done. They painted 5 benches, constructed 4 more, they made 3 composting bins out of old pallets, trimmed all the hedges and did some weeding. THANK YOU! It was also good to spend some time with the managers, including an assistant director, who were volunteering too. We were able to build some good links, and they will hopefully be able to support us again in the future.

Composting Bins

Wigan Council Volunteers

I was especially pleased to have the composting bins made. The soil quality isn’t great at the hospice, with lots of clay, so it is good to add compost to improve its structure. This can be quite expensive, so hopefully we can save some money by making our own.

There are so many plants that are flowering at the moment, including the crocosmia, rudbeckia, salvias and lavenders. But I want to make a special mention for two flowers that I have noticed this week. The first is an Aquilegia, I think! (If it isn’t, and you know what it is, please message me). And the second is Inula hookeri, with its wonderfully flamboyant flowers.

Aquilegia

Inula hookeri

The Inula, appeared in the garden this year for the first time, without knowingly being plant by me or any of the volunteers. We think that it has hitched a ride with another plant that one of the volunteers brought in earlier in the year. What a bonus!

There is plenty of weeding and tidying to be getting on with at the moment. We are also preparing to open the gardens up for the National Garden Scheme on September 10th, so I am making sure that each area is going to be at its best. If anyone wants to come and visit the gardens you’d be more than welcome.

Until next time, happy gardening!

Dark Clouds Overhead…

July 3, 2017 / thehospicegardener / 3 Comments

Sometimes it feels that there are dark clouds all around us, both physically and metaphorically.

Last week there were many dark clouds around. In fact it rained for much of the week and was surprisingly cold for the end of June. As a gardener a week of rain is very frustrating and a bit depressing. However, sometimes you just have to don your waterproofs and just get on with the work at hand. At least you don’t have to do any watering.

At a hospice there are often metaphorical dark clouds overhead. At its core, hospices care for people who are terminally ill. For patients and family and friends this can be a very difficult and scary time. Approaching the end of life can be frightening, with fears over pain or other symptoms, or the pain of losing someone so close to you. It isn’t an easy time. But hospices are here to help, and what an amazing job they do. There are specialists who can help control the physical symptoms, but there is also space for psychological, social and spiritual care as well.

I believe that this is where the gardens are an important place for patients and their families and friends. The gardens give space for people to escape to. They are a place to think and reflect, somewhere to relax and a somewhere to marvel at the beauty of our world. And it is this that motivates me to work hard and try to create a special place.

This last week there has been a big change in the raised beds at the front of the hospice. The bulbs are pretty much over, so it is time for the bedding plants to go in. I contacted Moss Bank Nurseries to see if they could provide some plants for us. And boy did they come up trumps, donating about 70 or 80 trays of plants. On top of this, Wigan Council provided a load of geraniums and marigolds. (Incidentally, I adore the smell of marigolds… it is right up there with bacon!!) So for the rest of the week I was planting them up, with some help from my friendly volunteers. I am delighted with the results, and believe that they help to lift the spirits of those visiting the hospice.

Raised beds at front of hospice

Gazanias

A big thank you to Moss Bank Nurseries and Wigan Council for donating th plants. There were another couple of little rays of sunshine amongst the dark clouds this last week. Firstly, a member of staff came to find me to tell me that they had seen a kingfisher by the side of the pond. I adore kingfishers and always see them as glimse of something better to come, especially when times are difficult. Secondly, I spotted a moorhen with their chick on one of our ponds. It was a lovely sight.

Moorhen and Chick

Moorhen Chick

So despite there being dark clouds around us, there is usually something that can cheer us up a bit and give us hope, something to lighten up the darkness.

I’m off on holiday to Croatia tomorrow. I really hope that there are no dark clouds there! Till next time, take care and look out for something beautiful whenever you can.

Alliums Galore!

June 5, 2017June 5, 2017 / thehospicegardener / Leave a comment

I love it how when one flower starts to die off, another comes along to replace it.

So far this year, at the front of the hospice, we have had primulas followed by crocuses, then daffodils followed by tulips. The tulips were out for at least a month, but have now sadly died back. However, the alliums have shot up and are flowering splendidly. They come back year after year, and never cease to amaze me. They are about 2 ft tall with a large purple ball of flowers at the top. I think that they are Allium ‘Purple Sensation’.

Allium 'Purple Sensation'

Alliums are a genus of plants that include onions, garlic, leeks and chives. In fact, I have some chives at home that have flowered and look like a small version of the above picture. There are many varieties of Allium that have been cultivated for their flowers. Recently, when I was at the Chelsea Flower show, there was a display of just alliums. I was amazed at how many varieties there were. My favourite was fairly short, but with a huge ball of flowers. These flowers weren’t densly packed together, but instead each flower was on the end of a long stalk. I think that they are called Allium ‘schubertii’.

Allium 'schubertii'

Hopefully the Alliums will be in flower for a couple more weeks, before we get a whole load of bedding plants to put in.

The other excitement at the hospice is the arrival of two fish in one of our ponds. They were kindly donated by the wife of a man who had been cared for by the “Hospice at Home” team (who are, incidently, wonderful and do an amazing job of caring for terminally ill patients at home). The fish, named “Fish” and “Chips” by me, were released into the pond a couple of weeks ago.

Fish Chips

They have now been in their new home for a couple of weeks, and seem to be very happy and settled! Their previous home was only 4 ft long, compared to their new home which is at least 10 times the length. No wonder they’re happy. They have caused a bit of a stir! I regularly bump into patients, relatives and friends, as well as staff, looking for the fish, and getting excited when they manage to locate them.

Thank you Lyn for the gift of fish!

A Day With Some Volunteers

May 18, 2017May 18, 2017 / thehospicegardener / 1 Comment

A month ago I wrote about how excited I was that I was going to be working with 6 volunteers. Unfortunately, due to illness, they had to cancel. They re-booked to come today. Like last time the weather was fabulous, so we were able to get on with painting the planters that I had hoped to do last time. And what a difference the “Red Cossack” paint has made.

Dan, Paul and Barry after painting the planters

We also had time to paint the Chines Bridge that was kindly donated to the Hospice by The Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester. The bridge has made a real difference to the gardens by adding a focal point around the ponds.

Painting the Chinese Bridge

I want to thank Dan, Paul and Barry, who work for The Dept for Works and Pensions, for their help today and for their company. They seemed to enjoy themselves, getting away from their computers and helping others (especially me!). CHEERS!

I’ve had some lovely times at work recently, although it was rather wet earlier this week. The rain was much needed though by the plants and it has saved me doing any more watering. The downside of the rain is that the weeds have gone a bit mental. Why is it that they seem to grow twice as fast as the plants you want to be growing? This could become a blog all about weeds, but don’t worry – it won’t! However, weeding does take up a lot of my time. This week I have been tackling cleavers and bittercress, as well as the ongoing battle with the horsetail. Both cleavers and bittercress have interesting methods of dispersal. Cleavers, or as I prefer to call it – “Sticky Willy”, is every child’s favourite weed. It’s the one which sticks to anything and everything, so the challenge is to stick it to your friends without them noticing. By being so sticky, the seeds get moved around. Bittercress on the other hand is much more conspicuous, but seems to get everywhere. Luckily it is easy to pull up. But as you do so, any seed heads that have formed, explode sending seeds in all directions. So as a gardener, the aim is to remove the weeds before they go to seed.

There have been some lovely flowers in the garden this week. Interestingly many of them are pink or purple. Here are a few that have taken my eye this week.

Mountain Cornflower and Bee

Aquilegia vulgaris var. stellata ‘Black Barlow’

Primula Pulverulenta

I am very excited about next week. I have been given a ticket to attend Chelsea Flower Show on Tuesday. I can’t wait. I’ll let you know next week how I get on. Until then, God Bless.