Tough love in the garden
by Ian Young
The garden underwent some rather tough love, in August and September this year. Buddleia
davidii had become rampant and was threatening the walls, as well as the doo’cot. The doo’cot, built in the ‘lectern’ style with crowstepped gables, dates (we think) from around 1640, and it is the most evocative and historic structure we have standing in the garden. It is a gem of a building.
For the first 250 years of its life, the doo’cot stood unthreatened by Buddleia, which first arrived in the UK in the 1890’s. Buddleia davidii (the villain of the piece) takes its surname from Pere Armand David, he of Pere David deer fame.
Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam, giant hogweed, rhododendron, Buddleia: non-native
species. Also, sadly, trouble.
So action was needed in the garden. We engaged a team of volunteers – chainsaw operator included – and set to work. Flower heads (40,000 viable seeds per head, more than a million per bush) were cut off and bagged in situ. The branches were cut off to the roots, which we still have to tackle, but at least the immediate risk of further infestation has been addressed. Elsewhere, in the higher canopy, Stan (the hero of the piece) of Alba Tree Surgeons, tackled the sick sycamores. In one of the summer storms, the sycamore at the entrance gate lost a massive bough, which crashed onto the path in the forest garden area. No one was injured and, surprisingly, no damage was done to walls or gatehouse. Three of the trees have now been pollarded, and have adopted their disguise as the garden’s living sculptures. Now, on a bright afternoon, light from the western sun streams into the new gatehouse. It looks resplendent
in its new coat of paint.
(Coincidentally, one of Stan’s team told me that the sticky shit that falls from a sycamore onto your car is indeed shit: it is aphid poo, he said. So park wisely please, near any trees!)
It is invigorating to have more light and space in the garden, and have the chance to plan what we want to plant, in space we have newly created (with less aphid poo).
Tough love? Yes, but we can find plants and species that will work better in the garden. The peaceful wood to the east can have a protecting hedge that, unlike the Buddleia, does not threaten the garden’s historic walls.
And thanks to Stan at Alba Tree Surgeons. He and his team did an amazing job.