Category: Glenfinart Walled Garden

The Ardentinny Community Trust team, supported by enthusiastic volunteers, had the factor 30 out over the weekend as the temperatures soared in Glenfinart Walled Garden. These dedicated folks are bringing new life to the Victorian garden which had, until its acquisition by the Trust in 2012, remained largely neglected over many years. The energy expended over the past weeks and months has been impressive: polytunnel completed;  paths created; sheds erected; an orchard established; and vegetables and flowers planted.

Support from local businesses and individuals has been exceptional. Indeed, this last weekend local firm West Coast Tool & Hire provided the Trust with the loan of a digger and motorised barrow, free of charge. This enabled designated digger driver, David and hand barrow “operative”, Lynn to make a major impression on the circular Beechgrove Garden area of the project which is due to be completed and filmed at the end of July. Included below is the ambitious garden design created by Lynn Harris.

If you would like to be part of this exciting project and have a few hours to spare, why not come along any Monday, Wednesday or Saturday from 10.00 to 16.00 or call Bill on 810238 or Merle on 810220 for information.  Do visit us, you will be made very welcome!

Bird’s-eye view of the garden courtesy of a rookie pilot who’s still a long way off getting his wings!

Tern TV was in Ardentinny on Saturday filming the ‘before’ shots for Beechgrove’s programme on Glenfinart Walled Garden. In the meantime, their landscape designer, Lynn Harris had taken away ‘the wish list’ for possible inclusion in the garden design.

Lynn and Beechgrove researcher, Stacey Shear, had earlier attended a meeting with Ardentinny Community Trust’s Walled Garden Committee in order to ascertain what they would like to have in the garden. Ideas gleaned from community consultations were passed on and the committee received the good news that Lynn intends to do a design for the whole garden, rather than just a part of it.

Due to tight financial and time constraints it will not be possible to put the complete design in place prior to broadcast. However, Lynn felt that by having ‘the whole picture’, this professional design plan could be presented to future potential funders in order to facilitate its eventual completion.

While Lynn and her team are working hard on our behalf, there is something she would like you to do. As it is a time for thinning out or discarding unwanted plants, she has asked that gardeners in Cowal give any excess plants to the project. No matter how insignificant you consider them to be, she promises that every single one will be used somewhere in the garden.

If you have unwanted plants to give or would like to volunteer in the garden, contact Ardentinny Community Trust (ACT) Convener, Bill Williamson on 01369 810238, or ACT secretary, Merle Ferguson 01369 810220 (In the case of adverse weather conditions, please phone either of these numbers to check that the garden is open). Alternatively, you can visit the garden between 10.00 and 16.00 hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays or contact the committee at info@glenfinartgarden.org.

The Beechgrove Garden team will be in Cowal to record the programme from 31 July – 2 August, 2013. 

Glenfinart Walled Garden’s patron and friend, Sophie Thompson/Lumsden recently planted a plum tree in the garden’s fledgling orchard. She was also kind enough to share her thoughts on this special garden project:

The Glenfinart walled garden feels like it is reclaiming something so utterly nourishing for the local community, literally getting down to the roots of the enchanting place that is Ardentinny. [pullquote]It made us feel so honoured to be a wee part of such an awesome community endeavour.[/pullquote]

The inclusive nature of a garden that embraces all ages, something organic that lies at the very heart of the village, that everyone can be a part of and benefit from, is the sort of thing that can lift a spirit and make a person want to burst in to song!

I spared Anna and Bill Williamson that as we went along on a bright day in February (Yes BRIGHT!) to plant a Plum tree. I just felt plugged in to something so special.

Visited said Plum with Mr Plumsden and the kids a few weeks later. It made us feel so honoured to be a wee part of such an awesome community endeavour.

An utterly fecund place for the roots of Ardentinny to be tended and flourish.

Sophie and her sister Emma Thompson are patrons of Glenfinart Walled Garden.

Glenfinart Walled Garden, Ardentinny will be joining with Forestry Commission Scotland to celebrate the Eggstravaganza on Easter monday (1 April) from 10.30 am. Besides giving the adults an opportunity to look around and see the changes from last year we will again have fun things for the children to do, seed planting, pin the egg on the bunny (with chocolate eggs to win) make a chalk picture on slate etc…
Come and find out what it’s all about, even if it snows !!!

Ardentinny residents and visitors warmly welcomed a team from Beechgrove Garden on Wednesday, 6 March. The Glenfinart Walled Garden’s application for inclusion in this year’s Beechgrove programming had been shortlisted and the programme’s producer, their garden designer and a researcher came along to give a small presentation on what could be expected, if our garden was selected, and to meet local people and visit the garden itself.

Producer Gwyneth Hardy began by introducing her colleagues, Landscape Designer, Lynn Harris and Researcher, Stacey Shear. She then went on to explain what the Beechgrove Garden Community Garden initiative would bring to the Glenfinart Walled Garden project, should it be chosen as one of the three community gardens to be featured from a shortlist of 12.

This year, for the first time, Beechgrove will go out UK wide. There will be a Thursday night showing in Scotland only, to be repeated on Sunday afternoons in Scotland and broadcast to the rest of the UK. This should provide even greater exposure for the chosen projects and their locations.

Gwyneth explained that Beechgrove does not do all the work. Instead it acts as an enabler, a catalyst, providing projects with a kick start and a helping hand. The first of these is a deadline. Whatever the agreed plan, it will need to be completed by the end of July, August, or September, depending on which programme deadline is agreed for each garden.

The second, and probably the most important source of assistance, is the guidance and expertise of Beechgrove’s Landscape designer Lynn Harris. Rather than impose her ideas, she would work together with the community in drawing up a realistic plan for a particular phase of the garden, along with a planting plan and construction plan. She would also help in sourcing materials and would manage the project off-site with regular visits at crucial stages.

Finally, in addition to completing a worthwhile gardening project for and by the community, the surrounding area would benefit enormously from having a whole programme focussing on its horticulture and beautiful gardens.
After questions, everyone visited the garden where they were able to chat about the project on site. Thereafter, it was back to the village hall, for tea and a mountain of home baking. While we’ve been told that the competition is fierce and the odds are 3:1, there is a group of very enthusiastic and optimistic folks in Cowal hopeful that Ardentinny’s Glenfinart Walled Garden will be one of the Beechgrove community gardens featured this year.

[Click images to enlarge]