Grass Clippings
Challenging climate connections
I have great respect for the farming community. As a city boy I was acquainted to rural affairs when I enrolled as a student at an agricultural college that had diversified into such areas as ‘sports turf’ to survive in a changing landscape of land management.
Integrating with the offspring of farmers, who had taken up the challenge to become educated in their particular areas of specialism, most would know from their early twenties that they would remain ‘in the saddle’ for the rest of their lives on the land.
I also gained a snapshot into farming life that benefitted in knowing one end of a cow to another having volunteered to lend a hand in milking a dairy herd on occasion for friends. The sheep station in New Zealand at which I helped, offered a complete contrast to the hill farmers of Wales that I also became accustomed to in later life.
Farming is a hard life and you’re at the complete will of the weather. In that sense, the twain of farmer and sports manager converge and meet, our activities and success are dictated by the seasons and what falls (or does not) from the sky.
This weekend I passed fields bristling with activity in Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, where there were tractors ploughing and drilling all manner of crops. Not only are these activities a month behind schedule, as is the majority of crop sowing in the central belt of England, the amount of land that farmers are utilizing this year has been reduced by 15% to 25% as areas of viable land are still draining or unfit for use due to the winter flooding.
As a consequence, there is a likelihood that grain harvests will be reduced this year, and the country will be importing more grain to make up the deficit. Imported crops are costly and we, the consumers, will notice the difference in costs on the high street. Although not as drastic in consequence, the same issues have also beleaguered turf management this season. Our greens, courts and lawns are all soil based and predominantly clay or silt loam in content. A farmer knows that a heavy soil will warm up slower in the start of season compared to a sandy soil, and this has been the case so far this year. Our surfaces have hovered at around 7oC to 8oC this spring and only in the last week have soil temperature risen into double digits helping make the difference in growth.
Soil temperature initiates growth within the plant and although the presence of water, day length, and nutrients are all important, it is the residual heat in the soil that simulates roots into action. With plentiful rain in the last week or so, temperatures are creeping up and so we are in the midst of the spring grass bomb.
Like farmers around the country, there is a frantic race by greenkeepers to top, chop and strim the life out of the grass plant which has gone into overdrive. This will continue until the reserve of available water in the ground is depleted and temperatures reach a time when the plant itself will start to stress. At that point, we begin to manage the grass plant, which is in survival mode, if and when we get into a hot period this summer. And so go the fortunes of greenkeeping, feast or famine, boom or bust. I’m sure there are also farmers around the country contemplating what summer has in store for them in the coming weeks – the endless task of brothers in arms.
Roehampton Restored – new Richmond Park café at Roehampton Gate
If you’re native to the area and use the café at Roehampton Gate within Richmond Park, you will soon notice changes at this local watering hole. Royal Parks have agreed to invest in a project to replace the café and improve the landscape to help increase biodiversity in that part of the park. The current structures at Roehampton Gate are temporary buildings that were put in place almost 20 years ago after a fire destroyed the original buildings. The ‘Roehampton Restored’ project will regenerate the area around the gate house of the park by replacing the current café with a new BREEAM ‘Excellent’-certified café. Paul Richards, Richmond Park Manager, the Royal Parks, said: ‘We’re really excited about our proposals for the upcoming project at Roehampton Gate, which we know people have been looking forward to for a while. We’re looking forward to welcoming as many people as possible to the park to find out more about the proposals.’
Marc Quinn at Kew
On the other side of the park, in Kew, a new exhibition by Marc Quinn titled Light into Life in Kew Gardens, has now been installed within the grounds from May until 29th September. The exhibition explores the relationship between people and plants and will encompass monumental sculptures across the gardens alongside a dedicated presentation of works from the 1990s until today in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art. Kew hopes to continue growing its art audience with the Quinn exhibition and is a continuation of art displays after the well-received Dale Chihuly glass exhibit at Kew a few years past. Seeing this exhibit will also provide a nice overview of many of the highlights of this beautiful and historic garden. Quinn’s work has been made in collaboration with Kew horticulturists and features 29 botanically inspired sculptures (14) and paintings (15), both in the garden and in the gallery. The Palm House and Herbarium provide particular inspiration. Kew head of visitor programmes and exhibitions Paul Denton said Kew offers ‘the perfect backdrop’ for Quinn’s work.
See the Show from your sofa
The Chelsea Flower Show is one of the most important dates in the calendar for many, from those who love gardens, or just those who love to be seen in gardens. The Royal Horticultural Society annual jamboree puts on a splendid display of gardens in the heart of London and has been the prototype model for the garden show which has in recent decades taken off across the country. For all those who were not fortunate to get the golden ticket this year or just didn’t much relish the joys of joining the hoards, then there is always the consummate commentary of the week’s events performed by the BBC Garden team, headed up by Mr Monty Don.
The BBC traditionally covers the RHS Chelsea Flower Show each day of the event and last year recorded fourteen episodes as part of its coverage. The BBC hasn’t announced the full schedule as yet, but it is anticipated to follow the format that has in the basis of the event for the last several years, twice-daily coverage across BBC One and BBC Two, going over the standout moments and winners from each day. There will be two broadcasts, one in the afternoon and other at 8pm each evening. No information has been announced to whether an additional programme will air on the Friday, which was ran last year to reveal the winner of the People’s Choice Award, along with highlights round up show the following week. Full coverage should appear in schedules by the middle of the month.