Grass Clippings
Record-breaking rainfall
September ended as an extraordinary month, with rainfall figures on site breaking records once again. We have received three times the average rainfall for the start of autumn season. The Met Office has recorded the month as being the wettest September since 1918, and the third wettest on record in a series from 1836, for southern England.
So far, the golf course and estate have coped admirably due to the fact that the ground has been powder-dry for most of the summer, and therefore able to adequately absorb the quantities of water into the soil profile. It will mean however that the water table will begin to rise faster than usual, which is an ominous element to contend with later in the winter.
On the golf course, the greens that would by now start to become saturated, that have been drained this year, are now playable and remarkably dry. The grass sward on these four greens looks in good shape, as the root systems get more air movement within the soil resulting in the grass plant being healthier going into winter.
Greens, approaches and fairway drainage are all areas that we have concentrated on and have been addressing for a number of years now. We will continue to add improvements to the year’s programme of works.
We dealt with similar issues regarding the croquet lawns a number of years ago, and winter play on these areas has vastly improved since then. The one certainty in a changing world, with a changing climate is that our winters will become increasingly wetter and milder. As a consequence, being prepared for what’s to come is an essential part of the maintenance programme to keep the course and lawns viable through the winter months.
Tardy trees
Temperatures haven’t dropped below zero yet, here in the southeast, and therefore after the summer spell of dry weather we experienced in July and August, the estate trees have bounced back in September due to the abundance of water in the ground. Most deciduous trees and shrubs are still looking heathy and green at the moment which is quite unique at this time of year.
Dormancy will kick in with the shortening of days. Deciduous trees have sensors that pick up infrared and far infrared light, which regulates the time that inactivity commences. The eventual drop in temperature sees the trees begin to produce hormones that bring their main functions to a halt as they enter the slumber period. As leaves change colour, the tree is working to reabsorb many of the important nutrients found within their structures that aided in the processes of photosynthesis during the summer. Trees store as much energy as possible in the main stem and root system and shed vegetative parts such as leaves so it can enter into a form of stasis, while preparing new buds for the coming re-emergence in spring. The full colours of autumn have not yet created a winter display as such, but I look forward to the coming weeks and the change in the vibrance of the course.
A passion for life
If you’re looking for a career that attracts staying power and longevity, it seems that there is evidence that horticulture is a sector that keeps on giving and there are currently many players in the industry who keep on going when others have retired from a working life. Whether it’s the outdoor life or the energy that is created around working in a green environment, there is now a clutch of TV gardeners that are into their 60’s and 70’s and still planting the daisys. Names such as Alan Titchmarsh, Carol Klein, Chris Baines, Stefan Buczacki and Roy Lancaster learnt their trade in the 1970’s and have gone on to be successful garden consultants and TV ambassadors for the horticulture. Arabella Lennox-Boyd is one example of the leading landscape designers working in the UK. She has been designing for over fifty years and has landscaped more than seven hundred gardens worldwide, including six Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal gardens, and Best of Show winner. Arabella is only one of a host of garden designers that kept on keeping on in an industry which relies on people with the plant knowledge that only experience can yield and not from an app! Both Arian Bloom and Robert Hillier have followed in the families’ footsteps in creating two very diverse plant nursery which supply the trade and end customer. Hillers and Blooms of Bressingham, are highly respected authorities in plant breeding and fostering successful businesses. Even if retirement does call, the end of the line isn’t a favoured option for many. The well-known ex-tree manager from Kew Gardens, Tony Kirkham, handed on the batten at Kew a few years ago, and now has a very successful second wind as a worldwide consultant in estate management. These are but a short list of examples of people in the horticultural trade who share a passion and energy. Perhaps its part and parcel of the trade, that knowledge and the ability to hand on skills and information to younger generations is a legacy of a dynamic career built on always learning and teaching to others.
Peter Bradburn, Course and Grounds Director