I had part of one of my chrysanthemum flowers come out a completely different colour to normal.

A usually red flower came out part red, part yellow.

From the Daily Telegraph Magazine, 7th April 2007

Out of the ruins

Ten years ago, the Duchess of Norfolk took the neglected kitchen garden at Arundel Castle under her wing. Today the patch has been restored to its former Victorian glory, and is even earning its keep.

The kitchen garden may be only one of a succession of developments at Arundel Castle driven by the Duchess of Norfolk, but it is of special interest in that its progress shows her approach to gardens and gardening. Testifying to her keen respect for historical detail and a preference for the organic approach, the project has given her an opportunity to create a new attraction at the castle. It has also made use of her eye for colour and design - Georgina Norfolk, now aged 45, worked at Colefax and Fowler as a paint specialist before her marriage.

These considerations aside, she says, “I really enjoy digging in the garden and planting things myself. This year we’re extending the kitchen garden, but before we started, we had to have an archaeological dig”, she says. “It revealed a medieval Maison Dieu, the layout of streets and houses in Victorian Arundel - and a well, right in the centre. Very appropriate because water is going to be an important feature in our plans.”

Begun 10 years ago while she was still Countess of Arundel (the Earl of Arundel succeeded his father Miles Stapleton-Fitzalan-Howard as the 18th Duke in 2002), the kitchen garden had to take its place in her priorities. She and her husband, Edward, moved into the east wing of the castle when they got married in 1987 and, as she observes, “there was a lot of work to do, as it hadn't been occupied since 1945.”

Enclosed by high walls, near the stables and bounded on one side by Arundel's pinnacled, 19th-century cathedral and the town itself, the present kitchen garden covers one acre on level ground. Gerry Kelsey, ex-RHS Rosemoor and the head gardener at Arundel since 1994, takes up the story. “The garden was rather neglected. There were lawns, a shrubbery, lots of trees, and a substantial rubbish dump. Our first project was the renovation of the Vinery, an original Victorian glasshouse. It still has arches in the walls at ground-level so that vines can be rooted in the border outside and then trained underneath for the fruits to grow and ripen inside. We plant ours inside today, though.”

When the Vinery was replanted, the original Victorian varieties were traced through the Castle's archives, and Reads of Norfolk was approached to provide modern equivalents, an instance of Georgina Norfolk's detail. Today, varieties of red and black grapes with such intriguing names as 'Buckland Sweetwater', 'Lady Downe's Seedling' and 'Mrs. Pince's Black Muscat' will display heavy clusters of fruit through the season.

The rich, red skin of the curious, doughnut- shaped peach, Prunus persica 'Flat China', shows up against the white walls of the Vinery. 'Flat China' was first shown to the Horticultural Society in 1819. Other varieties of peach are also grown - some espalier-trained. Buddleia nicodemia grows in the borders beneath the fruits, geraniums fragrance the air and the ledges are covered with colourful gourds and squash destined to decorate the cathedral and church on feast days.

During the restoration of the kitchen garden, they also came upon some original Victorian asparagus pits, complete with a plaque of 1874, and the foundations of a second Victorian greenhouse. Now known as the Victorian Greenhouse, exotic fruits and vegetables are grown here, including bananas, pineapples and yams. They also grow such curiosities as loofah gourds. Figs, lemons, oranges and other citrus fruit are also harvested, as well as passion fruit, chillis and peppers.

What about the outside crops? Kelsey explains that these are grown potager-style on a four-year cycle in consultation with the castle's chef, “but we also want to satisfy visitors' expectations of a decorative garden”. He attributes much of their design's success to the Duchess, pointing out that she “'had contributed significantly, from the overall design to details such as the topiary 'lollipop' bay trees (Laurus nobilis), the low, espaliered, step-over apples and the decorative lead fountain.” In fact, she had wanted a much more ornamental kitchen garden than the original Victorian one, but this decorative aspect had to be married with practicality. “'Everything grown here has a practical purpose and application - whether it's fruit and vegetables or flowers.”

All the crops are seasonal. “We will send up a selection to the house and menus will be planned around this. In terms of what to grow, there's always room for experimentation. Anything that's a bit different which we have grown successfully is always welcomed.”

The vegetable garden is at the western end of the plot, with low yew hedging (Taxus baccata) used to define different areas. Box (Buxus sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa') has been grown from cuttings to edge the individual beds. Neat rows of vegetable and salad crops are made more colourful by occasional plantings of annuals, making the whole appear like an illustration from Beatrix Potter.

Wrought-iron pergolas supporting espaliered apple trees extend along the central path each side of the fountain. They are a mass of colour in summertime with cosmos, tanecetum and verbena at their base and ipomoea climbing carelessly among old-fashioned apple varieties such as Ashmead's Kernel' and 'Peasgood's Nonsuch'.

The Cut-flower Garden is centrally positioned before the Vinery with yew and box again used to define the paths and borders. Displays of tulips give way to cosmos, nicotiana, statice, helichrysum, rosa, Ricinus 'Gibsonii' and dahlias (including Dahlia 'Black Knight'). These not only make spectacular displays when growing but can also be put to good use by the floristry team.

Clever design makes the layout of the kitchen garden seem larger than it really is. Juxtapositioned 'compartments' and parallel paths lead between herbaceous borders, flower borders, soft fruits and the potager. There is a sense of space and distance. Espaliered fruit trees cover the east-facing wall. Fruit bushes and rhubarb grow beneath the north-facing wall. Tall raspberry canes and asparagus are near the centre, where structure is provided in the summer by immense wigwams for runner beans, pumpkins and sunflowers.

The garden seems to have matured very quickly. Why is this? Kelsey considers. “First, the double digging we carried out at the start. I'm a great believer in double digging. You can be sure you'll get organic matter right to the roots. If you use a rotavator, you can easily create a hard surface and the roots can’t penetrate and spread so easily. And with double digging, you can be sure of good drainage. The other important factor is the first-class muck we dig in each winter. Lots of really good organic matter. Some 60 tons go into the vegetable garden and a similar amount to the flower garden and borders.”

Isobel McKinley, the assistant head gardener, who came to Arundel in 2002 from the National Trust Waddesdon Manor, explains that the Duchess would like to be completely organic on the estate. “We're always trying to find ways to achieve this; we call it ‘gardening with nature’,” she says. “For example, we plant nasturtiums to attract the caterpillars - so crops stay clear of them. We also have plenty of shoo-fly plants which do just what their name says! We use nematodes and companion planting in the garden and the glasshouses, and encourage natural predators, such as hedgehogs.”

Gerry Kelsey and his team share with Georgina Norfolk a huge enthusiasm for their work. A new garden, adjacent to the present one, is scheduled for next year and will draw on Inigo Jones's early 17th-century designs for the 14th Earl of Arundel's 'Renaissance' garden at Arundel House, London. Water and architecture will feature strongly and there are plans for formal terraces with pleached allées, fountains and a labyrinth. As Georgina Norfolk says, “Everything we do here at Arundel brings history to life.”

This garden is a microcosm experiment to practice organic gardening and soil sustainability so I'll be posting updates and results often for feedback and discussion.

The plot was handed over to me already weeded and the topsoil was already loosened by the previous owner, so I didn't need to start from scratch like my last one. I'm using the French Biointensive method as a guideline which recommends double digging raised beds; ie-dig a spade's depth and remove dirt, then loosen a pitchfork's depth under that, followed by moving a shovel's depth from the next trench on top of the loosened first and continuing on until the plot is done. Of course a soil analysis is recommended to adjust nitrogen, potash and phospherous and check the Ph level, but I may opt to just add plentyof fresh compost, which balances out those things and use gardener's intuition instead.

Progress so far:

Feb 11: Double dug 1/2 the plot (100 sq ft) and added 4.5 cu ft organic compost to top 8 inches. Removed large rocks and soil clods, as well as much sweet potato roots. Topsoil is a loam with subsoil a clay loam characteristic of tropical regions. I watered down the bed (excellent drainage due to the double-dig)and let it rest for 2 days. There were MANY healthy earthworms present in the clay loam which is very encouraging.

I also salvaged a lot of wood and particle board nearby for the toolbox and bed liners which I was planning on using, but parhaps I may go a simpler, more natural route instead. I'll have to see what the availability is on dead tree limbs and stones before making a decision on that. I like the idea of using only salvaged materials but the natural look and handcrafted approach might be more rewarding. I have a bunch of used wine crates as well, that might add something to it. I hope to finish double digging and soil enrichment this week and start on the bed liners, access path, tool box and trellises. Also order my heirloom seeds (open pollinated only-no hybrids) and build seedling boxes. Keep you up to date....

Thu Jul 20, 5:52 PM ET

The diversity of bees and the flowers they pollinate has fallen drastically in Britain and the Netherlands over the last 25 years, a study said.

"We are shocked by the decline in plants as well as the bees," Koos Biesmeijer of the University of Leeds, the lead author of the study published in Science magazine.

"If this pattern is replicated elsewhere, the 'pollinator service' we take for granted could be at great risk. And with it the future for the plants we enjoy in our countryside," said the researcher.

The study -- conducted in Britain, the Netherlands and Germany -- is believed to be the first of its kind staged in Europe. It found that bee diversity fell by almost 80 percent in hundreds of sites that came under revue.

The economic value of pollination worldwide is thought to be between 20 billion and 50 billion pounds (36 billion and 92 billion dollars) each year, the study said.

The research said that a decline in the number of pollinating bees would not be so damaging if it had been offset by growth in the number of other pollinating insects in the their place.

But this was not the case -- the hoverflies population, for example, grew only marginally over the same period of time, said the study.

Researchers said it was too early to tell if the bee decline was leading to the plant decline, or vice versa, or if the two were locked in a "vicious cycle" of cause and effect.

"Whatever the cause, the study provides a worrying suggestion that declines in some species may trigger a cascade of local extinctions amongst other associated species," Biesmeijer said.

ill try to find the wed site and share it with you all

Wanted to share a pic of the first bloom of our hibiscus tree. It was given to us as a "dead" tree, but I had scraped a bit of bark and figured it would live on. Sure enough, there are about twenty blooms on the tree (believe closer to 15 now due to the resident kitty who tries to climb it frequently) and the first has chosen the first day of snow here to bloom. Absolutely beautiful!

The purpose of these lists is to give us a general idea of what would have been used, what was available, and to what extent each plant was used. Also, for those wanting to recreate a Medieval garden, this would be a great place to start for plant selections.

Herbs for the Cup (infusions)

Cammomile, Carnation, Clary, Cost, Costmary, Endive, Horehound, Hyssop, Marjoram, Marigold (pot), Rosemary, Rue

Herbs to Distill

Betony, Dragons, Endive, Eyebright, Hyssop, Mugwort, Rose (red), Rosemary, Sage, Scabious, Silverweed, Water Pepper, Wormwood

Herbs for Pottage:

Agrimony, Alexanders, Astrologia longa, A. Rotunda, Avens, Basil, Beet, Betony, Borage, Cabbage, Caraway, Chervil, Chives, Clary, Colewort, Columbine, Coriander, Daisy, Dandelion, Dill, Dittander, Fennel, Good King Henry, Hartstongue, Langdebeef, Leek, Lettuce, Lupin, Mallow, Marigold (pot), Marjoram, Mint, Nepp, Nettle (red), Oculus Christi, Onions, Orach, Parsley, Patience, Pepperwort, Radish, Rape, Safflower, Sage, Snowthistle, Spinach, Thistle (milk), Thyme, Valerian, Violet, Wood Sorrel

Herbs for Salads

Alexanders, Borage, Burnet, Calamint, Chickweed, Chives, Cress (French), Cresses, Daisies, Dandelion, Fennel, Heartsease, Mints, Nettle (red & dead), Parsley, Primrose (buds), Purslane, Rampion, Ramsoms, Rocket, Violets

Herbs for Sauce:

Dittander, Garlice Mustard, Hartstongue, Masterwort, Mints, Parsley, Pellitory, Sorrel, Violet, Wood Sorrel

Herbs for both Savour and Beauty

Basil, Carnation, Dropwort, Dill, Garlic, Germander, Marjoram (sweet), Melons, Poppy (garden variety), Solomon's Seal, Vervain, Wallflower

Plants for an Herber or Ornamental Garden:

Almond, Baytree, Campion, Columbine,Cornflower, gooseberry, Gourds, Hellebore, Lilies, Peach, Peony (roman), Pine, Plum, Roses (white), Safflower, Vines

Roots & Bulbs

Carrots, Eryngo, Onions, Parsnips, Radish, Saffron, Turnips

Additional plants & trees found in English Medieval gardens:

Anise, Archangel, Bean (broad), Bugle, Centaury, Comfrey, Cowslip, Cucumber, Daffodil, Elecampane, Fenugreek, Feverfew, Foxglove, Gromwell, Henbane, Herb-Ive, Herb Robert, Hollyhock, Irises, Lavender, Liliy of the Valley, Lovage, Mandrake, Mouse Ear, Mustard, Orpine, Parsnip, Pea, Pennyroyal, Periwinkle, Pimpernel, Plaintains, Polypody, Poppy (white), Quince, Rocket (sweet), Savory, Setterwort, Skirrets, Smallage, Southernwood, Strawberry, Stocks, Tansy, Tutsan, Waterlily, Woodruff, Wormseed, Yarrow

Native Woodland trees & shrubs

Alder, Ash, Birch, Bramble, Elm, Hazel, Hawthorn, Holly, Ivy, Maple, Oak, Roses, Willows

Orchard & Nut trees

Apple (variety), Cherry (sweet & sour), Chestnut (spanish), Fig, Hazel, Medlar, Mulberry, Pear (variety), Service, Walnut,

Useful native additions for re-creating Medieval Gardens

Bluebell, Broom, Celandine (greater), Corncockle, Corn Marigold, Cowslip, Fern (m/f), Guelder Rose, Marjoram (wild variety), Strawberry (wild variety), Thyme (creeping)

Again, please note that this is not a complete list, and that I will probably be adding other lists to this one as well once I have found them. Feel free to add to or discuss these at your leisure.

Medieval Priory Gardens and Plans

Any thoughts?

a widely naturalized strong-scented Eurasian composite herb (Achillea millefolium) with finely dissected leaves and small usually white corymbose flowers.

Used to deaden topically and widely used as a tooth ache medicine for thousands of years.

The root is used to numb an area before suturing a wound or before surgery and

it will help to stem and coagulate the blood flow as well.

For tooth ache find and clean the root, then scrape it with a blade or lightly mash it and place on the tooth or area of the pain.

If you use too much you will drool everywhere as it deadens the whole side of your face.

To use the root in a poultice with Propolis for a wound, first gather the root and clean it, its small so many plants might have to be used depending on the size of the wound, pulverize the root and add the Propolis then bind the mixture to the wound it self.

Used on ancient battle fields since time immortal.

As with all herbs do not use unless familiar with the plant and other medical conditions.