GOGG HOLIDAY TO DEVON- JUNE 2025 – ITINERARY

The GOGG holiday for 2025 will be visiting gardens in the glorious county of Devon and will run from Monday June 9th to Friday June 13th. We shall be staying at the Queens Hotel in the south Devon resort of Paignton. A close neighbour of Torquay, the resort has many attractions apart from its lovely sandy beaches including being the terminus of the Dartmouth Steam Railway. Also at Paignton there are public gardens and buses along the coast to Torquay and Brixham as well as to other towns such as Totnes and Dawlish. The twin resort of Torquay also has many attractions including a new Italian garden.

This will be the 25th holiday which GOGG has run and probably the last that I personally will be able to organise due to my failing eyesight. I hope as many members as possible will be able to join us for what promises to be an interesting and enjoyable celebratory tour. In particular please note that for the first time there will be no supplementary charge for  the 12 single rooms. The final price will depend on the number of bookings and the charges for the gardens but should be similar to those for 2024.(see below for more information).

The provisional itinerary, which may well be subject to change, is as follows:-

Day 1

On the first day we will make a mid-morning start from Gloucestershire and travel down to South Devon where our first visit will be to the house and gardens of Powderham Castle, south of Exeter. The estate stands above the Exe estuary and became the family home of the Courtenays in about 1390. Recently Frances Tophill has introduced a number of “Gardeners’World” programmes from the gardens showing much of colour and interest there to the viewer.The castle itself has a fascinating history and architecture with stunning interiors. The house clearly shows its development from a fortified manorial hall  to the present fine house.The gardens have been developed over many years and among the attractions is the large American Garden featuring a wide variety of plants from the New World. There is a secret garden and the walled garden also includes the community allotment visited by Frances Tophill and the potting shed cafe. Also of note is a rose terrace containing both old and new varieties which has been supplemented with newer herbaceous borders and other new features. The extensive deer park is open for walks and deer can be seen from the house. From here we travel the short distance along the coast to our base at Paignton on the beautiful Torbay coastline.

Day 2

Today we travel to the charming village of Buckland Monachoram on the southern fringes of Dartmoor to visit two gardens are inextricably linked by the well-known gardener Keith Wiley. Firstly, we go to the Garden House where Keith was head gardener for 25 years and developed an informal style of gardening which closely links the garden with the surrounding countryside. In addition the garden has retained much of the charm centred on the original walled garden with much of the colour and interest which has made it such a popular garden with visitors for many years. In the afternoon we move a mile down  the lane to Wildside which Keith began to develop on a 3 acre field after leaving the Garden House in 2003. Here he has further developed his informal style to create one of the UK’s most innovative gardens. The garden which should be a mass of colourful Perennials in June is divided into three parts with a more formal courtyard garden, a canyon garden and a lower garden. Keith has used a small digger and dumper truck to move thousands of tonnes of earth to create a landscape of mounds and canyons from his flat field. We visited the garden in 2009 when it was still under construction  and it will be fascinating to see the final results of his labours.

Day 3

For the 3rd day  there is a choice between a free day in Paignton or a day trip to visit Greenway House the home of Agatha Christie for many years. The trip to Greenway promises to be a fascinating day using different forms of transport to reach our destination which cannot be accessed by a large coach. Because of this there will be a supplementary charge of about £50 ( £36 for National Trust members) . We start by joining a Dartmouth Steam Railway train at Paignton station for the journey to Kingswear.  Leaving Paignton there are lovely views across Torbay to Berry Head as we climb to Churston. The train then drops down to the Dart Estuary with views across to Dartmouth with the Royal Naval College prominent. At Kingswear we take the ferry across the Dart to Dartmouth where we join a river ferry to take us up the river to Greenway Quay where we disembark for Greenway House  which is now in the hands of the National Trust. There is a steep walk up from the Quay to the house but a courtesy car should be available for anyone who needs a lift. The Christie’s former home is a fine 18th century Georgia mansion and contains much family memorabilia. The Greenway estate covers 30 acres of beautiful  wooded countryside above the  river with many woodland walks. Yet despite its position high above the river, the large number of mature trees make it almost impossible to see the Dart from above in summer. There are two walled gardens with enclosed flower gardens near the barn and stables and

 beyond the large kitchen garden. Many of the garden’s features have been restored and the borders redeveloped. All in all the estate is a natural paradise which is gorgeous at any season. After our visit we will return to the Quay for our return ferry to Dartmouth where our coach will return us to Paignton. For those who prefer to remain in Paignton there are a wide variety of attractions as outlined in the introduction and if they wish they may join the coach when it travels to Dartmouth to collect the Greenway party.

Day 4

This morning we travel the short distance up the Dart to Dartington Hall near Totnes where the Dartington Trust has developed the Grade II listed gardens over many years to provide a tranquil space of great beauty.

The hall itself is one of the finest medieval houses in Devon and is home to a variety of courses and other ventures run by the Trust. The 25 acre garden contains a wide variety of sections including herbaceous borders designed in quiet shades of colour. Overall the garden sweeps round through the seasons and perhaps the best views are gained from the top of the wheelchair friendly path.   Most importantly the estate boasts its own pub, the “White Hart”, attached to the Hall which serves lunches and all kinds of drinks so what could be better than sitting outside the pub with a pint of real ale (possibly “Tribute”) within this lovely garden?

In the afternoon we travel back to the coast to visit Coleton Fishacre the former home of the D’oyly Carte family producers of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas and now in the hands of the National Trust. The house is in the “Arts and Crafts” style and contains a grand piano which, most unusually, visitors are often allowed to play. So if any members can play or sing, they could give us a little G and S perhaps as the house overlooks the sea, something from “The Pirates of Penzance” or “HMS Pinafore”!!

The 30 acre garden is centred on a steep Devon combe which drops down from the house to the cliff tops. The sheltered combe and maritime climate allows for a variety of sun-loving and tender sub-tropical plants to grow in lush profusion. The walled garden is full of herbaceous borders together with a rill and lake. Altogether this is yet another garden of great charm and beauty on an outstanding stretch of coastline.

Day 5

On the last day of the tour we travel across the county to north Devon to visit the RHS gardens at Rosemoor. Those of us who joined the day trip to Rosemoor in February know that this is a beautiful garden to see at any time of the year but in June it should be at or near its spectacular best. Rosemoor was the first RHS garden to be opened in the provinces and shows similarities to their principal garden at Wisley. In June we will find that the subdued colours of late winter will have given way to a riot of colour in the various areas of the garden. The 65 acres includes much of interest and highlights include herbaceous borders and a spectacular show of roses of both new and old varieties. There is a large vegetable garden, a lake and bog garden together with a herb garden, a potager and a cottage garden. There is a large area for plant sales for members to stock up before we start our journey back to Gloucestershire hopefully full of many happy memories.

The basic cost excluding garden entries and the Greenway visit ranges from £490 for 35 bookings to £620 for the minimum of 20 so let’s get as many bookings as possible. The garden entries could add up to £80 to £90 but there will be reductions for NT and RHS members. The brochure and booking forms will be sent to regulars when they are received from Barnes Coaches but anyone who is interested and has not been with us before or in recent years should contact Vic Ellis on 01242 230442 or by email to glosorgg@gmail.com.

Vic Ellis

Box Moth Caterpillar monitoring and treatment

These are some pheromone traps that Clive has used at Manor to monitor Box moth caterpillars https://www.dragonfli.co.uk/products/box-tree-caterpillar-moth-pheromone-trap

And this is the treatment that he has used to get rid of the caterpillars – and have worked tremely well. He has used it  in conjunction with the pheromone traps.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/TOPBUXUS-Topuxus-Xentari-Caterpillar-Product/dp/B06XCVV5B9/ref=asc_df_B06XCVV5B9/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=230204386967&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=738779870241756811&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007154&hvtargid=pla-330087570380&psc=1

Hugelculture comes from the Permaculture school of thought where you make the best use of land, efficiently and sustainable, living lightly on the planet, in harmony with nature. A Hugelculture is made by starting with digging a pit and placing a log in it, then smaller branches and then twigs, this is covered by upside down turf and then soil, so that the whole structure is an elongated mound. We made ours 1 ½  metre long, 1 metre high, and  0.8 metre wide., but they can be made any size. The idea is to make use of vertical space and to preserve moisture. 

Filling gaps with turf and soil

Planting up with strawberries peas and beans

Hugelculture bed semi – established with, peas, nasturtium, strawberries and the addition of self seeded borage and nigella. Broad beans have also been planted but have not come up yet. Having made the bed in  April then the long hot weather spell in May dried it out a bit whereas when really underway the idea of the Hugel is that it keeps moist and fed by the gradual breakdown of the internal wood. Initially it is best to sow nitrogen fixing plants to replace any taken by the breakdown of the wood, but by next year we can grow any plants we wish

Worm composting is a method of generating compost by feeding manure worms with kitchen waste;  it is not generated very quickly but it is useful for recycling kitchen waste if you do not have either the facilities or enough materials to make garden compost.

Manure worms digest fresh material, vegetable and fruit peelings and are found in the compost heap as opposed to earth worms which we find in garden soil and digest the garden soil.

Manure worms are brandling worms(pink) or tiger worms(stripey) which can be bought from fishing tackle shops (they are used for bait for fishing) or can be found in garden compost  or stacked fresh farmard manure.

It is easy to make a worm composting facility yourself.

I use a bucket, or fat ball container, with a plant pot fitted into it (the plant pot a little smaller than the bucket) with an old roof tile or the like under the plant pot to keep the bottom of it proud of the bottom of the bucket;  this is important because the process generates liquid and the compost will be too wet if the plant pot is sat directly onto the bottom of the bucket.

To get started:

1. place your plant pot into the bucket(with the tile underneath) and add a couple of inches of compost – it is best if you can use some compost that you have made, or use organic compost that does not contain any artificial chemicals.
2. Add some worms and let them get acclimatised for a few days
3. Then add some kitchen waste for the worms to digest
4. Add a wad of damp newspaper on top and cover with something like some Perspex or something else that makes a rigid lid, punch some holes in the lid
5. Keep feeding the worms until your plant pot is full.
6. Scoop off the top layer of food which should contain the worms and set aside to start the next batch
7. Remove the compost and store for use
8. Leave  a couple of inches of compost in the pot to start the next batch and add the worms to get started again.

When adding the kitchen waste, add in shallow layers and leave a small area free from the waste to allow the worms to come to the surface if necessary.

Take the lid off for a few hours from time to time.

Watch that the compost does not become to wet or dry – add ripped up newspaper when too wet, or water lightly if too dry

Worm compost is high in nutrients, about ten times that of garden compost.

Can be added to potting compost.

Leafmould is easy to make and free. It has very little nutrients but is very useful as a soil conditioner; it opens up heavy soils and helps with moisture retention on light sandy soils. It is also useful as a mulch on veg beds and ornamental borders.

Leaves are high in carbon and are broken down by fungal action. Materials that we put in the compost bin are broken down by bacterial action, the bacteria needing lots of nitrogen to keep working. We can add leaves to the compost heap but they will take a long time to break down and the break down process will use a lot of nitrogen that the bacteria need. So it is better to make leafmould separately from the compost heap.

All that is needed is a wire netting (small gauge) cage to stop the leaves from blowing around. Just use two or three small stakes or bamboo canes, driven into the ground and surround by wire netting. Add the leaves and just leave them to break down. You can add grass cuttings, mixed in with the leaves, or urine to speed breakdown. After a year, there will be some nice leafmould in the middle of the heap that you can use and then just keep adding leaves as they become available.

Research by Garden Organic has shown that using leafmould on the veg plot gives healthier plants, better yields and less problems with pests and diseases.

So, have a go!

RUSSIAN COMFREY – BOCKING 14

HIGH POTASH CONTENT & TRACE MINERALS

USE FOR:

• COMFREY LIQUID
• MULCHING
• COMPOST ACTIVATOR

COMFREY LIQUID – USE AS A HIGH POTASH LIQUID FEED DILUTED WITH 15 PARTS WATER TO 1 PART COMFREY

MAKE IN SUMMER:

• PLACE A LARGE PLANT POT INSIDE A BUCKET
• PLACE A TILE UNDERNEATH THE PLANT POT
• PACK THE PLANT POT WITH COMFREY LEAVES
• ADD A COUPLE OF LARGE STONES/BRICKS
• DO NOT ADD WATER(WATER MAKES IT SMELLY)
• COVER TO AVOID RAIN
• PUT IN A SHELTERED PLACE
• LIQUID WILL START TO RUN IN ABOUT 6 WEEKS

• POUR LIQUID INTO A SEALED CONTAINER
• CONTINUE PACKING LEAVES IN THE BUCKET & REMOVING LIQUID ALL SUMMER – KEEP LIQUID OUT OF SUN
• AT END OF SUMMER, TIP LEAF RESIDUE ONTO COMPOST HEAP
• STORE LIQUID IN A COOL DARK PLACE FOR LATER USE

MULCHNG

USE LEAVES TO MULCH UNDER LARGE VEG WHERE IT WILL BREAK DOWN AND FEED THE PLANTS

ESPECIALLY USEFUL FOR OUTDOOR TOMATOES

COMPOST ACTIVATOR

VERY USEFUL AS A COMPOST ACTIVATOR – WORKS BETTER IF CHOPPED TO INCREASE SURFACE AREA FOR BACTERIA TO WORK ON

GOGG attended the Malvern Spring Show in May.  Our theme was ‘BACK TO BASICS – GARDENING ORGANICALLY’.  We had demos for comfrey liquid, composting(thanks to Gloucestershire CC for the composter and leaflets), worm composting as well as the soil model showing the wealth of micro-organisms that provide soil fertility from the inputs.  We also had a table for children’s activities.

We received a lot of interest from the public particularly in composting and our method of making comfrey liquid (putting the leaves to break down without water, preventing the strong smell!) 

 We were very nicely surprised to receive an RHS BRONZE MEDAL for the display, so very well done to everyone who contributed.

Many apples were affected by the very late, very severe frost that we suffered in early May 2017.  This resulted in some very poor crops and some trees have not had any fruit this year.  Some apples show frost damage, appearing as russet patches, something many of us have not seen before.  These are two Adam’s Pearmain apples and one Bramley apple, all showing signs of frost damage.