Gardening in dappled shade
I love the words ‘dappled shade’. There’s nothing gloomy or dark about ‘dappled shade’. In fact it feels like a welcome place to sit, sheltered from the hot sun. Why you ask, is she talking about sheltering from the hot sun in January? Well I want to see if I can encourage you to join me on a 90 min venture into dappled shade next Wednesday, in the company of Jimi Blake of the Hunting Brook gardens in Ireland.
Dappled shade in Hunting Brook gardens
I mentioned in a previous blog that I have recently become a trustee of the charity Plant Heritage and that I would share more about this charity and the new role over the coming months. One of the things that Plant Heritage offers both members and non members, for a small fee, (£7/£10) are online talks with the profits going back into the charity. Check out Jimi’s talk here.
Now although my small urban garden is south facing it is also quite shady due to the houses at the back which are literally a stones throw away. There are also some very tall trees in neighbouring gardens including a beautiful Robinia pseudoacacia (False Acacia), which is higher than the rooftops, so definitely casts some shade. It has taken me many years to train myself to: ‘put the sweetpea seeds back on the shelf’ - as they will not grow my shady garden.
So my ears pricked up when I saw this 90 min zoom masterclass with Jimi Blake, billed as a deep dive into gardening in dappled shade and being offered by Plant Heritage. If you want to know more about Jimi Blake - I give you this from his own website:
Jimi Blake is a self-proclaimed “Plantaholic”, a Gardening Consultant, International Lecturer, Author of "A Beautiful Obsession", and Visionary Creator of Hunting Brook Gardens.
He developed a passion for gardening at a very young age from his mother and was formally trained at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin as a horticulturist.
Not soon after, Jimi was appointed Head Gardener at Airfield Gardens in Dundrum, Dublin at a young age. There, he gained notoriety when he resuscitated a large Victorian garden to its former glory, enabling the public to rediscover and enjoy a lost gem.
After 12 years at Airfield, he bought 20 acres of land not far from where he was born and established the Hunting Brook Gardens which gained popularity among gardening legends and hobbyists alike. Today, he spends his time innovating new ideas at Hunting Brook and continues to develop his vision in new directions, always pushing the boundaries of his knowledge.
I have been watching some of his videos and his advice to ‘give plants a go’ and to ’step out of your comfort zone’ and ‘remove what you don’t want so you can be clear with what you do want’ feels like the perfect advice for the period of planning that is February - a good time to make lists before we head into nurseries or garden centres like children let loose into a sweet shop after a long absence of sweets! (Or is that just me?) I do hope some of you will take a look at next Wednesday’s talk and maybe sign up.
Tuesday 4th Feb is the big day when series 3 of Our Plant Stories launches with ‘Constance and the 9/11 daffodils’. It is a very beautiful story of hope in the face of tragedy and one whose legacy continues to this day. Do please let me know what you think and any rating and reviewing will, as ever, be gratefully received! I also wanted to THANK all of you who having been sharing the podcast recently with other plant and story enthusiasts. Though the only thing I have published in January has been the trailer for series 3, it been a great month for downloads. And finally a quick reminder - do follow the podcast on your podcast app so that you don’t miss any of the Offshoot episodes.
Have a lovely weekend
Sally
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