How tall does a Tetrapanax grow?
Well taller than Jess, co-founder of the Museum of Homelessness! This is very exciting. We have just planted a baby one in the Museum of Homelessness garden and apparently they grow quite fast and clearly quite big. But really what this post is about is the generosity of gardeners though if you want to know the basics of the Tetrapanax - it will grow in full sun or partial shade and yes you can grow it in a pot!
Jess Turtle, co-founder of the Museum of Homelessness standing beneath a Tetrapanax in the Inner Temple Garden.
A couple of weeks ago on a beautiful sunny Autumn day, I went back to the Inner Temple Garden (where I volunteered for 2 years) with Jess and Matt Turtle. Head Gardener Sean Harkin had invited us to visit; meet the team, have a cup of tea and then a tour of the garden. The visit came at the end of a long and challenging week for Jess and Matt who had released the Museum’s report on the numbers of people dying whilst homeless. Their aim to “ensure that the deaths in our community are visible and cannot be ignored”, had culminated in a vigil the previous evening outside Downing Street.
The beauty of nature and this stunning garden worked its magic. It is so peaceful, despite its location - alongside the Embankment in London. All around there were plants to admire, ideas to absorb, tips to gather. We gazed up at a majestic Melanoselinum (Black Parsley) and gasped at the huge leaves on a Paulownia tormentosa (Foxglove tree). Suddenly Sean disappeared, only to reappear with a spade and a wheelbarrow! As we wandered around the garden, he would dart into the flower bed and emerge with a small rooted ‘stick’ of Tetrapanax or Clerodendrum or Paulownia. A Helleborus argutifolius went into the wheelbarrow along with a Fatsia Japonica and all the necessary advice about sun and shade and watering.
Along with the plants there was the inspiration. We all crouched down to admire the meadows which are a spectacular part of the Inner Temple gardens, could we do something similar around our pond? Jess and Matt sat on a bench which is almost ‘hugged’ by a semi circle of small Irish yews, giving an enclosed and cosy feel. We have a bench where we could plant Yews in this way. These trees are often found in churchyards and the community have said that they would like a Yew tree; signifying a place to sit and remember people. And there was delight at the greenhouse which is 6 metres long and 3.5 metres - yes Jess and Matt measured it! A greenhouse is definitely on the MOH wishlist.
Back in the yard, Sean labelled all the plants, stripping back some of the leaves and wrapping the roots in damp tissue. I took them home on the bus. And then the following week, we had the most beautiful afternoon in the Museum of Homelessness garden, planting these precious gifts. Cas wielded the spade and I consulted the notes that Sean had given us as we all pondered the exact placing; was this sunny enough, dry enough, shady enough? We planted and watered and labelled. I have a favourite Hellebore that I think Jess planted in just the perfect place but I am excited for all of the plants.
I think this whole experience speaks to the generosity of gardeners. Not just in sharing plants but also sharing knowledge in a gentle and encouraging way. For me the MOH garden really feels like a place where we are all learning together. We remind each other that gardens take time, but I confess I am excited for the day that Jess stands beneath a Tetrapanax in the MOH garden.