The Professional Gardeners’ Guild Three Years Traineeship in Horticultural Practices

FINAL YEAR REPORT on Garden Management

by Giulio Veronese

Period of Traineeship 2011 – 2014

2

3

4

© Giulio Veronese

Printed: April 2014, 1 Highgrove Cottages.

Front cover: personal secateurs Felco no.7

5

Festina Lente

Classical adage

6

7

Contents Report Private Note 9 Garden Staff 11

Hierarchy, size 11 Training, career progression 14 Contractors 15 Trainees 15 Volunteers 16

Garden Management 18 Garden Maintenance 20

Secateurs 20 Weeding 20 Mulching and composting 22 Grass cutting 23 Leaf clearance 24 Hedges, shrubs, trees 25 Preparation of new areas 26 Use of machinery 27

Areas of the Garden 29 The Walled Garden 29 Greenhouses and Nurseries 30

Health and Safety 32 Visitors 33 Appendices Be a PGG Trainee Gardener 35 Horticultural Qualifications 37 Budget and Wages 38 Acknowledgments 40

8

9

Many heritage gardens operate under tight financial constraints and shortage of labour. From your own experiences and observation list some of the problems encountered and suggest possible solutions that can lead to the overall management and efficiency of our gardens being improved.

Private Note My name is Giulio Veronese, I am an Italian-born, thirty-three years old horticulturalist. After completing a high school diploma focusing on humanities in 1999, I followed my grandfather’s and father’s footsteps and enrolled at the Venice University of Architecture. During those years, I developed a strong interest in horticulturally-related disciplines, such as landscape design and ecology in the university classrooms, botany and garden history as a self-taught student. In 2008, after having been worked as an architect in Venice for a year, I decided for a change of direction and began to work as a professional gardener and garden designer with my father. At the time, he was starting Amico Verde, his own business as a self-employed gardener. Together, we worked on a number of public and private gardens in Ferrara area (River Po Valley), looking after both the conceptual layout and the practical elements. In the same period I closely collaborated with Arte Verde, working as a groundsman for a tree climbing team. I was gaining varied practical experience however I knew that it was still more about contract maintenance rather than high standard horticulture. I needed to change my direction, to seek out a more dynamic career option. After a fortnightly tour with my family to the gardens of South-East England, I decided to move to the UK and from April 2010 to February 2011 I volunteered for the National Trust at Cliveden, Stowe Landscape Gardens and Castle Ward. Back to Italy in spring and summer 2011, I found seasonal employment in Rome as a gardener. I joined a team of self-employed, battle-ready gardeners. Again, this position was about amenity maintenance: continuous use of mowers, strimmers, blowers, sprayers and chainsaws. Such an experience was incredibly valuable to me as it gave me the opportunity to use most horticultural tools and machinery.

10

In October 2011 I started the Professional Gardeners’ Guild Traineeship for three years in practical horticulture. It was a last-minute placement available and I was lucky enough to get it, joining the scheme by the skin of my teeth. I spent my first year working at Osborne House, Queen Victoria’s garden on the Isle of Wight. There I learnt about Victorian plants and features, laying the foundations for my understanding of the British way of doing horticulture. The placement for the second year was the National Botanic Gardens of Wales. It was the explicit request of mine to work in a botanic garden. I wanted to work with scientific collections of plants and discover how science and conservation initiatives are helping to preserve and interpret plants for the public to enjoy and experience. Currently I am spending my third and last year of traineeship at Highgrove, the private garden of HRH the Prince of Wales in the Cotswolds. This eclectic, influential garden has been championed the principles of the organic gardening for years and, from my point of view, is an opportunity to step into a contemporary way of looking at horticultural practices. During my traineeship with the Professional Gardeners’ Guild I went for weekly work experience to University of Bristol Botanic Garden and the royal properties of Birkhall Garden in Scotland and Llwynywermod in Wales. I also took part to the traineeship study tour to Sintra, Portugal, working as part of the team for a week at Monserrate Palace and Garden. Over the last three years I also gained a number of practical and theoretical qualifications. I obtained NPTC qualification in ground based chainsaw operation (CS30 and CS31), competence in safe use of pesticides (PA1 and PA6a) and manually feed woodchipper operations. With the English Gardening School I completed a distance course and obtained the diploma with distinction in garden design. I’m currently half way for getting my complete RHS Level2 certificates in the Principles of Horticulture. In addition, I got certificate of training in dry-stone walling and hedge laying. Today my immediate target is to gain top-level technical training and practical experience in order to work in the British industry of horticulture at the highest possible standard. Nevertheless, I appreciate that my experience in the British industry of horticulture is still limited. This report aims to represents an effort of reviewing my understanding of the system and highlighting some of what I learnt, rather than the ambition of suggesting new, innovative solutions in the management of gardens.

11

Garden Staff Gardens are outdoor places set for the display, cultivation and enjoyment of plants, but they primarily exist because of the effort of the people who work there. In the management of contemporary gardens and parks - big or small, formal or informal, low or high-maintenance - an incredibly wide range of professions and disciplines is involved, and their description is far above the scope of this report. A horticultural team is a group of people with a full set of complementary skills required to complete a task, job or project in a garden. The size and the variety of skills of the team tend to be dictated by the size of the garden, as well as the intensity and complexity of labour required. Another major factor is the amount of funds available to employ and pay the staff. Remarkably in the British gardens, the permanent horticultural team is usually supported by diverse workers, such as external contractors, trainees and volunteers. The following sections will discuss the nature and management of horticultural teams. Hierarchy and Size From my own personal experience, I find that it is essential in the horticultural management of a property to have the standard hierarchy of head gardener (curator), deputy head (garden supervisor), senior gardeners and gardeners. This spreads the work load taking pressure off individuals, and it gives room for promotion and makes for more efficient working. It also gives the opportunity to break the management of the garden down into areas of accountability. The Osborne estate covers around 350 acres which can roughly be broken down to 100 acres of woodland, 100 acres of meadows and grassland, 100 acres of golf course and about 50 acres of ornamental garden. These 50 acres are under the care and responsibility of nine gardeners (seven full-time and two part-time) and can be considered in three main areas: the Terraces, the Pleasure Grounds (which include the Walled Garden) and the Swiss Cottage, connected with the woodlands. Two permanent contractors are based on-site. One PGG trainee is taken each year and joins the horticultural staff in each area of the gardens. A good number of volunteers also join the permanent staff twice a week, helping in the walled garden as well as in the woodlands. The team at Osborne has been working together over the last twenty years with very little changes. This has been leaded to a very fortunate situation, where the gardeners know each other very well and rely upon each other like family members. The National Botanic Garden of Wales covers more than 560 acres, but only half of the area is under the management of the horticultural team, with the remaining lands of nature reserve and farmland usually given to external contractors. The horticultural department consists of twelve full-time staff members, with a further three people employed in the office and administrative aspects of the horticultural department. External contractors are employed seasonally and occasionally for hard landscaping, lawn cutting and tree work. About a dozen of volunteers help with basic gardening jobs. Two PGG trainees are taken yearly. Unlike other places I used to work, the panel here is not rigid, as the staff are liable to increase or decrease according with the financial possibilities. An inside and an outside teams have been established in order to spread the work load taking pressure off individuals, and make for more efficient working. The trainees are rotated, on a three-month rota basis,

12

between the two teams over the year. The restricted funds available to pay for wages means that staffing levels are relatively low and workers quite heavily relied upon. At the gardens of Highgrove I’m finding the greatest diversity in the composition of the team. The staff is composed by ten people and divided in three teams (i.e. Ornamental, Amenity and Production), which are in charge of different areas and cover completely different tasks. Head gardener and deputy head gardener are mostly responsible for administrative aspects, whilst the three senior gardeners manage the different compartments of the garden. There are placements for three students, from the PGG and WRAGS (Work and Retrain as a Gardener Scheme), as well as a specific in-house training position within the Kitchen Garden. There is also an estate team, which is in charge for all the walling and the minor hard-landscaping and tree work. Today most gardens have to run as a business, especially under major organisations such as the National Trust, the English Heritage, the RHS and Kew. Undeniably, it is absolutely essential for their continued existence that they make money. It is for this reason that the job of the head gardener of the biggest estates has become more managerial and it often falls to the deputy or assistant head gardener to organise the day-to-day maintenance of the garden. A good head gardener has to balance the demands of property managers or private employers, the needs of staff and volunteers, the experience of visitors, and the long term preservation and development of the garden itself. Whilst the assistant head has to ensure the daily management is carried out in an organised and efficient manner. The general attitude to work always comes from above. It is really important for a head gardener to set a high standard and regularly check these standards are being kept. In most of the gardens I’ve worked, it has been rare to see the head gardener actually in the garden. Whilst I understand that the role of a head gardener can be largely based in the office, I don’t think there is any excuse for not regularly getting out seeing what is happening in the garden and keeping the staff on their toes. The deputy head gardener has one of the most difficult tasks, to look at the skills, personalities and qualities within a team and to allocate tasks and responsibilities. His/her duties attain to overall leadership and should involve regular personal communication and clear, constructive and motivational attitude. The deputy should also be responsible for regular performance feedback of each team members. In my horticultural career I find that in the gardens where a capable and experience deputy is employed, often the moral of the team and the quality of the work are to higher standards. Communication, experience and capability to manage people are the qualities expected in a deputy head gardener. I am convinced that it is not essential for a deputy to have a vast horticultural and botanical knowledge, which is, on the other hand, expected in a head gardener. The deputy must master interpersonal, listening skills and act like a safe bridge between the head gardener and the team. Senior gardeners are in charge of the different team and really are the foremen within the garden’s areas. They are the people who put detail in the garden. Their number depends from the size, complexity and funding of the garden. Their job isn’t easy and involves many professional, as well as personal skills. They need to be good with logistic, and able to think on their feet. They should always prepare a list of jobs and break the tasks down to the individuals. They should have the sensitiveness and sensibleness to delegate to the correct people, according to the individual skills and attitudes.

13

They should also be flexible and always capable to revisit and readapt the original plan, if needed. Their role assumes greatest importance in terms of training of the trainees and leadership of the volunteers. Communication, humour, professionalism are all qualities a good senior gardener should always have. I find that a great lot of experience is not an optional. Over the last three years I met some very talented young senior, able to take the things straight forward. Nevertheless, I always felt a gap in their management and I believe that a diverse, wide range of experience is necessary for cover this role. Ordinary gardeners cover the day-to-day labour gardening role. They are responsible for the tasks they are delegated, but occasionally can undertake a personal project in agreement with their superiors. In the management of estates or private gardens, it is essential to have a consistent team of good gardeners, as they really are the people who really make the garden what it is. They need natural green fingers and a real love for plants and nature: salaries for them tend to be on the low side, so they’ll be doing it for the great job satisfaction, rather than to make their fortune. They also need to have thousands of qualities and skills: motivation, enthusiasm, dedication, physical fitness, attention to detail, flexibility. Above all, they are expected to be good team players and help the team to be a unique and compact ensemble of workers. They are also the people who more than everybody else have direct contact with the costumers. I firmly believe that to become a fully-skilled, crafted horticulturalist is the product of a process which can take ten years. A professional gardener should specialise him/herself in a direction and, with time, become a plantsman, a nurseryman, a groundsman, a fruit and vegetable grower, etc. I think it is greatly important to provide as much as possible heterogeneity in the composition of the staff. A good horticultural team should consist of individuals having a diverse range of skills, backgrounds, ages and sexuality. There is little point in having a gang composed only of local workers, perhaps males and having a similar age. That will inevitably deadlock the working environment, with little or no horticultural inspiration and progression. Each member should bring a different, personal modus operandi, so contributing to keep the team a living and inspired ensemble of people. The size of the team can vary depending to the size of the garden, the density of the labour-intensive areas and the financial incomes.

14

Training and Career Progression It is each and every member of staff than make a garden what it is, and it is vital to keep up the moral of the gardeners. If staff feel resentful to the individual or organisation that they work for then this will show in their work. Staff training is a very important part of the management of the team. It is certainly a big investment in terms of money and time for the company, but can pay off in terms of loyalty and enthusiasm from staff members, increased professionalism and productivity. Similarly, the offer of accommodation can be a strong inducement to take a job and to remain there for a long period of time. Many historic estates are set in affluent and expensive areas, where it can prove difficult to rent or buy property and achieve a good quality of life, on a low, gardener’s, salary. Increases in annual leave, bonus schemes, generous workplace pension and other perks awarded for long service are also good ways to motivate and retain staff. Osborne House is property of the English Heritage, which is an executive, non-departmental body of the British Government, aiming to protect the natural environment. The English Heritage is particularly good for career development, conducting regular six-month appraisals (Performance and Development Review), giving staff a chance to air any problems and to be updated on their performance and objectives through the year. The English Heritage also sends all their gardeners on a conference every year that includes garden visits, lectures and a chance to chat with other gardeners. As far as I am aware, the English Heritage is also the only organisation in horticulture that supplies its workers with a vibration log book, in order to record and minimize the risk of vibration damages. All the machineries have an inventory number and are checked and tested for vibration yearly. The only drawback of working in gardens of the English Heritage is the low salary. Notoriously this is a rather common situation among the major organisations in the country, such as the National Trust and even the Royal Horticultural Society. The National Botanic Gardens of Wales is a registered charity reliant almost entirely upon the Welsh government funding. Other smaller incomes are received from visitors, friends and other publicity funded grants. The relatively unstable financial situation doesn’t allow the management of a big pot of money, so the financial opportunities are drastically restricted, even if considering only the costs of maintaining. Important benefits such as pensions, housing and official uniforms cannot be offered. In 2003, the garden ran into serious financial difficulties, and in 2004 it accepted a financial package from the Welsh Assembly Government, Carmarthenshire County Council and the Millennium Commission to secure its future. More than half of the horticultural team was laid off and then subsequently re-employed. This lack of job security has had a detrimental effect on staff morale. Furthermore, the continuous changes in management have also contributed to a lack of continuity in the direction of the garden and the organisation and structure of its workforce. At Highgrove all the workers are employed by the Royal Household. This is the organisation that organizes the collective departments which support members of the British Royal Family. The benefits of working for big, prestigious institutions such as the Royal Household are evident. Money is available to pay the permanent team and specialized contractors, as well as to provide new machinery kits at all the times. The Royal Household is also in a position to offer various benefits to its workers, in terms of pensions, training schemes, housing and work clothing.

15

Contractors Contractors are sometimes essential in the maintenance of a garden, for some large jobs, such as hard landscaping and tree work. They can represent a big investment in terms of save of money and time. Delicate issues such as health and safety, insurance and provision of specific equipment can also pass on to the contractors. Nevertheless, it’s important to give them specific and clear instructions, as they are not always aware of certain aspects of ornamental or amenity horticulture. It is also important for a garden to gradually establish a network of contractors that can be trusted and also to cultivate good relationship with them. Whilst contractors are useful for one-off or highly specialised jobs, I think to ensure high standards it is important not to replace dedicated and permanent gardeners with contractors for short term savings. At Osborne House all the aerial tree work is contracted out to a trusted local tree surgeon. All of the strimming and mowing of large areas of grass is also given over to contractors. Two workers from a local firm are based permanently on site along with all of their equipment. Whilst this undeniably saves the gardeners a lot of work, I wonder if for a permanent situation it may have been cheaper just to employ two more members within the horticultural team. This will probably assure a more clear direction and linkage in the management of both the large and small areas, as well as represent, in the long term, a substantial economic investment. In the point of fact, the English Heritage not only pay for the work to be done with contractors, they also pay for their profits as well. At the National Botanic Gardens of Wales two local contractors are employed seasonally for the major strimming and grass-cutting. Furthermore, because of the size of the garden and its natural reserve, outside specialised contractors are often used for major arboricultural and hard-landscaping work. With no doubt their employment represents a significant outcome for the economy of the garden, but that work could not been done by the horticultural team. At the gardens of Highgrove, much of the minor hard landscaping and tree work is carried out by the estate team, which basically acts as a permanent gang of contractors. The availability of economic resources and local qualified craftsmen also allows contracting periodically people for the realisation of major garden features and hard landscaping. The result is of extremely high quality that could not been done by the gardeners.

Trainees Trainees can be a great addition to the garden staff. In the most fortunate cases, they bring fresh air in the messroom and provide interest and stimulation within the team. Nevertheless, the environment they find can vary significantly both in terms of general management and individual attitudes of the team members. It is important for a trainee to be aware of this situation and remain open-minded and willing to communicate at all the times. By all means, trainees are regular members of the team, but their position differs enormously from the one of the permanent employees, as well as volunteers. They cannot be expected to be fully-experience professional workers, nor even only a source of unskilled, cheap labor. They should instead be considered a valuable investment, as their training represents the concrete foundation of the future industry of horticulture in this country.

16

It is important for the gardens which host students to set a clear structured training program. If a program is missing or deficient, the student can feel a little lost and lacking in direction. I believe that to decide and define the training program should primarily be duty of the head gardener and the gardener supervisor. From the very first day, they should establish a communication with the trainee, gradually getting to know his/her strengths and weaknesses. The rest of the staff (seniors in particularly) should also always make an effort to welcome the students, be supportive and share their horticultural knowledge and experience. In my vision, the on-going practical work should be changed around on a regular basis to give students more variety and therefore a wider vision and understanding of horticultural matters. Trainees should always be “on tour” within the different areas and teams of the gardens, so being able to get a bigger picture of what a garden and its maintenance is about. This will allow them to realise which fields of horticulture they are more interested in, and, with time, focus and specialise in a sector. At a management level, regular plant identifications and seasonal walkarounds are the minimum service a garden should provide to its trainees. Other program of tutorials on specific horticultural tasks (i.e. propagation, pruning, tree work) should also be considered. Time should also be spent in inducting the trainees to the safe and correct use of each piece of machinery they are expected to use. This cannot be underestimated or delegated, as it is too important in terms of health and safety within the team. The introduction of a degree of responsibility is an often debated and delicate point. Personally I think it is not a wise decision to give to trainees too much responsibility in their first months, even if they prove to be already capable to undertake the required tasks. Regardless the specific conditions and circumstances, the trainee should always pass a first period of induction and “acclimatisation” to the garden and its team, and only subsequently (perhaps in the second semester or after the probation period) be introduced to more delicate tasks, as well as have opportunities to work alone or use heavy machinery. This step is very important and will develop the sense of confidence and decisiveness in the trainee. Volunteers Volunteers are undeniably an important and increasing presence in the British gardens. Personally, I don’t understand some general concerns I’ve heard in the past, that it is an unfortunate reality to have today so many gardens relying on the labour of volunteers. In my opinion, the British culture of volunteering should be taken in real pride, as it shows the best, most genuine sense of enthusiasm and dedication. Nevertheless, it is really important to carefully select the jobs volunteers are allowed to do. They can provide extremely useful free labour and are often invaluable for creaming off easier, lighter jobs. When highest standards have to be met, a great deal of knowledge and experience is necessary and gardeners can spend a lot of time organising and supervising volunteers that may be better spent doing the job themselves. A garden should not become over reliant on volunteers. They should always remain a useful extra rather than an alternative to professional gardeners. At best volunteers are a useful resource taking the pressure off labour intensive jobs and often bring a diverse range of skills. At worst they can be unreliable and time consuming and may be seen by property managers as a free alternative to gardeners.

17

At Osborne House volunteers are used in the walled garden and woodlands and are restricted to Mondays and Thursdays. Most of them are long-serving, familiar faces within the garden, having developed with the years a consistent knowledge and confidence of what their work and duties are about. I remember that two of the volunteers working in the woodlands have previously been carpenters and their experience proved to be extremely useful for a wide range of tasks, such as preparation of stakes, establishment of wig whams and repairing of garden structures. Significantly, volunteers are not used in the terraces, where higher horticultural presentation and skills are needed to meet top-quality standards. At the National Botanic Gardens of Wales the about 20 volunteers are of great importance for the running of every department of the institution. They are indeed a vital part of the workforce, helping both the inside and outside team. They effectively carry out jobs like weeding, edging, pots cleaning, litter picking, plants moving and storing, and in some notable case prove to have enough experience for undertaking some more complex tasks, such as border maintenance or pruning. This allows the permanent horticultural staff to be under less pressure and have more time for concentrating on specific projects within the garden. Some of the volunteers are serving in the gardens for more than ten years and are able to undertake routine jobs with a little instruction and great save of time for the senior gardeners. Remarkably, one of the volunteers brings mechanical skills and is in charge for some of the checks and maintenance of the machinery. At Highgrove, volunteers are not allowed due to security reasons. With no doubt their absence is noticeable in the (organic) day-to-day management of the gardens, as hand weeding and general border maintenance accounts for a large slice of the average work. This is especially noticeable within the ornamental areas around the house, but also in the running of the nurseries and the walled garden, where an extra-help would be much needed.

18

Garden Management All the gardens I have worked in have differed in terms of organising work, planning, timing and working conditions. At Osborne House the head gardener comes into the mess room in the morning and briefs the team about what is on the plate for that day. Then the deputy head gardener takes the floor and announces the list of daily jobs, breaking the tasks down to the singular members. The team of Osborne House is very much like a family and almost everyone go out in the gardens and do all of the jobs at one time or another. Every single team-member, from the trainees up to the deputy head, take turns weeding or mowing, and whilst some members of staff were in charge of particular areas, everybody help each other out. A list of jobs to be completed covering a six month period is produced and given to all the gardeners. This prevents jobs getting forgotten and helps to keep track of what there is to do. In gardens that close for the winter there is always a rush to get things done the week before re-opening, a winter work plan can help to prevent this. At the National Botanic Garden of Wales the horticultural staff is divided into the inside and outside teams. No precise instructions are given on a regular basis and the teams basically act as separate, independent bodies, aware only of the accountable areas and collections. This little communication often leads to wasted time and confusion, especially when moving and storing the botanic collections inside and outside the nurseries. The natural consequence of this situation is a frustrating lack of directions between the two teams and, ultimately, team members ending up isolated within their own areas. From that experience I learnt that when the garden curator or the supervisor are unavailable for a certain period or too busy in administrative duties, a good foreman should always keep the staff informed as to what everybody is doing. At Highgrove the management was similar than at Osborne, with precise instructions given as first thing in the morning. The deputy head gardener comes into the messroom and gives a concise briefing of everything that is happening in the garden that day. Then he asks to the seniors to explain their plans for the day. Regular meetings are scheduled weekly. This system allows great communications within the individual teams, constantly making the members fully aware what is happening in the house and in the gardens. Under the health and safety at work regulations, every employer has a duty to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all its employees. This involves the furniture of all the appropriate equipment for any task that it might be undertaken, as well as appropriate training and protective equipment for any machinery to be used or chemicals to be applied. Also, a formal, written job description and contract of employment, detailing hours of work, pay, holidays and any “extra” duties required should be given. In all the gardens I’ve been working over my training with the PGG these conditions have always been effectively attained. I think it is of primary importance to keep the mess-room in a clean and serviceable state at all the times, thus this is the environment which, more than anyone else, mirrors the working conditions of the garden and its team. The provision of certain facilities should always be provided, such as indoor toilets, sink for washing hands with hot water, lockable storage for personal items, basic cooking facilities,

19

eating area and drying room. Also first aid facilities and fire extinguisher must be present and close at hand. An office area should be available, with telephone and computer with internet access. A library should be kept with the most common reference books, such as the RHS A-Z plant encyclopedia and the RHS gardening dictionary and manuals, the Martyn Rix and Roger Phillips collection and W.J. Bean’s “Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles”. On the table of the mess room horticultural magazines such as The Horticulture Week and The Garden should be always serviceable and kept up to date. It’s is important to have a big notice board with indication of all the relevant internal and external communications, watering rota and Health and Safety Executive posters. Near to the board, a year planner is displayed with details of UK public holidays and weekends highlighted for ease of use. Annual leave of the members will signed (perhaps by using coloured stickers), so that everybody is aware of availability of staff. Mess Room Diary Health and safety notice board Wall clock

20

Garden Maintenance It is essential for a garden to maintain the highest possible standards. This is achieved by optimising the day-to-day horticultural management of the gardens, and in particular the correct planning and implementation of the traditional manual jobs involved. In all the gardens I have worked in, both before and during my experience with the PGG, I always noticed different approaches in carrying out jobs, even the simplest ones, such as weeding, mulching and leaf clearance. It should always be remembered that such simple tasks are the most time-consuming and labour-intensive jobs in the regular run of a garden. It is absolutely vital to find easy, quick, effective ways to undertake them. The aim of the next section is to highlight these different approaches and their suitability to different gardens and gardens’ conditions. Secateurs I would like to start the section about garden maintenance with a point on secateurs. In my opinion these are the first and indispensable tool a gardener should constantly have on. Personally I don’t believe that clothes make the man (or uniform the gardener), but indeed an old pair of secateurs in their worn-out holster is the most distinctive evidence of our profession. They are like the pencil for the architect, or the knife set for the chef. There is always need of secateurs in the garden: for chopping one dead or leggy twig off a shrub, for removing an unwanted label, fur cutting a piece of string, for harvesting berries and thousands of other things. Secateurs can be used even for cutting wire, as the bottom blade has an integrated wire cutter at the end. In my horticultural career, I met some very experienced and talented gardeners who didn’t bother to bring secateurs regularly with them. Unfailingly it happened that they asked to borrow mines during our working days in the garden. When it comes to secateurs, Felco is the name to remember. I bought my beloved Felco no.7 with the cash I earned with my first gardening job in Italy. Today they are my inseparable companion in the garden. Every gardener should be equipped with at least a pair of Felco no.2 and all the necessary filing sharpening and oiling kit. For nursery and greenhousing the smaller Felco no.6 or no.12 are good options, while arboriculture is best serviced by Felco no.31. There are models available for small-handed or left-handed gardeners too. The other essential hand tools a gardener should keep in his/her looker are a pair of garden snips, a good pruning saw (Silky is the best brand), hand fork and garden trowel. Weeding I believe that about half of my time working in British gardens (first as a National Trust volunteer, then as a PGG trainee) has been spent weeding. Weeding always goes along with gardening and this is why a good gardener should primarily be a good weeder. It is vitally important for every gardener, from the trainee up to the senior, to develop a confident and effective method of dealing with weeds, which involves the mastering of the dedicated tools, the knowledge of the different species and the awareness of the seasonal timing of weeding.

21

It should always be borne in mind that the complete eradication of weeds is horticulturally impossible (and ecologically incorrect). Weather is a component when planning weeding programs and, therefore weed control and spraying must be carried out whenever is possible, especially throughout the rainy spring months. At Osborne House weed control is carried out both culturally and chemically. The areas of highest maintenance are the terraces and the walled garden. In the terraces the regularity of weeding and the easy access to the beds enables hoeing. In my opinion this is a good technique for weed control, which allows covering effectively large areas in a little time. In the walled garden, because of the more dense nature of planting in the beds and borders, hand weeding is the preferred method. Also spraying with glyphosate is frequently used upon the footpaths within the walled garden and around the house. Of course spraying is only viable under the ideal weather conditions (i.e. dry and still). By the time I was there, bindweed was the major problem in some perennial and herbaceous borders by the main entrance and in the pleasure grounds. The infestation was really bad and there was a future project to dig out of the borders (with those lovely rock roses), intensively cultivate the soil and replant the area. In all the greenhouses and nurseries biological control is applied, by introducing predatory insect in the environment. The product is dispatched by Sygenta Bioline, based in Essex. In this way most of the common greenhouse pests (aphids, spider mites, white flies and thrips) have been kept under control. At the National Botanic Gardens of Wales, weeding is carried out by hand and accounts for a large portion of time and effort of the staff, especially within the outside team. Unfortunately hoeing is not possible in many areas of the garden which are topped with gravel or slate chippings. Weeding is done mainly by hand, especially along the Broad Walk and within the Walled Garden and the greenhouses. Thankfully ground elder and bindweed are not an issue, but there is a variety of weeds though and acanthus is a problem in a circular bed of the walled garden. Biological control is used in all the greenhouses and nurseries in a similar way of Osborne House. Environmentally friendly product as SB Invigorator and Savona are also used, which act both as pesticide and foliar feed. Weed control is a serious issue at Highgrove, as the garden has been championing the principles of the organic gardening over the last thirty years and sustainable, environmentally friendly methods are strictly followed. No chemicals are allowed within the estate, but a combination of different systems is adopted.

A lot of effort is spent in preventing perennial, invasive weeds to take over. When undertaking weeding, great care is put in keeping all the parts of the pernicious weeds separated from the rest of the weeded material. The invasive weeds and their parts are binned in a long-term pile at the bottom of the compost area. General hand weeding is carried out in the ornamental areas and kitchen garden, mainly with the use of a hand fork. Unfortunately hoeing is not always possible or advisable, due to the vast use of bulbs in the garden. There have been problems in the past with bindweed of ground elder, especially in the Cottage Garden. Beds and borders have been dug and forked over, removing most of the weeds and their roots. Then annuals and bulbs have been cultivated for two or three years, allowing more cultivation of the grounds and the subsequent removal of perennial weeds. This method has proved to be efficient (even if physically challenging) and can be considered a good alternative to spraying or other organic methods, such as regular cutting down, grassing down or mechanical cultivation.

22

Several methods of suppressing weeds are also used at Highgrove, such as the traditional use of mypex or the so-called “lasagna mulching” technique, where carpet and mulch are layered over the ground around the desired plants. A weed burner is sometimes used along the gravel and pebbled paths. Thermal weeding is another organic way of controlling weeds but I find it is effective only for hard standing paths and not in proximity of plants, as they can be damaged very easily by the heat. Mulching and Composting Mulching is another of those manual jobs which can take a big slice of time and effort, but are worthwhile in the sensible and modern management of a garden. It is now used in most of the British gardens and in all the properties where I volunteered and worked in. It requires the presence of suitable on-site composting facilities, as well as good timing and logistic throughout the year. At Osborne House mulching is done regularly over autumn and winter, almost completely by using well-rotted garden compost. The compost area was expanded and concreted by the time I was there. Green and brown compost aren’t separated, but processed together instead. The compost heaps are processed twice a year with a shredder, and then turned with tractor with attached a bucket big enough to effectively rotate the composting heap. As in most of the English Heritage gardens, regular checks and controls of the state of the compost are taken. The temperature is recorded periodically, as well as the pH. Other different heaps in the compost are burning material, wood chip, logs and stumps, old turf and top soil. Each of these materials has dedicated uses in the garden. At the National Botanic Garden of Wales the compost area isn’t big and organised as at Osborne House. This means that the majority of the compost and wood chip is supplied by outside sources, in particular from the local council. Because of the scarcity of the team and facilities, isn’t possible to mulch all the areas throughout a season, so only a selection of beds and borders is covered each year. At Highgrove, mulching and composting is done at the higher standards I have seen in my horticultural career. The on-site production of a wide range of mulching materials, as well as the external procurement of some specific feeds and mulches enable the sustainable running of the estate, in strict accordance with the principles of the organic gardening. There are two dedicated compounds for the producing and storing of garden compost in the estate. Leaf mould and woodchip are also produced in bug amounts. Just like at Osborne House (but on a bigger scale), every sort of compostable material is kept, such as top soil, old turf, chipping and burning material, timber logs and animal dung. Bracken is supplied locally and successfully used especially in the stumpery and arboretum, but also for pot work, as it lowers pH for acid loving plants. Mulching is a predominant activity in British gardens. Its value can’t be underestimated. It is a big investment of time, space and facilities, but pays back almost instantly in terms of weeding, watering and general health of the treated plants. In bigger estates it can be a good idea to have a man working full-time on the compost area. He / she should be obviously qualified in tractor driving and lift truck operations. Since last

23

year, Highgrove used to have a worker based on the compost area. At the Savill Garden and Cliveden they employee a specific figure covering the composting tasks and area. Grass Cutting In most of the British gardens, mowing is after weeding the most time consuming job. At Osborne House, lawns around the house (terraces and pleasure grounds) have pristine grass and are mown and edged regularly once a week during summer with pedestrian mowers and edging shears. Scarifying is also carried out here at least twice a year in winter. Larger areas of grass can be allowed to grow into meadow over the summer months and only mown in the spring and autumn. This is done in some areas around the Swiss Cottage and the Pleasure Grounds, although a strip (or fringe) is mown around the edges giving a nice, crispy finish and preventing it from looking messy. Not only does this save weekly mowing but also creates habitats for wildlife, adding to the character of the garden. At Osborne House it is prohibited from using fertilisers and pesticides on some of the lawns because of the diversity of species found within them. The National Botanic Garden of Wales contains many acres of grassland mainly divided in wild flower meadow and prairie style plantings. These are cropped down at the end of the season in September/October and it is a real show in autumn and winter to see the hay bales scattered over the meadows surrounding the Great Glasshouse. There is very little room for formal lawn, literally only some stripes and squares of grass around the major buildings. Nevertheless, because of the shortage of staff and machinery, it is not realistic to think of introducing or expanding areas of first-grade lawn, as a low-maintenance, grassland management can complement the visual style of the garden and give a opportunity for a more modern and sustainable approach of gardening. Two local contractors are employed seasonally for grass cutting. This allow to the horticultural team to have more time to spend in other tasks. Like at Osborne House, a fringe is mown around the edges, but also paths throughout the meadows are cut with a ride-on or pedestrian mower, tracing mellow curves in the rolling landscape. When wet weather occurs for long periods, the outside team join the contractors, so ensuring that the grass cutting is completed. At Highgrove grass cutting is carried out in a similar way to Osborne House. The two main areas for grass cutting are the Main Lawn and the Wild Flower Meadows. The Main Lawn is a hedge-enclosed formal lawn, which lays between the house and the Lily Pool Garden. Here grass cutting and edging is done weekly during spring and summer months by the amenity team. Pedestrian rotary mowers and a ride-on mower are used. Because of the extent of the area, as well as the numerous topiary figures scattered over the lawn, no cylinder mowers are used. The wild flower meadows are an iconic and much admired part of the Highgrove Gardens. There are two areas of meadow planting: the Highgrove Wild Flower Meadow between the house and the walled garden, and the smaller Transylvanian Wild Flower Meadow, in front of the Orchard Room. The Wild Flower Meadow is managed as a traditional hay field, a manmade system that doesn’t occur naturally and are the result of a specific management regime. The best way to improve a meadow is to stick to the same regime year after year. Cutting the meadow with the scythe, leaving it to dry for a week or so and then removing the hay/silage gives the best chance for the seeds to drop back into the ground. The meadow is

24

then grazed, usually by Black Hebridean sheep, from August to October. The aim is to remove almost all the grass and trample the surface so that the seeds are incorporated into the soil ready to germinate in March. At Highgrove, there are also a handful of small lawns, especially around the Orchard Room and along the visitors’ entrance. The amenity team looks after the grass cutting and edging of these small sections weekly during spring and summer months. Pedestrian rotary mowers, ride-ons and edging tools are used. In my opinion ultra formal areas such as parterres should have pristine grass and be striped and edged, but elsewhere this is often unnecessary. Low maintenance grasslands can be a modern-looking, efficient, labour-saving method of managing grassed areas. Depending on the size of the grassed areas, to employee contractors can be a good and realist option. The investment in a ride-on mower can also improve efficiency by reducing the job taken by pedestrian rotary mowers. In properties there are often a handful of small lawns, which will need a weekly formal, regular treatment in spring and summer months. It is advisable to plan the cutting route and perhaps delegate the job to the more experienced man, who should also train at least another member on the task. Leaf Clearance Leaf clearance is a big job in autumn and is particular important in public properties where paths, drives, car parks must be free of hazards. Leaves can cause hard standing areas to become slippery if not cleared promptly. Furthermore, a thick layer of decaying leaves will stop the light getting to the grass and also provide perfect conditions for worms. Regular leaf clearance will prevent damage to the lawns. At Osborne House leaf clearance is done by regular and constant sessions, with particular emphasis on the Pleasure Grounds lawns and public paths, drives and car park, This is usually done as the first thing in the morning before opening time. Two gardeners go out with a wheeled vacuum and a pedestrian blower. The vacuum goes first and sucks the most of the leaves along the edges of the concrete road. The pedestrian blower follows and finish off the job, giving a neat and tidy appearance to the paved avenue. A rake is sometimes used, especially throughout the depressions of the path, where the floor is more likely to be still wet and the leaves tend to rot down and stick onto the floor.

At the National Botanic Garden of Wales no regular leaf clearance is carried out, mainly because shortage of staff and machinery. The paths of the Great Glasshouse are regularly cleared with a leaf sucker, as first thing in the mornings. This is a good piece of machinery for indoor areas, but is certainly inadequate outside, when heavier loads and weather conditions occur. At Highgrove the gardeners usually wait until most of the leaves are fallen and then clear the areas in one go. This is usually done during the first week after Christmas, when all the three teams blitz the Wildflower Meadow with rakes, blowers, leaf suckers and tractor and trailers. The standard procedure involves two gardeners using the backpack leaf blowers and paling up the leaves, and other two following with a trailer mounted vacuum, one driving the tractor the other operating the vacuum.

25

Often the combined use of backpack leaf blowers and a wheeled blower is adopted. This prove to be efficient for clearing big areas such as the Wildflower Meadow or the Main Lawn, where the wheeled blower first roughly move big quantities of leaves into long piles and the backpack blowers finish off the clearance and prepare the pails to be collected by the vacuum. Leaf clearance is quite important at Highgrove in terms of leaf mould production too. The vacuum does a good pre-shredding job when sucking the leaves and splitting them in the caged trailer. The quality of the leaf mould produced is usually excellent, because of the number of oak, beech and hornbeam trees present on-site. The leaf mould is used as seed-sowing compost in the nurseries, or mixed with compost or top soil for use as potting mix. From my own personal experience, weather conditions and public opening are the two major components when planning leaf clearance in a property. In gardens that close during winter months, it might be a good idea to do all the leaf clearance in one session throughout January and February. This method proves to be efficient and also allows the team to concentrate on diverse (and perhaps more exciting) winter projects. In other occasions it can be advisable to adopt a continual approach though, especially if the gardens remain open to the public or the weather turns windy or wet for the periods set for this work. Hedges, Shrubs, Trees Trimming of hedges and pruning of small trees and shrubs is a big job in British gardens. The diversity and size of the collections often causes that teams face a constant struggle to catch up with their work. Any additional projects, staff absences, impracticable weather can result in areas being left, with a consequent damage of the plants and accumulation of work in putting things right. At Osborne House hedges are almost completely down to the internal contractors. This allows the horticultural team to concentrate on the care of the shrubs and small trees within the ornamental gardens. The bulk of the work mainly consists of routine pruning of climbing shrubs along the walls of the Kitchen Garden, cutting back of shrubs in the perennial borders, fruit pruning in the Walled Garden and coppicing work in the Woodland. Contrary to most of the gardens I’ve been working in, the scale and density of planting (together with a good planning schedule) allows the team to get always up to date with shrub and tree work.

At the National Botanic Garden of Wales hedges are concentrated in few areas, such as the Walled Garden and the top end of the Broad Walk. This allows the outside team to concentrate in pruning, cutting back, training and reducing the several small trees and shrubs scattered throughout the gardens. All the major tree work is contracted. There is an on-going programme of pruning, but it is noticeable the lack of a good shrub pruning schedule. Here as in most of the gardens I’ve been working in, plants are too often allowed to overgrow and become too large and then have to be hammered right back down leaving an empty and odd-looking border. To prune a little every year and keep individual plants in a good balance and size is a rather difficult task that requires planning and attention. Nevertheless, it is worth of doing and, in the long term, can save botanic collections.

26

At Highgrove hedges are mostly under the care of the amenity team. Hedging and topiary is a big job, especially within the Main Lawn with yew and hornbeam. This can take up to three months, depending to the weather and availability of staff. Standards and long-reach hedge trimmers, as well as static elevated platforms are used. All the permanent staff is trained for their correct use, as to climb and move these machinery is a dangerous play. All the rest of shrub and small tree pruning is split between the three different teams, regarding the areas of accountability. It has been quite interesting for me to notice how each team does the pruning in different ways and times. For instance, the Upper Orchard nearby the visitors’ shop is pruned by the ornamental team to look aesthetically pleasant and easy to edge and mow around, while the rather bigger Lower Orchard is looked after by the production team and pruning is very much focused on bringing the largest possible crop. In the areas around the house a variety of climbing plants such as roses, wisterias, akebias and clematis are trained - often jointly – in the natural, informal style, that distinguishes the gardens. Here is often used the Highgrove knot, which is an ideal knot for training climbing on pergolas, as hold the twigs firmly to the wire and permits to work distantly from the thorns while tying. From my own personal experience, I find that it is worthwhile to use contractors for hedging and major tree work, especially in big estates. If there are no funding for employing an in-house arboricultural team, a tree surgeon should be carefully chosen and allowed to work on-site. Obviously as many shrubs need pruning at different times, generally after flowering, this means the horticultural staff have to be trained how and when to prune different plants and pruning must be made part of the general maintenance routine.

Preparation of New Areas It is important for a garden to continually improve and develop new areas, which not only act as magnets for visitors and generate a lot of income, but also add horticultural interest or home new and diverse botanical collections. When establishing new areas or borders, initial preparation is the key. Site preparation is usually done in winter and can be a major job, involving use of heavy machinery, jointed effort of the garden teams or even employment of contractors. All the gardens I’ve been working in were facing new projects involving site preparation and hard landscaping works. At Osborne House I looked after the establishment and maintaining of an annual bed in the walled garden. The area was considerable (21x16 meter) and the preparation of the ground for planting and sowing was one of the first and more important tasks undertaken. A thick layer of well-rotted garden manure was incorporated by single digging in the ground in autumn. This ensured the plants to perform better later in the growing and flowering season. Subsequent steps were raking the soil level, removing any weeds throughout the winter and tilth production prior to direct sowing. At the National Botanic Garden of Wales the head gardener is keen of launching new projects and gathering economic funds for promoting the gardens. By the time I was there I was involved in the establishment of a new Welsh Natives Compound. Tonnes of gravel and rock were placed into the four raised beds, in order to replicate, as accurately as possible, the natural habitat of the species. The selection of the

27

material was the product of a long research work, which involved a lot of research and several trips to the local quarries. The Woods of the World was another on-going major project launched the year before. A variety of exotic, non-native trees and shrubs had been planted on the hillside bordering the natural reserve. The establishment of a belt of hardy trees was planted all around the area, in order to protect them to the rigid Welsh weather. The Growing the Future area represented a fortunate success. This is a pilot project launched in summer, the goal being to design and deliver horticultural opportunities for the Welsh local community. Nearly three acres have been developed into growing spaces for classes to take place, in accordance with the contemporary theories of organic and forest gardening. The nearly three acres have been developed into growing spaces and cultivated in accordance with the contemporary theories of permaculture, such as “lasagna” mulching, no-dig bed system, forest gardening and hugelkultur raised beds. At the National Botanic Garden of Wales a number of beds and borders were under on-going renovation over the last few years. Sections of the Japanese Garden and the Bog Garden have been grassed over, reducing the required level of maintenance. Some of the herbaceous borders in the Broad Walk have been redesigned, replacing traditional, high-maintenance plants with labour-saving grasses or easy-care perennials. At Highgrove I was involved in the re-landscaping of some herbaceous borders in the Cottage Garden. These have been badly infested with ground elder and needed to be replanted. All the plants were removed and the borders were planted with annuals and bulbs for three years. This allowed seasonally cultivating the soil, single digging the entire borders and the gradual removing of the ground elder roots. When establishing a new area or border, consideration should be given to the cost of setting them up and the possible damage to infrastructure, particularly paths and lawns. Before the works begin, all the access with the vehicles and room to maneuvers should be carefully planned and any possible risks or damages judged. Compaction can be a big problem, not only from large volumes of visitors but also from the heavy vehicles, contractors are notoriously renowned for doing a great deal of damage. Use of Machinery The use of machinery is increasingly important in the management of gardens, especially the larger ones. Suitable, efficient equipment is essential and, if correctly operated and maintained, will save a great deal of time and energy to the garden team. There is now a machine for every job in the garden and they all have reduced the number of man hours, increasing productivity and easing some of the heaviest jobs. At Osborne House and in general in all the English Heritage properties, regular checks and annual servicing is carried out on all machines, to ensure they are safe and that they last as long as possible. The English Heritage is the only organisation I’ve been working for which supplies its employees with a Daily Vibration Log Book. This is a personal record of the number of vibrations while using machinery, any member of the team being allowed to reach 400 max points per day. All the machineries have an inventory number and are checked and tested for vibration yearly.

28

At the National Botanic Gardens of Wales, the level of health and safety procedures and training with machinery are often inadequate. No regular checking is carried in the mornings and some documentation, such as pesticide application and risk assessment record, is not kept up to date. No official induction with the machinery is given to the new employees and trainees. The responsibility is left entirely to the individual’s common sense. This ends up with always the same people using the machinery, with little swapping of jobs and sharing of skills and knowledge. Luckily for me the arboriculturalist looked after on his own accord all the inductions to the machinery and the correct and safe use of them. It’s because his gradual and methodical way of teaching that I passed my chainsaw assessments and consistently developed my confidence with tractor and trailer driving. At Highgrove state of the art machinery facilities increases the efficiency and enables the gardens to meet the desired standards at all the times. Regular checks of all the relevant machinery are done as the first things on Monday mornings by the amenity team. A check list is printed and ticked by the members, so that all the necessary controls are insured. Annual servicing is delegated to externals. Highgrove gardens also demo new piece of machinery and components not yet on the market, so it is common to see electric-powered or battery-powered machines. Machinery can be a great introduction to a garden and its management, but there are considerable drawbacks and some very important issues to mention. Health and safety is key point when it comes to machinery. Ideally, all the permanents staff should be trained and the part-time workers or students at least inducted once. The gradual, correct training of the staff can be a big investment for the garden, but it will pay off in terms of loyalty, professionalism and presence within the team. It is decisive for a modern gardener to be able to use the wider range of horticultural machinery and always be aware of the risks and hazards involved in their use. To be certified also means, for a gardener, to have better chances of career progression, as many gardens now require national certificates of training to their candidates. Part of the training is about correctly servicing and maintaining the equipment and, in the long term, that will represent another big investment for the garden. Machinery can be very expensive and great attention should be paid when deciding to buy new equipment. It is very important to research all the available options, to make sure they are suitable for the job that is required of them. The machinery reviews in horticulture weekly are fantastic for resource for finding the right equipment. Machinery can shatter the immaculate tranquility for which gardens are sought by the public. I remember two visitors complaining decisively and threatening don’t renovate their membership because a big tractor with front loader and trailer attached was maneuvered within the Walled Garden, at the Welsh Botanics. Visitors also don’t like noisy equipment, such as strimmers or chainsaw, and, understandably, can get upset if notice spraying. This is why the use of certain machinery should be kept prior to opening time in the gardens which are open to the public.

29

Areas of the Garden Gardens are natural environments of great manmade complexity and variety. In their history, they have been continuously evolved through different displays of taste and style, reflecting an individual’s or culture’s philosophy. This historical development brought the creation of different areas, having specific character and features. The Italian gardens were famous for their formal, symmetrical parterres. The French baroque gardens featured on a big scale allée and axis, bosquet, cul de sac, fountains and grottos. The British countries and people greatly contributed to the progress of gardens and gardening, both revisiting old styles and developing new ones: landscape garden style, gardenesque style, traditional herbaceous borders, cottage planting have all been invented by keen British gardeners. Nowadays, contemporary gardens reflect this complex history by displaying a variety of different areas and planting schemes. In terms of garden management, these areas can be grouped in many categories, such as level of maintenance, style of planting, types of plants, public or private access, etc. The Walled Garden Traditionally on historic estates, walled gardens were been used for the production of fruits and vegetables for the main house. Perhaps a few sections were reserved for culinary herbs or cut flowers for the house. Because of the high level of maintenance required, today the strong trend is to turn historic walled gardens into ornamental gardens, perhaps displaying more tender plants or specific botanic collections. In all the placements I have been working in during my traineeship a walled garden was present. I was lucky enough to experience both the traditional (productive) and contemporary (ornamental) way of running. At Osborne House the one-acre Georgian walled garden was traditionally dedicated to the production of flowers for the house. Today, fruit trees are grown in the northern half, trained either in a fan, espalier or rider shape. The southern half of the Walled Garden is herbaceous. On the northern wall of the garden sit the two glass houses and the potting shed is through a door in the wall between them, which would have been here in Victoria’s time. The walled garden is run by the efforts of one senior gardeners and volunteers. At the National Botanic Gardens of Wales the double walled garden has been rebuilt from the ruins, and is being developed on a grand scale to house a wide variety of plants. The inner walled garden is divided into four quarters, with a modern interpretation of a kitchen garden in one quarter, and ornamental beds to display the classification and evolution of all flowering plant families in the other three quarters. A Heritage Orchard was developed in the outer walled garden. Every extant variety of Welsh origin apple have been managed to gather together. This includes some very rare varieties that have only recently been rediscovered. Important features such as the modern tropical house and a performance stage are also hosted here. The distinctive double walled garden of the National Botanic Garden of Wales is a wonderful example how an old kitchen garden can be restored and readapted to the modern tastes and uses.

30

At Highgrove, the walled garden confirms to the traditional role of a productive area of fruits and vegetables, but is ornamental too due its strong symmetrical design and decorative planting. The original structure dates back to the end of XIX century, and was heavily restored in 1982. The present layout was the work of HRH the Prince of Wales and Lady Salisbury. The garden is divided into four quarters separated by gravel paths. Each quarter is further divided into four squares and triangles, representation of the flags of St. Georges and St. Andrew. The production team is entirely in charge for the walled garden. Most of the crops go to the main house, but a good part is sold in the Highgrove shops or given to charity. Walled gardens are among the most intensively managed areas of a garden. There is a lot of discussion amongst gardeners as to whether kitchen gardens are worth the extra time and effort their maintenance takes. Many think their days are numbered. Personally I think walled gardens are important features in both historic and modern gardens in the UK. Horticulturally, they provide a wonderful opportunity for showing different growing techniques. Specialised kitchen gardeners can be employed and bring to the team and the public several different horticultural skills, like site preparation, sowing, planting, training, pruning, etc. Walled gardens are also absolutely loved by most of the visitors, thus their enclosed and tranquil nature. It is a real joy to seat on a wooden bench surrounded by aromatic plants in a sunny day and listening the sound of a hoe or honeybees buzzing around. Traditional British walled gardens shouldn’t be allowed to deteriorate or, even worst, turned into car parks. Some of the management costs can be offset by selling the produce direct to the public or local markets or used in the restaurant or tearooms. Greenhouses and Nurseries Glasshouses are another high-maintenance part in the management of a garden. They require specialized horticulturalists, with skills and expertise in propagation techniques, cultivation of tender or exotic species, pests and diseases control. The maintenance and environmental control of the greenhouses can be very expensive, requiring specialized technicians and climate systems, as well as furniture of fuel and heating. Nevertheless, good furniture of greenhouses and nurseries can be useful for a wide range of horticultural uses, such as raising and propagating plants, storing botanic collections, displaying tender and exotic plants. At Osborne House the lean-to glasshouse in the walled garden is a good attraction for the visitors. This is divided in two spans, displaying exotic plants from Africa and Southern America. Seasonal displays and bedding schemes are regularly installed. There are also other three glasshouses; one for propagation and two servicing the terraces and the walled garden. A walk-in polytunnel permits to store and protect plants from wind, cold and heavy rain. Coldframes are also used for growing, overwintering and hardening-off plants. At the National Botanic Gardens of Wales the famous Great Glasshouse is the central feature and main attraction. This is the world’s largest single span glasshouse and houses collections of plants from the six Mediterranean climate regions of the world: California, Australia, the Canary Islands, Chile, South Africa and the Mediterranean Basin. Covering 3,500 square metres, its rocky terraces, sandstone cliffs and graveled scree slopes are contoured to reflect the natural environment and to create a wide range of habitats, balancing light and shade and

31

varying moisture levels to suit the needs of different plants. Environmental control is the key: heat is provided from a biomass furnace which in conjunction with the climate control prevents the temperature falling below 9°C; 147 computer-controlled vents regulate a fully controllable and natural airflow; massive high-mounted fans, blow air within the interior, so simulating the right windy conditions. Pests and diseases control is also a big issue, with thrips, scale insects and sooty mould being problems difficult to contain. In the Walled Garden, The Tropical House showcases exotic (mainly monocot) plants and proves to be extremely popular among the visitors too. The climate control system is less advanced that the one in the Great Glasshouse. Watering and damping off are the major tasks on a regular basis. These structures are serviced by the three nursery glasshouses and a big polytunnel beyond them. They are absolutely critical to the success of the Botanic Garden. In them, new plants for use in the various parts of the botanic garden are propagated, and back-up collections are maintained. The largest holds plants destined for the Great Glasshouse, many of which have been grown from seed collected in the wild. Another, originally used as a quarantine house in the early days (when live plants from abroad were imported), has been converted to house tropical plants. Using these back-of-house areas means that plants can be rotated, putting ones that are flowering into the displays and removing from view those that are past their best for a little tender loving care. The polytunnel is used to propagate and grow on hardier plants for display outside. At Highgrove the production team is accountable for the running of all the greenhousing jobs. Unlike to the Botanic Gardens of Wales, no indoor plant display is exhibiting here collections either to HRH the Prince of Wales or the guided tours. Instead, the nursery area is totally productive and composed by three glasshouses. The smallest hosts a propagation bench (mist unit) and also serves as a tool shed. Another is devoted for storing flowers and orchids for the house. The largest glasshouse is used for raising and storing of plants for the different areas of the gardens. Beyond, two hard-standing areas are available for storing of plants, which have been delivered or are waiting to be placed in the gardens. There are also two long rows of beautiful cold frames with brick base and cedar wood top. Handy gas arms are included, allowing the lid to be easily opened.

32

Health and Safety Health and Safety is today a number-one priority in the horticultural industry. It is of paramount importance to continuously raise the bar of health and safety, in order to prevent accidents on work and ill health. There has been a huge difference in attitude to health and safety in the three gardens I’ve trained in, ranging for very good to inadequate. At Osborne House gardeners are expected and encouraged to follow quite strict health and safety procedures and training is given for every piece of machinery. The tractors are checked every morning and thoroughly checked over on a once a week, and all documentation, such as pesticide application records, are kept up to date. In-house risk assessment procedure course is given yearly to the garden team. All the risk assessment forms are revisited and optimized directly by the gardeners. As natural consequence of this conduct, the level of professionalism here is extremely high. By the time I was there, not a single malfunction of machinery, accident or injury at work was recorded. At the National Botanic Gardens of Wales, the level of health and safety procedures is inadequate. Most of the necessary documentation, such as pesticide application and risk assessment record, is not kept up to date and often ignored. The financial difficulties should never be an excuse for keeping the level of health and safety at the top. At the opposite end of the scale, at Highgrove the level of health and safety is flawless. Indeed safety and wellbeing are put here at the top of the daily agenda. New employees are always supplied with a health and safety manual, containing description of all the necessary on-site procedures. All the machinery and vehicles are checked weekly on Monday morning. Regular health and safety training is given yearly either by in-house or external organisations and permanents gardeners are sent to a first aid at work course. While it is good to have a rose-tinted view of the world, it also pays to be prepared for the worst. Accidents happen everywhere and they should serve as examples. If an accident occurs, this should be registered and its causes investigated. While it is important not to be ham-fisted, an unfortunate event should be the occasion for reinforcing the principles and attention. Accident report forms should be used by the employees to report ill work related injuries, illnesses or “near miss” events (which could have caused an injury or illness) – no matter how minor. Once completed, these forms should be given to the supervisor and also sent to the Health and Safety Officer, helping to identify and correct hazards before they cause serious injuries. All the paperwork involved with health and safety can be very time consuming but it is something that just has to be done. It is really important to develop a culture of good health and safety practise, and the only way to do this is for senior gardeners to lead by example. No one should be expected to risk their health for their work. Cut backs should never be made on personal protective equipment. Cheap gloves and boots are always a false economy, all of the gardens I’ve been worked in have bought the cheapest they could and ended up having to replace them in just a few months.

33

Visitors Nowadays entrance tickets are the main income for most of the gardens in the UK. This is why it is so important to continually promote a garden, not only to tourists but also to local people who can keep the gardens alive in the quieter months of the year. The gardens at Osborne House are opened seasonally from the first week of April to the end of September. Osborne House hosts a number of facilities and events, which undoubtedly helps broaden its appeal among the costumers. Seasonal walkarounds with the head gardener, as well as fairs and family events are constantly organised and advertised. Several receiving facilities are scattered throughout the estate, and benches and rest points are dotted throughout the grounds. Gravel, tarmac and concrete provide access for all abilities. Unfortunately the English Heritage does not seem to be too keen on advertising the gardens, relying mainly on the house to draw visitors. Most of the garden staff believes that Osborne should be promoted as “Osborne House and Gardens” rather than just “Osborne House”. Interestingly, a survey conducted by English Heritage a few years ago revealed that the vast majority of return visits to Osborne was for the gardens rather than for the house. The National Botanic Garden of Wales is open to the public all year round. The garden is currently focusing on attracting more visitors and improving its receiving facilities. The Great Glasshouse hosts a diverse range of events, such as food and antiques fairs, craft markets and concerts. It is also equipped for weddings or other private functions. Conference rooms, teaching facilities and a permanent marquee are also available for hire. The efforts of the garden in boasting visitors’ number are evident and laudable. Nevertheless the National Botanic Garden of Wales lies in a remote area of the country, a cul-de-sac in between the two major cities Swansea and Cardiff and the lovely Pembrokeshire. This unfortunate position is one of the major causes of the economic difficulties the garden has been met since its opening in 2000. Furthermore, the local people aren’t very much into horticulture, having a long tradition in farming a land management instead. This situation is impossible to change and the challenge for the garden will be to understand and approach this type of customer, expanding the profile and demographic of visitors and finally creating a next generation of local visitors. The gardens at Highgrove are accessible only through guided tours in selected dates between April and October each year. For security privacy reasons, visitors must bring a form of photographic identification with them and mobile phones, photography, binocular and any form of recording equipment is not admitted. Gardeners are encouraged to smile and answer visitors’ questions, but only when horticulturally-related. Workshops, lunches and special occasion dinners take place at Highgrove, especially in the Carpet Garden and Orchard Room, but they cannot be emphasized and advertised like in National Trust or English Heritage properties. Instead, they are more exclusive events, and all the money raised goes to charity. Highgrove is a private garden and have been designed as a family retreat. There are some narrow lawn paths which can’t stand the continuous foot traffic and receives constant wear and tear during the guided tours. Solutions such as track matting, re-turfing or stepped stones are all options that the garden team needs to consider in order to permits safe access and link pleasantly the different areas.

34

To find an effective way to meet visitors’ needs and expectations is a common preoccupation in both economic and horticultural management in the gardens today. The customers need to perceive that they are getting a good value for the price of the tickets. There are many different strategies that can be adopted, depending to the type of garden, its position and financial possibilities. Free parking, memberships, discount family tickets represent profitable aspect for both the garden and the costumers. Also the availability of facilities such as refreshment venues, gift shops, plant sales and play areas really can make a difference and have a great impact on the visitor experience. Press advertising is also vitally important, as can quickly raise the profile and popularity of the garden. This should be done both locally and nationally, through the official website, leaflets, newspapers and magazines. Also media coverage proves to boast significantly garden visits. After being featured on the BBC program “Gardener’s World”, the National Botanic Garden of Wales doubled visitors’ affluences for several months. Finally, it is important for the garden team to be always smiley and approachable, as that really leaves the visitors favourably impressed and willing to come back.

35

To be a PGG Trainee Gardener The Professional Gardeners’ Guild traineeship is a hand-on practical scheme in horticulture. Trainees are allow to earn a basic wage working as a gardener, while gaining horticultural knowledge, as well as practical experience and qualifications. Indeed it has been for me a great way to get a foot on the ladder of the British industry of horticulture. Nevertheless, to be a good trainee gardener isn’t an easy job. Over the last three years I have been living a rather wandering and disconnected existence. I always remained eager and dedicated but I can understand how easy can be, especially for younger trainees, to lose direction and motivations along the way. Here are my personal advice for enjoying and making the most of the PGG traineeship. One of the key points in doing the PGG traineeship is to experience the most diverse range of gardens, climates and working environments. This is why a trainee should always seek for a different challenge and never settle. I believe there is little point in spending all the three years in similar historic gardens, perhaps of the same historic period or in the same area of the country. An experience in a botanic garden would be advisable, as they hold big collections of plants and are focused on teaching, scientific research and conservation. They are indeed great places for learning. At the present moment the only botanic garden in the scheme is the National Botanic Garden of Wales and, even if the climatic and working environment is challenging there, I would strongly recommend a year there. Often the placements are isolated in the middle of nowhere and there is no o little public transport around. It is decisive to have a vehicle. It doesn’t really matter if this is a new BMW or a working van. A trainee just needs a box with four moving wheels at the corners. A vehicle represents a contact with the nearest town or city and the opportunity to have a social life. On their last year of training, trainees might also need to go for job interviews and the provision of a car can easily save money, time and annual leave. After moving to the new placement, it is a wise move to establish a contact with the local land-based college and see what sort of courses and classes they offer. It is often possible to do an RHS correspondence course and some colleges will do day/part time courses on various topics. The PGG traineeship covers the expenses for horticultural qualifications and certificates; it would be just stupid don’t capitalize on this wonderful opportunity. One of the perks of living and working in the countryside is that the teaching of agriculture and countryside management is usually of high standard. Colleges usually advertise their courses both on the internet and leaflets. Personally, I tried to get the basic qualifications (pesticides and chainsaw) just before the beginning of my third year, in order to have better chances to apply and get a job after. One of the most enjoyable advantages in being a young trainee gardener is to be in the conditions of having still plenty of gardens to visit. A day-out to a new garden or landscape is a great way for a change of scenery and also getting new ideas. Notes, photos or sketches should be taken on a private record. When going on a week day, a good thing to do is search for the gardeners, ask them some questions. There is always a form of sympathy among workers and a young trainee should always feel tree to ask and interrogate his/her colleagues.

36

The best way to visit a garden is to work in there, even for a short period. Garden swops, secondment periods or a volunteer experience are all good ways to experience a different garden and team, learning to think outside of the box and increasing practical skills and team-building. Garden swop might be pre-arranged with other trainees during the PGG and HBGB annual seminar in October. If that won’t work out, it is possible to apply for a bursary funding staff secondment or an exchange; as far as I’m aware, The Finnis Scott Award or The Gardeners’ Guild accept these projects and help paying travel, accommodation and other costs. Volunteering is also an option, and many big estates (especially National Trust properties) always welcome volunteers.

To get a membership with some horticultural body is an important thing to do. Once trainees (as well as professional gardeners) have settled in a garden, they can then start to find their niche. There are different ways to progress, but one of the most important things to do is to join a professional body like the RHS, Plant Network or the Institute of Horticulture. This means the opportunity to meet new people and, if a door opens, walk through it. Nobody is an island, and by joining an appropriate group, the subscriptions to which are tax allowable, a trainee ca access an enormous pool of skilled talent and experience. To get a professional membership is also a right and proper contribution to the gardens’ world or a way to support a specific field of interest or personal passion. Furthermore, it is an effective way of improving the trainee’s CV, as it shows genuine enthusiasm and commitment. It is my personal strong belief that, after finishing the training, a trainee should review the membership with the PGG. Whilst members do not have “letters designate”, full membership is a sure sign of a proper gardener. Most importantly, this is the smallest action a trainee should do in order to return an unrepayable support. To be a good horticulturalist is not merely a physical job. It involves a deep knowledge and understanding of horticultural and botanical subjects. This is why it is important to create a book collection. The essential books provided by the traineeship should be only the foundation of the trainee’s library. The RHS A-Z encyclopedia and gardening dictionary and manuals are the first, basic references. They are the product of decades of the most respectable studies in British horticulture. I am particularly attached to the Martin Ryx and Roger Phillips plants’ series (with those superb illustrations) and also W.J. Bean “Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles”, which is indeed the lifetime work of a real connoisseur. All the Collins guides, Kew manuals and any other title by Adrian and Alan Bloom, Penelope Hobhouse, Getrude Jekyll, Rosemary Verey and Chrystopher Lloyd, a trainee can find in a charity shop for a few quid should be bought and added to the collection.

Publications like magazines, journals, plant catalogues and society’s bulletins are a good way for staying up-to-date with the industry. A trainee should always spend some of his/her spare time flicking the relevant magazines in the messroom. The Garden, published monthly, is the RHS’s publication featuring articles on practical gardening, plants and advice, along with information on events and shows. The Horticultural Week is gives the latest news, jobs and technical advice. It is the real reference for the professional gardener in this country. WRITE FOR THE PGG JOURNAL

37

Horticultural Qualifications A modern gardener needs to be qualified. While no single qualification covers every aspect of horticulture, achieving a nationally recognised horticultural qualification is evidence that enthusiasm and enjoyment for gardening has resulted in practical and professional skills. As mentioned before in this report, national qualifications are now required by the most important institutions such as the National Trust, the RHS and the English Heritage. Most employers are looking for two things: theoretical knowledge and practical know-how. The further is proved by completing a course that gives a foundation in horticulture, such as a level 1 certificate in practical horticulture skills or the RHS Level 2 in Principles of Horticulture. The latter typically consists in gaining the NPTC licenses, such as pesticides and chainsaw. A NPTC license can be gained in 2 days and City and Guilds offer part-time courses (also available on a correspondence basis). Training isn’t too expensive (often starting at £125) and the qualifications last for life. Other desirable, often essential, certified skills are ladder training, working at height, access platform lorries, safe use of strimmers and first aid at work certificate. There are various ways to achieve a horticultural qualification. The Professional Gardeners’ Guild Traineeship is great at supporting its students, covering all the necessary expenses for the basic qualifications. There are also a number of associations offering funding to both amateur and professional gardeners for getting their qualifications. Among the others are the RHS bursaries, Finnis Award, Gardeners’ Guild and Perennial. I am a firm believer that a meritorious system should be considered, under which the employer rewards staff according to their abilities. For instance, if someone passes a cherry picker course and becomes the only member qualified for working at height, such a person is of a great value to the garden. A pay increase should be made to recognise that value. A copy of certificates should be displayed in the mess room.

38

Budget and Wages The job of gardener clearly has its glamorous side. They can work in botanic gardens, heritage gardens or major private estates - and there are jobs available for those entering the profession for the first time thanks to the increasing popularity of garden tourism and many gardeners reaching retirement age. After a dark period in horticulture during the 70’s and 80’s, today the industry is facing a new, exciting era. There is, however, a far less glamorous side to the job that only those with a passion for plants can willingly endure. This is (together with the weather) the issue of pay, which sadly continues to be a bugbear for all gardeners. According with The Salaries and Rates Guidelines edited in this year in the PGG Journal, the recommended band for a gardener is £16,000 to £21,000 pa. This level of income is just above the living wage in the UK which is estimated to be around £14,000 pa. The national average wage for a man of my age (33) is around £ 25,000 pa. Having completed three years of training, I will be lucky if I get £ 15,000 pa when starting working as a professional gardener. It will be difficult for me to get a convenient mortgage and support a family. Most importantly, this level of income seems frankly ridiculous if compared with a role profile for a gardener position. A great deal of horticultural knowledge, skills and experience is always required. After all, gardeners are also responsible for looking after some of the most precious British heritage. It is unfair that gardeners are paid like unskilled labourers. In my opinion it is up to the larger organisations to change this situation. In particular the Royal Horticultural Society should act as an example and raise the wages for their gardeners. If private employers see that the RHS is paying its senior gardeners £16,000 pa, it is unlikely that they are going to pay more than that. The National Trust pay well, but not from the start. There are target salaries for every grades, and, with time, it is possible to get decent paid raise through personal development reviews. This is a good open system which consents the possibility to make progression across the merit bar. However, over the last ten years, the National Trust properties are selling or converting their on-site accommodations, as well as taking more volunteers rather than improving the horticultural staff. This new politic can result in a lack of job security, with a detrimental effect on staff morale. The English Heritage is notorious for the low salaries. Also a few years ago then, they cut their pensions and didn’t have any schemes for years. The other major responsible for this situation are the gardeners themselves. They shouldn’t be expected to be managers or economists, but a bit of attention is necessary. They should be aware of organisations such as Unison, a trade union which act in behalf of the workers of the industry within the public sector. Gardeners should also always read very carefully their job description and be aware of the grade of responsibility and accountability they are expected at work. If that is not respected, they should put the case forward to the employers. The saddest consequence of low salaries is professional gardeners dropping out horticulture. One of the keys in encouraging dedicated and intelligent people into a career in horticulture is to offer a respectable salary.

39

40

Acknowledgments The three years I spent working at Osborne House, the National Botanic Garden of Wales and Highgrove, as well as the consequent preparation of this report has depended heavily on the help and support of a great people and organisations. My debts to the Professional Gardeners’ Guild Traineeship and the Royal Horticultural Society Bursaries are and shall be obvious and unrepayable. I would like to thank the entire staff of Monserrate Park and Palace and University of Bristol Botanic Garden for offering the valuable opportunity of a working week and for the welcoming care and appreciation I received during my stay. I have also to express my deep gratitude to the Merlin Trust committee for publishing my travel report on the expedition to the Taurus Mountains and for awarding it with the renowned Christopher Brickell Prize. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to every gardener I met during these last three years. All of them did, in one way of another, taught me.