Garden Corner by Steve Williams, Gardens Manager
DATE: January 2022
Update from Steve Williams, Garden Manager
Everyone in the Trust continues to adjust to the changes and challenges we have faced in the wake of the global pandemic. York Museums Trust strategic priority of survival remained, and this meant that the Gardens remained on adjusted opening times. It has been heartening to see and hear just how important access to the Garden has been for so many people’s wellbeing, including the team and myself.
Despite the above, we have really enjoyed being able to continue to improve the planting in the Gardens after last year’s disruption. I feel that even with a smaller team and the spinning of many plates, the Garden is still taking strides forward.
The Prairie border and St Mary’s Lodge border are both being improved with a particular eye on increasing the wildlife-friendly nature of the Gardens, botanical diversity, and ultimately strengthening our collection. (See above photo of the new grasses in the Prairie border).
The Trust received a £3000 donation from First Bus Social Club for the Garden earlier in the year which we are using to deliver (what we hope will be!) a wonderful Spring bulb display in 2022. We are planting over 7000 bulbs (circa 30 varieties of Tulip, Daffodils, Alliums plus others), around the Garden including a proper showing in the Edible Garden for the first time (the Dutch resorted to using the bulbs to make substitute bread in 1944). It is always better to plant in volume when you have a Garden of scale as the swathes of colour have a greater impact ‘en masse’. Something to look forward to!
The Environment Agency should have completed their major engineering works in the Garden by late November, and the focus will shift to the rectification of those areas of the Garden that have been impacted. Ground levelling, grass reseeding, and the planting of new bulbs, herbaceous plants and shrubs will take place. Directly behind the Hospitium there is a section of new tiering (that was designed to accommodate the continued presence of the True Service Tree). This solution utilises pre-seeded greenfix sandbags and will be planted with low growing herbaceous plants to provide a cascading floral backdrop that will enhance the view from inside the Hospitium (a nice addition for our wedding receptions / other events), softening the tiering. Of course, it will take a little while to bed in and reach maturity but as we know, good things are worth the wait. There are also plans afoot to create a small apple orchard to the rear of the Gardeners shed and this will be linked to the YPS bicentennial anniversary.
We have plans in place for the Garden to make its contribution to the survival of the Trust one of which is to develop a Plants for Sale offering which will be trialled next Spring. A key part of this plant is to purchase a polytunnel which will enable us to generate a significant volume of plants and provide valuable opportunities for both volunteer and wider-community engagement longer-term.
We are also keen to develop an area within the Gardens designated for play, YMT hosted a consultation over the October half term with Playful Anywhere which received a great response from the families who visited us and took part. Our experience will inform our thinking as we move forward.
My last piece of news to share is that we will be planting a tree in the Edible Wood as part of the Queens Green Canopy The Queen’s Green Canopy (queensgreencanopy.org). The idea is that people are encouraged to plant a tree in recognition of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. The Sheriff of York approached Reyahn suggesting Museum Gardens as the perfect place to plant a tree and we though a fruit tree in the Edible Garden would be most appropriate in recognition of Her Majesty’s ’fruitful’ time on the throne. The conversation is progressing and more information will be shared further down the line.
I would like to wish you and yours best wishes for 2022 and thanks you for your ongoing support as a Patron of York Museums Trust through these turbulent times.
