This is the journal of my endeavours to grow a range of fruit, veg and flowers from seed, grow organically, and my attempts to create a personal paradise with 1/2 acre of maintained gardens and 1/2 acre wild meadows. Northern Ireland's average daily high temperatures are 18 °C (64 °F) in July and 6 °C (43 °F) in January. Soil type: Clay

Wednesday, 24 April 2013

New Garden Adventure

Above: we begin to draft ideas for a bedding scheme.
A great opportunity! I've recently joined a newly established garden club and we'll be designing (and maintaining) a substantial sized area in the Antrim Castle Gardens estate, which is located north of Belfast in beautiful surroundings. We're a group of 15 individuals who have come together randomly (i.e. from an open call for interested parties). We all have an interest in gardening, and we're  from diverse backgrounds, age and skill level. Our group has two main tasks: (1) design and maintain several bedding areas and (2) design and maintain a vegetable plot.
Above: This is a photo of the garden / buildings plan for the area  The boxes outlined in red above are some of the areas our garden group will be responsible for. In addition, we have several areas for growing vegetables. This is a brand new voluntary garden project with the wider aim of involving and engaging the local community. (The area is owned by the local Council / government). This project will be a big learning experience. Already I have gained skills in how to measure an area and draw it out to scale. We also have access to an expert who gives us guidance (on a temporary basis) on garden design and horticulture.
Above Right: The empty beds to the right are two of the areas we will be designing, planting up and maintaining. These areas are a main public throughway to the park and grounds so the goal is to make them pleasing in terms of colour, deign and interest. We'll be planting these with a range of flowers (the Council pays for the plants). I had hoped we could mix flowers and vegetables but this is the first year of the project and it was felt this idea was a bit ambitious. However, we have a designated area for growing veggies as well.
Above: The greenhouse above is for our volunteer garden group to use. You may also notice  an empty bed above which is another of our group's areas to maintain. The box hedging is the responsibility of the council.

I'm quite excited about being involved in this project so I thought I'd share it with you. As things develop, I will share more details. Our group will definitely be busy over the coming months! Click here if you want to know more about Antrim Castle Gardens.

Copyright: All words and photos are property of Kelli's Northern Ireland Garden.
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13 comments:

  1. Sue Garrett24 April 2013 at 02:41

    It does sound exciting. Are you limited to bedding plants or can you go for bee friendly things?

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    1. Kelli25 April 2013 at 01:34

      I like your thinking of bee friendly plants. (I always think of summer flower beds as the ones the Councils do up every year, which are usually one or two types of annuals planted in mass.) The flower beds we're designing are going to contain a wide range of plants.We're incorporating perennials, bulbs, annuals, shrubs etc into the beds so I think they will be bee-friendly.

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  2. Paula @ Blooms 'n' Spades24 April 2013 at 03:57

    How fantastic, more gardening space but using someone elses budget ;-) They look like really big areas to cover and I'm looking forward to seeing what your group do with them.

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  3. Jo24 April 2013 at 05:19

    What an exciting project, it's great that you're in there from the start so that you have some input in the design. Good luck with it.

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  4. Jo@awholeplotoflove24 April 2013 at 11:27

    What fun, I hope you have a great time taking part.

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  5. Egretta Wells blog24 April 2013 at 12:29

    It sounds like a fun opportunity to help make a public garden beautiful for many to enjoy, as well as learn a lot and meet other gardeners. Looking forward to seeing how your group plants those spaces!

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  6. ann24 April 2013 at 19:46

    This is very exciting. How much fun. You will make new friends and get plan beautiful gardens. We hope you blog about it because we will love seeing the gardens come alive.

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  7. HolleyGarden25 April 2013 at 07:19

    What a fabulous project! I hope you have a great time working on it. How fabulous to have a greenhouse to use, too!

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  8. Casa Mariposa25 April 2013 at 18:34

    What fun! It sounds like a great way to learn form other gardeners while making the grounds beautiful. :o)

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  9. Janneke 26 April 2013 at 02:13

    Great to join a garden club with such a project. Must be very exciting, I am looking forward to you further news about it.

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  10. elaine 26 April 2013 at 06:24

    No wonder you are excited Kelli - what a wonderful opportunity - hope it all goes well and you let us see some photos as things progress.

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  11. kimbamel26 April 2013 at 17:11

    What a fantastic project! It will be great to see your progress along the way.

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  12. RobinL28 April 2013 at 18:33

    What an honor for you and your friends! I am sure you will be busy, busy. Don't neglect your own garden!

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