Gardening in the Park

I arrived one Wednesday morning at Victoria Park, Stretford, a park two streets away from my house, to do my normal Wednesday morning's volunteer gardening and was told by Sarah, one of the gardening managers, that we had a flag hoisting ceremony and were having our picture taken. Now, I  am not a celebrity, so no paparazzi habitually follow me, so I asked why. Sarah, who like all the park staff is a lovely person, informed me that the park had been awarded a coveted green flag, which is awarded only to parks and community green spaces of the highest standard. Don't congratulate me, I had only been a volunteer for a few weeks, the hard work had been  done by others, but I lined up with the rest and had  a photo in which I was partially obscured on the second row. But though I had no grounds for pride I was delighted for my colleagues  and was happy to have linked up with an organisation that was friendly, socially useful and thoroughly competent. I had joined a group who enabled me to perform an enjoyable activity in which I can use my gardening skills and knowledge in the company  of good people. Moreover, they recognize and cater for my disability, Parkinson's Disease, and make me feel welcome.

A few months ago I was snatching some exercise in the park, doing half a mile, all that I could manage as I waited for an appointment with a neurologist, who would be able to prescribe suitable medication. I was at a loose end, having been forced by my health to give up my allotment. But blessings come unexpectedly, this time in the shape of Christine, Chris for short, a close friend of my wife. She is a trustee of Friends of Victoria Park, and knew my situation. Why not join the Gardening for Health group that meets on Wednesday mornings, she suggested. I  tentatively agreed, but as it was already Thursday I had six days to wait.  

The following Wednesday I turned up at the park. "Meet at the bowling green near the small cafe. You will be able to see the greenhouses." I followed the instruction and soon met Nancy, Sarah and Caroline, who take responsibility for the gardening projects. I explained the situation and they were friendly and supportive. We got to work  immediately trimming rose bushes and getting rid of one pest plant, self-seeded sycamore. I was having a good day, I was back gardening and had found new friends.

The managers adjust my jobs to my limitations. They bring me a chair so that I can sit while pruning bushes and take a break when tired. I have not been expected to perform heavy tasks such as digging, but I perform tasks that involve skill, such as "potting on" lilac plants, which I did this week; and my knowledge of plants is greatly valued.  That I am physically limited saddens me, as  I have always done my share of heavy work, but we all have to adjust to circumstances.

The park is not the largest community space in our town, but it makes use of  the limited area available. There is a range of facilities, such as a nice little cafe staffed by some friendly women, two children's playgrounds and other facilities, but there is a well-tended range of gardens. Flower beds produce a display during the growing season, but there is  a  range of trees and shrubs, including gingko and redwood, all of which contribute  to a pleasant ambience. Large, grassy areas provide  space for games and picnics. The park is tended by a small team of mobile gardeners, but our group is a voluntary band who help out, though we have our own projects.

 We have some dedicated facilities: the compound, where we store the shipping containers which hold the tools, and where we keep the compost heap and leaf mould bins; and there is also a large brick potting shed, where we can work under cover in our not too clement weather. We also have three small greenhouses where we grow seedlings and peppers for the park cafe, whose friendly manager, Angela, and her staff delight in homegrown produce. The  indoor facilities proved invaluable this cold and wet November week when we made wreaths for Christmas from cuttings from trees in the park. I struggled,  as my illness affects my dexterity, but I was helped by the patient Sarah. The indoor space can be used at tea and biscuit time, important social time where I have met new friends. 

In my time there I have maintained roses and flower beds, dead-heading flowers, a task essential for continued floral displays. Without deadheading, snipping off decaying flowerheads, the plant will refuse to produce new flowers, so continued display of roses is maintained by this easy, but time -consuming task. I have spent time trimming dead branches from shrubs. Derek, a fellow volunteer, and I spent half a morning weeding the gabions, large dry-stone raised beds,  in the herb garden, where we grow  mint and borage. Weeding is a never-ending task. Also folks, remember that in England it is Autumn, Fall in American usage, so the deciduous trees shed their russet-coloured treasury of leaves, so we volunteers do our share of path clearance, but  we do not use leaf blowers, as they  are ecologically wasteful. The leaves are collected and stored in leaf-mould bins, made of  steel mesh, and situated in the compound. The gardening group plants all its own seeds and seedlings. We also water the seedlings in the greenhouses.

There is one project from which health and safety excludes me, the roof garden, which adorns the top of a large shipping container in the compound. Access is by ladder, but my balance issues render my access risky. The roof supports low-growing plants like sedums. Okay, I cannot access the roof, but I  can play my part by growing seedlings for the roof when they are needed. This is something that I can do in the future  in the greenhouses, if required.

One project that I love is the greenhouses. We  have three small walk-in greenhouses [glasshouses] in  which we grow seedlings and vegetables. After I had spent some sessions tidying them, aided by volunteers Geoff and Derek, Sarah asked me to become greenhouse manager. I was delighted to agree. We are planning to grow tomatoes and peppers, but true to good old-fashioned gardening tradition in British country houses that gardener works with cook, I had a word with Angela in the cafe to decide what  sort of tomatoes to grow. She wants a large number of small ones spread throughout the summer rather than a few big ones. We will endeavour to give her what she wants.

We also use the greenhouses for seedlings. Last year the group worked with children from the local school to plant sunflower seeds, but slugs  ate the seedlings, so this year we are trying it again, but the challenge is to put in place  some slug protection, maybe   salt  or non-toxic pellets, which work by gumming up the slugs' digestive systems.

We are planning to build a hugel  in the compound. This is a crop-growing mound used much in the Alps for vegetables. The management want to site it in the compound, where there is unused space, and they are seeking  funding for it. The hugel, which we hope to build in Spring, will not be the first in Stretford, for I once had one, but we hope that it will  get us some publicity and add to our green credentials. It will also provide food for the cafe. We are thinking of leeks and onions and maybe salad vegetables. 

There has been talk of our planting some dwarf apple trees near one of the park's gates. This would be in keeping with the environmentalist move towards edible landscaping. But that is looking ahead to next year.

I  have spoken of my colleagues by name, but some have yet to be mentioned. Jane and Shelley, the two senior managers, have made my experience a positive one. Volunteers yet to be mentioned are Andy and Alan, Becky and Kerry, whose friendly and helpful attitudes contribute to the ethos of the team.