< PreviousEd Fuller from FullersForestry andLandscaping thismonth shows us thework they completedon a local Lincolnshiregarden. 20 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYOur regular garden expert, Ed Fuller, andhis team at Fullers Landscaping havedesigned and constructed over 100 gardensin the local area. Each one providing aunique outdoor space for their clients. Theyhave recently completed a garden nearLincoln which enabled them to use a varietyof materials.The property sits at the end of a longshared driveway and the original garden wasbare except for lawn. The owners hadacquired some land from next door whichwas extremely overgrown but it wouldenable them to extend the size of theirgarden to complement the size of thehouse. The initial brief from the client was toprovide a full makeover for the garden andto include a courtyard area to the front ofthe house where they could park threevehicles, two separate seating areas, in thesunny parts of the garden, which had to beprivate but not overshadowed, features tojoin all the areas of the garden together, anoutdoor room and for a simple lowmaintenance planting design. After an initialsurvey a design was created by Fullers in-house designer to include the wish-list. The fully insulated outdoor building,which will enable the owners to have aquite retreat all year round, is positionedwithin the courtyard and is clad withcedar. The cedar theme is carried on alongthe boundary of the courtyard. A gabionretaining wall and pillars filled with whitelimestone and a band of coloured glasshave also been used to create a strikingfirst impression when you arrive. You then enter the gardenthrough timber archways to thefirst seating area. The gabiontheme is reiterated with a largegabion light feature filled withglass, corresponding with theglass bands in the gabion pillars.This is a unique feature whichcomes into its own at night. Thetimber archways, which alsohave lighting, then carry youalong the back of the housethrough the lawn on steppingstones to the second seatingarea. This area has granitechippings which are surroundedby timber raised beds. Theplanting throughout the gardenFROMSTART TOFINISHFROMSTART TOFINISH20-21_Layout 1 17/07/2015 11:20 Page 1AUGUST’SGARDEN DIARYWhat else should you be doing in the garden thismonth?• Prune Wisteria• Deadhead flowering plants regularly• Keep watering containers and new plants• Feed containers, and even tired border perennials, with a liquidtomato food each week to encourage them to bloom into the earlyautumn.• Collect seeds from favourite plants• Inspect chrysanthemums for the first signs of white rust and takeimmediate action• Harvest sweetcorn and other vegetables as they become ready• Continue cutting old fruited canes on raspberries• Lift and pot up rooted strawberry runners• Most perennial weeds are best dealt with when in active growth.Apply a weedkiller containing glyphosate.• Keep ponds and water features topped up• Feed your soil with green manuresconsists of coral bark maples, lavender, rosemary andlow maintenance grasses. This garden is an example of how a good design canensure that a garden is not disjointed and provides you withwhat you need to complement your house. Ed Fullerexplains, “We want to help people use their space wiselyand enjoy the outdoor area they have. We can provideinnovative and inventive ways that can achieve this. We canalso work with any size of garden and budget.”LINCOLNSHIRETODAY21GARDEN ADVICESpecialised Servicesin Garden DesignLandscaping andTree MaintenanceBacked by a highly-skilledand experienced team,we’ve built our reputationon an ability to provide our clients with professional, tailored gardening and forestry solutionsFREE NO OBLIGATION QUOTATIONSCall 01522 868717 or 07867 510544info@fullersforestry.co.uklwww.fullersforestry.co.ukwww.landscapinglincolnshire.comFULLERSForestry & LandscapingIMAGES: ANDREW WHEELER, WWW.AWPHOTOGRAPHIC.ORG.UK 20-21_Layout 1 17/07/2015 11:20 Page 222 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYGARDENShilst Neil is verypassionate about ferns,there’s an array of other plantsin his garden too, and these combinewith interesting features that draw thevisitor into a surreal world. Training as a horticulturist anddeveloping his own successfullandscaping/garden design business,which he and his father ran for manyyears. However, Neil was growing wearyof travelling long distances betweenprojects and was looking for a lessstressful pace of life. After doing a littleresearch hoping to start something alittle out of the ordinary, it was whilst onvacation in the dales that they stumbledupon a discussion between variousramblers and botanists on the subject offerns. The seed was laid (excuse the pun) andNeil realised there were very fewnurseries that specialise in these gracefulplants and was intrigued by the sciencebehind the growing of them. It’s easy tosee from Neil’s garden how passionate hehas become on them. It has taken two decades to get thegarden into its current shape and the firstjob, as Neil recalls, was planting treecuttings. It’s hard to believe that thehuge specimens that we see now areonly twenty years old, “the trick is towater them in well and frequently whichmost people don’t bother with whenplanting trees – this really does paydividends though as you can tell” saysNeil.After that it was a case of convertingwhat was a flat cornfield into thedifferent levels we see today, whichseparates the garden into lots ofinteresting rooms each with their owndistinctive view. A large natural pondsurrounded by mass planting of PrimulaFlorindae, iris buttercups yellow lily’s andof course more ferns, takes centre stageand this disappears to the back towards ameandering stream which is fed from anatural spring. In between these is a series of walkwaymade from different textures which alladd to the sensory feel, some are laid tograss - others gravel or bark. WhereverTHE SECRETGARDENI tend to like readers gardens for the overall effect, not individualplants, but the Timm’s have the most wonderful collection of Fernsgrowing in their secret garden in Binbrook.WW22-25_Layout 1 17/07/2015 12:02 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY23GARDENSyou walk or look there is something tocatch the eye and Neil is quick to pointout various specimens such as theOsmunda Regalis and the DryopterisFilix-Mas (a crested fern that is unlike theones I’ve seen in the County).The sound of cascading water catchesmy attention on the western side of thegarden and, as we round the corner, Ispot a very natural looking featuresurrounded by Dryopteris Affinis fernsand Adiantum Venustum which has aninteresting reason for being given thisname - but best to ask Neil to explainthat one as it has ‘sexual connotations’.Opposite is a large yellow shrub withtriple flowers on each stem. Known as aJerusalem Sage it’s one I make a mentalnote of for my own gardenOn the cascading water, Neil tells us, “Ispend a lot of time getting the illusionjust right - as I want everything to look asnatural as possible – after all, half an24 ÁSpiked yellow flowers of Eremurusor Fox Tail LilyA vista into the open countrysideGravel paths andbridges add interest22-25_Layout 1 17/07/2015 12:02 Page 224 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYGARDENSillusion is no illusion at all!” The nowmature trees, provide a wonderful canopyof dappled shade allowing the sun toshine through completely in places, thelight dancing off the water as it ripplesand courses through the garden. Following the path towards thewoodland area is a formal area circled byhedge which reveals itself as you walkthrough and provides a little drama to thegarden and, as Neil explains, “I often tellpeople that the trick in a garden is tobring some drama into it with one, ormore, formal areas - the more interestinga garden is the more likely a visitor is tofeel immersed and in doing so they feelthey’re well away from the hustle andbustle of the world outside, so the wholeexperience then becomes more relaxing.” It’s hard to imagine Neil, with all hisexperience, making any mistakes and helaughs when I mention this saying, “youmust be kidding,” and shows me thepathway leading out of the woodlandarea which is flanked on one side bygeraniums and on the other byMiscanthus, standing proud at almost ametre and a half high all along thepathway. “It might look good now” saysNeil, “but I forgot it dies back in thewinter and just doesn’t look right. I wasgoing to plant bamboo but the non-invasive specimens were £21 each andwe needed quite a few so I thought I’dsave us money and plant Miscanthus –how I wish I’d made that investmentlooking back.“ Further along this path is a gloriousview of the wolds, which has been madepossible by clearing some of the branchesand lowering the fence to create astunning vista beyond. Neil kindly shows me around theadjoining nursery, in which he and hisfather have spent many a happy day andin which they grow almost all their ownplants from seed (or rather spore). Itseems to me a fairly daunting procedure,involving the collecting of microscopicfern spores, and starting these off insterilised compost. After nurturing thesefor up to eighteen months they reachseedling stage after which they are thenpricked out and transplanted up andfinally into cell trays where they growindividually until being potted on andhardened off in a cold frame. Despite theMature trees plantedfrom cuttings22-25_Layout 1 17/07/2015 12:02 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRETODAY25GARDENSSome of the awards received by the Fern Nursery include•Silver Gilt Medal at the Harrogate Autumn Show 2006•Gold Medal and Elsham Hall Cup for the best designed stand in show, at the Lincolnshire Agricultural Societies Show 2006•Silver Gilt Medal at the Royal Norfolk Show 2005•Gold Medal at the Harrogate Autumn Show 2007•Large Gold Medal and Best Small Stand In Show at the Lincolnshire Agricultural Societies Show 2007•Large Gold Medal and Best in Show In Show at the Lincolnshire Agricultural Societies Show 2008•Gold Medal at the Harrogate Autumn Show 2008•Large Gold Medal In Show at the Lincolnshire Agricultural Societies Show 2009•Gold Medal at the Harrogate Autumn Show 2010•Large Gold Medal In Show at the Lincolnshire Agricultural Societies Show 2010, and the Elsham Hall Cup for the best designed stand•Gold Medal at the Harrogate Autumn Show 2012•Gold Medal at the Derby County Show 2013•Silver Gilt Medal at the Harrogate Autumn Show 2013time and patience needed, the Timm’snow have over 100 varieties planted inthe garden to show visitors and thenursery has over 10,000 ferns growingat various stages, at any one time! This is no mean feat but for thosewho think ferns are a difficult or fussyplant to grow, apparently you’d bewrong – Neil explains, “most peoplethink that but ferns are surprisinglyhardy and can be included in gardenswith spectacular results – which is whywe’ve created this garden so people cansee for themselves, the beauty that theybring to a garden”.22-25_Layout 1 17/07/2015 12:02 Page 426 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYWILDLIFEnce a common and familiar sight,the population of water voles hasdeclined greatly over the last few decades.But if you look carefully around waterways youmight just catch a glimpse, as sometimes they canbe seen in woven nests of reeds and sedges inmarshy areas.More often, they create extensive burrowsystems in the banks of rivers and streams withtheir sleeping chambers made at various levels inthe steepest parts of the bank and, rather cleverly,they incorporate an underwater escape routeshould they need to beat a hasty retreat frompredators. They are easily mistaken for rats at first glance - infact it was a water vole which was named “Ratty” inthe famous ‘Wind in the Willows’ stories - but theirrich, silky, yellowish-brown to dark brown coat, andblunt nose, is the giveaway along with their taiwhich, unlike rats, is covered in fur.Classed as mainly herbivores, they enjoy lushstems and leaves of waterside plants and you mightsee the remains of their latest meal, but they alsoeat invertebrates, which provides them with muchneeded protein. There have also been reports thatthey eat frogs’ legs too and discard the bodies –presumably then they are quite the connoisseur andhave a veracious appetite eating nearly 80% of theirown body weight each day. Perhaps one of the reasons for their voraciousappetites is the fact they are such rampant breeders- the female has up to five litters per year and givesbirth to litters of up to seven young at a time. These are usually born between April andSeptember. As one might expect they are blind andhelpless, initially, and the nest is little more than agrass chamber. Here they will live until they arefour months old. If the young are born before Julythey may breed that autumn, although most won’treach sexual maturity until after their first winter. Sadly, winter takes its toll on the water vole andup to 70% die in the cold hash weather – quite sadwhen you consider their total lifespan is a mere twoyears. But as it has now been recognised that theyare one of the UK’s fastest declining mammal,efforts are under way to protect it and its habitatfrom further destruction and it is now illegal to killor disturb the shelter of a water vole. Across the UKthe Wildlife Trusts and other organisations areundertaking many practical projects to conserve andrestore water vole populations and certainly, here inLincolnshire, this seems to be having a positiveeffect. You don’t have to travel far either to see themeither, as you might catch sight of one of the manyyoung male water voles around your garden pond ifyou live near a waterway. If you are lucky enough,then do not disturb it - it will move on of its ownaccord. They disperse from the nest when they areabout four months old to find new habitats and itwill simply be stopping en-route until they find amore suitable habitat. WILDLIFE INLincolnshireWhile the humble water vole has undergone a dramatic decline nationally. Lincolnshireremains one of their last remaining strongholdsOO26-27_Layout 1 17/07/2015 11:01 Page 1PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/MARK BRIDGER26-27_Layout 1 17/07/2015 11:01 Page 228 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYLINCOLNSHIRE WALKSThe selection of walks here (short andlong) will suit children, families or justadults; something for everyone in fact.Facilities at Hartsholme include a café,visitor centre and a playground. And ofcourse with this “Nature in the city”country park there is plenty of wildlife onthe lakes, in the woodlands and in thenature reserve. An informative children’s“History Hunt” trail is good for adults tooand obtainable from the visitor centre.Hartsholme Hall was built by JosephShuttleworth in 1861/62 following hispurchase of the estate. Joseph was afounder-partner in 1842, with his brother-in-law Nathaniel Clayton, of the famousLincoln heavy engineering firm that boretheir names. The hall went on to haveother owners and was occupied by thearmy during WWII. In 1951 the estate wasacquired by Lincoln Corporation when thehouse was deemed unsafe anddemolished. The stable block surviveshowever as the Visitor Centre. Hartsholmehas been a country park since 1974.(Information boards tell more of the hall’shistory and the wildlife that may be seen.)HARTSHOLME &SWANHOLMEWith the school holidays upon us wevisit the ever-popular HartsholmeCountry Park in Lincoln and the adjoiningSwanholme Lakes nature reserve.EXPLORINGLincolnshireON FOOTTHE BOATHOUSEEXPLORINGLincolnshireON FOOTThe lake was originally created by theLincoln Water Company in 1848 and iscontained by an embankment with anoutlet alongside Skellingthorpe Road. Thisis where there was an icehouse when theHall still existed. The Black Bridge at thesouthern end was restored in 1954 andthe elegant White Bridge as recently as2014.Part way round the main lake look outfor an intriguing stone pillar with a scrapof metal fixed to the top. This was once astatue of Mercury, put up in 1902, butonly part of one leg remains. There’s apicturesque boathouse too built in 1881.The Swanholme Lakes nature reserve hasbeen created from ex gravel pits formedglacial river deposits dating from beforethe last ice age at least 25,000 ago.Swanholme has been designated as a Siteof Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) since1985 and the geology and soil typesprovide a wide variety of heathland andwater habitats.Readers opting to do the SwanholmeLakes walks will find the nature reservemuch quieter than Hartsholme Park.HARTSHOLME LAKE28-29_Layout 1 17/07/2015 11:00 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE WALKSAlmost all of the four routes described arehard surfaced.NOTES.For the Swanholme routes areserve map from the Visitor Centre mayprove helpful.THE ROUTE(S)We start with the shortest walk. Facethe Visitor Centre and turn right along afenced path to an open lawn, the formersite of Hartsholme Hall with itsinformation board about the history ofthe house. Continue towards the lake andbear left skirting the lake and passing theboathouse to reach, and cross, the “WhiteBridge”. You now have a choice of routes.(1) For the shortest route (round part ofHartsholme Lake only) turn right. Followthe lake edge until you can bear rightacross the embankment at the north end.Cross this and keep right again throughwoods back to the lawn near the start.(2) For a complete circuit of HartsholmeLake (and to reach the starting points ofwalks (3) and (4) within the SwanholmeNature Reserve) go left continuing besidethe narrow southern arm of the lake toreach and cross the Black Bridge. Tocomplete a circuit of Hartsholme Laketurn left now back to, and re-cross, theWhite Bridge. Then follow the instructionsat (1) above.(3) To continue into Swanholme naturereserve turn right from the Black Bridge -signed for Doddington Road. In about350 yards, and at a fence gap by a noticeboard, turn left along a gravelled pathwith a lake on your right. At an open areaby the lake corner there are again twooptions. (See also (4) below.) For theshorter Swanholme route bear left nowalong a straight path which has a hutvisible at the far end. In approximately200 yards take first path on the right,which circumnavigates three sides ofSanctuary Lake to reach the hut seenearlier. Now bear right to reach a gatenear a house. A faint minor path ahead isa short cut to a wider main path. Bear leftalong that to reach the southern arm ofHartsholme Lake and turn right. Now seewalk (2) and from the White Bridge eitherwalk right round Hartsholme Lake orreturn to the start past the boathouse.joining route (3)) through woods to reachthe southern arm of Hartsholme Lake.Now go right to the White Bridge; thensee (1) above. [To extend Walk (4) and includeSanctuary Lake go through the gate onthe left near the white house. Onreaching a hut go right then first left;circle the lake back to the hut.]by Hugh MarrowsTHE BLACK BRIDGESANCTUARY LAKEHARTSHOLME LAKEEMBANKMENT(4) Alternatively bear right and ignoringside paths follow the main path as it circlesCoot Lake to your left. At some houseskeep left past a gate. The path continues toskirt the lake until at the next house it goesleft again, then right to reach an opengrass area. (Sports Field) Walk down theleft-hand edge of this and exit in the farleft-hand corner keeping left towards awhite house. Just before it veer right (hereCOOT LAKE SWANHOLMEFACTFILESTART: Hartsholme Park visitor centre (Skellingthorpe Road, Lincoln. GR 946696)OS MAPS: Landranger 121 (Lincoln) • Explorer 272COUNTRY PARK AND RESERVE MAP: From Visitor CentreDISTANCES: (1) Hartsholme Lake [Short] 1 mile • 1.5 kilometres(2) Hartsholme Lake [Full circuit] 2¼ miles • 3.5 kilometres(3) Hartsholme & Swanholme [Sanctuary Lake] 3¼ miles • 5 kilometres(4) Hartsholme & Swanholme [Coot Lake] 3¾ miles • 6 kilometresREFRESHMENTS: Hartsholme café LINCOLNSHIRETODAY2928-29_Layout 1 17/07/2015 11:00 Page 2Next >