Up the Garden Paths, Norton Conyers, Spring 2018
I write this a few weeks after the completion of the paths which now stretch across the vegetable garden. It is the most significant structural change that has taken place at Norton Conyers since I began my gardening career in February.
As 'ground was broken' on the new paths in late March, I was quite naive to the processes and efforts that would be involved.
After the Easter weekend, Giles, Alan and I ventured over to the vegetable path with spades in hand. Work had already started the previous week when I had been allocated work elsewhere - some planks had already been installed, meaning that some boundaries were already in place. Giles gave us our instructions; and so the digging commenced. The good news for us was that the earth did not need transporting. Instead, it could be shovelled to the side; it was required to raise the level of the lower end of the vegetable garden.
The vegetable patch is on a slope. It was therefore difficult to judge a 'true' level. Much of the work was done by eye initially and finished off with the aid of a spirit level; optical illusions were created because of the slope, and it was therefore difficult to work without a more scientific aid.
Alan and I worked hard, and soon looked forward to our tea break. Despite this, Alan commented that he was surprised by the soft consistency of the earth - it was of a relatively even texture, and there were few stones to get in the way of our spades. 'I suppose we have three hundred years of cultivation to thank for that!' Our work was easier than it might otherwise have been.
Digging took up much of the day, and a 'path' of sorts started to come into being.
When the ground was cleared of earth, and levelling finished, we started on a new section. Giles joined us to install the planks. A garden line was used, and the planks were put into place on the perimeters. A pole was used to 'start off' the holes for the wooden stakes, and a sledgehammer to drive them into the earth. And the planks were then nailed into the stakes. This process was repeated at even intervals, and before long the structure of the path was in place. I think I risk making this sound like an easy task; the reality was an extremely painstaking process, with precise measurements required. Even a slight bowing of the wood could lead to a bigger (and more visible) problem further down the line. This required checks and alterations to be made at every stage of the process.
Bex joined us in the afternoon to help out; as did Shandy and Plum. Shandy took particular delight in laying down on the pile of wooden stakes.
To finish off this part of the process, the ends of the path were curved by Giles; planks were partially sawn into at intervals to enable the planks to be bent.
This whole process was to be repeated for another two working days.
And so, the earth was cleared; now we needed to fill it in! This required rubble. As I have previously described, Giles is an extremely resourceful man; if he can avoid spending money, he will. Beth and Bex brought rubble from building projects at home - this was a great start.
Much unused concrete lay in the area adjacent to the courtyard. Old pig troughs needed breaking up; I was employed to do this with a sledgehammer - a very tough job which required patience and determination in equal measure. It also required intermittent breaks; Giles had just the idea for my 'breaks' - shovelling manure!!
Alan had previously borrowed a jackhammer from Giles to clear the concrete patio in front of his house. Alan and I set out in Giles' van to pick up the rubble; we filled the van twice. On each occasion, the dumper waited for us to fill it in the courtyard. The rubble was then spread along the paths, and - if necessary - broken up even further. This process was repeated many times with rubble from other sources - including Giles' own home.
The top path in the vegetable garden hadn't been filled by this point; in the afternoon Giles asked me to dig a trench in order for the tap (which was installed on my first day in the gardens) to be relocated into the middle of the garden; Giles plans to install a barrel here to make an attractive centrepiece. As the trench was dug, the clouds gathered. And the rain drove down. Upon finishing the trench, Giles helped me to lay the rest of the piping and move the tap into place. We finished the day soggy and sodden.
As the final sections of path were filled in with rubble, Giles took delivery of a truck load of road chippings. This would provide the top surface of the paths - another cost-effective yet practical and attractive solution from Giles.
Once again, the trusty old dumper was repeatedly filled and driven to the vegetable garden. The chippings were then shovelled and raked to create a neat, even surface.
The final result was incredibly satisfying. We were all glad to have finished such a physically demanding job, and were now ready to start using the paths to manage the vegetable plots.
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| Beginnings |
The vegetable patch is on a slope. It was therefore difficult to judge a 'true' level. Much of the work was done by eye initially and finished off with the aid of a spirit level; optical illusions were created because of the slope, and it was therefore difficult to work without a more scientific aid.
Alan and I worked hard, and soon looked forward to our tea break. Despite this, Alan commented that he was surprised by the soft consistency of the earth - it was of a relatively even texture, and there were few stones to get in the way of our spades. 'I suppose we have three hundred years of cultivation to thank for that!' Our work was easier than it might otherwise have been.
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| Peach Blossom |
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| Alan installing a stake |
This whole process was to be repeated for another two working days.
 |
| Completed Path Boundaries |
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Filling In
And so, the earth was cleared; now we needed to fill it in! This required rubble. As I have previously described, Giles is an extremely resourceful man; if he can avoid spending money, he will. Beth and Bex brought rubble from building projects at home - this was a great start.
Much unused concrete lay in the area adjacent to the courtyard. Old pig troughs needed breaking up; I was employed to do this with a sledgehammer - a very tough job which required patience and determination in equal measure. It also required intermittent breaks; Giles had just the idea for my 'breaks' - shovelling manure!!
 |
| The laden dumper |
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Dahlias
I must have shown my growing weariness, as - a few weeks into the path building - Giles asked me to help with the planting of dahlias; this proved to be a welcome change after weeks of digging and hammering, and it was good to do some actual gardening! The dahlias had been brought into the orangery over winter; now was the time to break them up, repot and label them. I was surprised by the sheer number of different varieties. |
| Potted Dahlias |
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The top path in the vegetable garden hadn't been filled by this point; in the afternoon Giles asked me to dig a trench in order for the tap (which was installed on my first day in the gardens) to be relocated into the middle of the garden; Giles plans to install a barrel here to make an attractive centrepiece. As the trench was dug, the clouds gathered. And the rain drove down. Upon finishing the trench, Giles helped me to lay the rest of the piping and move the tap into place. We finished the day soggy and sodden.
*
As the final sections of path were filled in with rubble, Giles took delivery of a truck load of road chippings. This would provide the top surface of the paths - another cost-effective yet practical and attractive solution from Giles.
Once again, the trusty old dumper was repeatedly filled and driven to the vegetable garden. The chippings were then shovelled and raked to create a neat, even surface.
The final result was incredibly satisfying. We were all glad to have finished such a physically demanding job, and were now ready to start using the paths to manage the vegetable plots.
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| The completed path, May 2018 |
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Giles still has ideas up his sleeve for the future development of the paths. Not only is a barrel to be sourced and placed in the paths' intersection; next year Giles plans to install cobbles into the path's ends. The cobbles will be a hardy, attractive addition to the paths.
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Wandering Aengus
The building of the paths coincided with the completion of David's wooden sculpture, 'Wandering Aengus'. Using the massive stump of a (long-dead) Cedrus libani (Cedar of Lebanon), David carved the figure as the gardeners worked away on the paths. It featured in his most recent exhibition 'Finished Unfinished' at his Ripon Gallery. However, as the name of the exhibition suggests, 'Aengus' - who is inspired by the eponymous poem by William Yeats - is still a work in progress... just like the path come to think of it!
