Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2014 | Page 65

GARDENING

Matt Noyce is head gardener
at Quarr Abbey, and is
responsible for the 200 acres
of gardens, pastureland,
vegetable plot and private
woodland on the estate.

It's a blooming pleasure!

W

ith a fantastic start to the
summer already under
our belt, and flowers and
produce growing weeks
earlier than usual, it has been a very
pleasant season so far.
The soft fruits have been so
juicy and bursting with flavour.
We planted ‘Elsanta’ strawberries
this spring and the crop has been
wonderful with large succulent
fruits. The loganberries have been
left until they go a rich dark colour
and in most cases we have beaten
the birds to them. The majority of
the soft fruits are safely secured
within soft fruit cages, away from
eager beaks. Where we have had
some spare room we have planted
brassicas; the cage then doubles
up as protection for our cabbages
and kale against bird and butterfly
attacks. Where the occasional
butterfly has got lucky and found a
way in, we pick the caterpillars off and
throw them out so our winged friends
don’t go hungry after all.
A certain amount of the produce grown
will be used in our jam and chutney
production. The wildflower meadow

has exceeded my expectations this year.
It was sown towards the end of last year,
but then unexpectedly doused with the
heavy winter rains. I didn’t hold out too
much hope of a good establishment rate

as the seeds for many of the wildflowers
are so small, I thought they may have
been washed away or deep into the soil. In
actual fact the meadow has done very well.
Swathes of poppy, borage, cornflower,
corn marigold and meadow sage, to

name only a few, have carpeted the
meadow area of about an acre. The
primary idea behind the wildflower
meadow is to create forage for bees in
the Quarr area but the added bonus
is that it creates a sanctuary for
wildlife from birds to butterflies and
mice to foxes. Wildflower meadows
aren’t as maintenance free as you
might expect; they require timed
management to create the best
habitat possible.
The Quarr Abbey hives and Isle
of Wight Beekeepers Association
Quarr teaching apiary hives are
flourishing. Earlier in the year
we had a batch of spring honey
extracted which was enjoyed by the
monks in the abbey refectory as well
as sold in the shop. The occasional
swarm appears but is swiftly dealt
with and put into an appropriate
hive to create a new colony. This
means that although you may lose
a colony during the winter months, a
swarm can become a positive occasion to
produce a new one. If you see a swarm,
contact your nearest beekeeping group
to notify them and they should be able
to help in removing it.
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