Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2015 / January 2016 | Page 72

GARDENING

Award for Abbey
A

s winter transforms the Quarr
Abbey landscape, although
some leaves are still visible, the
vast majority of trees and shrubs stand
dormant and seemingly lifeless. This said,
small pockets of colour from berries and
flowers remain, adding seasonal interest
for us and food for overwintering wildlife.
We have embraced the seasonal shift
of the majority of the workload from
the gardens to the estate. The trees
are getting our attention as now is a
good time to carry out any essential
pruning on most species. This is with
the exception of a few. The pruning of
Prunus species (cherries, plums and
almonds) during autumn/winter can
cause the introduction of a disease
named ‘silverleaf’ and maples and birches
may ‘bleed’ if pruned in late winter/
spring when the sap is rising. It is worth
observing good practice when removing
larger limbs by using ‘step cuts’ to remove
the weight out of branches in stages as

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opposed to one cut close to the stem,
which will most likely cause damage to
the rest of the tree.
In the walled garden, the areas of the
vegetable plot that have been cropped
and cultivated have now been covered
in black polythene sheet to reduce the
problem of weeds emerging during
the milder weather and valuable
nutrients being washed away during the
wetter weather . In other areas we are
continuing to crop leeks, parsnips and
other root vegetables.
Other winter jobs that have kept us busy
have been removing the last of the leaves,
ditch maintenance, machinery and tool
maintenance and repairs, and replacing
any failed trees within the new orchards
and hedgerows with bare root stock.
We are very honoured and proud to
have been awarded the National Farmers
Union (NFU) Conservation Award ‘in
recognition of the valuable habitat
and conservation work that has been

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

undertaken and is ongoing at Quarr
Abbey’. The presentation was made at
this year’s NFU AGM attended by many of
the Island’s farming community. I made
a brief comment on how, as custodians
of the land, we have the opportunity to
protect, maintain and invest in its future.
This award recognises this, and for that,
we are grateful.
Pictures by Matt Noyce and Sam
Scadgell