Perks of the job: Coffee – Maria Narducci, Marketing & Comms Officer, Clumber Park & Mr Straw’s House

This is my first ever blog, I’ll be writing regularly about the small joys of working at Clumber Park.

As you may have gathered from my name I’m of Italian heritage and I enjoy a good cup of coffee. When I’m at work my daily treat is a ‘proper’ cup of coffee from the Clumber Café. Not only is the coffee a treat, so is the daily walk from my desk to the Café and back. Apart from lots of lovely things to see, it’s a chance to meet visitors, volunteers and colleagues.

The view across the Parsonage Lawn to the Chapel

The Reading Room second hand bookshop and cafe

To get to the Cafe I have to walk through the Stableyard and through the archway. On the left there's a wonderful view of the Parsonage and across the Parsonage Lawn to the Chapel. Past my favorite Monkey Puzzle tree and it's neighbouring Holly tree and through the gate beneath the clock tower. Sometimes I cut through the Reading Room second hand bookshop for a quick browse, into the Cafe and order my usual.

A choice of cakes and chocolate

Should I have something sweet as well?

Table Talkers

Whilst I'm waiting for my coffee I'll check the table talkers and posters are all full and up-to-date.

 

A large cappuccino with a shot of Hazelnut syrup

Back at my desk with my daily dose of ‘a large cappuccino with a shot of Hazelnut syrup’ - bliss.

The world of volunteering by Torri Crapper, Volunteer Programme Manager

Torri Crapper, Volunteer Programme Manager

As a new member of staff I’ve been busy meeting as many volunteers as possible, getting to grips with action plans, the range of volunteering roles available across Clumber Park and the wider portfolio (Mr Straw’s House and The Workhouse at Southwell) as well as attending a range of volunteer meetings – all part of understanding volunteering here at Clumber Park.

Volunteers are an integral part of the team here at Clumber Park and across the portfolio, undertaking roles within admin, learning, the Discovery Centre, estates support, the rangers, gardening teams, within the retail outlets and second hand bookshop, and conducting various walks and activities through out the park. Their contribution, not only in conserving our shared heritage, but also in engaging diverse audiences, sharing their skills and ideas is only one reason why they are so valuable to us. 

A volunteer leading a guided walk

Diverse roles within the park attract diverse people… No role is the same and no reason for volunteering the same! I was chatting to one gentleman the other day who informed me he volunteered to “get away from the wife” now he’d retired! Although surprisingly common as a reason (watch out!) our volunteers ultimately want to help make a difference to the site they love. 

A volunteer at work in the Reading Room bookshop

With such a huge range of roles available we always need those special people who are willing to give up their free time to contribute to this exciting place. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/clumber-park/join-in/

Could you be one of those inspirational people?  

Clumber Gardener: February 2014 by Chris Margrave, Head Gardener, Clumber Park

Ornamental Stems

Chris Margrave, Head Gardener, Clumber Park

In small gardens it is important for plants to earn their keep by providing interest over as long a period as possible.  This certainly applies to deciduous shrubs which have conspicuous bark or stems.  They can catch the eye from leaf-fall in October to bud burst and the appearance of foliage in April.  A five month stint is pretty good going, and even more so when this is throughout the winter when colour and scent may be at a premium.   Stems can provide the full rainbow gamut from bright reds and oranges through to purples and violets.

The best known group are the dogwoods, belonging to the genus Cornus.  The classic variety is Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’.  Its one year old stems are brilliant crimson.  There is a variegated form, ‘Sibirica Variegata’, which has a broad white edge to its leaves, but with deep red stems.  ‘Mid-winter Fire’ is aptly named and bears bright orange and golden yellow stems.  With all of these dogwoods the youngest stems produce the brightest colours and this is best achieved by pruning them to a few inches above soil level in March.  It is important to feed the plants after pruning to encourage a succession of new shoots; a general fertiliser such as growmore or, if you’re organic, blood, fish and bone, is ideal.  Dogwoods grow best in full sun, but will tolerate partial shade; they are suited to most soils, as long as it doesn’t become water-logged.

The ornamental brambles are also value for money plants in small gardens.  The “whitewashed bramble”, Rubus cockburnianus has long arching stems up to 10ft/3m tall which are covered in a white bloom.  ‘Golden Vale’ has a more compact habit, reaching around 8ft/2.4m.  Its foliage is a bright golden yellow and it too has dazzling white stems.  In Clumber’s Walled Kitchen Garden we grow, for its fruit, the Japanese Wine Berry, Rubus phoenicolasius; it would not look out of place in the ornamental garden, trained on supports or against a wall, as its one year old stems are covered with attractive bright red bristles.

The familiar “bachelor’s buttons” is grown for its bright yellow flowers produced in April and May, usually in the double flowered form, Kerria japonica ‘Pleniflora’.  It also has attractive green stems.  For purples and violets, choose the “violet willow”, Salix daphnoides.  A word of caution, if left unchecked this willow will eventually grow into a medium sized tree.  It is usually coppiced and cut down to ground level each spring to produce a display of one year old stems which are purple and covered with a whitish powdery bloom.   As with other willows, it prefers a damp, moisture-retentive soil and when suited, can grow up to 8ft/2.4m in a season.

Final choice is a rose which has a name as prickly as its thorns.   The stems of Rosa siricea pteracantha are crowded with flat, bright crimson thorns, which are most pronounced on young shoots which have grown from soil level.  These can be encouraged by annual pruning in March.

For effective plant combinations, ornamental stems can be planted next to richly coloured evergreens such as the “elephant’s ears” or bergenias, especially the varieties ‘Eric Smith’ and ‘Purpurea‘  which colour beetroot red in the winter, or with early

flowering bulbs such as snowdrops, yellow winter aconites and the early spring squill, Scilla tubergeniana, which has pale blue flowers with a darker blue stripe on each petal.

Jobs for the Month – February

• To get a very early potato crop, chit a quick maturing first early variety such as ‘Swift’ or ‘Rocket’ by  placing tubers in a tray in a light, frost-free position, such as a sunny indoor window.  This encourages the tubers to produce short shoots.  Chitted tubers will emerge from the ground a couple of weeks earlier than unchitted tubers.
• Continue winter pruning apple and pear trees and soft fruit such as currants and gooseberries.
• If conditions remain suitable, neither frozen nor waterlogged, continue preparing soil and planting bare root and containerised plants.
• Check ties and support on trees and check that taller growing shrubs such as roses, lavateras and buddleias haven’t been damaged by the winds.

February in the Walled Kitchen Garden by Shirley Roberts, Academy Gardener at Clumber Park

FEBRUARY. Although most of the plants and trees are dormant at this time of year, behind the walls of the Kitchen Garden you will find a hive of industry as the gardeners get ready for the growing year ahead. Well, perhaps not all the gardens team… our Director of Vermin Control (AKA Mr Tibbs) is often to be found having a nap in the warmest part of the office! 

One of our biggest tasks is pruning the collection of Heritage apples and pears, and with over 450 trees in the garden this is no mean feat! So to boost our pruning power, we’ve enlisted the help of our garden volunteers. In late January, 15 of our hardy volunteers came along to a pruning workshop presented by Jane our Senior Gardener. The first half of the day covered all the ‘theory’ of pruning, plus essential tuition on how to keep your tools clean and sharp. Then after lunch, it was off out into the orchards for some hands-on sessions. Winter pruning is essential for the health and vigour of your trees, and will reward you with a bigger and better crop of fruit. Although it can seem daunting at first, pruning is fairly straightforward and our volunteers soon got the hang of it! 

Here are Jane’s 3 ‘top tips’ for gardener’s new to pruning: 

1. Keep your tools clean and sharp 
2. If you're not sure why your pruning it, then don't! 
3. Keep stepping back and looking and what you've done to see if it looks OK 

For more help and advice, ask one of our gardeners or volunteers next time you visit the garden. They’d be happy to talk you through it! 

The garden will be open during Half Term 11– 23 February, check our website for opening times. Not all our crops are dormant though… some of them, like our rhubarb collection, are beginning to show signs of life. Just like our Victorian predecessors, we put terracotta ‘forcing’ pots over the emerging stems (Rhubarb ‘Timperley Early’ in this case) to force them into early growth by excluding light. New stems are usually ready to harvest about 8 weeks after they’ve been covered in this way, and are much more tender and sweet than stems produced later on. The downside to this method is that it exhausts your plants quite quickly, so it’s never a good idea to force your rhubarb crowns for more than 2 years in a row. They need a bit of a rest afterwards! 

We’re also still busy harvesting our produce. The leeks and cauliflowers are looking amazing right now, and the gardens team can vouch for their flavour too! We’ve also some tasty leafy crops such as chard (pictured), watercress and many salad varieties. This is undoubtedly due to the mild weather we’ve been having so far this Winter, but it also pays to give your leaves a bit of extra protection. A cloche or some horticultural fleece can really pay off when pickings are slim in the garden. Look out for our produce in the Clumber Park shop and on the menu in the restaurant. 

And finally… What do you think this is all about? Come along to our Winter Wassailing event in the garden on 2 March to find out! Well, if they can wassail on ‘The Archers’…

A Typical Volunteer's Day: Donna Wilkinson

Donna shares her day at the Discovery Centre 

  

9:45 am

I arrive at Clumber Park and en-route to the Discovery Centre I chat with fellow volunteers from different teams within the park.  It's great to have a catch up and find out what's happening elsewhere around Clumber.

Donna Wilkinson, Discovery Centre Volunteer 

9:55 am

After checking out the information board in the mess room for an update I pop my head round the office doors to say hello to staff members.  Eyes glued to the monitor, fingers clicking away at the keyboard and a buzz of activity from the telephones and radios, but this does not deter the team from sparing their time.  There's no demarcation between staff and volunteer.  I'm always made to feel welcome and a valued member of the Clumber team.

Another volunteer also arrives and it's great to see either a familiar face or someone I haven't seen for a while.

10:00 am

As the gates to Clumber Park officially open, so do the doors to the Discovery Centre and visitors begin to trickle in.  Together we two volunteers not only meet and greet visitors, but share our passion for nature.  Often there is a group of children to interact with.  What will we find in the tank?  Can we spot all of the animals in the trees?  Which animal or plant will surprise us most under the microscope? The children convey their interest by telling stories of animals back home, be they family pets or wild animals.

It's not children alone, but the adults are also enthusiastic to talk.  It's wonderful to hear about sightings and experiences from around the country, indeed from the four corners of the globe.  Only the other week a family from France was teaching me the French names for the animals.  And today, a couple speaks of the number of years they have been visiting Clumber.  They go on to express their sadness at the loss of animals they would have normally encountered on their daily walks in their own locality.  This is what makes volunteering at Clumber Park so special: it's real-life.  It's talking with people face-to-face about things which have meaning to them and which exudes human emotion.

11:45 am

The conversation does not always centre on nature.  Frequently, there is a divergence to other shared commonalities.  Life in general really and, of course, a touch of good old British weather mixed in!  Interactions also take place outside the entrance to the Discovery Centre where family members wait with pet dogs.  Today is no exception and in the sunshine I speak to a mother awaiting her husband and three children who are exploring the centre.  We talk of pets, children, school and Angola - her native African country.  I love learning about all walks of life.

12:30 pm

A family who visited the Discovery Centre in the morning returns to tell me they discovered a beetle outside in the park.  The whole family then becomes engrossed in the library searching for an image in an attempt to name the beetle.  The final piece in the jigsaw is the two children recording its name - June bug (Cockchafer) - in the wildlife diary.

13:45 pm

It's a late lunch today.  I must have lost track of time when helping preparing resources with a member of staff.  The mess room is quiet today, but sometimes it's a hive of activity with the general natter from volunteers and staff.  A good laugh overall.

14:15 pm

My enthusiasm for the animals in the tank is fostered when a visiting mother and child have a similar interest.  Together we experience our first ever sight of hydra and mum points out to me the small froglets on the water's surface.  How had I neglected to spot them when I arrived?  Many of the older visitors reminisce about catching stickleback and raising frogs from frogspawn, thus providing an insight into different times when it felt much more natural to interact with the great outdoors.

Two adults pop their heads round the door, 'Can we come in?'.  I take the couple for a guided tour of the centre to show that it's not just intended for children.  An hour later and the same couple are still exploring and discovering.

15:30 pm

Another familiar face pops into the Discovery Centre: a volunteer from another area of the park.  We talk briefly about the newly formed Clumber Volunteer Forum of which we're both members.  Both the National Trust and Clumber Park seem to provide lots of opportunities to help the volunteer develop their existing skills and learn new ones.

16:00 pm

It’s time for a coffee break whilst there's a quiet lull.  Mmm, lemon cake which one of the other volunteers brought me back from the cafe earlier.  We're certainly a good bunch who knows how to look after one another!

17:00 pm

Groups of visitors have now disappeared so it's time to close the doors to the Discovery Centre.  As I shut down the power to the displays I ponder that the day has flown by which demonstrates, yet again, that this is a wonderful location to give my time to.