Allotments and the gardening of them are new to New Zealand. That's because, until about thirty to forty years ago, everyone had a back garden. Not so anymore. NZ allotments tend to be more community gardens than traditional allotments, though the spirit is the same. Here, everyone works together on the same plot of land. Whereas proper allotments have everyone working side by side on individual patches.
Allotments (and community gardens), from what I've observed, are all about turning a patch of land, in an urban area, into a Garden of Eden using unwanted and donated materials.
New Zealand is a country founded by pioneers. The Polynesian and then the European early settlers all arrived by boat, albeit many hundreds of years apart. Each group had to make do with what they brought with them. Once they arrived in NZ they were stuck here. The geography, climate and plants were very different from the countries they'd come from. It's little wonder that thriftiness and ingenuity were the hallmarks of early New Zealand gardeners. Modern day community gardeners still adhere to these principles.
According to Penelope Lively in her recent book 'Life in the Garden', the allotment movement in England goes back to the early eighteenth century. They were designed for the rural and then the urban poor, who didn't own land, so they could grow food. There was a huge increase in the number of allotments during the First and Second World Wars. People were encouraged to 'Dig for Victory'. Now, every city and big town in Europe (at least the ones I've visited) have thriving allotments: London, Oxford, Paris, Zurich, Munich, Vienna, Hamburg and Stockholm. They've become places that gardenless apartment dwellers can grow their own food and experience nature.
My in-laws live in the heart of Stockholm in an apartment, as does everyone in their area. Across the road from them is Tantolunden Park. Every couple of years when I visit, I invariably find myself running or strolling amongst the allotments in the park. I don't know the story behind these gardens, but it's probably similar to the English one.
The allotments in Tantolunden Park are very special, being more then mere utilitarian garden plots where carrots and cabbages are grown. As you will see they are lovingly tended suburban paradises. Each one is very different from its neighbour.
Back in June I was in Stockholm for a week with my family. My mother-in-law, Lizzy, and I spent a couple of hours exploring the allotments. By chance, we bumped into a friend of hers who gave us a tour of her allotment and then her sister's. Lizzy's friend also showed us an allotment further up the hill that belonged to a completely different sort of gardener.
It's very difficult to secure an allotment in Tantolunden Park. There's a very very long waiting list. If you get selected by the allotment panel, you will, most likely, be given one of the more basic gardens. One without a cottage and possibly a less desirable location, such as in the shade of a large tree or on a very steep slope. Even if you are lucky enough to get one of these allotments you have to be sure to work hard or you will lose it. There's a committee who keep a close eye on all the allotments and should you not meet their exacting standards you will receive a warning letter. If the standard of your gardening doesn't improve you will be kicked out.
As you can see from the photographs the gardens have the look of a barely tamed wilderness. This isn't because the gardeners are lazy, quite the opposite. They look the way they do for three reasons: firstly, the gardeners want to cram as many plants as they can in their small space; secondly, the plants in Stockholm are vigorous growers (summer is short); and thirdly these Swedish gardeners are each trying to recreate their version of a Swedish paradise. A place that is at once a forest, an orchard and a meadow. It's a place with a little cottage painted oxblood red, Naples yellow, turmeric or forget-me-not blue, which grows like a mushroom out of the wild grasses and flowers.
The growing season is short (compared to temperate countries like NZ) and the plants know it. They grow so exuberantly, so bushily, so quickly (winter is nipping at their heels). Everything is crammed in in the most delightful way. Not one square centimetre of space is wasted.
We suburban gardeners can learn a lot from these allotmenteers, who carry everything in by hand or by bike (unless you are lucky enough to have a plot near the road). So it's a case of 'waste-not want-not'. I urge you to study the photographs to see some of the clever ways these gardeners make use of materials. Be it nails, sticks, old aluminium pots, chicken wire, bricks or old windows. I happen to think that these gardens, and I have no idea how many there are, are some of the most beautiful and honest gardens in the world.
Not long after Lizzy and I arrived at the allotments we met a woman working in her garden. She called us over. She would've heard the two of us discussing plants as we wandered along the paths. She would've seen me stopping to take lots of photographs. She recognised us instantly as fellow plant lovers. The lady wanted to show us one of her roses and invited us into her garden. We talked about the drought that Stockholm was experiencing. I asked about water restrictions. She replied that there weren't any - yet!. The gardens in the allotments were well watered, the plants were healthy and the lawns were green (the rest of Stockholm wasn't doing so well). I don't know the name of the rose the lady showed us, I'm sure I asked her and I'm sure she told me. What I do remember was how proud she was of her rose, of having a hand in creating something of incredible beauty. Most importantly it was looking its very best at that particular moment. All gardeners understand these fleeting moments and love sharing them with others. As you can see below, it's a very pretty rose.
Lizzy's friend took us to see her sister's allotment. She told us that her sister writes books about gardening. The rose lady told us about this gardener too, calling her 'a serious gardener'. A gardener, as you see in the photos, who is serious about growing fruit, vegetables and herbs. Using every square metre of space. I love the various constructions that allow this gardener to grow plants horizontally. On our way into the garden we passed a kind of open-air workshop, where wood and other materials were stored. Lizzy's friend told us that her sister's son's girlfriend had made many of the plant supports and sculptures. She's a designer from Thailand, I seem to remember.
This is a real 'working' garden. Everything is useful, be it plastic, wood or wire.
Notice the way that this cold frame is made. It's a planting box with one raised edge (a nailed on board) to elevate the old windows...simple and clever.
Allotmenteers are allowed to sleep in their summerhouses in spring and summer but not in Winter.
There is a sculpture of a woman in the centre of the photo. It has been constructed out of chicken wire and used as a plant support. To the right of it is a sculpture;pture of a bee.
These plant supports, made out of sticks and nails, are wonderful.
This is Lizzy's friend's allotment. Some of her garden is dedicated to growing edible crops and some of it is dedicated to creating a beautiful space to relax in and enjoy summer.
Then, Lizzy's friend led us along a couple of paths and up the hill to different sort of garden. She explained that the owner (of the garden that is) deliberately planted tall rambling plants along the fence lines to make the garden more private. From what I could see it was a purely ornamental garden. I love the topiary, the woven fence and the brown archway. These neat formal features contrast with the naturalistic planting, which look wild and rambling, but in reality are carefully planned.
Lizzy photographed me photographing the flowers. I promised her I'd put one of her photos on my blog, but I can't find them! I will track them down and post them under this paragraph - I promise. Thank you Lizzy and Lizzy's friend for a wonderful couple of hours touring some beautiful gardens and talking about plants.
This was one of the few cooler days we experienced in Stockholm. I wore this jacket 4 times in the 6 weeks we were in Europe.
Last weekend there was the annual DCM Bookfair. My friend and I were queuing, along over a hundred others, half an hour before the doors opened. Everyone was carrying bags or boxes or shopping carts. A light drizzle was falling and dirty looks were given to queue jumpers. Once the doors opened my friend and I rushed straight to the garden section. This is what I bought... My favourite would have to be a book by Margery Fish 'Gardening in The Shade', first published 1964 - my edition 1983 (second from top). I'm also pretty excited about 'Culpepper's Complete Herbal' (top of the pile). Nicholas Culpepper, 1616-1654, was a famous astrologer-physician who had an apothecary practice in Spitalfields, London. I can't wait to read all about knot grass, skirret, scalage, hare's ear, sneezewort, pellitory-of-the-wall and whortleberries.
Yesterday I spent a time sorting out my courtyard garden, amongst other garden tasks. I had some bare soil that the birds kept digging up. I planted two Chatham Island Forget-Me-Nots, Myosotidium hortensia, a Heuchera 'Dark Secret' (on the sale shelf at Mitre 10) and a Leptocarpus simlis, jointed wire rush (it's supposed to have full sun - oops). I've had to poke bamboo, a broken paver, a broken pot and bit of broken ceramic into the soil to stop the birds from digging up the plants. Time will tell.
My hyacinths are flowering. These guys are incredible. I do nothing and every year they grow, look incredible and smell like a 1950's perfume - sweet, flowery and cloying.
From now on my blogs will be published fortnightly, on a Sunday or Monday. This is because I'm working on a novel. Before I sign off for another two weeks here are some photographs of the Wellington Botanic Garden this morning.
I discovered a path called 'Kew Walk'. It meandered down a hill where magnolias buds were soon to burst. I took a left down a path called 'Horseshoe Bend' and discovered a muddy path, a stream and some beautiful flowers.
The azaleas have started to flower. They're harmonising with the pink magnolia blooms.
And the tulip leaves are getting longer and fleshier...it won't be long until it's spring.