6 Top Plant Expert Tips. Plant expert Mark Wheeler, the new owner of a Wiltshire walled garden and a Grade II* listed Bothy, shares his winter tips for keen gardeners. He’s complied the list to help gardeners enjoy the current season and prepare their outside space for 2025.
Mark, AKA the Plant Hunter, is well-respected in the world of gardens and designs for his knowledge of rare plants. He works with companies and landscape gardeners across the UK.
He and his partner Jules Gilleland, are renovating Bothy Gardens. It’s located on the edge of the Burderop estate outside Chiseldon, near Swindon. In 2025, they’ll launch the site as a rare plants emporium. It’ll serve those working in the gardening sector. And be a nature ‘classroom’ for Jules to share her knowledge and experience in immersive education.
Bothy Gardens, will include greenhouses, flood plant beds, nurseries for rare plants, including orchids, a garden library, and an atelier/classroom. Mark is sharing some of the actions he’s now taking ready for winter applicable to any garden.
‘I felt it might be of value to share some of the tasks a professional horticulturist undertakes in their own gardens as winter approaches. These tips can be of value to anyone who loves their garden,’ Mark said.
6 Top Plant Expert Tips. Mark Wheeler, the co-owner of Bothy Gardens and known in the gardening world as The Plant Hunter.
The top tips
1. Evergreens
To get more evergreens or to include these in your garden, the time to plant them is now. Autumn and spring are the best seasons for planting evergreens. If you plant them during the winter there’s a risk that they could dehydrate because it’s too cold.
2. Fruit Trees
If you have fruit trees in your garden, as we have, especially if they are mature trees (our’s are at least sixty years old) it’s best to prune them back now. Keeping their branches in a horizontal pattern is preferable and makes them easier to maintain.
3. Potting plants
Should you have a beech hedge it will currently be displaying those rich autumn colours of orange and gold. But in a few weeks, before the end of November, I’d be giving that hedge a hard cut. This means working on its shape and preparing it for the turn of the seasons.
4. Wildflowers
Does your garden have wildflowers or a wildflower area? If so make the most of any which are still flowering at the moment such as Californian poppy. Once the flowering is over, don’t forget to clear the area and collect the seeds.Then store them ready for planting next year. It’s so worth it to do this.
5. Fine mulch
Using fine mulch at this time of the year is a great idea for newly-planted perennials. This helps suppress weeds and protects them from frost. Choose fine chip for this which also looks good!
People who live in glass houses
Mark and Jules are currently also renovating a Victorian greenhouse at Bothy Gardens. It was on the brink of collapse, tangled in vines and brambles, with a pair of unruly fig trees bursting through the shattered glass. It will soon have a new lease of life as Jules’s creative studio and a sanctuary for propagating rare orchids.
Mark already has an established plant nursery in North London. He’s well known in the ‘gardening’ world for his encyclopaedic knowledge and love of plants. In particular rare breeds/species, such as Schefflera Rhododendrifolia (Umbrella tree), Ruscus Hypoglossum (spineless butcher’s broom), and Salvia Oxyphora (Fuzzy Bolivian Sage). He has made contributions to nineteen winning RHS Chelsea Flower Show exhibits.
Jules is an accomplished designer who has been running her company, Turtlewings, from Brussels, Belgium, for many years. With a background in design she has a passion for creating spaces that inspire wonder and well-being. In 2014, she founded Think with Things after winning the Open Education Challenge, earning a spot as one of the top seven EdTech companies in Europe.
The couple are offering some open days during the winter. On these volunteers can book and explore and learn at Bothy Gardens before its offical opening next year. To find out more about the volunteering opportunities and to register an interest in upcoming classes, visit https://www.bothygardens.com/
The Caipirinha (pronounced (kai-purr-REEN-yah) Brazilian Cocktail brings me back to making an entry in the Swindon in 50 Drinks series. It’s been a while.
I enjoyed one of these last night at Recanto on Commerical Road in Swindon. They are simple and delicious. Far too many cocktails are gin-based for my liking – I can’t bear the stuff. And I’m also not keen on what I refer to as ‘stickies’ – Dramubuie (tastes like cough mixture. Ditto Southern Comfort), Grand Marnier etc. So something rum based is much more to my taste.*
Caipirinha Brazilian Cocktail enjoyed at Recanto on Commercial Road in Swindon.
What is it then?
Defined as a ‘Muddled’ drink, the Caipirinha is a Brazilian cocktail, of São Paulo origin made with cachaça, sugar, lime, and ice. The drink is prepared by mixing the fruit and the sugar together, then adding the liquor. The alcohol in the drink is something called Cachaça.
*Note though that Cachaça isn’t rum exactly. This somewhat old article from The Smithsonian explains that, like rum, cachaça (pronounced kə-ˈshä-sə) comes from the sugarcane plant.
The Brazilian government (and cachaça aficionados) define the spirit as a liquor distilled from fermented sugarcane juice that contains between 38 and 54 percent alcohol by volume. Distillers can choose to sweeten the liquor by adding sugar, but only in amounts less than 6 grams per litre. Any more than that, and they have to start labelling it ‘sweetened cachaça.’
To be considered ‘aged cachaça,’ at least 50 per cent of the liquor must be aged for a year or more. Most cachaça is clear, but sometimes distillers add a caramel color to darken it.
Vive le difference!
According to Vinatis what we need to know is that cachaça is THE typical and exclusive Brazilian drink. It’s a product of sugar cane cultivation imported by Portuguese colonists back in the 16th C.
The term cachaça boasts protection by Brazilian legislation with its production limited to Brazil. Whereas Rum, on the other hand, emerged in the early 17th century in the British Caribbean colonies. It is a more refined product that undergoes more transformation than cachaça.
Rum is made with a cooking stock from sugar cane, while cachaça is made from fresh cane juice.
The invention of the Caipirinha Brazilian Cocktail
Although integral to Brazilian culture, the history of this drink is unclear. There are stories dating it to the 19th century when those living on sugarcane plantations enjoyed it. But then another account exists claiming it evolved from a medicinal tonic comprising cachaça, green lemon, honey, and garlic used during the Spanish flu epidemic of the early 20th century.
Whatever its origins it’s for sure a refreshing drink that doesn’t require about 20 million ingredients. In fact all you need to concoct a Caipirinha is:
1/2 medium lime, plus lime wheel for garnish
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons superfine sugar, to taste
Doughnut Flavour Honours Doughnut Dollies. Artisan bakers Pipp & Co are releasing a special doughnut this November. It’s a tribute to the Salvation Army’s ‘Doughnut Dollies’ who supported the Allies, during the First World War.
The ring doughnut will go on sale either side of Remembrance Sunday. The Swindon-based bakery will make a £500 donation to the Salvation Army.
Pipp & Co Dolly Doughnut
Who knew?
Well not I!!!
Few may have heard of the Doughnut Dollies. Yet it was the name given to the dedicated volunteers from the Salvation Army who brought comfort and support to soldiers in Europe following the United States’ entry into the war in 1917.
While the Salvation Army had a long-standing presence in Britain, it was somewhat new to America at the time. Driven by a deep commitment to serve, Evangeline Booth, the organisation’s leader, proposed to General Pershing the deployment of Salvation Army volunteers to France. This initiative provided much-needed home comforts. And it also uplifted the spirits of countless soldiers facing the hardships of war.
The volunteers found themselves dubbed the Doughnut Dollies for their ingenuity. They deployed empty wine bottles as rolling pins and created fried pastry dumplings – similar to doughnuts. Thus giving the soldiers a taste of home.
Inspired
‘We were so inspired when we heard the story of the Doughnut Dollies that we immediately wanted to create a new doughnut as a tribute,’ said Pipp & Co’s Betina Evangelista. ‘The Salvation Army is still doing great work today, so we’re very happy to support our local branch.’
Pipp & Co’s limited edition ring doughnut is a cinnamon ring dusted with cardamom sugar. It’ll be on sale from 5th to 17th November. Remembrance Day is November 11th.
Betina added, We purposely chose a simple flavour to reflect the authenticity of what the Doughnut Dollies were able to create during wartime.’
Mario and Betina Evangelista at their new Pipp & Co cafe in Bristol.
About Pip & Co
Pipp & Co is an artisan bakery. They specialise in doughnuts and sweet and savoury pastries. Further they use no artificial additives or flavourings and source ingredients in the local area where possible. They bake all their goods from scratch at the Swindon factory. They’re sold online, through the Pipp & Co café in Bristol, or via retail outlets and farmers’ markets.
And for more about the work of the Salvation Army’s Gloucester House in Highworth, near Swindon, which supports people trying to overcome substance abuse, visit https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/gloucester-house.
Farm Fun for Cinderella Cast. The Wyvern Theatre ‘went to the ball’ this week. They had the pleasure of welcoming their enchanting 2024 Panto cast to Swindon for the official launch of Cinderella. Cast members gathered at Roves Farm for a pumpkin-tastic photoshoot that would enchant any Fairy Godmother. Set against a backdrop of vibrant autumn colours and a barn filled with magical pumpkins, the cast embraced the day as they donned their colourful costumes.
Lisa George waved her magic wand, ready to transform the array of pumpkins into a carriage fit for a princess. And Cinderella, Buttons, The Prince and Pantomime Dame had a wonderful time. They got busy exploring everything that Roves Farm had to offer. They enjoyed a scenic tractor ride through the Wiltshire farm. And making the experience even more delightful were the charming farm animals, including playful goats.
Cinderella is the hilarious family pantomime suitable for all ages. It has tons of slapstick comedy, plenty of audience interaction and stunning musical numbers that you’re guaranteed to be singing for days afterwards. Starring:
Coronation Street’s Lisa George as Fairy Godmother
Ben Goffe as Buttons …
… and the hilarious David Ashley as Dame Molly Miggins.
Farm Fun for Cinderella Cast
Tick, tock
The clock is ticking! So pop on your glad-rags and grab your tickets to the ball for the show that proves that a pair of shoes can change your life!
Imagine Theatre are the producers of Cinderella and Swindon Travel Hub are the proud sponsors.
Today I tried out the Tikka Tikka Indian Restaurant at the top of Vic Hill, in Old Town. And overall impressions are rather positive I must say. So what’s their offering, I hear you cry? Well as their website proclaims, it’s Indian tapas, grill and cocktails. ‘Our chefs provide authentic Indian tapas and main dishes with a modern twist.
Certainly the restaurant’s interior is rather plush and comfortable. And a far cry from the flocked wallpaper of yesteryear.
The website goes on to say:
‘Tikka Tikka is a culinary journey fuelled by two decades of expertise from our chefs trained all across the globe. From kitchens in India’s iconic hotels to world-class restaurants in Dubai, luxury cruise lines in the US, five-star hotels, and top chefs in the United Kingdom, they have worked under the watchful eyes of Sanjeev Kapoor, Bikram Jeet Pathania, and Gordon Ramsay, to name a few.’
Tikka Tikka Indian Restaurant at the top of Victoria Hill in Swindon
We went at lunchtime, and my appetite wasn’t huge, so myself and my companions opted to select from the small plates menu. They being vegetarians the menu offfered plenty of choice for them. And I was pleased to see Amritsari Macchi – a fried fish dish – on the menu, it being a dish that I rather like.
A few photos of the food we ate – it was all rather delicious and I’d be happy to go back and try more of the menu. Preferably when I’ve got a bigger appetite!
Sauces at Tikka Tikka Indian Restaurant SwindonBasket poppadumsEntrance & bar area
I’ve got a little list
So that’s that one ticked off the ‘must-try’ list! Other recent try-outs (and approved) have been Grano Lab Italian restaurant – also on Vic Hill and The Choptank on Newport Street. I’ve also visited The 48 recently but sadly failed to get a blog done on that one.
