February 2021

17 Buckden Roundabout February 2021 KNOT GARDEN NEWS Socially distanced gardening has become the norm at the Knot Garden but that hasn ’ t slowed up the gardeners. With the old summer growth finally cleared away the usual autumn and winter tasks are underway. New hazel supports have been built in the dye and herb beds. Clear- ing the hop bines and sweet pea growth from the arbour nearest the church wall revealed that the wooden frame had rotted and was coming apart. Work is now ongoing to replace the frame, which should be finished in the next couple of weeks. The vines had a bumper year and produced a large crop of red grapes. The pigeons enjoyed the apricots and figs. The mulberry had a very good year and Jane was able to make a good quantity of mulberry jam. The medlar found the periods of dry weather didn ’ t suit it and fruiting was poorer than usual. The bed by the apricot tree has been cleared so that two new heritage pear trees could be planted. These were added at the end of October, the bed has been complet- ed with brick edging and a new box hedge. The pear trees should produce storing pears. These are both hard pears and will need to be kept before being used but we will have to wait over three years for them to produce fruit. They are in the same pollination group so bees will be able to pollinate both trees. The pear closest to the grow house is a Warden pear, said to have been introduced by Cistercian monks at Warden in Bedfordshire in the 14th century. There is a record from 1546 of the purchase of ½ a bushel of pears called Wardens. Warden pears were popular in cottage gardens as they are prolific and store well. They should be used for pies, stewing and baking, taking 1 - 2 hours simmering on a gentle heat to soften. They need no sug- ar, developing a rich sweetly scented flavour as they cook. If they are left to settle for a few hours the colour turns dusky pink and the flavour intensifies. The second pear tree is Forelle, another very old pear that probably originated from Northern Germany. The name is the German word for a trout, as the prominent markings resemble the spots of a trout ’ s belly. The fruits have a shiny skin, which is light yellow flushed with bright scarlet, they have a juicy, melting, sweet flesh. They should be picked in October and eaten from November to January. The rotten wood edging for the walkways has finally been replaced. This leaves only the edging of the herb and dye beds to be done. All of the original wooden edging for the beds will then have been renewed. The box hedging of the knot beds was trimmed as usual in the summer, but it has been so warm and wet that the strong growing conditions have produced a new flush of growth in the autumn leaving them looking a bit ragged and in need of another trim. Much the same can be said of the laurel hedge facing the entrance gate. Last year we lowered the top of it and cut the sides back substantially as it had got too big for its location. It has more than re- covered and is in need of another good haircut! Our thanks go to FOBT which has again been generous in its support of the garden, despite other calls on its funds and, like so many charities, having very little income this year. The Knot Garden is a large space where people can work well distanced so that even during lockdowns and tier 4 restrictions we can continue to work there. If any- one wants some fresh air and socially distanced compa- ny, you will be very welcome on Tuesday mornings from about 10.00 to 12.30. No special gardening skills are needed! Village News A short mention from the Church Street Champions: In response to the kind, interesting letter from Luck ’ s Lane Estate, we, a street of Vicars, Tax collectors, hard - working Teachers, Cheese Artisans and many other professionals amongst our ‘ street mates ’, are joining together to make a short announcement. We feel that it is our duty to the newcomers (teachers, NHS workers, Health and Safe- ty managers and the like) to teach you all the noble history of Church Street. The history of this holy street dates back to at least before 2017, and many historians believe the origin of the name ‘ Church Street ’ to be related to St Mary ’ s Church, but the subject is still up for discussion. A survey of the land surrounding our champion street by leading archaeologists shows there to be many buried bodies, some dating back to before the 1200’ s, which is quite surprising, seeing as they were all found in the church graveyard. We would also like to congratulate the Luck ’ s Laners on their imaginative new road names, in particular, the ‘ Viking ’ and ‘ Saxon ’ roads. As you can see, our beloved church street has a rich and long history. We can only hope that you will be able to live up to our very high standard.