Last days of Autumn in the Wye Valley

Last weekend I was lucky enough to spend a day fishing on the River Wye, between Hay and Hereford.  Formerly the preserve of the very wealthy, fishing on the Wye and Usk is now accessible to ordinary folk, thanks to the Wye and Usk Foundation, a charity committed to improving water habitats for wildlife and anglers. For a daily fee typically between £15 and £20, it is possible to fish for a day on this beautiful river. 

Every year, I visit two or three times, as a treat, because the fishing can be fantastic and the landscape is always exceptional.  

One of the characteristics of the River Wye are structures built for salmon fishing in the sport’s heyday one hundred or more years ago.  All along the river, from Builith to below Monmouth there are man made croyes or groynes, built into the river to create both resting pools for salmon and dry places underfoot for fishing from. On the river bank there are fisherman’s huts, ranging from little shelters just big enough for a bench to summer houses complete with veranda overlooking favourite fishing pools.  All of these features are set in the landscape of sporting estates, replete with ‘Private Fishing’ signs, shelter belts for pheasants, gothic mansions and carriage tracks leading to the river.

Despite the manmade interventions, the River Wye and its sister the Usk, remain wild rivers, capable of turning into torrents within hours.  Once in flood both rivers can change the landscape rapidly.  At Maesllwch, the River Wye has in recent years formed a new ox bow lake, which is now silting up.  Cast adrift from the river is a substantial fishing hut, now half a kilometre away from running water.  Salmon no longer rest in the pool below the hut, but I sometimes imagine that an ancient retired colonel might still use the hut, casting with rheumatic eyes to fish in the stagnant pool below.  Earlier this Autumn I fished on the Usk from a massive fishing concrete pier that now slopes alarmingly into the river.  The hole beneath the concrete is now a favourite holding point for salmon. Originally built for making fly fishing easier, the subsiding pier is now fishable only by a carefully placed worm.

On the beauty of brambles

Earlier this week we were appraising a site in Ascot, Berkshire.   The colour of the beech and maple trees was predictably magnificent.

But what captured my attention more was the range of colour on the brambles, ranging from greens, browns, purple, red, orange yellow and black.  The colours are absolutely stunning, if you take the time to look closely at the humble plant. I take inspiration from such plants for colours for outdoor furniture and fencing and have installed orange and purple benches into rural landscapes with success.

The Kymin

Last week we went to survey a new site up in Hereford, near where my colleague Shaun hails from.  The route we chose to take reflected the sunny day – we just had to take the Picturesque route along the Wye Valley, past Chepstow, Tintern and Monmouth, then to Hereford via some local roads known to Shaun.  The Wye valley was a spectacular blaze of autumn colours, bright Limestone cliffs and blue sky.  After bursting out of the gorge at Monmouth, we drove through the Herefordshire countryside, passing colourful orchards, newly ploughed red soil and lush green pastures.

On the way back from Hereford, we stopped for lunch at the Kymin, a famous viewpoint overlooking Monmouth and the Wye Valley.  The Kymin is a summerhouse built in 1794 by the Monmouth Picnic Club, at the height of the Picturesque Movement.  From the valley below, the height of the hill is misleading, for our ears were popping as we drove up the winding lane to the top.  From the Summerhouse, the views over Monmouthshire are spectacular.  The River Wye below is mostly hidden by trees, though in Nelson’s time it must have been more open, as the arrival of his boat was announced with by a salvo from four pounder canons firing from the Round House .   For further information visit:

The National Trust at  http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-thekymin-2

Knowle Park School allotment project

Full planning consent has been granted for a change of use of the land at the rear of the school.  The application allows for the land to become a wildlife area, allotment and play area.  Excellent news.

How landscape design can be used to help dementia care

Reminiscence therapy and dementia care can be greatly improved by well-designed landscapes. With our experience in designing landscapes for the elderly, and in particular dementia and sensory gardens, we are pleased to introduce several new schemes to our website which showcase this expertise.  



Visit our website to find out more about Iffley House in Oxford and Silverlands in Hatch End. 

Visit:  http://www.afla.co.uk/EL/iffley.html and http://www.afla.co.uk/EL/silverlands.html

Coastal site

We have just started work on a beautiful coastal location, overlooking the Bristol Channel at Clevedon, North Somerset.  The private house is at an elevated position, some 50m above sea level.  There are sensational views West to Wales, over a great expanse of water.   Whilst the Channel may not appear as a sheet of blue water, it none the less changes constantly and there is always something to look at.  Whilst we were on site, the tide was right for fishing and there were several boats seemingly in touching distance.  A tanker steamed out on the tide and as the water ebbed, currents and rips became more pronounced.

The site is above a Geological SSSI and the soil in the garden is on Sandstone.  The pines, gorse, rowan and oak trees indicate a heath type habitat with acid soils.  All the trees on and near the site are sculpted by the wind.  Pines and sycamore do well, as do the classic seaside hedges of privet and pittosporum. 

Our scheme will be looking to link with the wider landscape, using ornamental grasses for movement and texture.  Heath plants and coastal flowers will enhance the local distinctiveness.  Within the scheme, there is a sheltered courtyard, where we can have some fun with Chusan Palms and maybe agave.

Design Process Maps

We have launched a series of Design Process flowcharts which show in detail our design approach for a variety of our recent landscape design projects.   To download a pdf copy, and for more information, visit our website:
http://www.afla.co.uk/download.html

Creating Living Roofs (by Shaun Lyons)

On Wednesday I was lucky enough to attend a Seminar on the Creation of living roofs and walls presented by Trudy Begent of City Roofs. I went with an open mind in the hope of learning some of the cutting edge technologies and techniques in Green roof creation.

There are several obvious benefits to integrating living roofs into new developments as well as retrofitting them on existing buildings. A properly installed living roof will significantly increase the life of the roof membrane acting as a brilliant protection against the elements. On the continent there are examples of green roofs which are over half a century old and are still very much intact. Another advantage is the temperature regulation qualities that living roofs and façades bring to buildings. The vegetation provides fantastic insulation in winter and in summer, evapotranspiration has a cooling effect. This can drastically reduce the cost of heating and air conditioning especially in large buildings. A third benefit is the aesthetic value which a living roof can provide. Whether providing open space as an accessible roof garden or simply viewed from other buildings, installing a green roof can increase the value of property and provide a pleasant place to live and work.

As well as the financial benefits a Living roofs have important environmental advantages and can provide significant green space in dense urban surroundings. Green roofs have a large storm water attenuation capacity and can hold between 70% and 90% of rain water which falls upon them. This can have an important impact in reducing the prospect of urban flooding. As well as this living roofs serve to reduce the urban heat island effect and improve air quality. Living roofs also significantly enrich biodiversity by providing habitat for a plethora of birds and insects.

The creation of green roofs involves laying a waterproof membrane on top of the roof felt. This is then topped with a drainage board. City Roofs have developed a product called Aquadyne , made from 100% recycled plastic, this material can hold up to 22.5l/m² of water. The capillary action technology which uses a series of micro and macro pores allows water to be collected during rain and drawn upon in dry periods. A substrate, usually a gravelly soil, covers this drainage board and then vegetation covers that. The vegetation can be laid in a matt, sewn as a seed mix or planted as plugs depending on the desired effect and time scale.

Aquadyne is also used in the creation of living façades and a series of tests by City Roofs have allowed them to be able to grow plants straight out of the product without a substrate at 90°. Using a Halfen Steel frame, blocks of the Aquadyne, which can support species such as coriander as well as grasses and sedums, are organised to give the desired effect. An irrigation system which also provides nutrients can then be controlled digitally.

To find out more try…

www.cityroofs.com/home.html

static.london.gov.uk/mayor/strategies/sds/docs/living-roofs.pdf

http://www.thegreenroofcentre.co.uk/

Coastal landscape and plants

A couple of weeks ago the Autumn storms arrived early,  the wind howled around our loft studio and the radio brought news of Manx Shearwaters blown onto the beach at Newgale, Pembrokeshire.  Hundreds of birds were rescued and later released back into the wild. 

An incredible event, unseasonal but reminding me of the power and unpredictability of the weather at our coasts, how winds create waves that lash the shore and blow salt spray far inland.  How the wind can prune trees and shrubs, creating stunted, gnarled specimens with branches fleeing the storm.

This year, we’ve been to many parts of our coast, including Lyme Regis, South Hams, Pembrokeshire, Weston-super-Mare and the far North-West of Scotland.  The landscapes and plant communities vary so much from location to location.  Coastal cliffs at Lyme are a mix of clays and shale, with some tops of Greensand.  The field, hedge and woodlands of rural Dorset topple into the sea, with no space for dunes or shingle banks. 

At Gara, the fields end near the cliff edge, the rock is of harder Schizt, more durable, which has allowed distinct plant communities to develop on acid soils.  Heather, foxglove, blackthorn and bracken prevail with fines grass where livestock graze.  Pembrokeshire shares similar plant communities and also similar landforms such as ria or flooded valleys.  

The beach at Weston-super-Mare has been tamed, for the most part, and is a happy destination for many holiday makers.  The main beach is cultivated to remove rubbish in the summer months and you can park on the sand reasonably safely.  If you walk south from the town beach, there are dunes rather than concrete and esplanade, to the back of the beach.  Sea buckthorn and blackthorn cover the dunes along with marram grass. Perennial plants such as evening primrose and thistles grow in the sheltered spots.  It is a much more natural landscape. Behind the dunes lies a golf course, which I have not yet explored.  As the tide goes out, a rocky causeway is exposed, seemingly connected to Brean Down – don’t be tempted to cross unless you want a trip in a helicopter.  The far side of the causeway ends in mud.  If you drive round, Brean Down is well worth a visit, especially on a winter’s evening, with the sun setting over the sea.

The coast of Wester Ross and Sutherland is incredibly remote and varied.  There are white sand beaches with clear water shimmering with lance and sandeels.  There are shallow estuaries stained brown by peaty water.  Dramatic fjords twist the few roads from any chance of a direct route. Sea stacks, caves.  Flotsam thrown up fifty or more metres bear testament to the power of the ocean.  More incredible are boulders thrown similar distances. 

Seminar on the Localism Bill and NPPF

I attended an interesting seminar on Wednesday 21 September 2011,  on the new Localism Bill and National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), at the County Ground in Bristol, presented by Rob Duff of Pegasus Planning Group .  I have in the past read numerous Planning Policy Guidelines (PPG’s), but claim no expertise in the area.  Now we will all have to get to grips with a New Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), albeit in a new condensed format and with fewer prescriptions.  It appears that there are both threats and opportunities to our landscape. 

In brief, Rob’s excellent talk started off with a description of the Bill and new NPPF and what it will do.  It is a wide ranging reform of local government and quite radical, with changes to finance that re-introduce the link between local government finance and housing.   Funding will be become a material consideration in planning applications.

I am not going to repeat Rob’s talk and slide show – you’ll have to contact him for that, but a couple of fellow attendees and I discussed the Bill after the talk and as I understand it, (and I may be wrong – I have more reading to do) the threats to our landscape may be considered the presumption in favour of development with the aim of increasing housing provision and growth (there is a massive waiting list for council housing).  With less prescription and detailed guidance in the framework, it will be up to local government and communities to interpret the Framework.  It seems that so long as the local community are with you, one might be able to promote the development of one’s own assets.   Local communities may be swayed to permit development on greenbelt or agricultural land, leading to expansion and perhaps abandonment of urban centres.

Opportunities exist for local communities and councils to promote development and benefit from community infrastructure levy and new homes bonus – money that could be invested in local parks and infra-structure.  The Bill will also allow give local communities the right to buy local assets such as a pub or swimming pool.   The framework also gives top priority to promote sustainable economic growth, jobs and sustainable development (local plan led).   There is continued protection of AONB, National Parks, wildlife, heritage and biodiversity (in line with European legislation). 

I shall be following the debate in the papers and trade journals, to get a balanced view. In the meantime, I am now off to the Communities and Local Government web address below for the online documents: http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/planningsystem/planningpolicy/planningpolicyframework/.

Website Updates

Check out our recently updated website for news about current projects and recent awards.  You can now also download our regular postcards, showcasing AFLA projects. 

Knowle Park Primary School project

The foundation stage playground has been completed during the summer holidays and the children are now able to enjoy this magical new space.  For further information about this project, and many more, please visit our website http://www.afla.co.uk/ and check out our Education projects.  If you would like to receive the new postcard which is shortly being sent out, please email kim@afla.co.uk so that you can be added to the mailing list.  Enjoy!

AFLA staff

We are very pleased to announce that Shaun Lyons has joined AFLA as a year-out student.  He started with us on Monday 5 September as a Graduate Landscape Architect.  He has recently graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Landscape Architecture with Ecology and will be returning to Sheffield University in September 2012 to complete his Masters in Landscape Architecture.

In praise of blueberries

Blueberry or bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and I go back a long time, at least forty years.  Some of my earliest memories are of eating wild blueberries in the Tartra Mountains in the South of Poland.   Famished on a cold war diet (and we were only visiting mind), we gorged on the fresh fruits gleaned off the mountain side.  In my teenage years we found berries on Surrey heathland.  These were the wild species with fruit of just 5-10mm diameter.  It took ages to gather a bowl full.  In more recent years, our young children were fed blueberries whilst being carried up King Hereford’s Tump in the Black Mountains.  We also found blueberries all over the mountains of Assynt.  Looking for the next patch of berries lured the children up and then down mountains, in good humour.  Berries and clear mountain air now go hand in hand with the next generation.

Our first attempts at growing blueberries were in patio pots but with a North facing garden, the yields were low.  I think we celebrated just 10 berries in the first year.  These plants were the Highbush variety, derived from Vaccinum corymbosum, the American wild blueberry.  We moved house, purchased more bushes for the children to raid, though we have to stop them from picking unripe berries. 

We had long realised that plants in pots are a pain in the backside in terms of watering and feeding.  Our original plants looked thin and weedy, yielding few fruits.  So last autumn, I finally put into action our plan for a bed of super fruit outside the kitchen door.  A brick edge was laid to form a South facing bed about 1m wide by 5m in length.  There had been concrete slabs and granular stone over the area before, laid over the original topsoil.  This poor exhausted topsoil was skimmed off to a depth of 20cm or so and put to one side.  I then dug out 40cm depth of heavy clay subsoil, which went to the council recycling yard.  The topsoil was broken up and mixed with any organic matter I could get hold of:  from our own compost bins, old plant pots plus some locally made stuff.  I also added lots of horticultural grit, all to get the soil well drained and to try to modify the original clay nature of the soil (we’re on limestone).  The beds were left fallow over winter and planted this spring with our four blueberries: ‘Patriot’ x 2; ‘Rubel’; ’Duke’.

In winter I pruned out the oldest growth from the original two bushes and this has rejuvenated the plants splendidly. The blueberries in our garden are now providing dozens of fruit a day for eating.  The three varieties ripen at different times, which spread the yield through July and August.     In the long term we shall continue to added compost and grit and flower of sulphur to acidify the soil.

In my professional capacity, we use blueberries in planters on roof gardens and patios at elderly care homes and in primary schools.  The plants provide super-fruit ripening at the end of the summer term for children to pick plus there is glorious autumn colour.

New to the AFLA website

Our recent appointments have included numerous housing projects, information about these can now been found on our website.  Visit our website, http://www.afla.co.uk/, to see more!   If you would like to receive our regular postcard mailings showcasing exciting and interesting new projects, please email info@afla.co.uk.  We'd be delighted to include you in any future postcard and email mailings.

Ash trees - May 2011

We found a fabulous old ash tree at Batcombe Vale camp site, hollow in the centre and large enough to climb through, up into the crown of the tree.  Which is exactly what our kids did, inspired no doubt by ‘The Faraway Tree’. 

How old was the tree I wondered?  I am no tree expert, so a little on-line research found an old Ordnance Survey map dating to 1886.  There on the map was a line of trees, just where our specimen is.  So at least 125 years old but probably much older.   Companions to this tree can be spotted around the coombe where the camp site lies. 

The tree has been pollarded in the past – now the management appears to be crown reduction, to keep the weight of branches down.  With a hollow centre, large branches could break the tree apart.

The children and I loved climbing the tree.  Height gives a different perspective of the world and it is always fun to call out to people whilst hidden up a tree.  After the ash tree, the children then climbed some conifers and got really high off the ground.  They enjoyed the sensation of the tree swaying in the wind but didn’t like the scratchy branches so much.  They did report an empty nest though which reminds me of stories my dad told of tree climbing and egg collecting in the 1940’s.  According to his brother (my uncle) he had gibbon like qualities and would climb the highest trees, carving his name at the top as proof of the ascent.    His brother would climb the tree in disbelief, only to find AIF carved in a neat Roman script.

Which brings me to my last thought – is it ok to carve your name in bark?  I suppose if you own or  grew the tree it is.  But at other times?  Sometimes, it interesting to see old initials and hearts carved into bark (beech appear to be favourite canvasses) but raw lettering in a messy script much less romantic.

You've found us!

Welcome to our new blog.  We're going to keep it updated with news - exciting new projects, developments and opportunities.  Keep an eye out for our news, or come and visit our website http://www.afla.co.uk/ for more specific afla-related info!

Best wishes
Alex and Kim