Nursery Lessons
The Sunday Times, September 5, 2004
A wildlife garden in south London is nurturing the trainee horticulturalists as much as the plants, says Caroline Donald.
The medlars growing in the half-acre wild garden at Roots and Shoots stump most of the 2,000 school children who visit the project anually for "environmental education" trips. Despite it being one of the oldest of English orchard trees, its strange fruit is not one that they are going to find wrapped in plastic on the shelves of their local Asda.
The medlars are only one of the new plants for the inner-London children to encounter in this little taste of wilderness and exotica hidden among the housing estates and terraces of Lambeth, just south of the river. Even blackberries are a novelty — the children's parents have taught them that berries are poisonous — besides towering spires of Echium pininana, passion flowers, grape and kiwi vines. Newts, toads, butterflies, rare crickets and more than 20 varieties of bee take advantage of the welcoming environment.
In the meadow area, the grass has been kept long (though local foxes like to come in for a good, flattening roll) and the rest is a jungle of traversing paths and hidden corners, far removed from the arid grassland and neat municipal planting of local London parks.
"The kids love it," says Linda Phillips, the centre's Kew-trained manager and one of the original members of staff (there are now eight). "They don't often see things that are wild." And, indeed, for anybody living in a city, young or old, it is a lesson in how much plant and wildlife can thrive in a relatively small area: there are two ponds, a hazel coppice, underplanted with spring bulbs, shrub roses, a buddleia "jungle", bosky shelters for storytelling and projects, and woodland areas, which are maintained by David Perkins, who is in charge of conservation. Several species of birds breed there, too.
As well as hosting school visits, the main purpose of Roots and Shoots is to provide vocational training for young people who might have difficulty finding a job without a bit of help. Many of them have attended special schools or been low achievers at school. Here they learn the basics of a trade, either horticulture or woodwork and, as much as anything else, says Phillips, "We are providing them with life skills — they are learning how to socialise."
A small nursery provides the trainees with opportunities to learn basic tasks in the garden such as how to sow, prick out and plant up bulbs pots and hanging baskets. It also raises money for the project and serves the community. "It keeps us in the local profile," says Phillips. "We are supplying a need as there aren't any garden centres round here." Locals can help by becoming a Friend or working as a volunteer.
The Roots and Shoots garden and offices, including a spanking new building in the process of erection, about an acre on an old civil defence site, where barrage balloons were kept in the second world war. The new ecofriendly building, which will open next year and enable Roots and Shoots to double its intake of trainees, will have sedum-covered roofs, solar heating and use rainwater for lavatories. "We will have a wonderful green building covered with plants on the top and up the sides," says Phillips proudly. "It will be the hanging gardens of Kennington."
Much of the earth has been contaminated with lead and cadmium by the site's previous incarnation, so any fruits and vegetables have to be grown in fresh soil. A small vegetable garden is situated in raised beds, and when espaliered apple trees were planted by hives owned by the London Beekeepers' Association, the contaminated soil was dug out to a depth of 5ft, lined with pond liner and new soil introduced. It is all gardened organically — even the "rodent control officers" turn out to be the cats, Neville and Brian, who stalk around proprietarily.
As with many charities, the project faces constant battles, financial and otherwise. The latest, according to Phillips, is that the Learning and Skills Council wants to cut the length of the horticultural courses from two years to 22 weeks, in order to increase the flow of trainess through the course. "We are having to look for funding elsewhere — Kate Hoey [Labour MP for Vauxhall], our patron, is helping to sort out our funding problems." Phillips feels the new length of course is not nearly sufficient time for the youngsters to learn anything constructive.
However, the centre managed to secure its freehold from Lambeth council in May for £113,000, which is a big weight off their shoulders. "It gives us security," says Phillips.
Knowing the centre owns its own land must go some way towards Phillips's cheerful manner, but she also has the unruffled demeanor that is common among those who spend much of their time in a beautiful garden. And the trainees milling around the cabins or taking lessons in the difference between groups of plants seem remarkably free of teenage moochiness. Like the plants, they are thriving with a little care and attention.