EPB-

E01-

S3

12

13 EPB-E01-S3

Prepare the ground if you areplanning to sow or turf a newlawn, to give the ground time tosettle.

Test your soil to see whetherthe pH needs adjusting, soyou can take action beforethe main growing season.

Continue to refirm any youngplants lifted by frost.

Order young bedding plantsand summer-flowering bulbs,corms or tubers.

Continue to put cloches inposition to warm the soil forearly sowings of vegetables inMarch. They need to be inplace for at least three weeksfor the soil to benefit.

Sow quick-growingperennials such ascampanulas and poppies toflower this year.

12 13homes & gardens green Bristol

Urban Nature

The trend for retrofitting – or making energy-efficientimprovements to old properties – has left manyhomeowners wondering where to begin. Now they can getadvice at a life-size model of a Victorian terraced housein Bristol. Suzanne Savill reports. Pictures: Dan Regan

Vintage efficiency

For many people, this time ofyear and its chilly temperaturehas them running for thewarmth of the indoors, sitting infront of a roaring log fire.

In fact, this time of year isfantastic to get outdoors andenjoy the wealth of wildlife busyforaging for food; the crisp aircarrying the sounds of thewildlife calls and bare branchesgiving a chance to look at thewildlife that usually hidesbehind the leaves! And withhalf-term on the horizon, whatbetter way to keep the kidsbusy?

For the last three years, AvonWildlife Trust has combined theexcitement and adventure ofexploring woodland and lookingfor signs of wildlife with thecomforts of a warm fire in ourBushcraft and Survival Skillscourses.

Hidden deep in the woods ofour Folly Farm nature reserve,children and families haveenjoyed putting their survivalskills to the test, working withour tutors to learn how to makeshelters, make their own fireusing traditional skills, and howto survive by living off the land.

Jo Morris, the trust’s learningdevelopment manager, says:“There is nothing quite sosatisfying on a chilly day ascreating your own fire fromscratch and nurturing it to toastyour marshmallows and cookhot chocolate on while in thewoods.

“It gives you a warm glow tobe able to sit inside yourhand-made shelter, drinking hotchocolate and eating toastedmarshmallows. It is great to seechildren and families learningand working together to make

their shelters and fires, beingoutdoors together and justhaving great fun. The X-Boxand TV are soon forgotten asthe camouflage stripes appearand the first sparks are created.

“Eight-year-old Alex summedup his experience last yearwhen he said that was the bestday ever, ‘I wish I could do thatevery single day!’”

You can also join us at FollyFarm for an exciting Owl Prowlwith owlman Chris Sperring onSunday, February 12, andMarch 11. Watch the naturereserve come to life in the lateafternoon and search forsounds and sights of the tawnyand barn owls that live and huntin the nature reserve.

Woodlands are such magicaland inspirational places so whynot wrap up warm, headoutside and enjoy the woodsthis winter, count how manydifferent signs of wildlife youcan see or hear and try tocapture on film the patterns thelow winter sun makes as itfilters through the trees. We‘dlove to hear your winterwoodland stories of what youhave seen signs of.

If you would like to know moreabout Bushcraft courses or anyof our other courses pleasecontact Avon Wildlife Trust on0117 917 7270 or courses@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk.● Family Bushcraft, tomorrow,10am-2pm;● Family Owl Prowl, Sunday,February 12, 4.30-6.30pm;● Half Term Bushcraft, forseven to 12-year-olds,Wednesday, February 15,10am-2pm.

Jo Morris

A few months ago,around 10,000 peoplea day were making

their way through thefull-scale cutaway of aVictorian house that isnow in the Create Centrein Bristol.

That was when it was at theGrand Designs LIVEexhibition, which took placeover a three-day period inOctober at the NEC inBir mingham.

Emma Winfield, the ownerof the Natural Building Storein Bristol, who came up withthe idea of showing how toretrofit in a life-size model ofa Victorian home, recalls:“There were often so manypeople going through it that itwas difficult for them to movea ro u n d .

“Around 10,000 people weregoing through it every day.Research among visitors toGrand Designs LIVE showedit was the most popularattraction after the GrandTheatre, where people couldhear talks from KevinMcCloud.”

Bristolians will be able toenjoy more relaxed viewingsof the Victorian retrofitterrace, as Emma transformsit in situ at the Create Centreuntil March 28.

“The focus will be onproviding practicalinformation on the bestapproach for retrofitting solidwall properties such as stonecottages, and Georgian andVictorian homes – in effect,most of the UK’s housings t o ck , ” says Emma.

“There are a variety of factsheets that can be taken away,and people come along toevents to see step-by-stepd e m o n s t r at i o n s. ”

There are three key themesto the three-month exhibition:Fabric First, which iscurrently taking place; Warmand Cosy, which begins onSaturday February 18; andThe Generation Game, whichwill run from Saturday, March17, until the end of theexhibition.

Emma explains: “We will begoing gradually through therefurbishment process,beginning by getting thefabric of a property fixed sothat it is dry and structurallysound.

“The next phase, Warm andCosy, runs until March 16 and,will be about improving thestructurally-sound buildingwith insulation andve n t i l at i o n .

“Then The GenerationGame will look at natural

solar and renewable energy,including wood-burningstoves, biomass, solar thermalfor solar hot water, solarelectricity and air source heatp u m p s.

“I believe putting solar PVpanels on your roof should bethe last measure, rather thandoing it before you doanything else.

“T here’s not much point indoing that if you haven’t firstreduced the energy use of theproper ty.”

There will be a drop-inevent with livedemonstrations from 11am to2pm for the launch of Warmand Cosy on February 18, andanother at the same times onSaturday March 17 for thelaunch of The GenerationGame during Bristol GreenDoors weekend.

“T here’s a lot of publicityabout retrofitting at themoment, but a lot of it is quitegeneric or is coming fromcompanies with bigadvertising budgets,” s ay sEmma.

“For some home ownersthere is a risk that they willbe swayed to make alterationsthat are not right for theirproper ty.

“Most buildings builtbefore the 1940s and 1950s,before cavity walls became

common, have solid claybricks and wooden joints, andputting non-breathablematerial inside them can domore harm than good.

“I’m trying to giveindependent advice that willhelp people to assess whatsolutions will work best fortheir home, and the life-sizedVictorian terrace house ispart of demonstrating therange of options, using bothnatural and syntheticm at e r i a l s. ”

The model Victorian homewas put together by RealRefurbs, a collaborationbetween the Natural BuildingStore which Emma runs inBristol, the Low ImpactLiving Initiative (LILI), andGrand Designs Live.

Emma came up with theidea after Grand DesignsLIVE approached the LowImpact Living Initiative to askabout running a sustainablebuilding area withdemonstrations next to theGrand Theatre.

“The set was built andfunded by Urban Design andBuild,” she says.

“It was at Grand DesignsLIVE at the Excel in Londonlast May, and at the NEC inBirmingham in October. Thefeedback from the event inMay was so good that they

increased our area six-fold forO c t o b e r. ”

When the Victorian terraceretrofit exhibition at theCreate Centre concludes atthe end of March, the scalemodel will then be moved to aside gallery.

Emma says: “I’d like to seeit have a permanent space atthe Create Centre, but also betaken out for events aroundBristol, such as being broughtto Cabot Circus for Big Greenweek, so that people can see itwhen they’re out shopping.It’s all about trying to meetpeople where they are at.”

The next live event at theVictorian terrace retrofit at theCreate Centre(www.createbristol.org) will beWarm and Cosy on Saturday,February 18, with livedemonstrations from 11am to2pm.

It will look at ways ofreducing draughts andretaining heat, including loftinsulation and solid wallinsulation.

A free fact sheet on Repairs& Maintenance is nowavailable on the Real Refurbswebsite at www.realrefurbs.org, and a new fact sheet willbe added each weekthroughout the exhibition.

Now’s thetime to getgrowing – butmake sureyou preparewell first

GET STARTED: Raising plants in pots indoors will improve the germination rate. Below: The Park Allotment near Victoria Park

Grow your own with Fiona Sanderson

W hatever theFebruary weather,spring is just

around the corner, andt h e re ’s nothing like thefeeling of spring forencouraging a few newideas to germinate, andmaybe take root.

Perhaps, for the first time,you are thinking about“growing your own”; maybeyo u ’ve just heard that you’vegot an allotment, or you’rehoping to move somewherewith a bit of garden, or asunny spot by the back doorwhere a few herbs might behappy to grow...

Welcome to a wonderfulwo rl d .

This year it might be allabout cherry tomatoesnurtured in a hanging basket,but who knows where thatjourney will lead? Like anyjourney, those who have madegood preparations are morelikely to get there than thosewho have simply set off withhope in their hearts.

Good preparations mightinvolve getting a good book,asking a parent or friend whogardens, or going on a course.Beyond that, there are goodpractical ways to set out, andthese are my thoughts on thatsubject.

The first is never to take onmore than you can manage. Ifyou have just inherited anallotment, find ways to makethe task of clearing andpreparation something thatyou will only have to do once.Remember that clearedground will quickly fill withweeds if left empty, so try to

fill each area, or cover it up, assoon as you’ve cleared it.

The next is to try to put insystems for making thingseasier as soon as you can,while novelty and enthusiasmstill inspire you.

These might be watersaving and compostingsystems, and crop rotation

plans that make it easier yearon year to maintain soilfertility and structure. If youcan put the effort into these atthe beginning, then they willbe saving you time and energyfrom that point on.

One important system thatcan take a while to get thehang of is to try to have newseedlings started and growinginto strong little plants thatare ready to fill a space once itis free.

This is perhaps the keytrick to making the soil workfor you, and is as effective onan allotment scale as it is ifyou are just growing in onesmall bed.

Raising plants from seed ona windowsill or similar meansthat you improve thegermination rate, protect theseedlings from pest damage,and can time them to pop intothe soil when you are readyfor them.

Sowing them direct into thesoil risks wasting all thatgrowing time if the seedlingsd o n’t make it and you have tostart again.

Finally, finding your ownway to enjoy it is a real key tolasting success, because you’llwant to go back and do more.For me, that’s about making aspace where I can sit andenjoy the prospects of mylabour, and maybe reach outand munch on a bit of it too.

Gardening

These pint-sized cormsprovide a splash of colour inlate winter and early spring,producing slender,goblet-shaped flowers.

While the large-floweredDutch crocus, C. vernus subspalbiflorus, are easy to growand bear blooms in white,mauve, purple, yellow orstriped and look wonderful in apot or bowl on the patio, thesmaller-flowered specie crocusare useful for early colour inpots planted with other bulbs.

C. tommasinianus is one ofthe prettiest, with its slenderpale lilac-blue flowers withorange stigmas, opening in thelate winter sunshine.

It looks amazing naturalisedunder trees in poor,free-draining soil. Goodcultivars of this type include

Barr’s Purple, Ruby Giant,which produces red-purpleflowers, and Whitewell Purple,with purple-blue wide openingflowers.

Crocus look great planted indrifts of one or more coloursand are superb for naturalising.

These unusual veg arenot only delicious butthey provide aneye-catchingarchitectural highlightwith their spiky leavestopped with huge bluethistle flowers.

It’s the hearts insidethe globe-shapedflowers which areedible, although you can alsoboil the outer scales aroundthe flower and serve them withmelted butter or vinaigrette.

Globe artichokes need agood fertile soil that is welldrained but doesn’t dry out insummer, so dig in plenty oforganic matter before planting.They can be sown in trays in agreenhouse in February,pricked out in March and April,hardened off and then plantedout when they are 10cm high,preferably in a sunny butsheltered site, allowing at least75cm diameter per plant.

Do not allow theplants to flower in theirfirst year, as you wantthe roots to build upreserves for thefollowing year. Youcan stop themflowering by pinchingout all the flower buds.When the plantsmature in year two,

restrict the number of mainbuds to five or six.

Keep newly plantedartichokes well watered. Flowerbuds on established plantsshould appear from Juneonwards and will grow toaround 1.5m (5ft) in height.

Harvest the artichoke flowerheads when they have reacheda good size and before theyopen. They should be greenand tight with fleshy outerscales. Once the flower headsstart to turn purple and scalesstart to open they becomeinedible.

BEST OF THE BUNCH – Crocus

GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT – Globeartichokes

WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKKeep beds clear of weeds.Groundsel and chickweed inparticular should be removedfrom around growingchrysanthemums as they arehost plants for thechrysanthemum eelworm.

Take cuttings from dahliatubers.

Weather permitting, takehardwood cuttings of hardyclimbers now to save time laterin the spring.

Prune old canes of autumnraspberries down to theground as soon as newgrowth appears.

Transfer fuchsia cuttings takenin the autumn into 5cm pots.

Sow parsley in pots indoorsor outdoors under glass,sieving a light covering ofcompost over the seeds.

A wonderful worldENERGY-CONSCIOUS: Emma Winfield’s Victorian house exhibition at the Create Centre

Family woodlandadventures

Retrofitting