© Mónica R. Goya
Selina planting a tree at Isabella Plantation. She has planted many trees through the year, but this is a special tree because it will be hers.
Selina preparing the soil for her tree. Winter is the time when more tree planting is involved.
Selina under a Hamamelis mollis, commonly known as Chinese witch hazel.
Selina is now allowed to drive different vehicles and she does so confidently
The horticulture bible, Trees & Shrubs, winter scenes at the park and Selina planting a tree of her own.
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower” - Albert Camus
“I feel winter plants need to try really hard and put their best show to get some pollinators to brush up on them”, says Selina
The splendour of autumn at Richmond Park. “In an environment like this, you cannot help but take it in”, says Selina with a big smile
This time of the year is when tree seeds start to ripen, so Selina and the team collect them and propagate them to keep the collection going. “In about five years, these little guys will be ready to go into the garden permanently”, says Selina.
One day a week, Selina is in college, at Capel Manor on the Regent’s Park campus. That’s where she has the lectures and practical classes that will help her prepare for her final assessment for the Horticulture and Landscape Operative qualification.
The afternoon class begins outside
This exercise consists of sowing grass seed for a lawn
Selina matching the autumn colours in the park
The exercises are meant to prepare the students for the practical portion of the exams. Also, college has allowed the students to create a little community and bond over similar experiences. Since the students are all on the same apprenticeship but in different parks, they can see each other once a week at college.
Selina and her classmates spending time in the library
The class continues with teacher Ashley Chamberlain in Regent’s Park
Writing notes, analogue vs digital
Everyone has to clean their own tools when the class is over
September was Selina’s first month at Isabella Plantation, where she has started her second placement, working towards completing her Apprenticeship Programme.
Ident test are common through the course. By taking these tests, Selina learns the names of different plants and flowers through the seasons.
Gary Scarfe, charge-hand of Isabella Plantation, is checking Selina’s test. He’s been working there for over 30 years.
The topic of this ident test was autumn colours and fruit
Selina transplanting succulents during one of her breaks
Veteran trees are closely monitored and surveyed annually when they are in decline or damaged to avoid any potential damage to visitors. Pictured is Gillian, Arboricultural Officer.
A good indicator that autumn is coming
Fungi appear across the park at this time of the year
Isabella Plantation in early autumn
Selina and Dan weeding out brambles
August was Selina’s last month at the Pembroke Lodge course. From September, she’ll start her second placement, transferring to Isabella Plantation, still in Richmond, where she will continue studying and working towards completing her Apprenticeship Programme.
During my visit, Selina and her peers were cutting back a wild flower meadow, in preparation for autumn
Learning how to use the machinery is an important part of the apprenticeship programme.
Sometimes they find unusual companions, like this white crab spider
A year of seed, ten years of weeding - A saying popular among gardeners
Learning how to use the machinery is an important part of the apprenticeship programme.
Southern magnolia
Sid is the cat that the team members have (almost) adopted. He spends a lot of time around the mess room.
“In the summer we use the leave blower for aesthetic reasons and general maintenance, to keep it tidy. It’s meant to be used for clearing leaves in autumn, and even then, the leaves will decompose, and that would be good for the soil, but we collect the leaves because it looks nicer”, explains Selina.
“From a visual point of view, if you want variety in your garden, you have to take control. Also, it’s good for biodiversity to have different plants” says Selina.
Selina transporting some plants across the park.
Weeding is a back-breaking activity that makes up to 70% of the daily duties of the apprentices.
Danny, Harry and Selina, at the end of the day.
Bedding, June is all about bedding
“To design a bed, you need to think about things like aspect, temperature/weather, the type of soil and then you can think about colour, height, different flowers and leaves, textures and the way they grow (whether they spread or grow tall), etc. As well as the maintenance they require, so you also have to consider how you will maintain the bed, how you will access it… “ explains Selina.
Selina looks at the rose garden with a smile and I can see why she will never regret having ditched her office job.
Selina speaks fondly of David Austin’s roses
It’s essential to make sure plants are planted at the same distance. “For bedding specifically, we measure a certain distance to keep it formal and tidy as well as that it helps with ordering numbers” says Selina.
Selina and her team mates with one of her friends from college, who was volunteering on the day of my visit. He wanted to learn more about bedding.
Selina checks the garden design sketch for this season
Danny arriving with new tropical plants for the Pembroke Lodge bed
Selina exploring new plants during her lunch break
“Often people call it yellow Wisteria, but the real name is Laburnum” - Selina Tan
Weed definition: “undesirable plant in a desirable place”. Apprentices spend a lot of their learning time weeding. This, together with turf maintenance, is a gardener’s bread and butter. Pictured here, Selina weeding a broad-leaf dock, she managed to remove the tap roots.
On the day of my visit in May, the spectacular wisteria was still going strong, while poppies waited to be planted
The tools for weeding.
Selina explains that these are indeed roses
Beautiful lacecap hydrangeas
Cleavers (Galium aparine), also known as sticky willy.
"They have what is called a tap root that needs to be fully removed so that it doesn't grow again" says Selina.
The laburnum walk
Selina weeding along the paths nearby Pembroke
Turf maintenance is challenging, especially achieving a perfectly straight pattern. This is Selina’s first.
Apprentices spend their second year at Isabella Plantation, which houses the National Collection of Wilson 50 Kurume Azaleas, brought from Asia in 1920s by the plant collector Ernest Wilson
Jo Scrivener is the Assistant Park Manager at Richmond
On the day of my visit in April, a session to identify azaleas took place. Barry is, together with his wife Polly, an expert in these Rhododendrons. They helped Jo Scrivener classify azaleas from the National Collection
“One week ago there were no flowers here… and look at it now!” - says Selina full of enthusiasm
Richard Farr talks with Selina about tree seeds that were sown in November by them two and Sophia, another apprentice
Selina capturing the bluebells in all their glory. She often takes pictures of her surroundings
Japanese azalea Kirin has scented "hose-in-hose" - one set within another - flowers.
Wildlife on the path between Pembroke and Isabella Plantation
Selina weeding at the dell in Pembroke
The wisteria at Pembroke that Selina and Danny pruned in February, now in bloom
“There are three Ds of pruning - Dead, Diseased, Damaged” - Selina Tan
“Roses go through two prunings, the first is to avoid wind rock, precisely what we are seeing today” - Selina Tan
Thorns often get in the way of apprentices
This apprenticeship programme has been running for over five decades and it combines on the job training with Horticulture qualifications. The programme spans for three years, after which apprentices are fully qualified.
Richmond Park is the largest Royal Park covering an area of 955 hectares. That is why apprentices move from one location to the next by bike.
Ident tests are conducted every other week to ensure apprentices are able to identify the different flowers they are working with. One of the February tests was about winter camellias. The differences are so subtle that is fascinating.
Wisteria pruning at Pembroke Lodge, possibly the most popular spot with visitors in Richmond. Pictured, Danny, a former apprentice, and Selina.
Sophia is an apprentice at Isabella Plantation, Richmond. She is an Art graduate. On the day I visited she was working on the streams.
“I often think of those people who say that winter is sad because there are no flowers” - Selina Tan
