Lay of the Land

Sitting here at my desk, in what would normally be the cafe, looking out through the rain streaked window at a sodden plant area being buffeted by unseasonably high winds, I finally get the time to reflect on everything that has changed this year.

We will be open for limited browsing from Monday 18 th of May, by appointment only.

In the meantime we continue serving customers over the phone, email, Facebook, and soon on our website. We will continue to provide local delivery and contactless collection for the foreseeable future.

Why? On Monday the government very quietly announced that garden centres could open. We are concerned about how manageable this will be at the peak of the gardening season whilst maintaining everyone’s safety, but we are also keen to allow those who desperately want to get out, and browse our plants, to do so, and do so safely.

We encourage as many people as possible to use our home delivery and contactless collection services where possible.

For obvious reasons our little Garden Centre has been closed to the public this week, and will be for the foreseeable future; we will shall continue to provide updates on social media channels. However we still have a small team in the garden centre trying to fulfil orders with a free local delivery service.  

Please can we ask that people don’t visit the garden centre for the safety of all our customers and staff. Despite shut gates and signs we have had a number of people try and come in, doing so puts both our staff and yourselves at risk! 

Here in the Yorkshire Dales we are blessed with a rich heritage of natural flora and fauna, as well as a stunningly beautiful place to live and work. However, if we’d like to keep it that way, we probably all need to do as much as we can to protect our wildlife.

Gardens aren’t just for gardeners – gardens are for everyone.

What is a garden? Well, one often used definition is that of “an enclosed space near a house used for the planned growing of flowering plants, fruit or vegetables”. However, I have a few issues with that. For a start half the gardens in Settle aren’t anywhere near the house they belong to. Then again many gardens aren’t really planned in anyway – they have just sort of evolved. Gardens can be near a house, or not. They can be tightly planned and controlled, or not. They can be large or small, private or public, formal or informal, but the one thing most gardens are is contained or enclosed, even if the extent of the garden is a pot on the windowsill!

If you followed my advice last year and bought a pot grown Christmas tree, or have previously done so, sooner or later you’ll be looking for a space in your garden for it, and all gardens benefit from a tree or two. All trees, whether Christmas or not, are wonderful for wildlife, and make great places to hang bird feeders. The regular branch spacing of fir trees renders them particularly suitable. This time of year the wildlife needs a little help, so feeding the birds is a good thing to do. If you do it regularly you’ll attract more birds, and a greater variety, particularly if you vary the feeder types and food. This has the bonus of enabling you to study these fascinating creatures as well as looking after the eco system.

A few do’s and don’ts. Clean feeders regularly to avoid spreading disease, and position out of reach of marauding cats. Choosing feeders wisely can determine the types of birds attracted. An open, accessible feeder may only ever attract voracious starlings or crows, which frighten away the smaller finches and tits. Use decent quality feed if you can afford it, as the cheaper ones have a lot of inedible “filler” in them which chokes up the feeders, whist food scraps are often unhealthy for the birds, and can attract vermin, particularly if simply thrown on the ground.

So that’s it, treat the birds this winter. Even if you don’t have room, a feeder, nest box or bird table makes a great present for someone who does.

Every Thursday during November and December we’ll be open for late night shopping until 8pm, serving complementary home made mulled wine to our customers.  From 12th November we’ll also be offering a very special festive evening menu for discerning diners each Thursday.  Prepared by our chef, James, who was trained under Nigel Howarth and Lisa Allen at the renowned Michelin starred Northcote, the menu will be available to only a select few each week, as space is limited.  Please ring or message us to reserve your place.

Gardeners may all dream of having acres to landscape in the style of Capability Brown, or a large town garden to give the Chelsea show garden treatment to, but for most of us that’s all it is – a dream.

To mark the opening of the Cafe at Lay of the Land we made a short video…

Gardening tips? Easy to roll out a few seasonal “what to do now”s, or “which plants look good in May”, like every other advice column.

I’m not convinced that approach is interesting to anyone other than people who already garden. What about those who don’t?

An anonymous quote reads “Gardening adds years to your life and life to your years”. How true. Get excited and grow things! It doesn’t matter what, just enjoy the sheer thrill of watching nature in the raw.

Ok, so there is a little bit to learn if you want to do it well, but don’t worry because help is always on hand if you know where to look. Heck though, what’s the worst that can happen? No-one dies, but the plant. If you want to give it a fighting chance buy it from someone who can tell you where and how to grow it.

Janet Kilburn Phillips famously said “There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments”. So what if it doesn’t grow? Plants are cheap, and as long as you learn something from the experience…..

Hang on a minute…plants are cheap? Yes, of course.

A rose bush costs less than a decent bottle of supermarket plonk, and can easily bloom well for over 20 years.

A tree costs less than a week funding a 15 a day smoking habit. What’s more it will benefit the atmosphere for generations.

A primrose costs less than a bar of chocolate.

Need I say more?