1 00:00:03,740 --> 00:00:13,569 ALAN POWER: Hello and welcome to the National Trust podcast. 2 00:00:13,569 --> 00:00:16,899 In this mini episode, we'll be going to meet Isabel Thompson, a 3 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:19,920 ranger on the garden team at Stowe and Hannah Richards, the 4 00:00:19,930 --> 00:00:22,950 gardener on the team to learn more about the conservation and 5 00:00:22,959 --> 00:00:26,500 ecology of the grasslands within the Grecian Valley at Stowe. 6 00:00:37,669 --> 00:00:41,810 As I look up the length of the Grecian Valley, it's populated 7 00:00:41,819 --> 00:00:46,409 with the most beautiful, gentle browning grasses and fading away 8 00:00:46,419 --> 00:00:51,450 wild flowers and hints of a beautiful season before us. But 9 00:00:51,459 --> 00:00:54,090 actually, what really dominates the view of this valley is the 10 00:00:54,099 --> 00:00:56,000 magnificent temple behind me. 11 00:00:56,259 --> 00:00:59,189 And the temple really gives it- gives the Grecian Valley its 12 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,450 name because it's a temple inspired by Greek architecture 13 00:01:02,459 --> 00:01:06,750 and it was one of the first Greek inspired architectural 14 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:09,620 features within a garden in England at the time. 15 00:01:09,809 --> 00:01:13,069 Hence the name the Grecian Valley. But standing next to me 16 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:16,330 is the person who looks after, monitors, cares for this 17 00:01:16,339 --> 00:01:19,480 wonderful valley, Isabel. And Isabel, you're a ranger on the 18 00:01:19,489 --> 00:01:23,470 team here at Stowe aren't you? And this is yours? 19 00:01:24,220 --> 00:01:26,400 ISABEL THOMPSON: Yeah, I mean, I look after all the parkland here 20 00:01:26,410 --> 00:01:28,550 and any spaces with long grass. 21 00:01:28,559 --> 00:01:31,010 ALAN POWER: What will be the kind of main tasks that you'd be 22 00:01:31,019 --> 00:01:34,769 looking to do throughout the season to create such a 23 00:01:34,779 --> 00:01:35,589 beautiful sword. 24 00:01:36,910 --> 00:01:40,260 ISABEL THOMPSON: This hay meadow is already so well established. 25 00:01:40,269 --> 00:01:43,529 It needs very little management. You can fairly leave it to it. 26 00:01:44,250 --> 00:01:47,790 I've recently been establishing a new hay meadow. So the ground 27 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:50,620 has been rotavated. It's been turned to make it flatter for 28 00:01:50,629 --> 00:01:51,370 the mowers. 29 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:55,180 We've spread grass seed and recently we've taken an early 30 00:01:55,190 --> 00:01:58,970 hay crop from one area and spread it on the new area. So 31 00:01:58,980 --> 00:02:02,389 that will spread grass seeds and wild flower seeds and it will 32 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,419 really encourage it to come up with beautiful flowers. It's a 33 00:02:05,430 --> 00:02:07,400 bit of a quick shortcut really. 34 00:02:08,238 --> 00:02:10,218 ALAN POWER: But doing that, you know, taking the grass that 35 00:02:10,229 --> 00:02:12,679 already exists in the landscape at Stowe and spreading it 36 00:02:12,688 --> 00:02:17,779 elsewhere almost guarantees you a consistent- a consistent seed 37 00:02:17,789 --> 00:02:20,179 bank, doesn't it? And a successful seed bank across the 38 00:02:20,188 --> 00:02:20,699 estate? 39 00:02:21,188 --> 00:02:23,738 ISABEL THOMPSON: Yeah, it does. And we try and encourage the 40 00:02:23,748 --> 00:02:26,059 ecology here, make the place a bit more natural. 41 00:02:26,979 --> 00:02:29,979 ALAN POWER: You say that really easily, you know, spaces with 42 00:02:29,990 --> 00:02:33,110 long grass. But actually it's the, it's the spaces with the 43 00:02:33,119 --> 00:02:38,100 long grass that hold such a rich population of insects, seeds for 44 00:02:38,110 --> 00:02:38,750 the birds. 45 00:02:38,759 --> 00:02:44,270 And you, you're doing a massive amount for the environment and 46 00:02:44,279 --> 00:02:45,839 the insects and birds around here, aren't you? 47 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:48,919 ISABEL THOMPSON: Yes, I mean, you have to start right at the 48 00:02:48,929 --> 00:02:53,000 very bottom. So by encouraging more grasses, more flowers, 49 00:02:53,009 --> 00:02:56,100 you're going to have a greater range of insects, more birds and 50 00:02:56,110 --> 00:02:59,350 more small mammals will come and eat those insects and then you 51 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:01,149 get the bigger predators like the Birds Of Prey. 52 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:04,520 There's a red kite lives just over there and he'll come over 53 00:03:04,529 --> 00:03:07,039 here to hunt. 54 00:03:07,039 --> 00:03:09,660 Quite often when I'm mowing. The red kites will follow me because 55 00:03:09,669 --> 00:03:11,630 they know all the little creatures will come out of the 56 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:13,979 grass and I'll just stop and watch them. 57 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:21,190 ALAN POWER: And we're standing here, you know, in the grass at 58 00:03:21,199 --> 00:03:23,660 the moment and it's beautiful. It's just going to seed some of 59 00:03:23,669 --> 00:03:26,039 it. So it's perfect for some of the smaller birds and I'm sure 60 00:03:26,050 --> 00:03:28,320 you'll probably get Goldfinches, you know, fluttering in and out 61 00:03:28,330 --> 00:03:32,360 of here and feeding off it, but surely you can't do all of this 62 00:03:32,369 --> 00:03:32,970 on your own. 63 00:03:33,649 --> 00:03:36,470 ISABEL THOMPSON: No, I've got a fabulous team of volunteers who 64 00:03:36,479 --> 00:03:37,940 really help me out. 65 00:03:37,949 --> 00:03:40,770 So, quite often, if I'm out mowing in the tractor, they'll 66 00:03:40,779 --> 00:03:43,130 have smaller mowers out, they'll have strimmers and they'll be 67 00:03:43,139 --> 00:03:44,479 doing the bits behind me. 68 00:03:44,970 --> 00:03:48,619 And if we're felling trees, they're there to make sure none 69 00:03:48,630 --> 00:03:51,270 of the public get hurt and they'll tidy up the trees after 70 00:03:51,279 --> 00:03:54,009 me. So I couldn't do it without them, they're wonderful! 71 00:03:54,009 --> 00:03:56,309 ALAN POWER: Looking at it. There must be kind of seven or eight 72 00:03:56,320 --> 00:04:02,160 acres of land here to look after and, you know, to translate this 73 00:04:02,169 --> 00:04:05,110 into your own garden at home to see if you can benefit. 74 00:04:05,339 --> 00:04:07,509 You know, there are elements that people could take away 75 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:09,270 seeing the Grecian Valley at Stowe and apply in their own 76 00:04:09,279 --> 00:04:10,139 gardens at home? 77 00:04:10,619 --> 00:04:13,149 ISABEL THOMPSON: Oh, absolutely. Yes. The best thing you can do 78 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:16,350 is just leave the spots that choose a little corner of your 79 00:04:16,359 --> 00:04:19,720 garden for everyone that gets a bit of sun and just let it grow. 80 00:04:19,730 --> 00:04:22,100 If you get lots of nettles, maybe start cutting some of them 81 00:04:22,109 --> 00:04:22,519 back. 82 00:04:22,529 --> 00:04:27,100 But they've got, great value as well and just leave it be and 83 00:04:27,769 --> 00:04:30,640 you can sow wildflower seed mixes. You can get those quite 84 00:04:30,649 --> 00:04:34,869 easily. And yeah, it's a really, really easy, simple thing to do. 85 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:36,369 And it's got such a huge benefit. 86 00:04:37,059 --> 00:04:38,600 ALAN POWER: And from a gardener's point of view, you 87 00:04:38,609 --> 00:04:40,890 know, you can, as you say, you can leave nettles and, you know, 88 00:04:40,899 --> 00:04:42,769 as they, as they come to the end of the year, you know, 89 00:04:42,779 --> 00:04:44,380 everything has seeds on it for the birds. 90 00:04:44,390 --> 00:04:46,989 But I'm forever saying to people with perennial borders as well 91 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:49,339 in your own garden. If you leave the perennial borders, 92 00:04:49,410 --> 00:04:52,369 everything goes to seed and it really helps birds get through 93 00:04:52,380 --> 00:04:54,279 that early stage of winter as well, doesn't it? 94 00:04:54,369 --> 00:04:56,500 ISABEL THOMPSON: Yeah. Absolutely. And it's so easy for 95 00:04:56,510 --> 00:04:57,920 people to do. It's a bit less effort. 96 00:04:58,950 --> 00:05:01,720 ALAN POWER: But here in the Grecian Valley, I mean, it's- 97 00:05:01,730 --> 00:05:05,660 we're standing on a really natural, predominantly native 98 00:05:05,670 --> 00:05:09,899 mix of grass and wild flowers and the population is- stunning. 99 00:05:09,910 --> 00:05:12,570 But actually, we're standing in a very manmade area of the 100 00:05:12,579 --> 00:05:15,559 garden because this is originally a Capability Brown 101 00:05:15,570 --> 00:05:17,980 design when he was head gardener here at Stowe, isn't it? 102 00:05:18,049 --> 00:05:19,480 ISABEL THOMPSON: It was originally meant to be a lake 103 00:05:19,489 --> 00:05:20,839 but was never water tight. 104 00:05:21,559 --> 00:05:24,459 ALAN POWER: No complaints from you. But I know Hannah, that it 105 00:05:24,470 --> 00:05:25,739 wasn't an easy job, was it? 106 00:05:26,769 --> 00:05:31,549 HANNAH RICHARDS: No, it wasn't. They actually removed 23,500 107 00:05:31,559 --> 00:05:36,660 cubic yards of soil from here and it was all done by hand. 108 00:05:37,049 --> 00:05:41,029 And I think you said earlier that nine wheelbarrows makes up 109 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:46,579 a cubic yard. So that's about 210,000 wheelbarrows of soil 110 00:05:46,589 --> 00:05:47,670 that was removed from here. 111 00:05:48,779 --> 00:05:53,769 So Capability Brown was actually Lancelot Brown, but one of his 112 00:05:53,779 --> 00:05:57,809 great talents was revealing the capabilities of the landscape. 113 00:05:57,820 --> 00:06:01,149 So he earned himself the nickname Capability Brown. 114 00:06:01,589 --> 00:06:07,489 Capability Brown actually lived here at Stowe and we have his 115 00:06:07,500 --> 00:06:11,380 marriage register here because he got married at Stowe in the 116 00:06:11,390 --> 00:06:17,480 church that sits just inside the Elysian fields and it's rumoured 117 00:06:17,489 --> 00:06:20,399 that his wife is buried here as well. 118 00:06:32,179 --> 00:06:34,079 ALAN POWER: Thanks for listening to this week's National Trust 119 00:06:34,089 --> 00:06:37,630 mini episode. Join us next week to learn about indulgence and 120 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:44,100 pleasure in store, sleeping wood to make sure you never miss an 121 00:06:44,109 --> 00:06:47,640 episode, subscribe on itunes or your chosen podcast app. 122 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:51,140 And please do let us know what you thought of this episode and 123 00:06:51,149 --> 00:06:53,859 share your suggestions for future topics on Facebook, 124 00:06:53,869 --> 00:06:57,279 Twitter or Instagram. We're @nationaltrust. 125 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:03,019 You can also email us at podcasts@nationaltrust.org.uk. 126 00:07:03,959 --> 00:07:06,809 Until then from me, Alan Power. Goodbye.