1 00:00:07,550 --> 00:00:09,479 ALAN POWER: Thank you for downloading this garden cutting 2 00:00:09,489 --> 00:00:12,189 from the National Trust. I'm Alan Power, the head gardener at 3 00:00:12,199 --> 00:00:14,850 Stourhead in Wiltshire. And today I'm standing in the house 4 00:00:14,859 --> 00:00:16,020 at Croome in Worcestershire. 5 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:22,819 Every year, some very talented volunteers transform Croome 6 00:00:22,829 --> 00:00:24,860 Court into a festive work of art. 7 00:00:25,350 --> 00:00:28,000 A huge part of this transformation is bringing a bit 8 00:00:28,010 --> 00:00:29,420 of the garden into the house. 9 00:00:31,610 --> 00:00:35,849 I'm with Sue Lloyd, one of the volunteers that make and create 10 00:00:35,860 --> 00:00:39,130 these wonderful arrangements at Croome Court. Can you tell me 11 00:00:39,139 --> 00:00:43,009 Sue what brought you into Croome as a volunteer and particularly 12 00:00:43,020 --> 00:00:44,409 your interest in flower arranging. 13 00:00:45,279 --> 00:00:48,130 SUE LLOYD: I came into Croome because I came on a bat watching 14 00:00:48,139 --> 00:00:52,279 evening and this was about 14 years ago, 13/14 years ago and I 15 00:00:52,290 --> 00:00:55,729 got snapped up as a volunteer and not looked back really. And 16 00:00:55,740 --> 00:00:58,290 now we've got thousands and thousands of visitors. So it's 17 00:00:58,299 --> 00:00:59,720 amazing, the transformation 18 00:00:59,790 --> 00:01:01,790 ALAN POWER: And I can smell eucalyptus foliage in the 19 00:01:01,799 --> 00:01:04,720 background. For me, it kind of takes me back to my childhood 20 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:07,919 Sue. I grew up around flower arrangements. My mum has been 21 00:01:07,930 --> 00:01:10,900 arranging flowers for years and still does. It's a really 22 00:01:10,910 --> 00:01:12,199 important thing to do, isn't it? 23 00:01:12,209 --> 00:01:14,190 SUE LLOYD: It's just nice to feel that there's something 24 00:01:14,199 --> 00:01:17,169 greenery and bit of life brought back into the house at 25 00:01:17,180 --> 00:01:17,930 Christmas. 26 00:01:17,930 --> 00:01:20,480 ALAN POWER: As an arranger here, You're probably heading into 27 00:01:20,489 --> 00:01:23,220 your busiest time preparing the house for Christmas. Can you 28 00:01:23,230 --> 00:01:26,160 describe for me what the house is going to look like? 29 00:01:26,169 --> 00:01:28,199 SUE LLOYD: We start at the beginning of December because it 30 00:01:28,209 --> 00:01:32,069 has to last right over Christmas. So having lots of 31 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:37,360 lovely, interesting smells of cinnamon and Lavender, lots of 32 00:01:37,370 --> 00:01:39,739 nice trees there going to be several trees in the Long 33 00:01:39,750 --> 00:01:42,120 Gallery this year, which are going to be decorated by 34 00:01:42,250 --> 00:01:43,489 different artists. 35 00:01:43,750 --> 00:01:46,120 ALAN POWER: It's a lovely thing to do, isn't it? Because it 36 00:01:46,129 --> 00:01:48,620 softens the internal architecture of a house when you 37 00:01:48,629 --> 00:01:50,589 dress it with foliage, lovely thing to do. 38 00:01:50,599 --> 00:01:53,480 SUE LLOYD: And it's not an over the top place. We've not got 39 00:01:53,489 --> 00:01:56,705 lots of light and things that shows that other places have. 40 00:01:56,714 --> 00:01:59,864 It's going to be very simple and really nice and within the 41 00:01:59,875 --> 00:02:00,894 period I think. 42 00:02:00,915 --> 00:02:03,514 ALAN POWER: And that's key, isn't it? You don't need to- you 43 00:02:03,525 --> 00:02:06,095 don't need to go down to the shops. You don't need to buy in 44 00:02:06,105 --> 00:02:08,475 a load of flowers, do you? To create something beautiful? 45 00:02:08,475 --> 00:02:11,365 SUE LLOYD: No, This year we've grown a huge lot ourselves in 46 00:02:11,375 --> 00:02:12,529 the wall garden. 47 00:02:12,529 --> 00:02:14,509 ALAN POWER: And it's very satisfying, isn't it to go out, 48 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:17,020 you know, get your jacket and your coat and your gloves on and 49 00:02:17,029 --> 00:02:20,369 go out with your secateurs and pick from a beautiful display 50 00:02:20,380 --> 00:02:23,520 and then come in and convert it into another display in a day. 51 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:25,289 SUE LLOYD: And stand and think, oh, I have a bit of that and a 52 00:02:25,300 --> 00:02:27,570 bit of that and then put it all together. 53 00:02:27,580 --> 00:02:28,369 It's very exciting. 54 00:02:28,380 --> 00:02:30,149 ALAN POWER: It really is. Picking from a menu of living 55 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:30,690 plants, isn't it? 56 00:02:30,699 --> 00:02:31,410 SUE LLOYD: Absolutely. 57 00:02:31,529 --> 00:02:33,149 ALAN POWER: And Sue, you said you're willing to give me a 58 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:35,630 little bit of a demonstration on how to make one of these wire 59 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:36,750 wreaths that you make here. 60 00:02:36,759 --> 00:02:39,860 SUE LLOYD: Yes, that really is quite fun actually. You buy a 61 00:02:39,869 --> 00:02:43,600 little wire wreath just a little base really, it's just two 62 00:02:43,610 --> 00:02:44,929 circles joined together. 63 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:48,399 And then you can go in forage outside and rake your lawn or 64 00:02:48,410 --> 00:02:51,789 something and get lots of moss. Make sure it's nice and damp and 65 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:57,210 then form the moss over the circle and wrap it on with wire. 66 00:02:57,490 --> 00:03:01,660 And then when you've done that nice firm base to it, you can 67 00:03:01,669 --> 00:03:04,750 put all sorts of different things, wire them on as you go 68 00:03:04,759 --> 00:03:09,970 around, things like Pyracantha lots of berries, some Holly, Ewe 69 00:03:09,979 --> 00:03:11,830 any other bits of Fir. 70 00:03:12,279 --> 00:03:16,559 And then you get a nice green circle of different foliage 71 00:03:16,570 --> 00:03:18,119 which makes it really nice. 72 00:03:18,500 --> 00:03:23,779 And then you can add in bows and Baubles and the sky's the limit 73 00:03:23,789 --> 00:03:25,529 really. We put some robins in last year. 74 00:03:26,684 --> 00:03:29,994 Yes. A little furry robins off the internet. And they look 75 00:03:30,005 --> 00:03:30,884 really rather nice. 76 00:03:30,914 --> 00:03:33,664 ALAN POWER: That's lovely. Isn't it? Even the moss in your lawn 77 00:03:33,675 --> 00:03:37,175 can be useful creating something you're doing two jobs. 78 00:03:37,735 --> 00:03:40,925 SUE LLOYD: The only cost is buying the wire base or you 79 00:03:40,934 --> 00:03:44,585 could get some birch twigs and just wrap them into a circle and 80 00:03:44,595 --> 00:03:48,240 bind them up with wire and do exactly the same. You can use 81 00:03:48,250 --> 00:03:51,809 dried stuff or stuff out the hetero. So it needn't cost 82 00:03:51,820 --> 00:03:52,330 anything. 83 00:03:52,339 --> 00:03:54,149 ALAN POWER: And starting from scratch is quite tricky. 84 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:57,619 SUE LLOYD: In the pots that we do every week, we have just wire 85 00:03:57,630 --> 00:04:02,729 netting. And at Christmas we've devised this out of milk 86 00:04:02,740 --> 00:04:05,180 cartons. If you have a four pint milk carton- 87 00:04:05,180 --> 00:04:06,070 ALAN POWER: I'm listening! 88 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:09,580 SUE LLOYD: If you cut the lid off and swoop down past the 89 00:04:09,589 --> 00:04:13,339 handle, you can then put a whole block of oasis in and a bit of 90 00:04:13,350 --> 00:04:17,089 string on the back and pot wire around it, keep it all together. 91 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:21,040 Then we hang it on the stairs. So you can have a fabulous long 92 00:04:21,049 --> 00:04:25,730 trailing arrangement with Old Man's Beard and Ivy and paper 93 00:04:25,739 --> 00:04:29,519 flowers because we have to be careful because the arrangement 94 00:04:29,529 --> 00:04:30,549 has to last a month. 95 00:04:30,559 --> 00:04:32,950 ALAN POWER: I was just going to ask, how long- how far do you 96 00:04:32,959 --> 00:04:34,320 have to push the arrangements? 97 00:04:34,329 --> 00:04:39,339 SUE LLOYD: So, if the foliage- we try and keep that in oasis 98 00:04:39,350 --> 00:04:42,420 because then it doesn't mark things and we get into terrible 99 00:04:42,429 --> 00:04:45,320 trouble If we make a drip on the floor! 100 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:47,309 ALAN POWER: It captures Christmas, doesn't it captures 101 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:48,040 that moment? 102 00:04:48,450 --> 00:04:51,299 And I think sometimes we forget when we're heading into those 103 00:04:51,309 --> 00:04:54,029 dark, longer winter days that actually just by bringing a 104 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:56,790 little bit of your garden indoors, you can really enjoy 105 00:04:56,799 --> 00:04:59,730 the smells, the scent, the colours and it's, it's a 106 00:04:59,739 --> 00:05:00,859 wonderful thing to do. 107 00:05:02,109 --> 00:05:02,166 SUE LLOYD: It is! Absolutely! 108 00:05:02,166 --> 00:05:02,500 ALAN POWER: It's brilliant. 109 00:05:02,510 --> 00:05:05,239 Well, I hope Sue, you and your team of volunteers carry on 110 00:05:05,250 --> 00:05:07,429 doing it for a long time at Croome because it's a lovely 111 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:09,809 thing to do. And as I wander around the garden for the rest 112 00:05:09,820 --> 00:05:11,750 of the day, I'm going to be spotting the best bits of 113 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:12,299 foliage. 114 00:05:12,309 --> 00:05:13,970 Sue, Thank you so much 115 00:05:13,970 --> 00:05:14,410 SUE LLOYD: A pleasure. 116 00:05:15,559 --> 00:05:17,399 ALAN POWER: Hope you've enjoyed this garden cutting from the 117 00:05:17,410 --> 00:05:19,700 National Trust. You can subscribe or follow on your 118 00:05:19,709 --> 00:05:22,914 podcast app for the full program. Next month, I'll be in 119 00:05:22,914 --> 00:05:25,540 Sissinghurst for festive magic. I hope to see you then. 120 00:05:29,329 --> 00:05:31,619 BETTANY HUGHES: I'm Bettany Hughes. I've been visiting 121 00:05:31,630 --> 00:05:35,200 National Trust Properties all my life, but in this series of 122 00:05:35,209 --> 00:05:39,989 podcasts, I'm going beyond the delights of teas and topiary to 123 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:43,570 reveal the surprising European roots of some of the most 124 00:05:43,579 --> 00:05:45,190 splendid sites in England. 125 00:05:46,109 --> 00:05:49,654 You can subscribe to my series by searching for Bettany 126 00:05:49,654 --> 00:05:54,799 Hughes's 10 places, Europe and us. On your podcast app.