Dodging June Showers

Its been a mixed bag weather-wise this week in the gardens at Betley Court, so its been a matter of dashing out between the showers to get work done. Down at the Dingle, the two Mr O’s have been making great progress with restoring the paths. Earlier work on the Long Path was quite straight and formal, but the feel of the garden changes as the path drops down to Tanhouse Brook, becoming more naturalistic. This has thrown up its own challenges, and I was delighted to see this ingenious method they have devised to edge the border and stop the gravel being wash downhill during rainfall. The best thing is all the materials were found in the garden and they fit in to the more natural looking parts of the garden very sympathetically.

Further along the path, we have the site of a badger set. It was once one of the largest in Staffordshire, but for some unknown reason was abandoned about 10 years ago. There have been sighting of badgers this year, so perhaps the badgers will return. As a result of the badgers, we’ve always had a problem with spoil cascading onto the path, especially after rain. It’s a constant chore for our handymen to deal with. Here they’ve used red Staffordshire sandstone to edge the path and retain the soil. Very smart.

Tanhouse Brook and the pond both look lovely at this time of year. Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) that grows in the margins is flowering now. Red campion (Selene dioica) and cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) are growing in abundance along the path and makes a lovely natural barrier between the path and pond.

I found myself wondering why the brook is called ‘Tanhouse Brook’, so I thought I’d do a bit of digging. My initial thought was that the name derived from a tannery located nearby. Tanning – the process of turning hide into leather, is a filthy process. Had the brook once been quite a foul waterway? My research pointed to a related but distinctly different origin for the name. A tan-house is in fact a building used to store bark from certain trees, usually oak in the UK. The bark is harvested by peeling it from young branches and twigs. It is then stored for use in the tanning process – in a tan-house. Soaking in water releases a substance called tannin from the bark, making a tanning fluid. Animal hides are then soaked and the tannin alters the protein structure, preserving the hides and making them supple. It also colours the hide a nice brown colour – that’s where we get modern usage for tanning when we talk about sunbathing!

Well, its back to work, in between the showers. At least I won’t have to water in the new plants too carefully!

Ladybird Su