Lockdown Update 2020: The HoBB garden is only open for private family or individual guided viewing, by prior appointment, from Spring to October.
KEY
1: Summer Bod with views towards the source of the Ffrwdwen Brook
2. Studio
2a. Original Sheep Bod (presently housing plans of the World of Water Aquaponic units)
3. Wood Store. Wood Bods. To include greenhouse over grey water store.
4. Kudo cooking station
5. UV filter and Tank Bod
6. East Spring with water storage and distribution tanks
7. Grass composting and Willow Wood store.
8. West Spring and store for road run-off water.
9. Streamline Green water collection.
10. Embankment steps leading from greenery & hide into pond.
11. Old seed bods – now greenhouse for vegetables above wicking beds.
12. Water bod site for new natural pond with duckboat.
Not labelled on map:
13. Two-Oak Spring
14. Hedera Walk
15. Fruit Garden Screenhouse
16. W.E.T. system and osier bed
17. Road run-off water collection tank
18. Vineyard (Privately owned)
The HoBB Gardens are in their infancy, sandwiched between the remains of the C12th Castle of Cnwclas, one mile to the East, and the original site of its vineyards to the West.
The history of the castle and its medieval vineyards remains underground but the whole area is thought to have been first tended by the Monks of Abbey Cwmhir when they built their HQ in the Teme valley two miles down the road.
Most of the original farm layout has been retained and there’s still evidence of some 18th Century plantings. During the renovations, we are designing around existing features, levels and planting. Two new terraces are being added to extend the gardens (left) towards the South.
Here, everything is done ‘bit by bit’, and from early Spring each year, friends and student volunteers visit (via helpx.net and wwoof.org) to enjoy the HoBB Gardens and lend a hand with restoration and construction plans.
Garden Phase I – the harmony of Wood with Stone
Many elements are working in unison to create the HoBB. The ‘five early elements’ of EARTH, WOOD, WATER . FIRE & METAL are all here to be enjoyed at the HoBB. Certainly all FLORA, and FAUNA, have increased since we started to put our energies into the gardens. We have created a range of new ‘habitats’ for wildlife from ‘land reefs’ to ‘stone shelters’. More are planned so that the land provides food, shelter, niche habitats and wide variety of conditions for landscape harmony.
We keep track of what we are achieving using a large 300+ section grid of the site. As it is too large to view on your screen in any useful size, here is an example of fifteen of the sections: (shown below in a small scale)
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