My Role as a CWGC Gardener This Summer

CWGC gardener Michael Pettifer writes about the summer tasks that have kept him busy at war grave sites across the East Midlands in recent months.

Summer horticulture with Mike Pettifer

Following on from my previous blog about preparing for the Spring season as a CWGC gardener, I’m happy to get the chance to share an update on the work I’ve been doing at my sites this summer.

At the time of writing, southern Europe is experiencing record-breaking temperatures, with Sardinia in Italy reaching 48 degrees Celsius. Luckily, we have no such problems this year in the UK – the last two weeks have seen temperatures around 20 degrees and that’s perfect gardening weather in my opinion.

Summer schedule

Image: Mike with his mower. Thanks for all your hard work, Mike!

Learning on the job

Being a gardener for the CWGC is all about continuing to learn throughout my career - I’ll never know it all, but that’s something I like about working in horticulture.

I spent a day working at Lincoln Cemetery alongside my manager recently, which was a good opportunity to pick his brain. One thing he suggested was that I try using a three-prong hand cultivator – a simple tool that will be in many garden sheds – when tackling border work.

I immediately saw the benefit of using this tool, both as a time saver and to improve the aesthetic of the border overall. It provides an efficient way to quickly uproot perennial weeds, while also helping to maintain deeper and more defined gulleys at the edge of borders – something that is important for presentation standards and maintaining a defined edge.

Continued learning also means taking part in regular training. I’m excited to be part of the first intake for the CWGC’s new internal training modules, which are now rolling out to team members across the UK. 

The training will consist of three qualifications culminating in a level 3 diploma. The courses are tailor-made to teach the specific skills and knowledge that CWGC gardeners need to do the job well, and the hope is that this training will help us to address the unique horticultural challenges that working at war grave sites pose.

Important Summer Events

Image: Mark's attention to detail on borders and planting ensures our sites look beautiful ahead of any events.

While I have my own sites that I manage and maintain on a regular basis, I also occasionally assist colleagues at their sites to help prepare for events.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days helping a colleague at Newark Cemetery in preparation for an event where the statue of Polish war hero General Wladyslaw Sikorski was to be unveiled.

I helped put the finishing touches to the site by applying mushroom compost to the borders, clearing paths of weeds, and doing general tidy-up duties to ensure the site was looking at its best.

Hundreds of people attended the unveiling of the statue of the famed Polish wartime Prime Minister and armed forces commander, and it was nice to see the immaculate site on the local news segment East Midlands Today and to know that I played a part in preparing it.

Making time for machinery maintenance

Image: Maintaining our horticultural means maintaining our machinery too!

My machinery and gardening equipment see many hours of use over the summer months, so it’s important that I find time to repair, replace, and sharpen where necessary. A rainy day is the perfect time to get around to this.

I attended a CWGC course on basic machinery maintenance in Harrogate in early Spring, which taught me some important skills and helped me gain more confidence in looking after my own machinery. 

The stormy weather in the last few weeks has allowed me time to carry out blade changes on my mower and edger, something that is important to do regularly to ensure a clean cut. I aim to replace blades every couple of months at this time of year.

I’ve also made time to change the oil in my machines, as well as replace broken starter cords, clean filters, and sharpen my hedge trimmer.

Planning ahead

Image: Planning ahead ends in our stunning sites. Another big thanks to Mike and the CWGC horticultural team for all their incredible hard work.

As a CWGC gardener, I am encouraged to think ahead at this time of year in order to plan for any renovation work that needs to be completed in Autumn and Winter. 

This work might include the closing in of borders so that they meet width requirements, identifying turf repairs where seeding or returfing is necessary, or planning for border replanting where there are gaps that need filling.

‘Gapping up’ not only adds interest to the borders and makes them look fuller and more complete, but it also improves weed suppression – a bonus for any gardener. A dense coverage of strong, healthy plants will outcompete smaller weeds in the border and make my job easier in the long run.

I also take time to plan where any new plants will come from. It is much better for me to lift and divide existing plants where possible, rather than regularly ordering new plants from nurseries.

It makes sense to use our existing stock of plants, not only because it’s quicker and the exact species and cultivars are often readily available, but because it also reduces our carbon footprint as an organisation by reducing the number of deliveries of new plants.

Certain herbaceous plants such as Sempervivum, Saxofrage, and Chiastophyllum and relatively easy to lift and divide, and then use to fill gaps where they fit existing plant designs.

The summer months are generally a great time to get out and visit CWGC sites across the country. The borders are at their fullest and most colourful at this time of year, and I’m sure you’ll be able to see why I enjoy working on them so much. 

Don’t hesitate to say stop and say hello if you see me out and about working this summer!