At our next Open Day we will celebrate the bugs and other wildlife in the Gardens, with Jono Forgham on hand to lead nature walks and other activities and Essex Bat Group telling all about the bats in the Gardens. Our wildflower banks had snowdrops, then bluebells and are now awash with cowparsley studded with pink campion and with a few orchids now emerging.
The weeds are also growing apace, so this week volunteers were focused on tidying. There was some more planting too, of veg, border perennials and rosemary cuttings to replace the herb border hedges, which were hit by the cold weather earlier in the year.
The Italian garden is looking stunning at the moment, with many colours of waterlily coming out, chasers and damselflies darting around and surrounded by the newly restored balustrade; beds in a host of colours edged with bright helianthemum; and borders with the electric green of the euphorbia setting off the vibrant yellows and purples of the roses and other border flowers. It was a joy to welcome visitors to see it.
