October 2020

Our favourite

Our scarlet oak is so photogenic, in autumn but also in spring, and this year it and other oaks, beeches and chestnuts have produced loads of fruit. A bountiful year such as this is known as a “mast year”, the last one was 2017. The Woodland T ...

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A topsy turvy year

As we come towards the end of the season, with our final Open Day on Sunday 11 October, our plants keep reminding us what a strange year it has been. The handkerchief tree is a case in point – it scarcely flowered in the Spring, but is now flowering ...

town twinning

Dunmow twinners

Dunmow-Dourdan Town Twinning Association stalwarts enjoyed a socially distanced picnic at the Gardens this week in perfect weather. Hopefully in 2021 they will once again be able to entertain their guests from the mediaeval capital of Hurepoix in the Ile- ...

Sept 2020

Warm not icy

The Hylotelephium spectabile in the Italian Garden are looking lovely in the autumn sunshine. It does seem strange that they are commonly known as “ice plant”.  Their succulent leaves, I suppose, being grey could be said to look icy. And we do ...

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Stocking up

What a lovely Open Day we had last Sunday – we welcomed many first time visitors to the Gardens as well as regulars and the rain held off till nearly closing time. The Woodland Trust and Essex Wildlife Trust volunteers enjoyed talking to visitors to ...

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Another little stepping stone

Our next big restoration project will be the balustrading around the lilypond. But while we are putting the plans for that into place and fundraising for it, we have funded the laying of a few additional slabs to make it easier to cross from the restored ...

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Veg aplenty

It was so lovely to greet our first visitors to the Gardens since lockdown eased and to have a good selection of veg on offer for them. Our volunteers enjoyed the opportunity to chat to the visitors as they explored the Gardens. Maybe the sun will also sh ...

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The battle against box moths

Box tree caterpillars can eat their way through all the leaves on box bushes/trees and there can be 2 or 3 caterpillar hatchings a year. The moths were first reported in Britain in 2007 and are now widespread in London and the South East, so we have been ...

bty

We’re getting ready

well, nearly ready, for the snowdrop open days on 16 and 23 February. Spring cleaning of Daisy’s will be the last job on the list, but we are crossing off the rest: this week, painting the viewing platform at the bottom of the glade, next week finis ...