20220505_110305_resized

It’s raining gold

The laburnum walk is looking spectacular – confusingly there are two different trees that are sometimes called Golden Rain trees. The Gardens also had the other one, the Koelreuteria paniculata, or Pride of India, but it was lost and the replacement ...

IMG-20220428-WA0001

It is bluebell season!

The current seasonal joy is bluebells – we have them in the Glade and these white bluebells in the bed near the entry! The Gardens are greening up every day now, with the leaves on the acers the definite winners for colour and the walnuts the most s ...

20220331_144647

After the blizzard, the sun shone!

Unexpectedly today the sun was warm for volunteers and visitors who found sheltered spots in the Italian Garden and the walled kitchen garden. The daffodils were looking a bit sorry for themselves, flattened by the wind, but they usually bounce back. And ...

20220324_105813

Daffodils everywhere!

It was another gorgeous Thursday for volunteers and visitors – sunny and warm. So, we managed to finish most of the season’s tree planting, including a new Taxodium distichum (marsh cypress) in a boggy area at the bottom of the Glade, as well ...

20220317_130615

What a glorious day

We were delighted to be joined today by 11 new volunteers. They were treated to a gorgeous sunny and warm day, of pruning and weed clearance from the lilypond in the Italian garden and sowing of carrots, beetroot and herbs in the walled kitchen garden, as ...

Feb 22

Woodchips galore

The one good thing about storms is that the fallen trees generate plenty of woodchips to spread to soak up the puddles. That’s OK for the car park, but it doesn’t help with the waterlogged grass of the croquet lawn and the Glade, so with huge ...

509. DSC_0728

A lovely snowdrop Thursday

Many visitors enjoyed the first ever Snowdrop Thursday this week. They sensibly came prepared for all weathers and there was a very chill wind blowing across the overflow carparking on the airfield road. But the Gardens have some shelter and later in the ...

027 2022 02 10

Snowdrops in the green

What a busy day… lifting snowdrops in the green ready for sale at the first Snowdrop Open Day, this Sunday 13th February, and lots and lots of tidying of the Gardens so they look at their best. The snowdrops are bang on schedule, with swathes fully ...

DSC_0162

The snowdrops are coming!

The snowdrops are everywhere – they have spread and we have helped them along! Yesterday Petra was at the Gardens and set up this lovely photo of snowdrops on one of the old brackets in the kitchen wall. Her photocards will be on sale at the Gardens ...

20220120_101918

Dead, crossed or poor shape

Neil helped us prune the apples and pears this week. My recollection of his key messages: first cut out dead wood; then take out branches which cross; and finally focus on the shape of the tree – with the aim of opening up the centre to allow air to ...

20220113_105349

New year, new home

Sue, new volunteer Jo, and Peter took the opportunity of lovely weather and relatively soft soil on Thursday to move these cornus bushes from their nursery bed to the winter walk. Meanwhile others gave a new home to snowdrops recovered from a compost pile ...