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 ...

Dig for Victory

RHS exhibition put in place

Despite the heat this week, we got some tidying done in advance of the Open Day on Sunday and today we put the RHS exhibition in place. At the Open Day we will remember the role of the Countess and Gardens in WWI and the men and women of the airbase in WW ...

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Dead hedging

Steven, Carolyn, Sue and I made a start on a dead hedge in the proposed new orchard corner of the walled kitchen garden. A dead hedge is a great way to create a new feature, tidying the area, while locking away the carbon in the wood. And we have plenty o ...

tulips apr 2020

Prinz Armin to cheer us

Sue planted these gorgeous tulips to provide colour for the April open day and they are blooming on schedule! The National Trust provide a lovely history of tulips on their website, charting their origin as wild flowers in Asia, through the Dutch Tulipman ...

cherry 9 april 2020

Sakura

This cherry blossom (sakura) is in the kitchen garden and cherries will soon be blossoming also in the Glade and Italian garden. Our local Trustees will enjoy their Hanami in isolation! Did you know that the Japanese tradition of ‘hanami’ (which translate ...

bty

Our national champion

Never mind the snow and the very wet Garden, our Easton Countess is on her way to becoming a national champion! The Tree Register keep a database of trees, which due to their height or girth are county or national champions. As the Easton Countess apple t ...

bty

Engineers as well as gardeners

Our volunteers are a talented bunch – here, John and Stephen are making great progress installing a ramp into the Italian Garden so that volunteers can wheel their barrows in and out and avoid bumping up and down the newly restored steps! We were vi ...

bty

Cherry plum jam this year perhaps?

Hopefully a few jars of jam. But it will take some time before this cherry plum tree gives us the 10 bushels of cherry plums that the September 1886 Journal of Horticulture and Cottage Gardening reported had been picked in a year in our walled Garden! Tha ...

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The black arts of compost

Compost is universally prized in the Gardens, but how to make it is more controversial! Today was the day for turning one bin over into the next, to mix it, and hopefully accelerate it; whilst making space for more in the emptied bin. We are also agreeing ...