20211014_134628

Larking

We get a lot done on volunteer days at the Gardens – and have fun too! This week we spread out around the Gardens in a big push to tidy up and get ready for this Sunday’s final Open Day of the season. We have picked and cleaned the pumpkins an ...

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 ...

20210708_115708

What a picture!

We mostly had a lovely day for Essex Gardens Trust‘s Tour and Draw group and they spread around the Gardens, sketching with charcoal. It is inspiring to see what others can do!! Meanwhile, we managed our first big picking of fruit for jellies and ja ...

20210624_140555

Beautiful borders

Just in time for the Open Day on Sunday 27 June, the borders in the walled kitchen garden and the Italian garden are becoming more colourful by the day. The veg beds are also filling up and today we had our first pickings of baby carrots and beetroot, cha ...

20210617_153141

What a welcome!

The Gardens are shaping up for being at their most gorgeous on the 27 June Open Day. These roses literally shine out from under the trees around the car park, particularly on a gloomy day! And the Italian garden is looking stunning. It is invideous to nam ...

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Glorious bugs

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 ...

20210412_103146

Re-opening at last!

This week it was all hands on deck to get the Gardens ready for the first visitors of the season. More grass cutting; edge trimming; weeding; sweeping of the treehouse and paths; transplanting of primroses; and filling of the flower vases. Carolyn spring- ...

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 ...