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Our lovely relic

The Periploca graeca (silk vine) is our relic from Peto’s enormous treillage pergolas across the croquet lawn. It is covered in these lovely small purple flowers, which then turn into oversized silk lined seed pods. It is in a lovely shady spot, so ...

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The wonder of alliums

This week volunteers worked really hard to ready the Gardens for the Open Day this Sunday, 22 June. Weeding to allow the alliums to get star billing. Also looking lovely are the last tulips, the first roses and the helianthemum borders in the Italian gard ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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Beautiful buds

Have you ever noticed that buds are as beautiful as the leaves or flowers that follow? This week volunteers got a few jobs done before the winds grew stronger and the Gardens had to be closed. We have lost trees already this year and cannot leave voluntee ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...