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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 ...

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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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Grass vetchling

We first found the grass vetchling at the Gardens a few years ago. It is a firm favourite now, flowering alongside the wild orchids in the Glade. At our Open Day on 27 June we will also celebrate the bugs, bees and birds at the Gardens, with Jono Forgham ...

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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 ...

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Kim’s story

At this Sunday’s Open Day, 23 May, we will be remembering the Countess of Warwick’s love of animals and just in time we have put in place an information board about her baby elephant, Kim. A storyteller will weave tales for children and the ch ...

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Smiling in the rain!

It was wet this week – hurrah! And the risk of frosts is now hopefully gone too. With that and all the hard work of volunteers, by the 23 May Open Day the walled kitchen garden should be starting to look a lot fuller. This week Geoff and Carol helpe ...

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Prunus Kansan

When the sun has shone, it has been a lovely week. The rains have refreshed things a little and the blossom is beautiful, including this flowering cherry. There was lots of work this week in the walled kitchen garden. When the frosts finish, we will be on ...

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The new season’s joy

What a joyous Open Day we had on Sunday – the sun shone all day and the Gardens were looking beautiful, with late daffodils and narcissi and early tulips and tree blossom everywhere. We are now looking forward to the rest of the season and next year ...

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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- ...

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Spring chores

Volunteers worked hard today, tidying the Gardens ready for the first Open Day of the year on 18 April. Maggie and Lesley cleaned the information boards ready for them to be rehung. Primroses now welcome visitors to the Gardens, in the front entrance bed. ...

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Making a warm welcome

The Gardens were gorgeous today: almost peak daffodils and violets, and the first of the cowslips and lots of beautiful blossom. Sam and Roy worked really hard building this log wall – helped by Steven, carting some of the logs on the Honda that he ...