19th September 2021

Welcome to the last few visiting days of 2021.

The Vegetable Garden is still producing well but beans are a thing of the past (left for their seed) and root vegetables are coming into their own. The Sweet Corn will soon be finished and will be taken out as beneath it Squash have been growing and they will want to see some sun. Leeks are doing well and the Beetroot need pulling up before they get too woody.

The yellow clematis in the Vegetable garden is Tangutica -sometimes called the “golden clematis”

Tomatoes are still being picked from the Greenhouse along with Peppers.

Cyclamen Hederifolium are appearing in the Dell – not to be confused with C. Coum which is flowers from January to March. It is a welcome splash of colour and spreads well in the shade.

The polythene sheets have been put over newly sown grass- not only does it keep the birds off but acts like a little greenhouse giving the seed some warmth to germinate.

We have fed the bulbs in the Daffodil area with blood fish and bone and the recent rains have helped to wash the feed in.

The Bog Garden still has lots of colour and the leaves of the Sumac ( Rhus Typhina Staghorn Sumac) and Parrotia Persica are changing colour

The pink flowers along the wall as you cross the Moat are Nerines

In the West lawn there are Dahlia and anemone but my favourite plant is Lespendeza Thunbergii with its long branches of pretty pink flowers- just by the Bay tree

Please keep behind the ropes on the East Lawn- the lovely purple Colchicums are coming up and the buds appear before the leaves so they are easy to trample- not for nothing are they called “Naked ladies”

Sadly no further sightings of our swans but the otter was seen in the garden again last week

Stay healthy and good gardening

Lynda Tucker