27th April 2025

Welcome

With no sign of rain, we have started to cut the Box in the Vegetable Garden.

We are harvesting Rhubarb, Asparagus, Chard and Broccoli. The Potatoes are showing through the soil, and they are mounded over to exclude the light. Sweet Peas and our Mummies Peas have been planted against the frames and we have some salad seeds in the ground. You will see we use a perforated hose around the frames for watering.

In the Greenhouse the more tender plants have been moved outside to a sheltered position and trays full of germinating seeds are taking their place.

The Dell is looking wild and full of colour with both white, blue and pink “Bluebells” and the wild Honesty flourishing.

The Daffodils are dying down and we encourage Cowslips and Cow Parsley to cover and provide interest as they die back. We haven’t lost yellow from the gardens. In the daffodil area our earliest rose, Canary Bird is in full flower and the Bog Garden is awash with Caltha Palustris (Marsh Marigolds). The yellow tree Paeonia are flowering and on the front of the Hall the delicate rosa Banksiae Lutea is in flower.  The bright yellow flowers of Euphorbia Esula is eye catching in  the West Lawn flower  beds. Dandelions are everywhere and if you were to walk along the pleached hornbeam the pasture on your right is covered with them. It’s a bumper year.

The Spring Bulbs are dying back in the Wild Garden and the Ox Eye Daisy is poised to take over. The Quince Tree is in full flower but the ancient Mulberry is taking his time.

The star of the garden at present is the lilac-purple flowers of the Paulownia in the Daffodil area with its panicles of foxglove-like flowers. Its not seen very often in gardens but we planted this about 20 years ago and look how it rewards us.

The Wisteria on the front of the Hall is in flower and the Tulips along the wall are Queen of the Night.

Wildlife continues to flourish here. Rabbits have removed the heads of the tulips in the Orchard but hopefully now have enough grass to desist. The Greylag Goose is still sitting on 6 eggs in the Urn that was planted with tulips and 2 of the other Urns have less advanced nests with 1 egg laid in each. We have many birds in the gardens and the dawn birdsong is wonderful. Not so wonderful is the dawn bark of the Muntjac- chased out of the garden last week. The Heron has been spotted but the Carp in the Moat are hopefully too large to lift. We have seen eel and there is lots of tadpoles in the Fishponds.

The sluice gate in the Fishponds has sprung a leak. At last we have managed to get the right clay to seal it and return the ponds to the right water level- work in progress.

Stay healthy and good gardening

Lynda Tucker