16th March 2025

 Welcome back to our garden.

We have not been idle whilst closed with not only the plants to look after but general maintenance-old path edges to be replaced, trellis and wires supporting roses improved, the Potting Shed had a replacement safe second floor for more storage and stream sides replaced or shored up. For safety reasons 2 dead trees have been removed – (always need permission!) but sliced to make the new path to the Greenhouse and their bark chip put onto paths.

In the Vegetable Garden we are putting up supports for the plants being sown in the Greenhouse but we are still harvesting Chard, some Cabbage and we have already started eating the Rhubarb. Soon it will be time for the Purple Sprouting Broccoli – still growing in the raspberry cage where it is protected from the pigeons and pheasants.

The Greenhouse is full to bursting and we have just put outside the Tulip pots and Oleander to harden up before going into the Urns on the West lawn.

The Dell has been a beautiful mass of snowdrops with aconites and cyclamen. The Bluebells are already peeping through but the Camomile has again suffered from rabbits despite being fenced??!!

It’s daffodil time!. Our first Daffodil of the year is Narcissus Pseudocarissus which comes up in the Wild Garden then the lovely little Tete a Tete along the path beside the Stream. We have 49 varieties throughout the garden, the yellow appearing first and then the empty looking gaps filled by the white and multicoloured varieties. They start to flower in February then continue well into May but cannot be cut until all have died down- usually July, so we encourage Cow Parsley to hide the dying plants.

The water table is high at the moment and the Bog garden has its Iris under water. We have removed the Willow which fell into the Bog last season.

Hellibores are flowering in the Water garden and the early Primroses and Primula are appearing. While you are in this area don’t miss the steps into the Laurel Hideaway- which is where our old Compost Heap used to be, nor our newer Composting area.

The blue Scilla flowers are covering the soil in the West lawn, the Nut walk has had its annual MOT, and please keep to the grass path in the Wild garden where a walk through will take you down to the giant “Snowflake”- just coming into flower on the edge of the Moat, and past the anemone , fritillaria and primroses yet to appear.

“If you can create a garden that’s good for Wildlife it’s good for you” to quote Mont Don. Interesting. We host mice, rats, rabbits, moles, muntjac, pigeons, pheasant and currently grey lag geese and I don’t think we are always singing from the same hymn sheet.

Stay healthy and good gardening

Lynda Tucker