Deck the halls with boughs of holly

Deck the halls with boughs of holly

As I write this, the late autumn rain is falling, and the wind is blowing hard but in the next few weeks we will reach the Winter Solstice – the turning point of the year!  Winter Solstice  Solstice comes from the Latin ‘sol’ – sun...
Summertime & the Potatoes are Flowering

Summertime & the Potatoes are Flowering

Ripen in the Sun  In every garden and municipal border roses, irises, clematis and lupins are flowering, vegetables are maturing and in sunny corners, the blackcurrants are beginning to bruise over as the deep purple-black colour begins to appear; raspberries...
Are the Fairies ‘Singin’ in the Rain’?

Are the Fairies ‘Singin’ in the Rain’?

Unusually, for early June it has been raining a lot recently but when out and about, it seems to me that many of our wild animals don’t seem to mind this too much and some creatures and plants positively thrive in the damp, cooler weather. I have watched on an almost...
“Voices of Spring”

“Voices of Spring”

We have been pruning apple trees this week. Not just any old apple trees but the old, gnarled, overgrown, Victorian trees planted in the Walled Garden and at other places on the Estate. Mature trunks!  It feels wrong to cut good healthy wood from living trees,...
Sleeping Giants

Sleeping Giants

“If you have nothing to do, go plant a tree and it will grow while you sleep” Hard-working Team All our gardening work is carried out by a hard-working, cheery team of volunteers who have put in many hours of work, in all weather conditions, to start to bring about...
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