January 2008
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The Snowdrops are already quite advanced following the very mild and wet weather since the new year,
it has also meant slow progress with several projects but work to clear the castle ruins and winter
garden is almost complete. Where old evergreens have been removed smaller winter interest shrubs,
Hellebores & Snowdrops are being planted.
We now have a little over a week to prepare the gardens for the Snowdrop openings, much of the time is
taken up with clearing and spreading sharp sand over paths to try to keep them from becoming too muddy.
The walled garden is too wet to work in but last years autumn sown vegetables are growing well & the Chillis
sown before Christmas have germinated.
Nature Notes.
The mild weather means there has been little activity around the bird feeders in the walled garden but
two Marsh Tits have been regular visitors, although seen and heard regularly in the grounds this is the first time
they have been seen feeding on the Black Sunflower seeds..
Redwings & Fieldfares are in the orchard taking advantage of the many windfall apples, Brambling and Siskin
plus several large flocks of Goldfinch are seen in the garden most days. It's not just the plants that think
spring has arrived early, Kestrels and Buzzards are already displaying & Woodpeckers have started their terriorial
drumming on dead wood in the Oaks behind the gardens .
The photos below include the castle ruin, Viburnum tinus "Eve Price" and close ups of Galanthus plicatus "Diggory" &
Cyclamen coum "Maurice Dryden"
Gardener's Diary - February 2008
Record numbers of visitors enjoyed the Snowdrops in some fine spring weather over the last three weeks,
the mild spell also means the Scillas and Daffodils are well advanced and should provide a nice display
in time for Easter, although the Snowdrops around the ruin & moat are more famous the Scillas are just as
impressive.
The collection of named Snowdrops has increased well this year through swapping some of our more unusual varities
plus trips to Colesborne Park, Snape Cottage & several private gardens. Single new bulbs are potted for the first year
& others have been planted in new beds in the walled garden. Planting of the new beds is going well & we hope to
have created a good display of Snowdrops, hellebores and winter flowering/interest shrubs within a few years.
Nature Notes.
A few Siskins have been visiting the feeders recently, these small finches are usually only around the gardens
for a few weeks each year in spring. The resident Buzzards have been calling and displaying around gardens, at least
two pairs are known to nest on the estate, a Red Kite has also been see nearby.
Mowing at this time of year can be slow work with stopping to move many Frogs and Toads that are already making their
way back to the ponds, the early spawning doesn't seem to affect them, last year the gardens were covered in huge numbers
of tiny Frogs & Toads when they all left the water over a few days.
The photos below include an early morning view across the car park, Helleborus orientalis, Crocus tommasinianus and
Prunus cerasifera 'Atropurpurea'
Gardener's Diary - March 2008
This years Snowdrop season was the most successful in the gardens history with record numbers of visitors
enjoying some particularly mild weather. Unfortunately the brief white Easter spoiled the display of Scillas and Daffodils
and caused us to close on the Sunday, the large Magnolia in the courtyard which flowered early only just recovered before being hit by
a second fall of snow.
Several restoration projects are underway, a section of the flint wall which runs along the top of the moat
collapsed in February and is currently being repaired, A sycmaore had to be felled to prevent further damage
by roots, the large Urn at the end of the moat has also had a makeover.
Vegetable planting is underway in the kitchen garden, we aim to plant most of the beds by the second May Bank Holiday,
some plants are raised indoors in pots and trays to give them an early start.
Nature Notes.
A few migrants returned in mid March, Chiffchaffs are usually the first to arrive with Blackcaps not far behind, most
of the winter Thrushes have gone apart from a few small flocks of Fieldfares flying over. By the end of the month
Frogs and Toads had spawned in the ponds,.
The photos below include scillas in the orchard, Allium paradoxum, Viburnum carlesii and Anemones in the wild flower lawn.
Gardener's Diary - April 2008
The next few months are the busiest in the garden, the warm weather bringing an explosion of weeds
& rapid growth on the lawns, as soon as the weather permits all the formal grass around the house is
given a weed/feed/mosskill treatment. Work has started in the huge double herbaceous borders, at this
time of year it is mainly weeding (which takes several days), planting & cutting back some of the more
prolific plants to stop them swamping their neighbours.
In the kitchen garden all of last years late sown crops (Broad Beans, Garlic etc) are looking well, a
new Asparagus bed constructed from old railway sleepers will be finished this month, the old beds were
producing very few spears & have been removed as part of the redesign.
The various restoration projects in the garden are going well, the damaged section of flint wall along
the top of the moat has had to be completely demolished and will be put back up, the Urn is now finished
and looks like new, Shylocks plinth has been reseated, this has been done mainly to level it and remove
some old unslightly concrete, once finshed a new bed will be planted around the base.
Nature Notes.
The first Cuckoo was heard on April 16th, our Swallows which nest in the stables returned a few days
later, elsewhere on the estate several Wheatears have been seen. The warmer weather at the end of the
month also saw many more Butterflies, Brimstones and smaller Orange-Tips are usually the first to
appear in numbers.
For the first time in several years a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker has been calling & drumming in the
park behind the garden, they used to be regular visitors to the Sycamores around the moat in early
spring but are becoming scarce, this is often the only time they are seen or heard, even when making
a lot of noise being not much bigger than a Sparrow & very elusive they can be difficult to find.
Most of last years Barn Owl nest sites near the gardens are now occupied by Jackdaws but at least one
pair is still known to be in one of the boxes on the estate, several new boxes have recently been put
up and we hope the second pair which nested for the first time next year may still be in the area. The
warmer evenings also saw in increase in the number of bats around the gardens, in the last survey
carried out in summer 2006 of the 17 species found in the UK 8 were detected using echolocation
equipment, a ninth was thought to be present but not confirmed.
The photos below include a Common Frog, Snakes-Head Fritillary, Pelargonium "Ardens" & the April Snow.
Gardener's Diary - May 2008
The 750 Chilli plants for this years Festival arrived at the end of the month, they come in plugs
and have to be potted into 2 Litre pots then kept in the polytunnel for the rest of the summer giving
them plenty of water & liquid feed. .
In the kitchen garden most of the veg has been sown/planted with Climbing French beans and Celeriac
the last to go in once the risk of frost has gone. The wet weather has created some problems with keeping
on top of the mowing & delayed starting to cut the large areas of long grass (bulb ground) around the house..
Despite the heavy rain the Rose Garden and Herbaceous borders are looking very good at the moment, on the
plus side the moisture means everything should be looking nice for this years Floral Festival at the end
of the month..
Nature Notes.
All of the summer migrant birds have returned, Turtle Doves & Spotted Flycatchers are usually the last but their
numbers have been dropping for many years and only a few pairs now nest in and around the gardens. In the
fields behind the gardens there are very good numbers of Hares this year but are now hard to spot in the
long grass.
The brief spell of warm dry weather saw the first Dragon & Damselflies but the wetter end to the month
has meant little activity around the ponds, some species are increasing with good numbers of Red-eyed
and Large Red Damselfly, the first Dragonfly was a Broad-bodied Chaser. In good years most of the 19 species
regularly seen in the county can be found around the ponds between May & October, a new Gallery is currently
under construction here
The photos below include Blue-tailed (rufescens) & Red-eyed Damselfy, and Orange Tip & Speckled Wood Butterlies.