Gardener's Diary - January 2009
To view 2008 entries click here.
Despite long spells of very cold & wet weather the gardens are almost ready for the Snowdrop openings, although
very few clumps are flowering having been held back by the freeze in the new year, and at the time of writing the forecast is for
very cold winds and heavy snow.
The cold weather did allow for some much needed clearing jobs to completed around the Lordship, Shylock & Summer House. More named
Snowdrops have been planted around the pool area, planting will start this year to create a big drift of Mighty Atom
under a Rose hedge, more areas of the walled garden will be planted as soon as the weather improves.
Nature Notes
Large numbers of Fieldfares & Blackbirds were feeding in the orchard in the new year, several were ringed along with a male Sparrowhawk,
the feeders in the walled garden have been very busy, the highlight being a large flock of Goldfinch attracted by Nyjer seed. For most of the month
a flock of 100+ Skylarks has been seen on the estate, flocks are common in hard weather but have not been seen here in such numers for
many years.
The photos below are from the new year ringing session, a male Sparrowhawk, Fieldfare & Goldfinch..
Gardener's Diary - February 2009
The heavy snow at the start of the month was very disruptive, work all but completely halted fot two weeks & we were unable
to open for Snowdrops for the first of our three weeks, the snow had not completely melted until after the second weekend, luckily
the weather stayed dry and mostly mild until the garden closed, despite the cold & wet the Snowdrops looked as good as ever.
We now have a lot of catching up to do before April, including a lot of pruning, planting and sowing early veg, plus several days
lifting and splitting Snowdrops to spread them to other areas of the gardens and a few places where they're looking a bit bare.
Nature Notes
The feeders in the walled garden were very busy in the cold snap, later in the month the first signs of spring were Hares starting to box,
and some birds starting to display and checking out nest boxes, on the odd warm sunny days Bats were regularly seen flying around the
courtyard.
The photos below are from the heavy snow and Snowdrop walk.
Gardener's Diary - March 2009
Despite the weather the Snowdrops held up well and many continued to flower well into this month, much of the garden is now rapidly
turning blue & yellow with carpets of Scilla bithynica and numerous clumps of many different Daffodils.
Most of March will be spent catching up with pruning jobs & preparing the ground in the walled garden for the first planting
of early veg.
Nature Notes
Frogs and Toads have returned to spawn in the ponds by the end of the month and a pair of Mandarin Ducks were
seen by the ponds very early one morning, a first for the gardens.
The photos below inlcude Scilla bithynica, a view over the main lawn, G. nivalis "Greenish" & G. pliactus "
Wendy's Gold"
Gardener's Diary - April/May 2009
The warm spell in April as always led to rapid growth all over the gardens, with little frost the large herbaceous borders
are already flilling out and showing the first signs of colour, weeding and staking takes several weeks to complete & is usually
finished mid May..
Grass cutting takes up a lot of time during late spring & early summer, most of the formal grass will given a weed/feed/moss kill treatment
to get get the lawns back into condition after the winter. In the kitchen garden most of the early veg is sown indoors to get an earlier start
allowing most of the beds to be planted by the second May bank holiday.
Nature Notes
By the third week of April most of the summer migrants had returned & a brief spell of warm weather saw the first Demselfies of the year.
Early signs are there are at least two pairs of breeding Barn Owls on the estate with a possible third occupying another box.
The photos below inlcude views in the Rose Garden, Magnolia soulangiana "Alba" and Scillas on the Snowdrop Walk.
Gardener's Diary - June/July 2009
Early summer is always the busiest time of year & the frequent heavy downpours have kept everything growing very fast throughout the month. 1300
Chilli plants arrived in late May and potted straight into 2 litre pots for selling at this years festival. The kitchen garden is now almost fully
planted despite the efforts of an army of slugs & snails.
Most of long grass around the house has been cut now the bulb foliage has withered & died, a few areas are left later for wildlife and to allow wild
flowers to seed.
Nature Notes
A single Bee Orchid was found growing in the grounds, there are several small colonies on the estate & it is hoped this one will increase,
only one of the two pairs of Barn Owls have been successful this year hatching a brood of four chicks. Two Red Kites have been seen over the fields
behind the gardens recently & a Raven made a brief appearance early one morning. Although Damselfly numbers have been good in May/June the number of
larger Dragonflies seems very low.
The photos below inlcude a Bee Orchid, Tulip Tree, Herbaceous borders and a Cinnabar Moth.
Gardener's Diary - August 2009
This years Chilli Festival was another big success with 5000+ visitors enjoying the produce over two rain free days. Much of August is taken up with
preparing for the event and starting to cut the many Yew hedges, as with previous years keeping on top of the grass cutting has been very difficult again
with the long spells of warm & wet weather.
Nature Notes
Of the two pairs of Barn Owls only one was successful this year, three chicks fledged from a nest box at the end of the month. A young Little Egret made a
brief visit to the gardens & the Red Kites continued to fly around the area for most of the month, often appearing with numerous Buzzards. Most of the Martins &
Swallows have now left, activity on the bird feeders is also starting to pick up after the usual quieter spell during the nesting season.
The photos below inlcude a Common Toad, The House and the Chilli Festival.
Gardener's Diary - October 2009
The big Autumn tidy up started in the Rose Garden with several quite overgrown beds being cleared & large clumps of perennials lifted and split. Work has also started
to repair damaged stonework on the main steps by the house, Ivy had been grown over the steps for years and had caused quite a lot of damage.After completing cutting the
Yew hedges all the formal grass has been scarified while the ground is still relatively dry.
Nature Notes
The first winter migrants arrived late in the month with small flocks of Redwings arriving to feed on the berries, a Raven has been seen regularly for the last few months..
The photos below include male Sparrowhawk, Blackcap, Jay and Red Admiral.
Gardener's Diary - November 2009
To view previous entries click here.
Most of this month is spent clearing the huge double herbaceous borders & leaves, all of which go into large compost bins for a year to be used for mulching.
Most of the beds in the kitchen garden will be double dug this year, over wintering Broad Beans have been planted, these usually give a much better crop than
spring sown beans here. The first Snowdrops are already starting to appear in several parts of garden, weather permitting some varieties will be flowering soon after
christmas.
Nature Notes
The Raven is still being seen regularly over the gardens and nearby woods, the first flock of Siskins & a few Brambling were seen at the end of the month.
The photos below include Cotinus leaf, Mirror carp, Courtyard & Black Berries..
Gardener's Diary - December 2009
The year ended as it began with the second heavy snowfall which halted work just before Christmas. Several projects are under way including restoration of
the main steps by the veranda, which had been damaged by Ivy & the building of a bridge over the small pools in what used to be the Rock Garden, the paths in
this area are also being redesigned.
The Snowdrops are coming through fast after the snow thawed, early varieties should be in flower within a few weeks.
Nature Notes
The spell of colder weather at the end of the month bought in plenty of winter Thrushes to feed on windfalls in the orchard, despite the cold snap Hares in the fields
above the gardens have already started to "box".
The photos below are of the December snow.