Topical tips for September

When the weather is hot keep those greenhouses cool with shading, and damping down of the paths.

Continue to pick runner beans etc. in the kitchen garden. It is not too late to sow quick crops of radish etc.

Dead heading the herbaceous borders will prolong the display, but if you want to save seed, don't forget to leave some flowerheads uncut!

It is not too late to cut back unruly wisteria, trimming off the wispy bits to 5 leaves, and tying in any branches to fill gaps.

It is still possible to take cuttings from the more tender varieties such as penstemon and salvia.
Continue to trim hedges. Putting a sheet down first to catch the clippings will make clearing up a lot quicker.

Animal & Conservatory Rescue

At the beginning of the month Mike found a very young hedgehog in the copse. (See pic.) It was tiny, cold, wet and all on its own. The mother was nowhere to be found. Mike took it to Claire the gate girl, who tried to warm it up and clean it. She noticed that it was covered in eggs, and spent quite some time with a donated toothbrush and some cotton buds, removing them. Then she phoned the Worcester Hedgehog Rescue, who came and collected it. The good news is that they were able to save it, and will return it in about 3 weeks when it has put some weight on. ( I call it 'it' as I have no idea how you tell the gender of a baby hedgehog. Hopefully we will be told all about her/him when he/she returns home.)

The conservatory is well under way to being completely renovated. All the old panels have been removed now, the original frame is all clean and painted, (again in 'Spetchley Green), the brickwork has been repointed and rendered in places and we are just waiting for the new frames to be installed.

In the last couple of weeks we have had two wedding receptions on the main lawn at the front of the house. They were both very interesting affairs as they involved people from other cultures with different customs from our own. Between them there were were fireworks, confetti fireworks, a bouncy castle, a disco, 2 huge limousines, and lots of food. The only down side has been that the main lawn now has a large patch of yellow grass where both marquees were sited, which will take a few weeks to recover.

The Millennium Garden is looking lovely at the moment, the verbena bonariensis is such a show stopper. The dahlias are a bright and cheerful sight and the asters are just beginning to put on a display.

The campsis in the Stable yard, and on Gardener's Cottage are both promising to be very impressive in a couple of weeks. This is a great time of year to visit the gardens!

Best Wishes,
Kate