Boiler Repairs and Naked Ladies

It has been quite a wet month, and the lawns are very damp, but even so there is still some colour. Down on the New Lawn there is a callicarpa with tiny purple lilac berries, colchicum (common name 'naked ladies') have been showing off their pink and white flowers around the trees, and about the gardens there are several pyracantha covered in bright orange fruit. There is a pyracantha just inside the Kitchen Garden where our bees have a colony in the hollow wall. It looks magnificent and, on sunny days, the bees have been very busy going in and out.

The Conservatory boiler has been causing concern over the last season, due to a crack that leaked water onto the fire, putting it out. After months of searching for a suitable replacement, and no-one coming up with viable ideas, I contacted a local blacksmith. He was delighted to come and see the gardens as one of his ancestors had run the forge on the estate around the 1900's. He has now quoted to carefully document and dismantle the boiler, restore and rebuild it. (See 'before' pic). We are thrilled as there was no modern heating system we could find that was up to the job! I will keep you informed of the progress.

It is that time of year again. The Illuminated Trail will soon be upon us and the gardeners have started to check paths, prune back shrubs and generally ensure that everything is safe. There have been leaflets, posters, banners, newspaper articles and headlines all letting you know the details, and if all these have escaped your notice you can always check out the events page on our website http://www.spetchleygardens.co.uk/

And finally, the current intellectual challenge for the gardeners is to find out collective nouns... did you know that a group of weasels is called a sneak, or that a group of finches is called a charm?

Topical Tips for December

Ensure the potting shed is clean and tidy, and all pots and trays are washed, ready for next season.

Keep off the grass when frosty or wet.

Tie in whippy shoots of climbing roses before they are damaged.

Keep an eye on the weather and keep greenhouse heaters on when the temperature dips.

Rake up fallen leaves and store them in a pile to rot down into leafmould.

Float a ball in the fish pond to reduce the pressure of ice on the structure, and to prevent total freezing.

Treat slippery paths with a suitable cleaner, or sprinkle with sand and scrub in with a stiff brush.

Check overwintering veg, tubers and bulbs for vermin damage and set traps if necessary.

Fungus, Frost and Cattle

We have just had the first frosts of the season. Surrounding villages have been having severe frosts for several days but at Spetchley we seem to be sheltered from the worst. There is still lots of colour and interest however, from autumn leaves and berries like the berberis, cotoneaster and callicarpa, to lots of different fungi (see pic).

I met the grand daughter of Miss Willmott's butler last week, as she was visiting relatives close by. She lives in France now, and as we walked round the gardens together she told me of a property in France bought by Miss Willmott, and how her grandfather would be sent across from Warley to open up the house before Miss Willmott arrived for a visit. The property now belongs to the town and is used as offices for the mayor.

A very strange thing happened last weekend. Eddie, who lives in one of the flats told me of some tyre tracks he had seen at the front of the house. I went to investigate and saw ruts in two big sweeps across the main lawn going down to the lake. Why? We have no idea; and now we are going to have to spend quite some time repairing the mess. And that isn't the only mess we have to sort out...

I had just sat down to write this month's diary when I got a phone call from a very excited Debbie telling me that there were cows on the New Lawn, trying to get onto the newly developed Rose Lawn. I went rushing down, only to come face to face with a tan coloured cow in the copse! It turned and joined the others who had by this time left the garden for a different field.

Steve, Chris the woodsman, Ron the stockman and myself spent about half an hour trying to round up the cattle and herd them back to their own field. It transpired that they had been leaning over the fence at the back of the lake trying to get at tasty looking leaves when the fence gave way and in they all trotted. There is a bit of a mess by the eel trap as the ground was rather soft, but it could have been a lot worse.

As Steve says, it is great working here as you never know what is going to happen next!

And finally some sad news: we lost our oldest peacock last month as he died in his sleep. There are now 2 females and one male left.

Kate

Tasks for November

Keep an eye on the greenhouse and ventilate on warmer days. Check heaters and frost protection.

Lift the last remaining dahlias, cannas, and gladioli bulbs.

Begin to collect fallen leaves, and store them in a bin bag or a container made from chicken wire, in a corner of the garden and will turn into leaf mould in about 18 months.

Keep off the grass where frosty or wet.

Lift and divide borders, so that perennials are regenerated for a better display.

Check guttering/drains and keep them clear.

Check through stored veg and discard any that have started to rot.

The Season Comes to an End - the Gardeners Work Continues

It was a very windy day when I posted last months blog. After finishing the writing I went to check for damage, as occasionally happens when we have high winds in late summer. As I walked across the Rose Lawn there was a very loud crack and I discovered a large oak branch had landed on the old outside toilet block in the woods by the house. After roping the area off and reporting the incident I thought no more about it until the next day when again in the gardens I heard another crack. Another branch from the same tree had fallen on the toilet block. You never know what each day will bring, but it is rare for the same incident to happen twice!

We have had fluctuating staff levels recently: Richard has had a second operation on his knee and will be recovering at home for the next 8 weeks, and Debbie has been on a belated honeymoon in Canada for 3 weeks. Then Steve is taking a week off to learn about the job that the gamekeeper does. Thankfully, and just by chance Alex, our summer student contacted me on another matter a couple of weeks ago and happened to be free for the next few weeks, so he is covering until Richard returns.

Jobs in the garden seem to be going well. The hedge cutting has now been finished with yew and box hedges now all trimmed. The dry spell has allowed us to catch up with all the grass cutting and we are also able to hoe when it is sunny. I have been round the gardens making lists (I love lists) of all the dahlias, so that when the frost has blackened the foliage I will be able to locate and identify them for lifting and storage.

The renovation of the vinery is moving on, with new cedar repacing all the rotten sills. The rose lawn project is also beginning to take shape as arches are installed and paving is being laid, (see picture). Remember that we are open every weekend in October for you to see the progress, at the end of the month we close. Then we'll be getting ready for our Christmas Trail.

Best Wishes

Kate

Topical Tips for October

Start sowings of hardy annuals and sweet peas under glass.

Take hardwood cuttings of deciduous shrubs, and gather clematis seed for sowing in a cold frame.

Feed roses with sulphate of potash to ripen the wood and make the plants more disease resistant place netting over ponds to catch leaves.

Change the plantings in hanging baskets for winter interest.

Prepare the garden for winter: keep drains and ponds etc free from leaves and debris, clean and store garden tools, ensure that greenhouse glass is clean, and that any shading has been replaced by insulation.

Check tender plants for infestations of insects, and treat before returning them to their winter quarters.

Put frost protection round any plants that will be staying out for the winter.

Lift and divide herbaceous perennials.

Store undamaged apples and pears in a cool, dark well ventilated room such as a garage or garden

Topical Tips for September

If your greenhouse cucumbers are suffering from an attack of red spider mite, try putting a block of wet straw by the plants to increase humidity.

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.

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

Start taking cutting of tender plants such as salvias and penstemon, as insurance against the winter frosts.

Continue to trim hedges.

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

Keep cutting lawns, gradually raising the cut in preparation for winter.

Summer is Over - New Projects Begin

Looking back at last month's diary and the hedgehog rescue reminded me of another rescue just 3 weeks ago. Miss Berkeley came rushing up to our house one morning calling that there was a dog in the lake.

Hurrying to the Cork Lawn with a spare lead, we quickly spotted Rosy, an old golden retriever who lives over the road. She was stuck at the edge of the lake, unable to get up the bank. My husband reached over, but she moved away into the water. Eventually he managed to grab her collar and we dragged her out. She was upset and anxious as we took her home, but once Rosy recognised where she was she started to wag her tail, and became much happier. Apparently she had been frightened by the sound of a gun a couple of hours earlier.

Events at Spetchley are moving on a pace with both the start of the redevelopment of the rose lawn and the restoration of the vinery. The contractors have finished marking out all the new rose beds, and the vinery glass and old wood is being carefully removed from the vinery (see pic). Unfortunately it rained really heavily last night and the forecast is for more rain, so we will have to see how they get on.

At the end of last month I travelled down to Warley Place in Essex with my husband, for a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ellen Willmott who was, you will recall, Mr Berkeley's Great Aunt. It was a lovely day. We met the family of Miss Willmott's alpine gardener Jacob Maurer, and joined them for a private guided tour of Warley Place. There were artifacts, books, maps, magazine articles and the opportunity to swap stories. Chatting to those whose parents had known Miss Willmott was particularly fascinating as we heard personal stories of her life. It has also been confirmed that Gardener's World will be filming at Warley for a programme on famous female gardeners, to go out around Christmas, so keep an eye out for that.

On 13th September we are having our own Miss Willmott day. Entry is FREE and we hope to have information about Miss Willmott on display so make a note of the date and come along.

See you soon
Kate

Wildlife Rescue and Special Dahlia

It is now August, and with that comes the start of a new project in the gardens: the redevelopment of the Rose Lawn. Mr Berkeley has felt for some time that the area was letting the gardens down so he commissioned new designs. The chosen design will be implemented during the middle of August. Any of you who are interested should get down to the gardens for those all important 'before' photos...

Debbie has had the most interesting month where wildlife is concerned. One day she came into the yard all excited after seeing a bright green parakeet fly overhead. I didn't see it but am keeping an eye out. The a few days later some anxious visitors asked her to help a hedgehog that was stuck in the heron pool. She went to investigate and saw a large adult hedgehog sitting on the plinth at the feet of one of the heron statues, in the middle of the pool. After trying to net the hedgehog with a fishing net, Debbie fetched a plank and made a bridge. Whilst she and the visitors were debating as to who would go along the plank to fetch the hedgehog, it quietly made its own way along, jumped off the end and scuttled down the path.

And what is looking good in the gardens at the moment? The border agapanthus are looking their best whilst the agapanthus in the tubs outside the conservatory are stunning. Sweet peas in the kitchen garden are still flourishing and the dahlias have just started to bloom.

Talking of dahlia we have an interesting story about one of our newest dahlia acquisitions. Stuart, an ex Spetchley Gardener offered us a new dahlia called Carly which had been named after his daughter, and bred by his wife's grandfather. I was very excited when it finally flowered, a lovely white with pale yellow centre. The picture shows Carlie, with great grandad Robert and the Carly dahlia.

Tasks for August

Topical tips

Keep picking those sweet peas and remove seed pods if they form.

Continue to dead-head spent flowers, especially those of summer bedding, hanging baskets and any remaining late flowering roses.

Start cutting hedges towards the end of the month.

Continue to pick vegetables and salad crops, or arrange for a neighbour to help out if you are on holiday.

Listen to the weather forecast and water greenhouses and pots accordingly.

Keep working with the hoe when the weather is warm enough.

Start taking semi ripe cuttings of fuchsias, penstemon, pelargonium, salvia etc

Start collecting seed.

Group Visits of the Two Legged and Feathered Kind!

This has been a very full month for groups visiting the gardens, with more than the usual number of guided tours having taken place. I have just finished doing a Sunday guided tour for a very friendly party of florists, after a group of bee keepers, several horticultural groups, gatherings of friends, and a Womens Institute.

The Kitchen Garden is still under attack from pigeons, as they've managed to chew through the pak choi that we planted only 3 days ago.

I was rather suprised as I had considered pak choi to be a salad crop, and the pigeons are not touching the lettuce. Speaking of lettuce, if you visit the tea rooms any time soon, and partake of a salad, you will be eating home grown lettuce. I am very encouraged that we can use the produce from the gardens, and as it has worked out, almost all the produce is used.

It has been a very successful year for sweet peas, especially the towers of flowers we have growing in the kitchen garden. The pink variety at the end of the paths is a variety called Miss Willmott, (see pic) which we were very pleased to grow due to the connection with the family. We have been picking the flowers constantly to ensure a long lasting display.

Last week we had a minor crisis when Debbie spotted a tired and bedraggled duckling stuck in the heron pool in the middle of the Kitchen Garden, unable to clamber out. The mum was calling anxiously from the path. we fetched a fishing net and, swiftly scooped it out of the water, dumping it inelegantly onto the path where is scuttled quickly away. We had less swift success removing a jackdaw from the Morning Room in the main house. It had dropped down the chimney, and was causing havoc. Gardener Steve and myself went into the Morning Room and spent some time chasing it round the room. Eventually it made a mistake and flew against a wall, then Steve was able to grab its legs as it sat stunned on the floor. He took it outside where it flew away.

Best wishes

Kate

Spetchley Park Gardens - July Tasks

Feed roses etc with a general fertiliser such as gromore, and continue to deadhead spent flowers.

Trim back geraniums and aubretia in the borders after flowering Continue harvesting peas, lettuce, early tomatoes etc in the kitchen garden.

Prune wisteria tendrils back to 5 buds.

Start collecting seed in paper envelopes when the weather is dry.

It will soon be time to take softwood cuttings of plants such as hebes, fuchsia, salvia and penstemon.

Thoroughly water vunerable plants, then mulch to keep moisture at the roots.

Top up fishponds etc as water evaporates. Keep pumps in good condition.

Work with the hot weather and hoe regularly.

Peacock Arrivals and Gardener Departures

After a very noisy few weeks as the peacocks have been showing off again and trying to impress it seems to have paid off. One of the peahens has started to lay; 4 eggs so far. This year we are hedging our bets and will remove half the clutch when she has finished laying.

The gamekeeper is willing to put the remaining eggs under a broody hen. That will be a bit of a surprise for her when they hatch!

All the rain and warm, muggy days have meant that the borders are flourishing. The Fountain Beds are full of Aquilegia (see pic.) and the Davidia involucrata (ghost tree, dove tree or handkerchief tree) has really lived up to its name. It looked as if it was covered in tissues dangling from the branches.

The new doors and window frames in front of the renovated conservatory will be removed and stored for the summer, at the beginning of June. This has not happened for several years and will really help to keep the plants fresh and healthy.

The kitchen garden is moving apace, with lots of new planting, and some extra seating so that visitors can stay a while and contemplate the vegetables....

After the sad demise of our ride on lawn mower we have been treated to a new smart looking John Deere machine. It has everything: adjustable seat, a counter to tell you how many hours you have been cutting, useful places to put things; and It even has a cup holder, though I can't see the practicality of zipping round shrubs with a cup of tea in one hand. I wonder how much tea would actually stay in the mug... ( I know, I know, it is for cans or plastic water bottles, but it did make me laugh.)

Our final piece of news for the month is that Mike, our Assistant Head Gardener has accepted a job to be in charge of a private garden and will be leaving us in the middle of June. He has worked at Spetchley since 2004 and will be missed. We all wish him well for the future.

Best wishes
Kate

Tasks for June

It should now be safe to plant out remaining bedding, including those cannas and dahlias.

Water hanging baskets every day.

Feed plants in borders, and start dead heading flowers.

Thin out hardy annuals and veg sown in the garden.

Ensure net cages over soft fruit, peas and any other vulnerable veg are secure, without access holes for mice or pigeons.

Removed reverted branches of variegated shrubs.

Remove suckers (growth from the roots) from roses, lilac and other suckering shrubs.

Remove spring bulb foliage when it will pull away easily.

Remove algae and blanket weed from ponds etc before it becomes a problem

Tasks for May

Prune winter flowering heathers before the end of May
Earth up early and maincrop potatoes, prune spring flowering clematis after flowering
Keep hoeing and weeding harden off summer bedding and plant out when all risk of frost is past.
Pinch out the growing tips of bush fuchsias
Check shading and ventilation of greenhouses

Springtime at Spetchley

I have to apologise this month for the lateness of the entry as we are now almost a week into May. The daffodils are almost over, but daphnes fill the air with their scent, and the rhododendrons are looking amazing. The weather is now lovely, but I can't say the same for last month. Rain, hail, flooding, even snow ( see picture of snow on Prunus Pink Shell). Very pretty, but also very frustrating as it has put us really behind with hoeing, weeding and grass cutting.

The Specialist Plant Fair went very well, with plenty of stalls selling a variety of plants, accesssories, ornaments, books and plenty of food. Well over 1100 visitors came to see the fair, to enjoy the free garden tours and to listen to the guest speakers in the marquee. The forecast had been a little worrying but it was lovely and dry on the day until the fair was almost over. The rain at the end of the day caused some consternation in the car park after the stall holders had loaded their remaining products, and vehicles began to get bogged down. Husband was dispatched to fetch the jeep and managed, over the evening to pull out several vans!

It was also a fun month, with the visits of 2 groups of primary school children, learning about the way plants grow. We have another primary school group booked for the middle of May so we are getting plenty of practice. Mike, Debbie and myself led groups of 5, 6 and 7 year olds on tours of the gardens, explaining about trees, seeds, flowers, bark, bees, cow poo.... (Why is it that children are facinated by cow poo?) We set up a 'nature table' in the vinery full of seeds, bark, bulbs, vegetables in pots and different natural objects for the children to study.

Regards
Kate

Spring Musings

I have just been looking back over the past few years to when I started writing the Spetchley diary. Back in 2005 we were delighted at the thought of a renovated rest room and the excitement of clearing out sheds to find enough material for a museum (still one of my great plans...). During March 2006 we saw the construction of the new toilets and tea rooms whilst March 2007 was so wet that all our plans for starting the Kitchen Garden project were thwarted.

This year all our thoughts are again concentrated on the Kitchen Garden, but thankfully the weather has been so much kinder. The bones of the garden have been completed and it is now time to start the great replant. Design plans are being drawn up and it is quite unnerving to realise just how many young plants will be constantly required. This is going to be a really high maintenance project, but will be worth all the effort.

Last month I went with my husband for a trip to Warley Place, Essex, the home of Ellen Willmott, Mr Berkeley's great aunt. There is little left of the grand estate but the drifts of early daffodils and snowdrops are breathtaking and show that winter is almost at an end.(see pic). The estate is now leased by the Essex Wildlife Trust now and is cared for by volunteers.

At Spetchley we are opening again on 21st March, Good Friday this year, less than 3 weeks away. As the weather has warmed up and become breezy we have started to cut the grass and weed the borders in preparation. Daphnes and mahonia are spilling their scent into the air, and the cherry blossom is beautifully reflected in the horse pool. Even with the occasional cold snap it is a very cheerful time of year.

Our volunteer, Leigh, has been offered a temporary job at a local nursery for the summer so we will really miss her and can't wait for her to be back.

We look forward to seeing you during the new season.

Tasks for March

Pot up dahlias and cannas in the greenhouse to give them a head start.

Dig up and divide congested clumps of snowdrops etc as the flowers fade.

Prune roses, wisteria and late flowering shrubs.

Prepare the vegetable patch, clearing and digging over or rotovating on fine dry days.

Plant the early varieties of potatoes that you prepared (chitted) last month.

Cut down ( pollard) willows and cornus that are grown for their winter colour.

Cut down autumn fruiting raspberries.

Spring is on the Way!

It finally feels that spring is on its way. There are bright clumps of snowdrops everywhere and hellebores are beginning to flower. We have been trying to work on our own new garden at Gardener's Cottage but it has proved to be a bit difficult as clumps of snowdrops are beginning to flower everywhere we want to dig. We have been carefully picking through the borders gathering them up before we dig!

The wet weather at the beginning of the year was a challenge as we thought we would never be able to get out into the gardens. The copse and New Lawn became excessively wet underfoot, and the eel trap filled with eels as the lake level rose again. Richard released about 20 eels back into the lake. However, the bad weather did give us the chance to prune the grape vines and conservatory plants so it wasn't all bad.

This is the month for pruning and clearing, so we have been attacking the task with gusto. The cercis and robinia arches in the Millennium Garden have been pruned and tied in, and a large area of the copse was been attacked with a pruning saw.... A large scrub patch in our working yard has been removed to make way for a nursery bed, and the Palm House, which is not open to the public, is also being cleared and tidied.

In the Kitchen Garden work is continuing steadily. Two cold frames are being built, so that we can raise and display vegetables in a more protected environment, pathways have been improved and more box hedging has been planted. We are hoping to have a wide variety of veg and fruit on display for the next season.

February Tasks

Start to cut down and mulch herbaceous borders when the soil is not sticky. Epimediums and hellebores can have their old leaves removed so that the early flowers can be seen.

Keep off the lawns when frosty.

Order seed potatoes and start chitting them in a cool dry corner.
(This means getting them to start sprouting, to give them a head start when they are planted).

Check greenhouse heaters and fleece in the garden regularly. The wind can easily dislodge loose fleece.

Start pruning late flowering shrubs.

Tasks for January

Make the most of 'indoor days' to plan for next season, with seed and plant catalogues, and a layout of the garden.

Cover rhubarb crowns with straw and a forcer to grow early stems.(This cannot be done every year as it weakens the plant).

Dig over the veg patch on sunny dry days, and add manure if not growing root crops.

Prune back grape vines.

Ensure tools are clean, oiled and ready for next season.

Book machinery in for a service early in the new year.

The New and Old Year

2007 has been a very rollercoaster year, with so many highlights and disasters. The rain is something that I will not forget, when the melon houses flooded, the lake burst its banks and the major concert of the year was cancelled after the organisers went into receivership.

However, there were also high moments, that have included the renovation of the conservatory, the development of the kitchen garden, a visit from the Sealed Knot, the interesting experience of being followed by a film crew for the series on Sky TV, and of course the Illuminated Trail which is another event that I have always really enjoyed.

Talking of the Trail, the weather was so crisp and starry for the later half of the ten days that the lake froze. This meant that at the end of the trail we were unable to remove the lights from the island. The ice was too thick to launch the boat, and too thin to walk across. So the lights stayed put until boxing day, when we were finally able to launch our canoe and recover the equipment!

During a visit to my daughter in London just before Christmas I took to opportunity to pop into the Museum of Garden History,
(www.museumgardenhistory.org) just next to Lambeth Palace. (It is shut on Mondays as I found to my cost last time I tried to visit!) It was fascinating and I was sorry only to have an hour before I was due to meet up with my daughter. As I browsed the exhibits I noticed a plant stand previously owned by Ellen Willmott (Mr Berkeley's great aunt).
After a long and very interesting chat with one of the historians I discovered that Miss Willmott had purchased blank Minton tiles that had pictures impressed into them. Miss Willmott then painted the tiles and sent them back to be fired, as was a popular hobby of the day.(See pic.) These tiles were then used to decorate the plant stand. Each tile has Miss Willmott's name on the back. I was also very interested to discover that 2008 is the 150th anniversary of Miss Willmott's birth, and that the museum are thinking of putting on a dedicated display in her honour.