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?
