Beautiful Spring.

The gardens have been looking amazing for the last few weeks as the sunshine has encouraged the cherry blossom. Daffodils and magnolia are reaching their best, the helleboures are still putting on a show and even the common primroses look pretty. A lot of people have been asking about the small blue flowers that seem to be growing everywhere, in borders and in the grass down the New Lawn. They are scillas, (or some have said they are x chinoscillas, that is a cross between a chinodoxa and a scilla). Whatever they are they are very pretty.(see pic).

It has been a very sunny, productive month for us at Spetchley:

The vinery is complete and looking splendid. Husband and I put new supporting wires in for the vines, with wire turnbuckles to improve the tension, and then tied all the vines back up. The vines have been under bubble wrap all winter as the glass was removed from the vinery during the restoration. I think that the cold weather was a bit of a shock for the poor plant as it has only just started into growth

The new rose garden is finally finished; we finished planting the roses, although we were about 10 short and are waiting to take delivery of the final few. Box hedging has been planted round each rose bed, and the company who installed all the paving etc came back last week to sow the grass seed in the middle. We are looking forward seeing the garden in a few months, when the grass has grown and the roses are flowering.

Last week I finally managed to outwit the rabbit in the kitchen garden, and made it a rabbit free zone again. Unfortunately, just yesterday one of the gates was left open overnight by mistake and now we have another furry guest. There are so many places to hide in the kitchen garden that it makes finding the rabbits really difficult. I carry on trying.

On a more exciting note, we have been installing an irrigation system in the kitchen garden, which will allow us to water sections of the kitchen garden without standing with a hose after the gardens have shut every night!

We have all been working hard to get ready for the Easter bank holiday weekend, and hope to see you soon.

Best Wishes

Kate

April Tasks

begin to remove winter protection as the weather warms up.
Check variegated shrubs and prune out any reverted shoots.
Feed roses and shrubs with a general fertiliser; rhododendrons and camelias would benefit from an ericaceous feed.
Plant up hanging baskets, but keep them protected in the greenhouse or frost free conservatory and don’t forget to include some slow release fertiliser.
Cut the grass whenever conditions allow.
Plants that are growing in pots would benefit from a feed
If you removed your pond pump last autumn, now is the time to check it over and replace it for the summer.
Trim back shrubs that have flowered over the late winter, eg jasminum nudiflorum, removing the flowered shoots to keep the shrub within its boundaries.
prune back hardy fuchsias to 2 or 3 buds from their base.
Clean patio slabs and stonework to remove alge etc.
Earth up early potatoes to protect the tubers from the light.
Construct runner bean wigwams or other supports and sow bean seeds.