Pests, Pests, Everywhere....

We have had an interesting, if irritating month for pests. There were rabbit tracks in the snow, all over the kitchen garden. Even in the vinery there was evidence of rabbit digging. I set a humane trap on the outside of one of the gates and made a channel under the gate for access. Annoyingly, it has yet to trap the little beast, but did trap a squirrel over the weekend.

Then, as I was in the kitchen garden, explaining a task to Richard, he suddenly pointed to what he thought was a fox running across Miss Berkeley’s patch. I looked up to see the back end of a white tail flashing against the shrubs: a roe deer. I am still puzzled as to how it got into the kitchen garden, which is walled and gated.

Richard went one way and I went another, opening all the gates and hoping that the deer would find one and leave. However, it suddenly rushed behind me before I got to one of the gates, crashed into it, then turned round and went down the border. Richard tried to chase it back but it suddenly disappeared. We can only assume it went through the hedge into the Millennium Garden. We left all the gates open all day, hoping that it would find its own way out. We haven’t seen it since so we can only assume it left.

Then there are the moles.... everywhere. I was setting a trap bahind the lake this morning and a mole started to lift a hill right next to me! I tried to catch it but it was too fast. If you drive by the gardens, have a look on the other side of the road at the lawn of the village hall. It is full of molehills. This is just a small indication of all the hills that are appearing at the back of the lake, up the drive, in my garden, by the peacock pen.....

Speaking of peacocks, 3 of the peacocks left to go to a new home at the beginning of the month. Two of the female chicks and the older female all went together to a farm where there are already other peacocks. We were very pleased to see them go to such a good home as there was just too little space for 7 fully grown birds in the pen.

The weather has been frustrating. Beautiful,(see pic.) but becoming rather tiresome. We are unable to do so many of the normal early spring tasks due to the snow. It feels as if spring is about a month late. I have yet to start the leeks and parsnips in the kitchen garden, and I am getting a little concerned.

We were remarkably lucky to escape the worst of the snow though. The only damage we sustained was a couple of cedar branches that came down next to the rose lawn due to weight of snow.

Don’t forget that the Gardens open for the new season on 21st March. See you all soon....