With grateful thanks

We now have 7 volunteers helping in the gardens, variously offering from half a day a month right up to 3 days a week. We owe grateful thanks to our volunteers, who make a very big difference to the amount of work we can get through. The reasons for volunteering are as varied as the volunteers themselves. Some come due to a love of historic gardens, or a love of the outdoors. Some come for the company, or to fill in time between commitments. Others come to extend their knowledge; both in retirement and as preparation to take on further horticultural studies at university. The work is varied and interesting, and can be anything from the ladylike dead heading of roses, to the heavier tasks of mucking the roses or spreading leafmold on the borders. We try to offer jobs that are both rewarding and interesting, depending on the interests of each volunteer.

We are getting ready to undertake some essential maintenance in the gardens, replacing a fountain surround, and rebuilding an archway. The quotes are in and the work will be starting in about a week. This means that wall climbers over the arch have been given a severe haircut and the fountain in the Millennium Garden has been drained. Steve emptied the fountain, managing to get totally covered in green slime, and discovering just over £2 in small change. However he didn’t discover the pound coin I had thrown in several months earlier. I will have to look through the compost heap now to recover it...

Chris, the estate woodman, has now installed a new cleft fence (see pic) behind the Apollo statue on the South Border. It is a work of art, looks like it has been in place for many years, and will allow a safe viewing point from which to see the gunnera planted in the moat. We are hoping that the gunnera will establish very quickly and become as large and impressive as the ones often seen in Cornwall.

Best wishes

Kate

February Tasks

Tidy and cut down borders when conditions allow. Helleboure displays are greatly improved if old leaves are removed to make way for the flowers.
Check greenhouse heaters and fleece in the garden regularly. The wind can easily dislodge loose fleece.
Check garden ponds when conditions are icy and gently melt holes in the ice with boiling water. Keep pond liners from cracking by floating a tennis ball on the water. It will absorb some of the pressure from the ice.
Prepare vegetable seed beds, and sow early broad beans and peas
Prune Wisteria
Cut grass on a high cut when the day is dry and slightly windy.
Check and repair garden furniture, pergolas and arches if needed.
Remove algae from paths if they start to become slippery.
divide and replant early spring bulbs that have finished flowering
Check fruit and veg stores for rot or rodent damage. Don’t forget the stored cannas and dahlias.