Tips for August

Dont forget the garden if you are off on holiday. Arrange for someone to check the hanging baskets, veg and greenhouse whilst you are away.

Water in the evening, with "grey" water from the washing up and even bath water if you can.

Install some leaky pipe ( provided you are not on a hosepipe ban). If you are lucky enough to live near one, an horticultural supplier is much cheaper than a Garden Centre or DIY store.

Start trimming hedges.

Battling with the Heat

Last month proved to be very successful for "our" student Alex, who has been helping us in the gardens for the last 4 summers. He received his degree results, acheiving a First in Heritage Management. We are all very pleased for him. We are also very grateful that he has spent a fourth summer with us as his help in keeping trees and shrubs irrigated has proved a lifesaver for some of the plants.

The heat has been very difficult to work in, and we have spent most of our time watering, weeding in shady areas and moving as the sun moves round. Plants, such as cercis, cercidiphyllum, rhododendrons and hydrangeas and a large proportion of the herbaceous borders have been wilting as the temperatures have risen. To combat this we purchased a length of 'leaky pipe'. Made from recycled tyres, the pipe leaks water along its length when attached to a hose on low pressure. We thread it through the borders, and run it at night to reduce evaporation and allow the water to get exactly where needed. We are also putting old wool carpet circles round our more vunerable trees. Covered with woodchip the carpet circles will retain water, suppress weeds and eventually rot away, by which time the trees will be well established.

However, one benefit of the heat is that the lawns don't need to be mown every week!

After the great success of the Best of the West End concert, with its hit songs and fantastic finale of fireworks, we have been wondering whether the Sealed Knot civil war re-enactment will be as enjoyable.
However, the amount of preparation that has been going on, with groups of people scurrying about, huddling together in corners and discussing the merits of bringing large quantities of horses in that way or this way, where the cart horses are to be stabled, where the big cannons are to be sited, where the local dentist, hospital and doctor are (!), etc. etc. seems to indicate an even bigger spectacle. It has all been very interesting so far, if a little alarming. Still, the re-enactment will be completely separate from the gardens, so there is little special preparation for us to do, apart from the usual maintenance.

On a more cheerful note, the gardens are still colourful, with plants flowering at the moment including the white flowered hoheria, blue and white agapanthus on the North Border, crinum powellii, (see pic), the red double flowered pomegranate, and oddly, some of our rhododendrons.
And finally, the asters will soon be putting on their late summer show.

Tips for July

Thoroughly water vunerable plants, then mulch round them to keep moisture at their roots.

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

Top up pools as water evaporates. Keep pumps in good condition.

Work with the hot weather and hoe regularly.

Continue watering and harvesting veg and fruit in the kitchen garden.

The Fish, The Birds and The Bees

At the end of last month I mentioned that we had yet to see any warm weather. Well, it is here with a vengeance, and has caused a serious problem with the garden lake as the carp began to suffer in the heat. Even the eels, which are normally very tough, were struggling to breathe. A large pump was hired to recirculate the water. After losing some of our larger carp we called in the local Fire Brigade with their more efficient hoses and pumps. They kindly aerated the lake for several hours and thankfully the carp are recovering.

The white peahen started laying last month. After last year's failure the new gamekeeper has removed 3 eggs to incubate. The peahen doesn't seem terribly interested in raising her own family.

Continuing on the theme of nature, we had a large swarm of bees suddenly appear and take up residence near the Fountain Beds, which was a bit of a suprise. Thankfully, this proved less of a problem than the carp as, whilst we were phoning various people to see if someone would take them away, the bees decided they didn't like the view and chose to move on.

We are expecting a good show of lilies down the Long Walk, including a mix of lilium monadelphum (See pic) and lilium martagon. We treated a possible outbreak of lily disease last spring and it looks as if we have caught it in time.

In the middle of June I was in Vienna helping my daughter bring back her student stuff after a year abroad. Whilst there I had a call to say that BBC Gardeners' World would be showing our paeony piece filmed last year, on June 23rd, and our local radio station would like to record an interview! I had to pass on the radio opportunity as at the time I was battling with grossly overweight luggage at Bratislava Airport. Still, apparently it was a good programme.

And finally, greetings to our international diary readers: Nancy and Tom in Maryland, USA, and Mary and Paul in Alberta, Canada. We are always delighted to hear from people who read this diary entry on a regular basis. Do let us know if you are one of those people by emailing hb@spetchleygardens.co.uk.

Tips for June

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.

Shade and ventilate greenhouses, and keep the pathways dampened on warm days, if we get any...

The New Mower

After the late start to spring we have had a strangely wet and dull month of May (the expected drought hasn't arrived in Worcester yet!). Although it has reduced the amount of outdoor work we have been able to do, it has allowed us to concentrate on all the indoor jobs that we never seem to get time for, so the conservatory and melon houses are looking a lot tidier this month.

We have also had a tricky time with our grass cutting machinery as one mower after another decided to play up or die. This has meant however that the plunge had to be taken, and we now have a smart new ride-on mower for the main lawn. A splendid machine that was demonstrated just after a hailstorm and didn't miss a beat.

We had a stand at the Malvern Spring Show to advertise the gardens, which was fun. We took turns at manning the stall and looking round the exhibits and stalls. People connected with the estate in some way came and introduced themselves so we got to meet, amongst others, a previous land agent and a chauffeur to the Berkeleys.

The davidia involucrata ( handkerchief tree, dove tree or ghost tree) is in full bloom on the monument lawn. It looks as though it has been hung with hundreds of white handkerchiefs. When you visit, do have a look as it is very impressive at the moment, and has been showing off for a couple of weeks.

Tasks for May

Continuously picking rhubarb and removing any flowering stems will ensure a longer crop.

Protect vulnerable plants such as young seedlings, or hostas from slugs. We use crushed egg shells as a barrier.

Install shade netting or a whiteout spray over the greenhouse if necessary.

Bedding plants can be planted out towards the end of the month, after the last frosts have passed. Ensure they are gently acclimatised to the change in temperature outside the greenhouse or cold frame.

Trim back spreading alpines such as aubrietia and arabis after flowering.

It looks like we may be in for a dry summer so a water butt or other water collection system connected to the guttering is a good idea.