Topical Tips for September

If your greenhouse cucumbers are suffering from an attack of red spider mite, try putting a block of wet straw by the plants to increase humidity.

It is not too late to cut back unruly wisteria, trimming off the wispy bits to 5 leaves, and tying in any branches to fill gaps.

Dead heading the herbaceous borders will prolong the display, but if you want to save seed, don't forget to leave some flower heads uncut.

Start taking cutting of tender plants such as salvias and penstemon, as insurance against the winter frosts.

Continue to trim hedges.

Continue to pick runner beans etc. in the kitchen garden. It is not too late to sow quick crops of radish and lettuce.

Keep cutting lawns, gradually raising the cut in preparation for winter.

Summer is Over - New Projects Begin

Looking back at last month's diary and the hedgehog rescue reminded me of another rescue just 3 weeks ago. Miss Berkeley came rushing up to our house one morning calling that there was a dog in the lake.

Hurrying to the Cork Lawn with a spare lead, we quickly spotted Rosy, an old golden retriever who lives over the road. She was stuck at the edge of the lake, unable to get up the bank. My husband reached over, but she moved away into the water. Eventually he managed to grab her collar and we dragged her out. She was upset and anxious as we took her home, but once Rosy recognised where she was she started to wag her tail, and became much happier. Apparently she had been frightened by the sound of a gun a couple of hours earlier.

Events at Spetchley are moving on a pace with both the start of the redevelopment of the rose lawn and the restoration of the vinery. The contractors have finished marking out all the new rose beds, and the vinery glass and old wood is being carefully removed from the vinery (see pic). Unfortunately it rained really heavily last night and the forecast is for more rain, so we will have to see how they get on.

At the end of last month I travelled down to Warley Place in Essex with my husband, for a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ellen Willmott who was, you will recall, Mr Berkeley's Great Aunt. It was a lovely day. We met the family of Miss Willmott's alpine gardener Jacob Maurer, and joined them for a private guided tour of Warley Place. There were artifacts, books, maps, magazine articles and the opportunity to swap stories. Chatting to those whose parents had known Miss Willmott was particularly fascinating as we heard personal stories of her life. It has also been confirmed that Gardener's World will be filming at Warley for a programme on famous female gardeners, to go out around Christmas, so keep an eye out for that.

On 13th September we are having our own Miss Willmott day. Entry is FREE and we hope to have information about Miss Willmott on display so make a note of the date and come along.

See you soon
Kate

Wildlife Rescue and Special Dahlia

It is now August, and with that comes the start of a new project in the gardens: the redevelopment of the Rose Lawn. Mr Berkeley has felt for some time that the area was letting the gardens down so he commissioned new designs. The chosen design will be implemented during the middle of August. Any of you who are interested should get down to the gardens for those all important 'before' photos...

Debbie has had the most interesting month where wildlife is concerned. One day she came into the yard all excited after seeing a bright green parakeet fly overhead. I didn't see it but am keeping an eye out. The a few days later some anxious visitors asked her to help a hedgehog that was stuck in the heron pool. She went to investigate and saw a large adult hedgehog sitting on the plinth at the feet of one of the heron statues, in the middle of the pool. After trying to net the hedgehog with a fishing net, Debbie fetched a plank and made a bridge. Whilst she and the visitors were debating as to who would go along the plank to fetch the hedgehog, it quietly made its own way along, jumped off the end and scuttled down the path.

And what is looking good in the gardens at the moment? The border agapanthus are looking their best whilst the agapanthus in the tubs outside the conservatory are stunning. Sweet peas in the kitchen garden are still flourishing and the dahlias have just started to bloom.

Talking of dahlia we have an interesting story about one of our newest dahlia acquisitions. Stuart, an ex Spetchley Gardener offered us a new dahlia called Carly which had been named after his daughter, and bred by his wife's grandfather. I was very excited when it finally flowered, a lovely white with pale yellow centre. The picture shows Carlie, with great grandad Robert and the Carly dahlia.

Tasks for August

Topical tips

Keep picking those sweet peas and remove seed pods if they form.

Continue to dead-head spent flowers, especially those of summer bedding, hanging baskets and any remaining late flowering roses.

Start cutting hedges towards the end of the month.

Continue to pick vegetables and salad crops, or arrange for a neighbour to help out if you are on holiday.

Listen to the weather forecast and water greenhouses and pots accordingly.

Keep working with the hoe when the weather is warm enough.

Start taking semi ripe cuttings of fuchsias, penstemon, pelargonium, salvia etc

Start collecting seed.

Group Visits of the Two Legged and Feathered Kind!

This has been a very full month for groups visiting the gardens, with more than the usual number of guided tours having taken place. I have just finished doing a Sunday guided tour for a very friendly party of florists, after a group of bee keepers, several horticultural groups, gatherings of friends, and a Womens Institute.

The Kitchen Garden is still under attack from pigeons, as they've managed to chew through the pak choi that we planted only 3 days ago.

I was rather suprised as I had considered pak choi to be a salad crop, and the pigeons are not touching the lettuce. Speaking of lettuce, if you visit the tea rooms any time soon, and partake of a salad, you will be eating home grown lettuce. I am very encouraged that we can use the produce from the gardens, and as it has worked out, almost all the produce is used.

It has been a very successful year for sweet peas, especially the towers of flowers we have growing in the kitchen garden. The pink variety at the end of the paths is a variety called Miss Willmott, (see pic) which we were very pleased to grow due to the connection with the family. We have been picking the flowers constantly to ensure a long lasting display.

Last week we had a minor crisis when Debbie spotted a tired and bedraggled duckling stuck in the heron pool in the middle of the Kitchen Garden, unable to clamber out. The mum was calling anxiously from the path. we fetched a fishing net and, swiftly scooped it out of the water, dumping it inelegantly onto the path where is scuttled quickly away. We had less swift success removing a jackdaw from the Morning Room in the main house. It had dropped down the chimney, and was causing havoc. Gardener Steve and myself went into the Morning Room and spent some time chasing it round the room. Eventually it made a mistake and flew against a wall, then Steve was able to grab its legs as it sat stunned on the floor. He took it outside where it flew away.

Best wishes

Kate

Spetchley Park Gardens - July Tasks

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

Trim back geraniums and aubretia in the borders after flowering Continue harvesting peas, lettuce, early tomatoes etc in the kitchen garden.

Prune wisteria tendrils back to 5 buds.

Start collecting seed in paper envelopes when the weather is dry.

It will soon be time to take softwood cuttings of plants such as hebes, fuchsia, salvia and penstemon.

Thoroughly water vunerable plants, then mulch to keep moisture at the roots.

Top up fishponds etc as water evaporates. Keep pumps in good condition.

Work with the hot weather and hoe regularly.

Peacock Arrivals and Gardener Departures

After a very noisy few weeks as the peacocks have been showing off again and trying to impress it seems to have paid off. One of the peahens has started to lay; 4 eggs so far. This year we are hedging our bets and will remove half the clutch when she has finished laying.

The gamekeeper is willing to put the remaining eggs under a broody hen. That will be a bit of a surprise for her when they hatch!

All the rain and warm, muggy days have meant that the borders are flourishing. The Fountain Beds are full of Aquilegia (see pic.) and the Davidia involucrata (ghost tree, dove tree or handkerchief tree) has really lived up to its name. It looked as if it was covered in tissues dangling from the branches.

The new doors and window frames in front of the renovated conservatory will be removed and stored for the summer, at the beginning of June. This has not happened for several years and will really help to keep the plants fresh and healthy.

The kitchen garden is moving apace, with lots of new planting, and some extra seating so that visitors can stay a while and contemplate the vegetables....

After the sad demise of our ride on lawn mower we have been treated to a new smart looking John Deere machine. It has everything: adjustable seat, a counter to tell you how many hours you have been cutting, useful places to put things; and It even has a cup holder, though I can't see the practicality of zipping round shrubs with a cup of tea in one hand. I wonder how much tea would actually stay in the mug... ( I know, I know, it is for cans or plastic water bottles, but it did make me laugh.)

Our final piece of news for the month is that Mike, our Assistant Head Gardener has accepted a job to be in charge of a private garden and will be leaving us in the middle of June. He has worked at Spetchley since 2004 and will be missed. We all wish him well for the future.

Best wishes
Kate