From Apples to Urns

It has been a busy period here in the gardens and a varied one at that. There have been many highlights this month, one being welcoming our newest member of the gardens team Martin Cuthbert. Martin brings passion for all areas of gardening and a keen eye for detail, which is fantastic. He hasn’t had much time to relax into the gardens as this time of year is always very busy.
I have to say a great joy of this month was putting together an information and tasting stand at the orchard themed Bowhouse market. Lesley and I were delighted with the response and to see people’s passion for the great varieties of apples we had for them to taste. Worcester Pearmain, Adams Pearmain, Ribston Pippin, Ashmeads Kernel, James Grieve and not forgetting the wonderful Discovery which was sadly just going over but was still a delight. Hopefully we will be back at Bowhouse with some more information stalls in the future so watch this space.
With the final mowing being carried out on formal lawns and the drive areas the machinery can now be set aside for servicing and given a rest for the winter. With the wet conditions the moss ingress can be seen and is a problem all over the country but will be tackled with a heavy scarification and aeration in the spring and over seeding when temperatures allow. With the beds receiving there final weed the gardens looked cosy and took in for the months to come.
There are a lot of tasks that come along at this time of year such as covering the statues and urns within the garden to protect these fragile pieces from being damaged by the frost and harshness of the winter. We also do this with the tender plants which need a bit of help from us to endure these conditions. Such plants are the wonderful Brugmansia, banana, and olives standard, these are covered with a fleece and will be taken off after the last frost.
People always say, “I bet your glad it’s slowing down time now, what do you all do during the Winter”, well…….. This can be only said for the task of mowing and general maintenance of the beds. Lesley and Martin have been busy cutting back and dividing and removing planted pots into the polytunnel for storage over the Winter. It’s a chance to tidy those areas that may get overlooked during the bust spells of summer and give them the much needed attention. On the frosty morning we have been sanding down and oiling the patio furniture which is now completed.
With all these tasks carried out it is now time to begin the winter projects which we have been planning for the last couple of months. Whilst carrying on with leaf collection and blowing, final cutting back and mulching we have begun the large task of installing the lawn metal edging on the middle terrace. These are lengths of 6m and 7.7m of metal with 2ft angle iron legs every 1.5m which will be concreted in place. We use a micro digger and drill the holes for the legs which makes the task a bit easier that trying to hand dig. Its heavy going but hopefully it will all be worth it and help to provide a weed free and aesthetically pleasing area within the gardens.
Although our attentions are towards beginning and completing the planned winter projects, we can never forget the other area gardens and outside grounds which we manage. It’s always an exciting time of year, although heavy going at times, it’s all worth it for the future enjoyment and development of the garden. So, look at your garden and see if there are any projects no matter how small it may seem to you, it could make the biggest difference to your future enjoyment of your outside space.
Well the team here are all hoping that you are keeping warm and finding time to enjoy even these cold fresh days and will update you all with progress next month.