Spring 2012

If you are not experiencing the effects of the current drought, no doubt you have at least heard about it on the news. We in the South East are being particularly affected by the dry weather. But we are used to having these challenges and have plans in place should we need them. We are not extravagant waterers anyway and have always taken a sensible approach to its use. We don’t water or irrigate our lawns, and as such we take a slightly different approach to how we maintain them. We usually cut a bit higher, and this year is no exception. By keeping it higher it will keep it green a bit longer before any drought induced dormancy. We will also be reducing how often we mow in some places too, so if it looks a bit more ‘wild’ than usual this is the reason.

The dry and warm weather is not only affecting the lawns, but plants are flowering completely out of sequence. Daffodils, Bluebells and Magnolias flowering with the Scillas and Muscari. Watch this space to see what the Peonies will do. 2010 and they were 2 weeks late, last year they were 2 weeks early.

Lately we have been mulching and tidying, planting and clearing, weeding and edging, staking and raking; all to ready the garden for the new season. The mulching will help to retain what moisture there is in the ground. This year we are using recycled Mushroom Compost. It has a rather unique smell which I rather like as it reminds me of all the good it is going to do, where as one or two of the other gardeners are less than fond of it and look forward to the end of the spreading! It’s a good product to use as it is sterilised and therefore weed free. It is based on well rotted horse manure and straw and will really help in keeping the weeds down as much as giving the plants a bit of tucker! Occasionally you do get a couple of mushrooms here and there though.

We have had to do further pruning of the Acer palmatum atropurpureum on Church Terrace as they developed an fungal problem called coral spot which we are trying to get under control this season. Disease in the garden is just another part of its seasonality and certainly keeps us busy.

Some of the yew (Taxus bacatta) in the Italian Garden which succumbed to the fungal pathogen Phytopthora cinnimomi have been replaced. This was a mammoth task which involved removing all the soil from the planting site to 1 metre depth, treating the bed with a fungicide and refilling with clean soil so that we could give the plants the best chance of growing away healthily. We will be generously feeding all of the new and pruned yew to speed up their development.

This year is the official opening of what was once the Herbaceous Borders and we are all very proud to have been a part of the new borders’ creation. 2012 is looking to be an auspicious year and with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrating her Diamond Jubilee, to help mark the occasion, it was a perfect opportunity to rename the borders the Jubilee Walk.  I have continued planting and shifting around the plants, and this season should be a real eye-catcher.

It is certainly the time to see all the bulbs in the Garden, in particular the various displays of Narcissi on Church Terrace and the Orchard. The Bluebells are doing well, and the Tulips are looking good too.

On a final note, keeping in mind the drought conditions, we have reduced the time the fountains are on display, and the water level in Diana’s Bath has been lowered to an optimal level where it takes the least amount of water to top it up. I hope you will recognise the steps we are taking as a sensible approach to water conservation and not us neglecting the gardens finish.

Best wishes for the season ahead (secretly looking forward to some rain)

Cory Furness

Head Gardener