Welcome to my March estate blog.
It has been a long time since my last blog and many things have happened since. This year, my intention is to do a monthly blog to let you know what is going on around the garden and estate, as well as details of upcoming events related to the estate and some gardening tips you may find useful.
Going back to last year, in October we planted a small oak tree in the old orchard, which we named the 'Sweet Oak, to celebrate our late queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee. It was part of ‘The Queen’s Green Canopy’ project. The tree was from an acorn I collected some years ago from the Southbank Wood and have grown on in a pot. Please feel free to come and see it.
As we are all aware this winter has been a very wet one, we have areas that are still wet, but what is encouraging are the signs of Spring around the grounds. We have bulbs starting to bloom and early blossoms on some of the trees and shrubs. I find it so rewarding just to take a moment to stop, look and listen to what nature offers us all on a daily basis, take the wild deer that roam the grounds, even during the day you have a good chance of seeing them on the estate.
We are now preparing the grounds for spring and summer with the grass getting the first cut of the season, bedding plants being sorted, borders cleaned up and plants pruned. As we have The King’s Coronation this year, we are planning a blaze of colour in our hanging baskets and containers. We will also be growing some flowers that will be used in the kitchens and bars including cornflowers, nasturtiums and mint.
During May we will be holding our popular Hanging Basket workshops, two this year, we supply the compost, plants, wetting agent and feed, so all you need to bring is your favourite basket or container. We will show you how to make up the basket and care for it. After the class, it’s time for a full Afternoon tea in one of our lounges.
Early Spring Garden Tips
- Deadhead spring flowering bulbs.
- Good time to plant roses and other perennials.
- Mulch borders with compost or wood bark.
- Apply a general fertiliser to borders.
- Finish off cleaning up the remaining growth from herbaceous plants!
Happy Gardening.
Kevin Sweet