Art and Apples

August was extremely busy here in the gardens, both with visitor numbers and with work. I feel like this summer has flown by in a blur, but it’s been great to see the hustle and bustle around the grounds and gardens as so many visitors enjoy all our hard work. As our trip advisor reviews will testify, we are now getting a growing trend of people coming to explore the gardens and wider estate in addition to visiting the castle and stone.
Signs of Autumn are gradually creeping in, with the slow turn from flowers to seed heads, the yellowing of the grasses, and the first hints of yellow and orange appearing in the trees around the arboretums, especially in the big Beech and Limes around the estate. Even though this is the case, there is still plenty to see in the gardens with lots of late colour in the Herbaceous Borders and Seven Sisters where late flowering perennials such as Rudbeckia, Verbena and Eupatorium are putting on a great show and are still attracting bees and butterflies.
We recently opened a new art exhibition here on the estate. It is titled ‘Through the Artists Eye, and features paintings, photography and sculpture that was inspired by visits to the estate over the last eighteen months. The exhibition is in the Stable Yard and features work by 22 different artists. With such a range of styles there is certainly something for everyone and it’s well worth a visit just to view them.
Our apple crop is reasonably good this year, which is a relief as it’s been a tough year for fruit and growth overall. I hope to repeat last year’s cider production, which was a great success, and we are adding a larger size apple juice bottle to our range in the shop. We will also be producing our usual small bottles of organic apple juice, as well as ice cream, jams, honey and various seasonal products from the fruit and vegetables we grow in our walled kitchen garden. There’s lots of jobs still to do. We have been cutting back our old raspberry and loganberry canes and tying in the new ones for next year’s crop. We have dug up the last of the potatoes. Lifted shallots, garlic and onions and planted out brassicas and leeks. Now is the time to sow spinach, winter lettuce and rocket to take you through to the autumn.
We received the first of this year’s bulb order this week. Around 30 new varieties of daffodil from a breeder in Northern Ireland. They will be planted in our Winter borders to add to our collection of Irish cultivars. I see this as part of a conservation initiative to protect these rare varieties for future generations to enjoy. It’s also interesting to see so many different varieties growing alongside one another.
It’s the time of year for pruning hedges, mulching beds, and general tidying up as the plants start to fade. I enjoy the transition into autumn and like to take time to reflect on the gardens and how they have performed before making plans for future developments. A garden never rests and continues to evolve and grow over time. I believe that is what makes it such an interesting place to work and to visit. Hopefully we will see some of you here soon. Adam

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