A Stunning end to April

The grounds and gardens are absolutely beautiful right now. There is something amazing around every corner, with drifts of blue Camassia in the meadows below the castle, a multitude of Azaleas and Rhododendrons bursting into flower in the Belgian Beds and Himalayan Valley and lush green new leaves on all the trees throughout the arboretums. It truly is a wonderful time of year, full of hope for the coming summer. I just hope we get one!
I’m hoping we are finally rid of the frosty mornings, and we have just begun to move out most of the tender plants that reside in the Tropical Borders, Jungle and Fern Garden. They will then stay in their summer homes until September,, when we will lift them again. It’s a lot of additional work, but it means we can grow some unusual and exotic specimens that really add interest to the gardens. I will, however, be keeping a sharp eye on the weather forecast and we will protect them with horticultural fleece if they are at risk.
The azalea beds that run from the Mansion to the Castle are coming into flower now and will be a sea of colour for the next few weeks. We call this area the Belgian Beds as the original stock plants came from Belgium. We extended the original beds and added 5 new beds over the last few years, so they really are an impressive sight. We have recently extended our cherry collection into this area too, and they make a nice addition.
One other area that deserves a special mention is our Himalayan Valley. It is also looking stunning right now, as many rhododendrons are still in flower, along with masses of bluebells and wild garlic which run right through our woodland areas and along the riverside walk.
There have been a lot of ‘housekeeping’ jobs to do this month, including mulching beds, edging lawns, pruning and tidying shrubs and when possible, a little bit of weed killing on the hard surfaces. I find if you get on top of things early, it makes it a lot easier later.
Jobs for the next few weeks: Plant indoor tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers if you haven’t already, start to tie in and pinch out growth on the grape vine, thin indoor peaches to ensure a good quality crop, sow herbs in six packs and then plant out when they reach a manageable size, this also works well for lettuce. Watch out for slug damage and check for greenfly both indoors and out. A good tip for dealing with greenfly is mix some washing up liquid and water in a jug to make a lot of foam, then apply this foam directly to the infested areas to completely cover the aphids. It is very effective! Now is the time to start thinking about staking herbaceous plants before they become too established, and it’s still not too late for lifting and dividing plants that you want to spread out or share with friends but do it soon.
The wildlife on the estate continues to go from strength to strength and it is always exciting at this time of year to spot the new arrivals. We have recently confirmed the presence of a breeding pair of woodpeckers in the arboretums, and our resident pair of swans should be welcoming their new cygnets in the next week or two. There is always something to spot as you explore our grounds, with chance to see mischievous red squirrels, bats, otters, owls, kingfishers and many other bird species. I am delighted to see so much of our native fauna around. It really underlines the importance of having a management plan that prioritises the biodiversity. It really is a great time to explore the grounds and gardens. I hope to see you soon. Adam

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