The garden is now showing its true colours and bursting into life. Martin and I started in November, when the beds were mostly full of debris, so it is exciting to see all the different plants emerging; some wonderful delphiniums, and it looks as though there are a large variety of Agapanthus, and more unusual shrubs (that I have to look up!).
All the compost added in the rose garden has paid off and the flowers look stunning. We had a frantic morning tying in all the climbing roses as the clusters of flowers were so heavily laden they were carpeting the floor. It was like working in a perfume factory with so many scents drifting on the breeze. It is at times like this, that I love my job and memories of winter, working in the snow and rain disappear!
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| Rhapsody in Blue floribunda rose |
The magnificent back drop of the castle gives the rose garden a magical feel.
We have five volunteers now helping in the gardens and with all the wet weather weeding is top of the list. All the volunteers have their own part of the garden; by doing this none of us feel too daunted by the scale of the project. Without their help the gardens would be a much poorer place. So a big thank you to Jennifer, Ken, Jodie, Roger, and Harriet.
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| Ken's veg patch - looking delicious already |
As the gardens are spread over such a massive space we are tackling the larger areas with sprays that target specific weeds, especially in paths and woodlands. The paths have been a constant battle this year with so much rain; weeds growing at twice their speed and no dry time long enough to get some roundup on, (thank goodness Martin was an agronomist in his previous life!).
All hands are on deck at the moment as the Game Fair is only three weeks away. Fields, meadows and lawns are being manicured and edged - there is now a sense of urgency about the place. I am willing my pots to grow quicker, the annuals seem quite far behind this year which I can only attribute to the lack of sunshine.
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