Spring jobs in the garden
With conditions now perfect for plant growth, we have been meticulously weeding and editing in the garden, a time-consuming task that we started a couple of weeks ago, slowly but steadily working our way through the beds to remove unwanted seedlings. The Reservoir Garden has been a particular focus where we have been thinning out self-seeders like poppies and forgetme-nots which, although impressive when their colourful blooms drift through the plantings, can easily take over the allotted space and swamp out neighbouring perennials due to their free-seeding behaviour.
The key stand-out plants which fascinate and wow visitors at this time of year include the majestic crown imperials, Fritillaria imperialis, species tulips, such as Tulipa saxatilis, and the impressive woodland dweller Trillium chloropetalum. The team have been on Amelanchier watch too, waiting patiently for the young bronze leaves to unfurl and delicate star-shaped, white blossoms to appear. Amelanchier lamarckii was Beth’s favourite small tree and so features in every area of the garden, from the Gravel to the Woodland Garden.
Every morning before we begin the tasks of the day, we take turns to do morning chores around the garden and pick flowers for plant identification in the visitor centre. This is one of our favourite parts of the day as it offers a chance to walk around the peaceful garden which always looks particularly stunning in the morning light. As we are cleaning benches and clearing the ponds, we get to have a look at what new flowers have opened up since the day before and say good morning to the moorhen chicks in the pond and the pheasants in the woods.