“Our giant yews are unforgettable”
It takes two and a half months to trim the Packwood yews. Head Gardener Mick Evans shares his insights
How did you get the job at Packwood? I worked at Sissinghurst Castle for five years then was promoted to assistant head gardener at Powis Castle for five years. I applied for the role of head gardener here as part of my natural career progression, in 1999.
What does your work entail? In late spring we plant out the main display borders with tender perennials and annuals, in June we start trimming the box hedges and later in August spend two and a half months trimming the yew trees. At the end of September we start bringing in some of our large tender perennials from the display borders and hope to have everything in and potted on by the end of October. In November we begin pruning back some of the damaged yews, cutting them back by half and hoping they respond so we can reshape them. Autumn is also when we start to plant spring bulbs.
What will you be doing in July? We’ll be trimming box hedges and wisterias and harvesting beetroot, radish and lettuce in the kitchen garden. We’ll also start hay making in the meadows, dead heading and cutting back plants in the herbaceous borders. There’ll be lots of hand weeding and liquid feeding.
What’s your favourite part of the garden? It has to be our wildflower meadows around the formal garden. They’ve taken many years of careful management to establish and now they produce five very beautiful types of orchid: the twayblade, common spotted, butterfly, bee and the southern marsh orchid. The meadows are especially exciting in midsummer as you can always find new wildflowers in there. The pollinators love it!
What’s your biggest challenge? Protecting the more sensitive areas of the garden. We try to strike a balance between allowing our growing number of visitors access into these wonderful areas for their enjoyment, while also doing our best to preserve them for future generations.
What’s the most unique thing about Packwood? Our amazing yew garden. Once seen and experienced, it’s never forgotten!
Any new planting projects for 2017? Our new Rose Walk. This forms part of the visitor route from our reception to the main garden entrance. It’s been planted up as a seasonal food store for wild birds, insects and small mammals. The roses all produce hips, and there will be holly hedgerow and rowan trees for the wonderful coloured berries and fruits. The autumn colour will delight.
What’s your favourite part of the job? Working with an enthusiastic team of gardeners and volunteers. And of course developing such a lovely garden!
Mick will be leading a garden tour on Wednesday 12 July (7-9pm). Tickets cost £15 each, including a glass of wine. Call 01564 787923 to book