Out with the old, in with the new

This week at Houghton Andrew was preparing for the bedding switch from Summer to Spring. A big change but it has to be done gradually and there will be a lot to do!

Some life still left in the summer plants but we stripped some of the Marigolds out of the Peacock garden and weeded in preparation for the next plants in a few weeks time. We weeded the Mercury bed and lifted some more Geraniums for air drying throughout the winter months. The Herbs needed a bit of a cut back (Origanum) and it is lovely doing that as they smell so nice! I clipped the Honeysuckle ball again into shape and took some root cuttings from the Mint and small Lavender cuttings too.

Lesley, our volunteer, came on Wednesday so we shared some jobs together and tidied the Rose beds and Mist house and we found a little Newt! We also began work in the Raspberry cage which has been neglected and become very overgrown. That was very satisfying clearing out the old shoots and giving the strong healthy ones a chance to breathe again.

Apples are still falling and when I turned around to fill the barrow with them, I saw a sneaky slug looking at me!

Some lovely yellow Tomatoes to bring home and some Origanum for homemade pizza. I also got to read the old Head Gardeners Diary from 1913, leading up to the War. He worked so hard! He had some 'chaps' on duty to help him and it is fascinating reading about what they got up to, the main difference it seems needing to produce a lot more for more people to eat.

Misty mornings

Due to family illness, this week I worked two days starting earlier in the morning. It was beautiful driving to the garden with the sun rising and the mist hanging over the fields. The garden is lovely at that time in the morning, fresh and covered in beautiful cobwebs and dew.

Jobs for September include clearing windfall from the orchard most days to avoid attracting the wasps to the garden. Then a job which will carry on now for quite some time is clearing leaves. Houghton have a great machine called a BillyGoat for such a job. It is rather like a road sweeper that sucks up plant material from the ground so I had a go on that on some lawn and around the parterres of the Peacock garden. A beast of a machine to move around but it does a good job.

Deadheading is still on the task list. The Echinops in the long border were reaching for the sky and raining seeds down all around them, so they have been chopped. The Geraniums are ready to be stored for the Winter, so Andrew and I began to lift and air dry some by hanging them from the ceiling of one of the old calf sheds. Soon we will be lifting and storing other plants too, including the Dahlia's.

The veg garden was cleared this week as crops begin to stop growing and we sprinkled green manure seed over the ground. The idea being crops such as Mustard and Rye will grow, stop weeds and then we dig the green manure in before we plant next season giving nutrients back into the ground. Something I will be trying at our allotment, sounds great!

I am beginning to see changes in the garden now as the weather changes and it is always exciting.

Variety is the key

Lots of tasks this week and all great experience for me. First day in and I was feeding Camellias, planting out my Iris cuttings from a few weeks ago and clearing away all our gorgeous Lollo Rossa Lettuces that had been destroyed in just a few days by Brimstone Caterpillars. It was a scene of devastation with scarce lettuce leaves and loads of caterpillar poo! My first experience of a Hydroponicum a successful one though despite ending in a pest eating everything.

I have also been pruning American Pillar roses over the archways in the walled garden with the help of Lesley, our volunteer. My hands have the scratches to prove it so new gloves are on order. The roses are a tangle of old, sometimes dead, stems and new shoots so it is very time consuming to get the pruning right. Worth it in the end though as they look great now. Only a few more arches to go!

It was great to see Andrew in full swing as well, giving a talk to the University of the Third Age about the garden. So much information to know about one garden, I listened with great interest.

I have been propagating seeds too from the garden, Hosta, Hebe, Iris and also taking cuttings from a Choisya. Andrew showed me how to prune and finally fell a dead cherry tree and we had to clear all of the debris away. Lots to do and lots to learn. The thing I love the most is not knowing what is coming. As soon as you plan a task, another appears and the work is ever evolving.

Marigold seeds and sunshine

Lots of variety in the garden at the moment and a job to think about what to do first. I was asked to deadhead Marigolds and harvest some heads for seed collection. They are strange looking things that look like a cluster of dead woodlice clinging together. Lots of different seed heads around at this time of year. all kinds of shapes and sizes.

I was also involved in pruning back Rambling Roses which are over archways through the walled garden. A long and prickly job, cutting out dead growth and re-training the new. It makes such a visual difference to the archways.

The Lolla Rossa Lettuces are ready to cut, all grown without soil, and delicious they are too.

I have been using some machinery, the drive-on and the leaf blower. All great to try out, all new to me. We have been busy cutting back Laurel in the Peacock garden to a manageable height and thinking about the Veg plot for next year. Lots of wonderful purple french beans at the mo and beets to take home to cook. Andrew is planning on green manuring the plot overwinter to give nutrients next year and suppress weeds, will be great to see how I can do this at my plot in the future.

Clipping Peacocks

Another gorgeous day at Houghton, late summer sun keeping on and actually quite hot whilst working. We still need to water and keep things going as it has been so long since we had a real downpour.

I had a go at clipping the topiary Peacock today, shaping the fan tail and the 'bowl' it sits in. It looked much neater, whilst Andrew slashed back massive nettles which were out of control.

It was good to see the edging I had done last week along the long border which looks a much better shape and much neater for the visitors. I tidied the Vinca away which was out of control along the edge of the Peacock garden and Andrew trimmed the Pyracantha gothic archway into shape.

It will soon be time to pull things up and start planting bulbs but until then it is lovely to see the late summer sun on the last colours of the Marigolds and Salvia. Another satisfying day.