New team Member at Heale!

This week at Heale saw the arrival of a new Gardener, Andrew. The idea being that I work two full days and Andrew does three, which gives the HG a full timer. Great to have more bodies in the garden as you can get so much done together.

We started in the Japanese garden and I got to muck about in the River! Weeding and chopping back. We put the Gunnera manicata to bed for the Winter by chopping the leaves to ground level and placing them snugly back over the crown of the plant. We put the thick stems left over, on top of the leaves to help keep everything down from the wind. The leaves rot down and feed the newly formed plant and offer a little protection from the cold ahead. A lovely ritual and great job to do. It looks so good too I think, like little teepees for the mother plant.

We cut back Shuttle cock ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris) and left only the dark and striking fertile fronds, standing erect and looking stark against the riverbank. Many leaves to clear, Harts Tongue Ferns to chop (Asplenium scolopendrium), Herb Robert stuck his oar in too.....

We also spent time clearing cut Bamboo the owner no longer wanted, great Autumnal jobs to get done before the rain comes and the area floods.
More edging and turf cutting, finished the pond beds and we spent some time in the Veg garden preparing for the next few months ahead. Clearing Cosmos, Zinnia, Helianthus, and dividing Phlox (or was it Penstemon) which had been planted in the cutting garden. Great trick of two forks back to back and you split the clump into two parts.

In my absence the Croquet lawn had some treatment, scarifying and aerating and although it looks like it has been pelleted from the air and will never recover, of course it will and by next Spring will be grateful for it.

I love this time of year, I love the wind and unsettled nature of the rain and sun. The garden is looking colourful and it is a real pleasure to be able to see it at peace without visitors.

With the clocks changing we all have to prepare ourselves for the dark, cold and wet, we have been spoilt this year so I for one am not complaining. It has been a real journey and I am looking forwards to the next stage.

Bulb planter on fire (that one's for Morrissey fans)

Well, another week in Autumn has passed and it brought changing weather and warmth. Perfect time of year, fantastic light and time to get stuff done before the dark days set in. The bulbs have arrived at Heale, many, many of them and we made a start planting some in the Sundial area of the garden. Before we could start, the grass area needed mowing in order to a) define the shape of rough planting and b) allow us to see the bulbs on the ground by mowing up all the leaves.

I found bulb planting great fun but I appreciate that doing it on your own, thousands of bulbs later, it may become tedious. I worked with Michael and he did the hole making, I did the filling. I love stuff like this, a real impact will be ahead when the flowers come up, well worthwhile. We were playing with the weather a bit, do we scatter 500 bulbs and the rains come or do we wait? We did it in quick speed and I thought the planter may start smoking. We planted Tulip saxatalis mixed up with less Crocus versicolour 'Picturatus'. We also have many Alliums, Camassia, Daffodils, Narcissi and Crocus to plant too.

We spent quite a lot of time re-edging the Harold Peto Pond beds, which has several small lawns, each with ever increasingly hairy edges. Michael decided it was time to use a line and turf cutter and re-instate and define the lines. Takes time but worth it to smarten it all up.

Amongst all this, I had a bonfire (love this at this time of year), Cleaned some of the Greenhouse of Coolglass, cut some Pumpkins down, fed the Kune Kunes, chatted to some Chickens and watched the mist rise as I arrived early doors. The colours on the Liquidambar are vibrant right now and the light has a certain glow to it.

As an added bonus this week I go to go on a tour at Westonbirt Arboretum, near Tetbury, with the OldHorts group. What a place and at this time of year. We were spoilt for choice, where to look, every tree had glorious colour or form and the guide was very informative. Lots of men (why is it always men?) with tripods, setting up for the perfect shot.

 I would highly recommend a visit, big specimens planted randomly and experimentally, which was really interesting.

Focus on trees

At Heale this week, I was reminded of the presence of many great trees. As the season turns and the colours change, there is an opportunity to look at the bones of the garden. The more you look, the more you realise how many trees are around you all the time.

We had some tree surgeons in lightly pruning some dead wood from a huge Cercidiphyllum japonicum, the Katsura tree. The tree was planted around 1900 by the 9 Japanese Gardeners who came to design and layout the Japanese Garden. This part of the garden has the River Avon running through it, meandering really, with various paths and gives a beautiful tranquility. The soil is very wet and grows many Hosta, Fern, Bamboo, Petasites, Skunk Cabbage (still one of my favourite plant names!) to name a few.

There are many trees, including Salix (Weeping Willow), Liquidamber styraciflua, Acer, Liriodendron tulipifera (Tulip Tree). I must do a full inventory one day! The Katsura is also known as the Candyfloss tree and I am told it smells of burnt sugar/candyfloss when the wind blows as the leaves turn vivid yellow. I cannot wait until next week to see the yellow leaves (but HG says they don't last long so if the wind blows between now and Thursday I may miss it all for another year!). Right now the leaves are a pinkish/yellow.

We spent a lot of time clearing up after the tree surgeons, shifting wood to the fire in the fields and raking leaves.

Amongst all of the tree work we went round in circles edging, weeding and composting all the many shrubs/trees in the area of garden known as the triangle, a mixture of meadow and long grass with many plantings, Magnolias of many varieties, Euonymus, Malus, Cornus, Rosa (want to say 'erbert but it is Edric)......

We cut Dahlias from the veg garden, stunning blooms looking fresh as they were soaked with rain.

We spent time sorting Greenhouses, removing Pelargoniums from the terraces to inside for the Winter. Inspecting White Fly infestations (of which there are many, little critters), taking cuttings, pruning and tidying Brugmansia and Datura which have been in pots near the house. One looked particularly fine yesterday with huge trumpet flowers (looks are deceiving, this one is poisonous and hallucinogenic - don't want to go near any of that ta). Although it could be useful, Wikipedia has just informed me "Several South American cultures have used Brugmansia as a treatment for unruly children, that they might be admonished directly by their ancestors in the spirit world, and thereby become more compliant". as a mother of two, it could be worth a go!

Another great week in the great outdoors, so many adventures.

First week in and quiet

My first week as an employee at Heale and I was alone for much of my days. It is amazing how much you can notice around you though, nature is rarely totally silent. I heard all sorts of birds early doors, Herons squawking overhead and saw the pigs, cows, sheep and dogs. The Peacock kept creeping up on me and squirrels and pheasants were never far away.

The gardens have remained open as the weather has been so gorgeous (yet as I write it has turned and boy did the rain come today) so I did see some peeps pottering around.

In my lunch hour I just had to get out and take some pix. The colours are turning, the leaves are falling and it is really very pretty. The borders need tidying, flowers dead heading and dead leaves need removing. Crops are still coming in the veg garden. Gourds are ripening and crab apples are shining on their branches.

A haul of Courgettes, Pak Choi, a variety of Lettuce, Runner Beans, Mooli and Radish

Lavandula x intermedia 'Vera' (or Dutch Group as I am now supposed to call it, not quite the same!).

Beautiful Gunnera manicata turning red and sitting pretty on the island near the Japanese Tea House.

Ghostly Fern leaves, I love seeing these, I was sad to be cutting them off the main plant.

Dahlias in the veg plot, soaking up the sun.

Malus 

Mainly my best friend was a mower and we cut quite a lot of grass together. Still, I have to pinch myself that I am now a Gardener and I am actually gardening at Heale!