February

February has almost gone and it has been changeable, as it should be. My two days at Heale have been pouring rain, wind and mud followed by blue skies and sunshine really lifting the spirits.

My other day in another garden involved some of the last few February jobs; pruning and training Roses and Wisteria, feeding and mulching and cutting back Clematis.

All is pretty much ready to roll.

At Heale we have been carrying on monitoring our little seedlings; watering, controlling temperatures, turning trays and generally nurturing away like we are watching our babies grow up. Tomatoes grew large enough to prick out, as did some Cucumbers. Sweet peas are being pinched out (grow you lovelies but not that much!) and Salad leaves are popping up in miniature form.

The visitors are coming in now to see the Snowdrops and their feedback is really lovely. Some are new to the garden and comment on the peaceful feel and they all love the river and seeing what we are getting up to.

 We had many pass us by whilst preparing the Sweet pea canes in the veg garden. A lot of canes in rows, flanking the gravel path through the veg garden; it will smell divine.

We had to weed and edge a long view point, either side of which is Yew Hedging. A long way down and back up again but worth the effort!

A Red Admiral Butterfly surprised us today, flitting about in the sun and enjoying a big Daphne in the veg garden.

All is about to begin again.......

Visitors

At Heale this week I heard the pleasing sound of chatter from visitors. The gardens have opened for the Snowdrop walk, which passes through some of the usually private areas of the garden to meander down along the river to the bank. Yellow from the Aconites and white from the snowdrops, it is a glorious site yet all too fleeting. I was shown Galanthus Wasp (alas no photo here) and it has very thin, long petals, distinct from the other more traditional Snowdrops.

We spent time this week taming unruly plant growth from last season, Wisteria, Rose, Euphorbia, Stauntonia. HG tackled an enormous Rose on the house (Princess of nassau) and spur pruned it and tied it in until it didn't know what was going on. He has kept the growth level with the large windows of the building and it looks very smart indeed.

I spent time pruning a Wisteria, a lovely job, gently and methodically trimming the growth back.

We had a visit from Lawntech who treated the croquet lawn for moss using a big, noisy machine. They left behind small white blobs, which are supposedly meant as a marker to show were you have treated and where is left to do.

Sowing continues, with Peas this time. Also lots to check on and care for. The Sweet peas sown last week are up and the Broad beans. Time to monitor it all and keep an eye for damage, watering, damping off and little critters. A game of Jenga really trying to fit all the trays in and work out which plants require which greenhouse/heat/light.

The garden is looking tip top and ready for the off. Grass was cut in my absence, the veg plots are ready to roll and most plants have had a nip and tuck and feed along the way. Always plenty to do, more Wisteria, Vines, Private area borders (behind the scenes there is more garden!), edging, weeding, tidying, clearing.

More than ever I notice the tranquility of the garden (visitors reinforce this with their positive comments) and despite being attacked by an angry male Goose protecting his Lady, all was quiet and peaceful.......

Final push for opening

Today the gardens open (I am not there!) but this week we had to prepare for it and make sure all was looking the best it can in the rain on a murky day! Some visitors popped by anyway and braved a Snowdrop walk in the rain - hardy Gardener types.

We spent time re-edging the Yew Statues (as I call them) on the croquet lawn. Standing majestic, they had been cut back last year and left a big edge of turf that needed tidying up. A lot of turf to remove and it gets very heavy. Some machinery problems and in the end we got there. Carefully cutting a neat line, cutting the turf into pieces and removing each 'slab' so as we could compost it. We had Chickens following us around, clever chaps, pecking up all the goodies from the soil.

Near the Yew is a lot of Sarcoccoca confusa, in bloom, which smells sooooo good right now.

Whilst removing turf near the boat terrace we had to remove some Iris tuberosa bulbs, so we potted these up. Like a small Dahlia tuber or they actually reminded me of the numerous Chinese Artcichoke tubers we collected from the veg garden.

We also had a delivery of seed potatoes from Edwin Tucker, Main crop, Earlies and Second Earlies. I haven't tried Pink Fir Apple before, they are long knobbly things that look like quite life like. We placed them all upright in egg holders towards the light to get them to chit and come to life.

We had to get the tea room pathway ready for visitors, so spent some time shoveling and raking gravel too.

Later on we got time to sow some more seed. A mix and variety of Misticanza Salad this time in a new all purpose compost (trialling, says it does everything possible, sowing, potting on, shrubs, will let you know) and some Basil. We covered the salad seeds with Vermiculite and housed them in the cool greenhouse.

The rambling Roses we pruned are coming into new life! That makes me happy indeed.

Galanthus

This week at Heale, it is all hotting up (not literally it is flipping freezing outside) with new growth coming and the gardens re-opening and seed sowing a go-go!

The gardens open next weekend and there is much to prepare for the visitors. Boards go down to protect the grass throughout the garden, as visitors stroll through to view the beautiful and varied Galanthus. The perfect white delicate drops are cropping up everywhere and are a delight to see. I was introduced to the 'Double' yesterday, really pretty pimped up petals, like a peacock fluffing up its feathers. I also have a fond spot for a Snowdrop that has a gold/yellow neck between the green stem and white petals. It looks like a jewel.

Hellebores are opening tentatively and when you lift their heads and look inside -pow -they are gorgeous!

I spent my time weeding and edging this week, Miscanthus borders and Lavender borders on the croquet lawn. 

I also spent time potting up Lychnis babies that had self seeded in the Miscanthus borders. Strong healthy plants that will give more and more next season.

We made a start with the seed sowing, we began with many different Lathyrus into rootrainers. I love these things. When you finally plant out you have such a strong solid module to use that the plant just pops out and plops into the ground with no worries. Then you re-use them again and again. And I love Lathyrus so am really looking forward to the day when they are in full flow in the veg garden and smelling divine in the warmth of the sun.

We sowed many seeds including some Chillies, Cucumbers, Melon, Tomatoes. We are trying Cucamelon which I have never grown or even seen. Look forward to that one.

HG had collected some Melianthus major seeds which were like little black glass gems. They have been sown and we will see what comes up.

I enjoy the whole process of sowing, the mixing of the compost, the preparation of the seed tray. Placing the seeds, labeling and watering. Nurturing growth, I suppose it is in all of us.

Exciting times waiting for it all to happen.