Toddington Manor Head gardener, garden designer for 'Applegate Gardens' and 'Garden Design Pro'...

Plants Life Cycles

2011-01-25T14:30:00.002Z

Someone recently asked me what a perennial actually was, and I thought it would be useful to recap on a few common botanical words which most gardeners are familiar with, but may not realise what they really mean. All plants have different life cycles ranging from very brief to thousands of years…

Annuals complete their life cycle in one year, they grow from a seed, flowers and set seed, after which they die. Chickweed and Sweet Peas are both examples. Also commonly known as annuals are Ephemerals – these can complete many life cycles in one year, such as the pernicious weed Bittercress. Many bedding plants are treated as annuals but in fact frost-tender perennials, such as petunias

Biennials complete their lives over two years, growing from seed at the end of the first year, continue to grow and then flower early the next year, set seed in the summer then die, such as Sweet Williams.

Perennials live for more than two years and in most cases, many years. Trees, roses and shrubs fall under this category, these have a permanent structure, herbaceous perennials grow and bloom over the spring and summer and then die back every winter, their root-stock (or crowns) surviving below ground to re-shoot again in the spring. All perennials are either deciduous, dropping their leaves every Autumn, or evergreen, retaining their foliage all year.

Plant of the Month – Fritillaria melagris

2010-05-04T10:59:00.002+01:00

Daffodils brightly herald the start of spring, but the subtle charm of the Snakes head Fritillary is hard to outdo. Each slender stem of this spring bulb carries a hanging bell-shaped bloom, heavily chequered with dark purple and white squares, an effect rarely seen on petals.

Also available is a sub-species with pure white flowers (FRITILLARIA meleagris ssp. Alba).
Unfortunately these hardy wild flowers are becoming increasingly rare in the countryside due to modern farming methods, but the few protected sites in Britain really are a wonderful sight in April.

They are easy to grow in a border or pot, and look stunning naturalized in grass, either in sun or partial shade.

Garden Design Software

2010-03-17T13:17:00.002Z

To keep you up-to-date with the latest from Garden Design Pro, after our initial release in Spring 2009, we've now been joined by approx 500 members at ...and this maybe part of the reason... http://www.gardendesignpro.co.uk/

GARDENING WHICH? REVIEW - DECEMBER 2009 EDITION
The team at Gardening Which? tested 9 of the most popular garden design software packages suitable for home use. The evaluation team was made up of professional garden designers, 3 Gardening Which? experts and 27 triallists to give as comprehensive a test as possible. Our software was the only package used by professional designers and landscapers commercially, and evaluating Garden Design Pro, they said...

"This web-based software is impressive and has lots of potential for novice garden designers. It’s a suite of 3D garden components (plants, furniture and hard landscaping features), for use with Google SketchUp – a free piece of 3D modeling software from Google. It provides the basic components to create a garden, plus design inspiration and advice... All of our member triallists liked this software... Our verdict: one of the best visualization tools around. Practical and versatile..."

WHAT IS 'GARDEN DESIGN PRO'?
A simple solution to suit all skill levels and budgets, giving you the tools to create garden designs in 3D - based around Google's SketchUp software. It's easy to learn, quick to use and low cost - starting at just £16.15+VAT!
Solution based on the Google SketchUp (as used by designers and landscapers worldwide)
360+ (and growing) components and plants to 'Drag-and-Drop' and create designs in minutes, not hours!
36 'Ready-made' borders to suit your style and conditions - buy plants online for home delivery
Perfect for beginners, homeowners, students, garden designers and landscapers - try out our FREE sample package to see how powerful it is!
***2010 SPECIAL OFFER - 15% DISCOUNT OFF ALL MEMBERSHIPS***
The new year has arrived, and Spring is on its way - so now is the perfect time to get planning with Garden Design Pro. Use the code gdpro15 in the checkout for 15% off membership, if you join before the end of June 2010. Take a look: http://www.gardendesignpro.co.uk/acatalog/designing_gardens.html

CAN YOU DESIGN YOUR OWN GARDEN?
Many homeowners want to produce a design for themselves, so to help we've released an exclusive guide to designing your own garden, written by leading designer, author and TV presenter David Stevens. A 25-page 'e-book' covering the major aspects of creating a design. All 'Garden Design Pro' software members can download it FREE. Take a look: http://www.gardendesignpro.co.uk/acatalog/e-book-diy-guide-design-your-own-garden.html

Plant of the Month – Euphorbia amygdaloides 'Purpurea'

2010-02-26T11:17:00.001Z

A striking architectural perennial is a good choice for a large winter or spring container, and this bushy euphorbia is perfect. 'Purpurea' has lovely purple tipped foliage that contrasts with the lime green flowers that appear in spring. These last into summer when you can prune the whole flowering stem back to the base to tidy the plant.

If your garden soil is poor or dry and in partial shade, this hardy euphorbia will cope! It makes a good evergreen backdrop in the shady garden and reached 60cm high. Try with phormiums for contrasting shapes, or with alchemilla mollis for similar coloured flowers in early summer and contrasting foliage.

One note of caution for all euphorbias, they have milky white sap, which is poisonous and a potential skin irritant so always wear gloves when working near them.

What soil do I have?

2010-02-03T10:18:00.005Z

Every garden soil is different. All are mixtures of sand, clay and silt, but in differing quantities.

To determine what your soil is, take a piece of soil about the size of a golf ball and roll between your fingers removing any large stones. Now try to roll into a ‘worm’ shape.

A sandy soil will not form this shape, it simply falls apart. If you can form this shape easily and when rubbed, the surface turns shiny, this is clay soil.

However, if the ‘worm’ can be crushed in the palm of your hand, then you have a loam soil, perhaps the most desirable of soil types. Very similar is a silty soil, which possesses a silky feel.
You can improve every soil by adding organic material such as compost or manure. This helps bind particles together in a sandy soil, or helps clay soil become more workable.

Knowing your soil will help you choose the right plants for your garden and enjoy more success growing healthy and happy plants.

Plant of the Month – Dryopteris filix-mas

2010-01-19T16:45:00.005Z

The native Male Fern is an elegant addition to the winter garden. It serves as a green backdrop to flamboyant summer flowers, but comes into its own during Autumn and Winter, with its structural shuttlecock shape. It has robust mid-green foliage and can withstand drier soil and sunnier spots than other ferns, although equally happy in damp shade.

Its foliage lasts well into late winter, when at some point the leaves will fold down, forming natural protection for the crown of the plant during the wet and cold winter months. Its best to leave these until early spring, when they can be removed completely to make way for the fresh new leaves (known as fronds) to elegantly unfurl.

Planting for sandy soil

2009-11-25T16:07:00.001Z

Anyone who possesses heavy sticky clay soil will always pine for a light, sandy soil, yet this is not the best soil. Although much easier to cultivate, the main problems with a light sandy soil is compaction and the inability to retain water and nutrients.
As the sand particles are small, rain will wash through these particles and cause them to ‘pan’ or form a hard surface crust, making it difficult for young plants to establish. This type of soil is free draining, so although it can be easier to dig in autumn or spring, saving your back, it will dry out quickly in summer so plants need to withstand periods of drought. It is this rapid loss of water that leaches out nutrients also, so to sum up, plants will be hungry, thirsty and slow to establish!

The key step to improving sandy soil is the addition of organic matter in large quantities, year after year. Manure, compost, green waste, leaf mould, or mushroom compost – all contain something called humus – a black fibrous material formed from organic matter of decomposed plant or animal residues. This will coat individual soil particles, helping retain water, nutrients and give structure to the soil.

Some planting ideas to get you started are...

Grasses
Helictotrichon sempervirens

Trees
Amelanchier lamarkii
Cercis siliquastrum
Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Frisia’

Climbers
Jasminium officinale

Perennials
Agapanthus ‘Bressingham White’
Echinops ritro ‘Veitch’s Blue’
Kniphofia ‘Little Maid’

Shrubs
Artemisia ‘Powys castle’
Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘Heavenly Blue’
Philadelphus coronarius

A Touch of Frost

2009-11-10T12:02:00.002Z

Just as we prepare for winter, changing our habits and clothing, plants are quietly going through changes too. The most striking of these is leaves turning to lovely autumnal colours. This occurs as the chlorophyll degrades in the leaf, so we can see the other pigments that are there all year too, but masked by the green chlorophyll. These include orange carotenoids, purple-red anthocyanin, and yellow xanthophylls. Hormones then cause the leaves then abcise, (from the Latin ‘to cut off’), thereby protecting them from winter frost damage.

Evergreen plants protect their leaves from freezing by using their own ‘antifreeze’. This is just a high percentage of dissolved sugar and amino acids in the cells, which lowers the freezing point of water.
This is the reason why late spring frosts can be so devastating to fresh blossom and new leaves, as these changes have not occurred. Once the fluid contained within the cell has frozen, it expands and breaks the cell wall beyond repair.

The shortening days also induces dormancy in many plants, an example being the transformation of buds to withstand the cold days ahead with thick protective scales (as can clearly be seen on Horse Chestnuts).

Plant of the Month – EUONOMUS alatus

2009-10-28T09:46:00.004Z

Pronounced ewe-on-i-mus ah-lah-tus, the Winged Spindle bush, which is the common name, can be relied upon to provide rich, striking autumn colour year after year.

During October and November, its small deciduous leaves change from dark green, first to rosy pink, then to a more vibrant crimson, clinging to the branches for ages.
It is a bushy dense shrub, relatively slow-growing, but when mature reaching 8 feet (2.5m) high and wide. Adapting to most conditions providing there is reasonable drainage, and will tolerate either sun or shade.

The inconspicuous greenish flowers in summer are followed by purple and red fruits with scarlet seeds, but one word of caution though, all parts of this plant are toxic.
Once the leaves have fallen, it has a winter skeleton of branches with conspicuous flattened ‘wings’ suggesting its common name.

Extension of 15% software discount offer!

2009-07-03T09:24:00.004+01:00

Our 15% discount offer for membership of our Garden Design Software package has proved really popular throughout the month of June - so we have decided to extend it...

***JUNE SPECIAL OFFER - 15% DISCOUNT OFF MEMBERSHIP!!!***

Summer holidays are on the way, so now is the perfect time to get planning with Garden Design Pro. Use the code gdpro15 in the checkout for 15% off membership, Click Here to take a look...

A simple solution to suit all skill levels and budgets, giving you the tools to create garden designs in 3D - based around Google's SketchUp software. It's easy to learn, quick to use and low cost - starting at just £16.15+VAT with our 15% discount offer!

Solution based on the Google SketchUp (as used by designers and landscapers worldwide)
360+ (and growing) components and plants to 'Drag-and-Drop' and create designs in minutes, not hours!
36 'Ready-made' borders to suit your style and conditions - buy plants online for home delivery
Perfect for beginners, homeowners, students, garden designers and landscapers - try out our FREE sample package to see how powerful it is!
A 25-page 'e-book' covering the major aspects of creating a design to download FREE - Click Here to take a look...
All plants in software (including 36 'Ready-made' borders) available to buy online for home delivery! All 'ready-made' garden borders have a 2D PDF planting plan and planting list, which links to the Crocus online nursery - Click Here to take a look...

15% off Garden Design Software in June!

2009-06-01T09:05:00.017+01:00

JUST OVER 3 MONTHS SINCE LAUNCH!

At just over 3 months old, our Garden Design Software package now has over 250 clients and is growing fast. Development continues with more patio components, block pavers, terracotta tiles, granite setts, walling and more added - and our 'Design Your Own Garden' guide has proved popular, alongside the ability to order your plants online, for home delivery.

We have lots more garden and plant components under construction now, as we continue to build on the existing 360+ components...

WHAT IS 'GARDEN DESIGN PRO'?

A simple solution to suit all skill levels and budgets, giving you the tools to create garden designs in 3D - based around Google's SketchUp software. It's easy to learn, quick to use and low cost - starting at just £16.15+VAT in June!

Solution based on the Google SketchUp (as used by designers and landscapers worldwide)
360+ (and growing) components and plants to 'Drag-and-Drop' and create designs in minutes, not hours!
36 'Ready-made' borders to suit your style and conditions - buy plants online for home delivery
Perfect for beginners, homeowners, students, garden designers and landscapers - try out our FREE sample package to see how powerful it is!

***JUNE SPECIAL OFFER - 15% DISCOUNT OFF MEMBERSHIP***

Summer holidays are on the way, so June is the perfect time to get planning with Garden Design Pro. Use the code gdpro15 in the checkout for 15% off membership, if you join before the end of June. Click Here to take a look...

CAN YOU DESIGN YOUR OWN GARDEN?

Many homeowners want to produce a design for themselves, so to help we've released an exclusive guide to designing your own garden, written by leading designer, author and TV presenter David Stevens.

A 25-page 'e-book' covering the major aspects of creating a design. All 'Garden Design Pro' software members can download it FREE. Click Here to take a look...

ORDER YOUR PLANTS ONLINE, FOR HOME DELIVERY!

All plants in our software (including the 36 'Ready-made' borders) are available to buy online for home delivery, making it easy to create professionally designed borders.

Each plant in our component catalogue has a link through to the Crocus website where you can buy online. All 'ready-made' garden borders have a 2D PDF planting plan and planting list, which also links through to Crocus. Click Here to take a look...

Garden Design Pro software updated with new Walling components for Google's SketchUp!

2009-05-11T21:12:00.011+01:00

We've just updated our Garden Design Pro software again, this time adding the first of a whole new range of Walling components for use with Google's SketchUp program.

The first additions (located within the 'GE Edging' category) include a rustic slate style, old fashioned brick walling, traditional stone and a contemporary granite effect wall. Our software members can download them now HERE (you need to be logged-in to access the Zip file downloads).

We have plenty more ready for release soon, before we begin work on more planting components...

If you want to know more about our unique, lo-cost and professional quality software to design your own garden - CLICK HERE for more...

New SketchUp walling components in development

2009-04-20T20:18:00.003+01:00

We are currently working on a range of new SketchUp walling components for our Garden Design Pro software, which should be ready for members to download in the next week or so, including dry-stone wall effects, modern contemporary walls, natural pitched stone walling and traditional brick.

For more details on what's already available to download to create your own 3D garden design - CLICK HERE...

The Garden Network gets a new owner

2009-04-12T20:09:00.004+01:00

After just over a year, it's time to hand The Garden Network to someone new, as I'm expecting another child, so will soon be looking after '2 under 20 months' very soon! So with my hands full running Toddington Manor's gardens, our courses and tours, plus Applegate Gardens and Garden Design Pro - something has to give! As of the 27th of March, Tim Matcham of Tim Matcham Garden Design, Wiltshire will be running the TGN website.

TGN has been great fun to get off the ground, the first and easily largest of its kind - unique in the professional way its members have participated and contributed, including the established trade associations. I was happy to hand the site over to Tim, because he intends to continue in its original guise of a FREE website, helping small businesses and homeowners to meet, network and improve gardens.

TGN has grown very quickly in the last 12 months with a peak of over 100 new members signing up in just one day from approx 1,000 unique visitors, and nearly 8,000 members in total. It really shows whats possible by organic growth on the internet, without advertising, any PR, 'dirty-tricks' campaigns or traditional press coverage - just an original concept, professionally managed and exposed to a large online audience. Long may it continue!

I've met some interesting members in the last year, doing some great work - which has been very enjoyable, we are lucky to have some great people in this industry. There are however, still some quite outdated opinions around and we did get some hostility from some of the associations initially (understandably I guess), but once the site proved itself to be professional, it was good to see evryone participate. We have certainly influenced the future shape of this industry online, which is set to change dramatically over the coming 12 months...

Good luck to Tim and all the best with TGN, hopefully everyone will make you feel welcome!

Free e-book for software members

2009-04-09T10:28:00.006+01:00

All our Garden Design Pro software members can now download the FREE e-book by leading garden designer, author and TV presenter David Stevens.

This 25-page 'e-book' is packed full of real-world advice on creating a wonderful new outdoor room for yourself. This detailed tutorial covers use of space, dealing with plot shapes, planting design, construction techniques, materials and more - to take a look CLICK HERE...

Garden Design Pro's 100th client!

2009-04-09T10:17:00.005+01:00

8 weeks has flown by since launching Garden Design Pro and we have just welcomed our 100th client! We are continuing with development of the software, and have more SketchUp components due for release next week.

We are also in the process of migrating our 'Latest News' area's to one central, easily managed Blog - so you can keep up to date with all our news and developments with the software, ready-made garden designs, border planting plans, free downloads and more.

Gardening forum The Garden Network TGN is a huge success since its launch in March 2008

2008-11-20T12:25:00.002Z

Just a quick post to tell you all where I've been for the last few months! Along with all the fun and games my 11 month old boy brings - my new gardening forum has been keeping me busy, alongside garden design work and Toddington Manor- its all go!

I've been running my own bespoke garden design and landscaping business (in addition to Toddington Manor) for the last 10 years or so, and since teaming up with Homebase to provide their homebase garden design service in 2006, it became apparent to me the sheer demand for inspiration from homeowners.

I was inundated with requests for design and landscaping from across the UK, with homeowners saying they 'did not trust business websites' and 'can I recommend anyone locally?' - so I set about creating a 'level playing field' for the industry and a focal-point for consumers to decide who's best for them, by making direct comparisons on gardening businesses.

Seeing the explosion of Social Networks and listening to homeowners, it seemed obvious to use this technology to help them find local businesses and make informed decisions on who to employ. Since its March 2008 launch - designers are meeting local landscapers, homeowners are commissioning projects, students are meeting the industry, amateurs are helping beginners and businesses are forming valuable new connections, it's very refreshing to see!

8 months after starting 'The Garden Network' which very soon has become know as TGN to its members) Im still surprised at the up take - over 3,200 members have joined so far!

A clever search database structure, means you can find and talk to any type of member to further your business or your own garden and was described as "...a networking website that looks set to become the 'Facebook' of the Horticulture world." by Horticulture Week. It's not restricted to the trade, as members showcasing their work has proved a big draw to homeowners looking for reputable companies, with many winning several commissions in the first few weeks of the site going live.

I didn't want to create another faceless 'Quote Database', as industry professionals know how big a part trust, communication and examples of previous work play in securing commissions. Our poll to Homeowners on TGN (on what they rated as the most important factor when choosing contractors) confirmed this - 53% (overwhelming majority) said 'examples of previous work' was their 1st priority. It's just too big a decision for Homeowners to make by 'filing out a form' - hence the 1000's of portfolios, blogs, comments and messages on TGN.

It's still very new, and we have lots of fresh features, areas, software, downloads and other initiatives under development in time for 2009 which we know our amateur gardeners, homeowners and the trade will reccommend it. Unlike many forum and networking sites out there, it's not meant to be a soapbox for one individual or company, but a tool for the whole industry and interested public to use - you can really lose yourself in there for hours!

If you want to see it, start your own Gardening Blog, meet like-minded gardeners, amateurs, designers, students or professionals - click here to visit the TGN Gardening Forum.

Summer Gardening Course

2008-06-23T16:31:00.006+01:00

Last week we held our Summer Gardening Course for beginners, and was fully booked. 12 people attended, which give ample time to dedicate to their questions and show them hands on techniques.
This course covered Summer pruning, and we went into the garden to have a hands on session on our tree paeony, paeonia delavayi var. lutea and viburnum farrerii.

Hopefully everyone enjoyed the day, and all the feedback was positive. The sun even came out so we carried out the nodal and inter nodal cuttings on the lawn in the dappled shade of the copper beech tree, which was really quite pleasant.

On every course, a home cooked lunch is provided by Lady Bowman-Shaw in the Manor house, a treat for the gardeners too! Thanks to all the attendees for their great feedback and also to Julie and Ann the TM gardeners who helped on the day.

The Regal Crown Imperial (Fritillaria imperialis)

2008-04-23T18:51:00.007+01:00

I think one of the more unusual bulbs we have in the spring garden is the regal Crown Imperial. Its flowers are bold, bright, and indeed very stately. Standing tall at about 3 feet high, the colours stand out from the rest of the emerging leaves and bulbs in the borders, and if they are near a path the pretty flowers can be inspected at close quarters.

Each petal has a large droplet of nectar hanging from its base, and if you are brave enough, dip a finger in and taste it - it is incredibly sweet. Which got us gardeners wondering - what kind of flying animal/insect would pollinate the frittilaria imperialis? After a little while on google, the incredible answer was revealed....

A botanist working in Cambridge has shown that a European flower is pollinated by a bird. The flower, the crown imperial fritillary, Fritillaria imperialis, which is common in European gardens, is pollinated by the bluetit. You can read the full article here

Drawbacks of the crown imperial? this would be the pungent smell, which occurs when the plant is touched, or even when the strong spring sunlight heats the leaves - not sure how I would describe it, but I have heard it likened to the smell of foxes, but not sure what thats like either....!

When is a bulb not a bulb?

2008-02-20T19:50:00.001Z

Looking at all the tiny specks of green starting to push out of the ground, one of the first signs spring is definately on the way again, but when is a bulb not a bulb? Ohh the conversations gardeners have!?

You may think that if a plant has an underground storage organ, that remains there year after year, pushing through the soil to flower such as lilies, crocus, cyclamen, erythronium, iris, daffodils lily of the valley and dahlias, then it must be a bulb.

But you would be wrong! Although some of these are true bulbs, the internal structures are quite different – if you look at where the buds and roots originate, and cut them in half you can see how they are all really either adapted stems or roots. We looked them up in a book to make sure - its a long time since I was at college...

· Bulbs – Modified stems, where the overlapping leaves have been adapted to swell and store food and nutrients for the plant eg. Lilies & Daffodils
· Corms –Stubby modified stems, which are vertically orientated eg. Crocus & Erythonium

· Tubers - Short, thickened regions of stem or root, which are used to store food for later growth eg. Cyclamen (stem) & Dahlia (root)
· Rhizomes - Modified plant stems that grow near the soil surface and producing the upward shoot and downward root system eg. iris and lily of the valley.

Plants often modify themselves to ensure survival, and all these modifications occur to survive the British climate - when temperatures drop below freezing, the plant does not have to produce food using photosynthesis – it has plenty stored already for the next year.

Climbers for winter interest

2008-02-13T20:03:00.002Z

Walls and fences can sometimes be overlooked in the garden, and are incredibly useful for supporting climbers and trained shrubs. These add an extra dimension to your garden – a horizontal one! As plants with winter interest need selecting carefully, I have listed a selection of plants which provide either flowers, berries, or evergreen leaves during November to January.

An evergreen Clematis which flowers in the winter is Clematis cirrhosa. There are a few varieties to choose from, the flowers are pale cream, sometimes spotted red, and hang delicately like small bells. Another evergreen is Clematis armandii, with large leathery leaves but this doesn’t flower until spring.

Cheerful yellow flowers can be found on bare branches during late winter covering a couple of wall trained shrubs. Forsythia suspensa has bright yellow blooms, while the delicate looking pale yellow flowers of Chimonanthus praecox are strongly scented. Popular Jasminium nudiflorum, the Winter Jasmine is a tough shrub and easy to grow.

Berries will provide winter colour along with food for the birds, and evergreen Pyracantha’s can easily be trained along fences and walls. They will flower and fruit well even in positions which receive little sun, and varieties are available with orange, yellow or red berries. Cotoneaster horizontalis can also be used to similar effect with bright red berries.

Evergreen Ivys (Hedera) can be used as a backdrop with summer flowering climbers twining through them, as can Garrya elliptica, the Silk Tassel Bush with its dangling catkins throughout winter. Normally seen as a shrub, Lonicera x purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’ can be wall trained, and is worth seeking out for its sweetly scented white flowers.

A Wedding at the Manor

2008-02-06T09:33:00.001Z

One of the big events of last year was my wedding to Pat, after no less than 17 years of living together - we thought it was about time!

We had a lovely informal ceremony in May at the neighbouring Flitwick Manor, and all guests then travelled to Toddington Manor gardens to have the obligatory glass of champagne and accompanying photos.

All the gardeners had been busy making it look spick and span the previous week, and the alliums which line the herbaceous borders looked at their best. I was lucky enough to be able to create my bouquet from the flowers and foliage in the gardens (my previous job ages ago was in a florists, so the experience came in handy!) and the flowers for the tables also were from the gardens.

It was a small wedding party, so then back to Flitwick Manor for the feast and speeches, and the day was rounded off by a barbeque in the back garden. We had watched the weather all week, crossing fingers and toes, and as luck would have it, we managed to get married on one of the few sunny days last summer, and it even had the decency for one small rain shower just as we were eating, so didn't disrupt the day at all.

The Manors owners we even on hand to help serve the champagne to our guests from the conservatory, and I managed to pose for one photo with a fork, and one on the 3 wheeler garden truck too! We both had a great day, and it was made special by spending time in the gardens with everyone, along with the individual bouquet and finished with friends, family and all the staff enjoying the evening at home.

New Years resolution!

2008-01-31T15:16:00.001Z

I'm Back!! My New years resolution is to keep up with the blog posts this year!

I hinted that last year was very busy through one thing and another, so I shall be posting whats currently going on throughout the year, and filling you in on last years developments too.

I hope this damp and horrible weather that seems to stick around for ages will dissappear soon, and we can all look forward to springtime. The birds have started singing in earnest already, looking for mates, which is always nice to hear this side of christmas. The first signs of growth are appearing too, it always seems too early each year, but look closely and buds are swelling in readiness.

We have had a few changes in staff recently, I shall fill you in with the details in another post, but Julie, the new gardener has started working part-time and three weeks into the job is getting stuck in, clearing the borders.

Damp January Borders

2008-01-29T13:39:00.001Z

This January has been damp again, like the last few months, and not the best condition to garden in day in day out, but work must carry on as otherwise spring will be upon us and the beds and borders will not be cleared, shrubs and roses pruned, and sheds tidied.

The herbaceous borders are now cleared, and forked over, in readiness for their mulch which we shall put on during march. This is a process which we carry out on all the beds during winter.

First, all the old and dying foliage is removed to the ground, using secateurs or shears depending on the type of plant. This gets put into our petrol driven 3-wheeler truck (which was incidentally a birthday present to Lady Bowman-Shaw many years ago from her husband - and is still going strong!) to be taken away - much more efficient than barrows given the amount of material we remove.

Then we carefully rake over the soil to remove leaves which have collected during autumn, paying careful attention to the base of shrubs and grasses so no hiding places for bugs, slugs and disease remain.

Lastly, the whole bed is 'forked over' which is carried out using the smaller ladies fork or border fork, and lightly aerate the top 3-4 inches of soil - this incorporates the remaining mulch from last year, and exposes any pests and/or their eggs.

I like to make sure that any dips and bumps are removed from the beds at the same time by gently sweeping the fork from side to side after forking over, this gives that professional finish and also breaks down any large clods of earth left - then we stand and admire for a little while - before the bunnies, pheasants and leaves blowing about in the wind start to mess it up again! We will tidy them up quickly before the mulch gets put on though, so nothing is buried underneath.

Updates for The Garden - 2007

2007-09-23T14:33:00.001+01:00

You may have noticed that my updates for the garden in 2007 have been a bit thin on the ground!

Apologies for this, but this year has been very busy for various reasons, such as a range of new garden courses, getting married, a very dry spring then a very wet and dismal summer, flooding in the garden, many weeds and the lawns continuously growing, as the garden has 'enjoyed' damp and warm conditions most of the year.

I will update you with what has been happening with new posts, looking back at the year to date.

Snow in January's garden

2007-02-03T12:09:00.001Z

This month we had our first snowfall in Toddington. It had been exceptionally mild and wet before this, but unexpectedly one morning, we woke up to a crisp white blanket covering everything. Gardens always look so neat and clean under the snow, and there is little gardeners can do outside, but it is always worth checking no branches have snapped under the weight of the snow, and theres always the job of keeping the driveway and paths snow free!

This photo show the woods behind the Manor, the main lawn in front of the house and the wonderful mature trees like the walnuts, ceder of lebanon, wellingtonias, silver lime and copper beech. The cricket square is at the bottom of the photo, as the grass is kept shorter here, it stands out against the longer outfield grass.

There a few plants braving the cold conditions of winter - the hardy ferns including dryopteris wallichiana, helleborus orientalis is almost blooming, and the marbled leaves of arum marmoratum are looking lovely.

The structures in the garden such as the wooden obelisks in the main herbaceous borders stand out against the snow too.

Our pleached are waiting patiently to be pruned back their knobbly knuckles, but look glorious against the pink manor and white snow. They are the red stemmed cultivar - tilia platyphyllos 'Rubra', so we like to leave the stems on as long as possible so providing interest during the long winter months.

Fog.... and more Fog

2006-12-30T19:29:00.001Z

A few weeks ago (in December) the whole garden and estate was shrouded in fog for days. Flights started to back up at the airports, and the whole world had gone quiet. High pressure does a wonderful job of creating a sense of stillness and quiet in the garden. I love this atmosphere, even though its so cold going down the drive on the bicycle!

Then the sun starts to seep through the murk and walking around the garden looks completely different - I guess you are only focusing on the ground as these is a white blanket above, so details seem to jump out at you much more. There is little you can do outside on days like these where the frost doesnt lift, so its a good chance for us to tidy the greenhouses and vinery.

November colour in the Garden

2006-12-30T19:00:00.001Z

We are getting later and later frosts these past few years, so the first frost now seem to occur in November, rather than October. This helps prolong the colour in the borders, although as the winters are now effectively shorter, this leaves us with less time to thoroughly clear the borders - yes, it really does take about 4 months to tidy, clear away dying foliage, weeds, move stray plants and fork over the all the beds at Toddington Manor.

When we have the first frost it always seems to catch me by surprise - the summer evenings seem so recent and the borders still look good. I always keep a close eye on the water forecast so all the large summer pots placed around the garden with tender margurite Daisy's are all safely tucked away in the frost free vinery.

The dahlias and cleomes still look great while the frost is still on them, but tomorrow morning all the cells will have been ruptured and turn the whole bloom to a dirty sodden brown lump - not so attractive!

Our rich red rhubarb chard will not suffer so badly - the outer leaves may be for the bin, but the inner leaves will still be able to be harvested. In fact, this is one ornamental vegetable I would not be without in the ornamental potager. It seems to tolerate heavy rain, drought, pests leave it alone, it is easy to germinate, looks gorgeous whilst patiently sitting there waiting for a gardener to harvest the rich red, crinkly leaves.

It is even listed as a super food along with the equally spectacular kale. They both have an 'acquired' taste, which basically means they are both quite bitter compared to the ordinary vegetables you can buy at the supermarkets, but combined with other vegetables, especially in soups, they are really quite good.

Autumn leaves

2006-12-30T15:51:00.001Z

Have been very busy of late with another project, but have found a little time over the holidays to update you all on whats been happening over the past couple of months at the Manor.

We have had a very windy Autumn in Toddington this year. Not so good for gardeners as working on days when the wind incessantly blows can really wear you down somehow - the gardeners have been talking about this and the end result was that if you wear ear defenders whilst weeding, it doesn't affect you at all, so it must be the noise that makes your head 'busy'!

Feeling pretty daft while wearing them though!!!

Its lovely when the wind blows when the leaves are falling though, as we use petrol powered leaf blowers to move the leaves of our lawns, (which means wearing the aforementioned ear defenders.) Otherwise the worms end up dragging them down under the soil, and really makes the lawns quite messy. Also, the leaves collect in sheltered corners and if left to sit there for more than about a week the grass underneath will yellow and even die eventually.

Toddington Manor is very lucky to have some wonderful trees on the main lawn, and some of these colour well in the autumn, such as...

Red Horse Chestnut (aesculus x carnea)

Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica)

Golden Robinia (Robinia pseudoacacia 'Frisia')

Growing Ratatouille in the greenhouse!

2006-10-20T11:28:00.002+01:00

As this summer has been so long and warm, the vegetables we have been growing in the greenhouse have loved the conditions and we have harvested a wonderful crop.

The Aubergines are swelling bigger and bigger and the colourful peppers are ready to be picked. We have been growing a colourful selection this year including some black one, which eventually ripen to bright red.

Whitefly has been a bit of a nuisance through the summer, but we have controlled this organically by spraying soft soap onto the underside of the leaves, where the whitefly tend to collect.

Watering need to be regular and using tomato feed on all the plants each week has helped the plants to crop well, and stay healthy too.

All of these plants can also be grown in a sunny sheltered spot in the garden, but will benefit from a period in the greenhouse in spring to give them the long growing period they prefer to fruit well.

A bumper crop of tomatoes were grown, again relishing the long summer, and the sweet gardeners delight were delicious.

Another easy crop we grew were the chilli peppers. They not only look fantastic, but add a real kick to the ratatouille!

Great Dixter - gardeners day out

2006-09-24T16:05:00.001+01:00

Every year the Gardeners enjoy a treat- a day out visiting a garden with the owner of Toddington Manor, Lady Bowman-Shaw. This year we all agreed that Great Dixter, home to Christopher Lloyd who passed away earlier this year was to be the one.

It was a girls only day out for Barbara, Debi Rachael, Lady Bowman-Shaw and myself, as Tony was waiting for his new baby to be born imminently! Just as we arrived the heavens opened and we had to wait for the rain to pass, sheltering under the precarious old entrance porch.

We then thoroughly enjoyed looking around the garden, trying to identify plants we were unsure of, and appreciating many of the sucessful plant partnerships that Great Dixter is so well known for.
Many of the combinations rely on annuals, bulbs and half-hardy perennials being planted out throughout the year, so although it looked fresh and colourful, we all agreed it looked like continual hard work!

The main parts of the garden were in the main quite traditional, although with flamboyant use of colour, while at the front of the house, the exotic garden and the cactus juxtaposed against the 15th century manor house caused many comments as it was so much fun. Many of the plants were tender, so were unfamilar to the gardeners growing outside, but everything looked healthy and well cared for, obviously loving the hot summer we have had this year.

We always have a notepad to write down ideas for Toddington Manor, and we are definately planting more crocosmias for next year, Crocosmia 'Citronella' caught our attention, and Atriplex hortensis var. Rubra looks like an annual well worth planting, and an unusual elder, Sambucus formosana with fantastic orange berries.

Croquet lawn 'Umpires Bank'

2006-08-05T15:28:00.001+01:00

At the back of our quintessential English Croquet Lawn, we have a border we call Umpires bank. Whether or not the game of croquet has an umpire, I am not sure, but it is called this because originally there was a rather awful hard surface tennis court surrounded by an equally attractive chain link fence. When the owners children were young, this was a great addition to the garden, but as they all grew up and moved away, it was not really getting much use. So Robin, the previous head gardener replaced this with a croquet lawn, which transformed this area.

As the fence was removed, umpires bank became more visible, so we have improved the planting here. As it is viewed from a distance, bright colours add impact, such as the wonderfully statuesque Inula magnifica, and brick red day lilies. Orange-yellow Helenium 'Waldtraut', evergreen punctuation marks of Hypericum 'Hidcote' , feathery plumes of bronze fennel and two Laburnums stand sentry each side of the umpires bench!

The croquet lawn has suffered this year because of the drought, and although we have not got a hosepipe ban in our area yet, the searing heat has meant the lush green sward of last year is a memory at the moment. But grass has the wonderful ability to start growing again as soon as the weather becomes kinder to plants again.

Inulas are lovely architectural plants for the back of this border, with their large leaves and yellow daisy flowers and the bees are clambering over one another to get to the pollen this week

Liriodendron tulipifera - aka the Tulip Tree

2006-07-20T19:58:00.001+01:00

Toddington Manor has a wonderful backdrop - many established specimen trees planted by the previous Victorian inhabitants. One of these is a fine example of a Liriodendron tulipifera, you can see how large it has grown in the photo. It is on the right hand side, on the left is a wellingtonia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) and a Red Horse Chestnut (Aesculus x carnea). It has now finished flowering, but many visitors merrily walk past it without looking up, missing the hundreds of flowers tucked between its leaves. As they are a similar shade of green as the leaves, from a distance, the flowers just look like browning leaves.

But up close - wow!

Immediately you can see where the common name originates from. The flowers last for just about a month during June and are about the same size as an average tulip flower.

Also worth mentioning are the unusual leaves, with lobes and a notch at the tip which makes it look like it has been cut off. These turn a lovely buttery yellow in Autumn.

potager for vegetables and cut flowers

2006-06-25T21:31:00.002+01:00

Our ornamental potager at Toddington Manor is growing away now, after dire weather for the first six weeks or so. This is Rachaels (our WRAGS trainee) project this year, to design a planting plan, which was colour themed with rich purple and reds, along with creamy white cut flowers such as ammi major, antirhinuums, helianthus 'Vanilla Ice' and wonderfully scented sweet peas - 'Beaujolais' and 'Mrs Collier'.

Earlier on May 2nd, we organised a workday for the WFGA (Womens Farm and Gardens Association) to plant and sow our potager. Members pay a small fee to attend the workday, and have chance to be taught new skills, we manage to complete the sowing and planting in one day, and we all enjoy the cakes! The gardeners had started sowing seeds back in March in the greenhouse so a few plants have a head start before being planted out in modules. Others were sown direct into the prepared soil.

Rain followed the following day, and was followed by cold wet horrible weather for the next two weeks - not great conditions for seeds to germinate. The plants sat and sulked also, until the sun came out, and for four weeks, baked dry under the relentless hot sunshine.

Now... I know gardeners tend to moan about the weather (it is never quite right!) but it has been extremely unusual this year. The result is that a few seeds didn't make it, so have been resown and to add insult to injury, a rabbit seems to have made its way into the walled garden, and is enjoying the lettuce...

But nature has its own way of dealing with these trials, and although, as the photo shows, it is a little bare in places, it will catch up and be as beautiful as it was last year. The sweet peas , mange tout (the curiously named 'Ezethas Krombek Blauwschok'), ammi major , euphorbia oblongata are all flowering well, and as I write this, the vase of sweet peas smell wonderful!

Growing tomato plants

2006-06-15T19:33:00.001+01:00

This year we have made time to grow a few indoor crops in our Victorian greenhouse and vinery, including Cantaloupe melons (Blenheim Orange), Ridge cucumbers (Marketmore) and 3 different varieties of Tomatoes (Gardeners Delight, Sakura F1 and Brandywine)

We sowed our Tomatoes on 6th March in a heated propagator, by 21st March they were ready to prick out into larger, individual pots.

The trick with tomatoes is to keep them moving itno a bigger pot as soon as the roots have filled the pot - without letting them get potbound.

Three pot sizes later.... and they also needed tying in to a cane, to stop them falling over. We create a neat figure of eight using string, and not too tight as the stem will expand as the plant grows.

All our varieties are cordon tomatoes or indeterminate, which means the main shoot will continue to grow - given its own way. However, the growing tips will be pinched out after a certain number of fruit trusses have formed depending upon whether it is growing in the greenhouse, vinery or outside.

With this type of tomato, the side shoots need removing so growth is directed into the developing fruit, not excess foliage. At the axil of each leaf the tiny shoot is just pinched out with my fingers. If you miss one, it will get quite large quite quickly, so be sure to keep a eye on them!

As they need watering most days in the warm weather it is easy to look along the stem each time to see if any need removing - and you enjoy that lovely scent of tomatoes each time it is bruised - takes me back to my childhood each and every time!

Constant watering is best - they dont like being either waterlogged or too dry, but a little every day ensures the fruit will not be prone to splitting. Also, we spray a few whitefly with insecticidal soft soap on the tips.

10th of May, so about 2 months after they were first sown, the first exciting tiny green tomatoes are developing now - we now start feeding every two weeks with a high potash feed to ensure the best quality crop.

Plenty of high temperatures and sunshine means the fruit grow quickly and start to ripen, the first to turn red is Sakura F1, and looks like Gardeners Delight will be next, all by the 8th June. Picked fresh and warm from the plant, a quick wipe on my sleeve - I really should just check if they are fully ripe yet!!!

Paeony 'Duchess de Nemours'

2006-06-10T13:04:00.001+01:00

One of our many Paeonies, the white cultivar 'Duchesse de Nemours' just opening in the morning sunlight.

Geranium magnificum and Paeony

2006-06-10T12:57:00.001+01:00

You can't get a more sumptious combination than this!

Iris Sibirica 'White Swirl'

2006-06-10T12:53:00.001+01:00

A wonderful clear white, with a hint of yellow at the base. This iris prefers
damp soil and some shade.

Angelica archangelica

2006-06-10T12:48:00.001+01:00

Angelica archangelica flowerheads add a lovely structural element to the herbaceous borders

Garden Open Day

2006-06-10T12:23:00.001+01:00

Our Annual Garden Open Day was a great success, with over 600 visitors to the garden. The weather was how you would describe as 'changeable' with a few short, sharp showers for good measure, but spells of welcome sunshine too. Still too nippy for the end of May though!

As we have had awful weather for the last two weeks - very cold and wet, the flowers that are usually looking great were still tight in bud, but the hostas, alliums and bluebells were looking perfect (if I dont say so myself!)

As all 5 gardeners were helping on the advice desk and selling plants we had propagated ourselves, we were able to sneak out for a visit to the other gardens in Toddington that were open on the same day. The ones we managed to visit really were quite varied and different, and in each one, there were ideas that could inspire other gardeners, be it how to deal with a difficult shady spot, awkward levels, tiny spaces or recycling in the garden - gardeners are the most inventive people out there, I am sure.

Fascinating Tales from the past

2006-06-10T11:58:00.001+01:00

On the open day we had the pleasure of meeting two very interesting people. First was a gentleman, who introduced himself as the grandson of a previous Head Gardener, Horatio Plumb who worked at Toddington Manor for Colonial Skinner in 1914. Unfortunately he did not have any photos of Horatio at the manor (that would have been wonderful to see) but is was very interesting to talk with somebody who has direct links with the history of the manor. It would have been SO interesting to talk to Horatio him self - I bet a few things have changed since he was Head Gardener! (I wonder what he would of thought of a female in charge?!)

Then a lovely lady introduced herself as a evacuee in the Second world War, who arrived with her mother and 5 brothers and sisters to spend the duration of the war in the safety of the country, while bombs were being dropped on London. Again, a lot of changes have happened, but the memories were fascinating to hear.

It is great for people to make the effort to revisit the Manor that have a place in their family history, and to hear their stories.

May in the Garden

2006-05-25T21:58:00.001+01:00

Well, what a month! Apologies for not posting much this month, but we seem to have not stopped work at all. The saying 'March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers' has not applied to 2006.

More like 'May wind and May showers bring forth May flowers'!

Still, we can cope with whatever the weather can throw at us, we are hardy gardeners... The last week has been spent mowing, tiding, sweeping, weeding, rushing, and changing wet gloves for a fresh pair each break, as we get ready for our open day on the 29th, Monday Bank Holiday.

The plants are revelling in the lush conditions, and when the sun does come out, I am sure you can hear the leaves growing. As you can see in the picture, the alliums and bluebells along the length of the Herbaceous Borders look stunning at the moment, the ferns and hostas are unfurling and euphorbia charachias subsp. wulfenii with its acid green flowers adds a lovely, sharp edge to the colour scheme.

Put it in your diary, only 4 days left to go - and the weatherman promises no rain!

Hosepipe ban - watering plants

2006-04-30T21:34:00.001+01:00

In this part of Bedfordshire, we have escaped the hosepipe ban so far, but it is still early in the year.

But we are lucky that the Victorians were so resourceful, as our lovely old greenhouse and vinery has a large reservoir built underneath to catch all the rainwater from the glass roofs, and safely stored until we need it. It is much better for the plants, rather than using the local hard water and as it is pumped up to a smaller tank in the greenhouse, the ambient temperature is raised too, so it is far less of a shock to delicate seedlings when they are watered using a fine spry with the watering can.

Speaking of which...we use Haws metal watering cans, they are such a good, long lasting design, and the only part we have replaced in the last 13 years is the rose, which tends to split along the welds - but not bad for the use it gets.

Helleborus orientalis still looking fabulous

2006-04-20T22:16:00.001+01:00

Our 100 metre long herbaceous borders have drifts of hellebores positioned just behind the hostas flanking both sides of our old stone path. Before these unfurl during spring the hellebores are the highlight of the borders.

They have been flowering for about a month already, but as the 'petals' are not really botanically correct, rather they are sepals - which are far more weather resistant (you can just see in the photo the true petals peeking out from the dark centre around the stamens).

We have a creamy white variety for most of the borders, but in the middle beds a riotous mix of cream, pink, purple and nearly black, all with various spots and streaks.

The white ones do have a certain air of dignity about them - but you really can't beat the mixed colours against a clear blue spring sky.

Sowing seeds and more seeds...

2006-04-17T22:10:00.001+01:00

The greenhouse is a frenzy of pots, seedlings, trays and watering cans. This time of year, however big your greenhouse, it always ends up shuffling pots around as they grow and fill their allocated space, seedling get pricked out and use up 10 times their area, and young plants need transferring to our frost free vinery to start hardening off before planting out.

The last few seeds are going in the propagator now, large seeds of the Melons and Cucumbers for training up the metal framework in the vinery - compare these to the tiny grey-white seeds of brachysome, hardly visible when sown. It is always interesting when growing from seed opening the packet of something you have not tried before. The shape, colour and size of different seeds are so varied!

Just remember the rule of thumb for beginners sowing seeds - cover the seed with about the same depth of compost, this way the food reserves can power the seedling to the surface. Too deep and it will run ot of energy before it reaches the surface. The tiniest seeds do not even need covering, just ensure they are kept moist. And there will always be exceptions to this rule as some seeds require light to germinate so if you can always check before you cover them up!

Spring mulch on the borders

2006-04-17T21:43:00.001+01:00

We are now well underway with the spring job of mulching our borders. The green waste does an excellent job of covering up those tiny weed seedlings that are just germinating as the April sunshine and showers are providing perfect conditions for them. As they are annuals, they just do not have the root system to cope with an inch of mulch on top of them, so they will die.

Whereas the perennials tolerate the mulch well, as long as you avoid throwing it right on top of their crowns, they look lovely too, the dark colour showing up the fresh green leaves at this time of year.

The job is made a little easier by using our 3-wheeler to transport the mulch as close as we can get it to the borders, and from there it is all shovelled on by hand - this usually brings on the first afternoons wearing t-shirts as its as energetic as it sounds!

Green Waste Mulch

2006-04-08T14:40:00.001+01:00

Hey, can you guess what the gardeners will be doing over the next 6 weeks? The clue is in the photo!

We had our delivery of mulch last week, for all the beds in the garden. It is 50 cubic metres of Green Waste, garden clippings collected and recycled from your green wheely bins and local councils garden waste in the dumps, all composted and reused as a mulch and soil improver.

We have been using this for the last 6 years or so, and have never had any problems with weeds, disease or pests appearing. It is wonderful for mulching and we spread a generous layer on all our beds, which look wonderfully neat after this, a rich dark colour.

I shall post a photo of work in progress soon - and yes, it is all shovelled on by hand...

Climbing roses neatly pruned

2006-04-07T21:25:00.001+01:00

Our climbing roses in Georges Bed are all neatly pruned around the wooden posts they wind their way around.

By training as close to the horizontal as far as practical, the hormone that promotes growth, Auxin, is more evenly distributed along the stems, rather than rushing straight to the tips as in a vertical stem, therefore encouraging more flowers lower down on the plant.

This year we are planting Clematis viticella cultivars 'Kermisina', 'Niobe', Polish Spirit' and 'Blue Belle' to clamber up the poles alongside the roses, to add extra colour during Summer.

Hardy ferns get the chop!

2006-04-04T21:11:00.001+01:00

After a close inspection, our hardy ferns look just about perfect for their annual cutting down. Just look inside all the old leaves, and see if the new little fronds are looking like they are ready to burst into growth.

If you cut off all the old leaves before they start to unfurl it is a much quicker job than when they have started as you must be careful not to damage any of the new growth. We leave all the old leaves on until this stage, as it gives them a little protection against the harsh winter frosts.

Its also a good chance to clear any old leaves, debris and snails that have made their home in the the lovely dry base of the plant before spring arrives.

Onion sets or onion seeds?

2006-04-02T21:29:00.001+01:00

Which will be better onions - those grown from seed or from sets?

To settle this dilema, this year we shall be growing one onion from seed (Red Baron) - and one from sets (Snowball). The sets arrived in Feburary and were planted in multi-purpose compost in pots on the 8th, the seeds were sown in March in the heated greenhouse.

So place your bets now....

Dividing dahlia tubers

2006-04-02T21:06:00.001+01:00

For the first time last year in our potager, we grew a lovely, dramatic dahlia called 'Chat Noir'.

It is a variety recommended in Sarah Ravens catalogue, grown for its dark red, almost black velvety petals, and a contrasting lime green centre - a truly wonderful cut flower which continued producing flowers right up until our first frost in November.

The perfect job for a wet and windy afternoon in March, I showed Barbara and Debbie how easy it is to divide dahlia tubers for more plants this year. The plants had grown well this last year, and we managed to obtain about 6 tubers divided from the main plant, so by the end of the afternoon 18 new plants were potted up into multi-purpose compost and placed in the vinery to allow them into growth earlier and to keep an eye on them, the three original plants were left a decent size, and replanted into the potager in a different place according to the 2006 design.

A little taster as to what to expect when the flowers burst open again is below...

Mowing grass for the first time

2006-03-19T21:34:00.001Z

Last week, the weather was perfect to start getting the lawns ready for spring (when it does finally arrive). Although the grass is not growing just yet, it does grow a little over winter, so to neaten it up we cut it very lightly.

Using our John Deere 755, which has a grass collection system, we can effectively hoover up any debris such as leaves and cones from the lawns.

As it has been so windy, the grass was lovely and dry, so out I ventured, wrapped up in several layers to keep warm, and mowed all our lawns. The previous day I had used a pedestrian rotary mower for the same reason on all our smaller lawns.

Its always lovely to smell the grass cutting for the first time of the year. Even with 5 layers and a woolly hat on!

Osteospermum 'Glistening White'

2006-03-15T20:34:00.001Z

Seed sowing is continuing throughout March, as space becomes available in the heated propagator. This heat is required for germination in some seeds, but the greenhouse is heated so for many seeds, this is warm enough.

Pictured is Osteospermum 'Glistening White' one seed per module, this was then covered with a very light dusting of compost. Thoroughly watered, the clear propagator top went on, then left on the greenhouse staging to its own devices. Around 10 day later we have over 100 healthy seedlings germinated, no need for the propagator top now, or you risk etiolated seedlings - long, leggy plants reaching up to the light.

PS We have now renamed this variety to 'Gusting White', after Rachael misread the label. A far more interesting name, we thought.

Chimonanthus praecox, or wintersweet

2006-03-14T21:45:00.001Z

Nestled on the brick wall in the rose garden is a wintersweet, also known as Chimonanthus praecox.

It is in a sheltered spot, and grown as a wall shrub for that little bit of extra warmth throught he coldest months. Once the sun has risen and warm the bloows, a delicious scent is carried on the air, a well chosen common name is wintersweet.

Looking closer, the petals are almost translucent, so delicate they really don't look like they will withstand any frost, but they keep on flowering. This is the first year we have had a really good show on this plant, as they take a while to settle in, but after about 5 years, looks like there is no stopping it now!

Sharon Pearson, Garden Photographer

2006-03-06T22:27:00.001Z

We had a visit by Sharon Pearson, a talented garden photographer who spent the afternoon with us snapping away. So I couldn't resist taking her photo, of course.

We were very lucky to have one of those bright, crisp winter days, so hopefully the photos Sharon took will be fantastic!

Watch this space!

To see other photos visit her website at www.sharonpearson.co.uk

Coldest winter for a while...

2006-03-06T22:03:00.001Z

Well, it is now official. The Met. Office has announced it has been the coldest winter since 1996/97. After the last two weeks I can certainly believe it!

Barbaras gloves were left out overnight by mistake, and by the following morning were encrusted with shimmering frost - along with everything else.

We have been waiting for the weather to allow us to prune our pleached lime walk, but hopefully this coming week will be milder, albeit forecast wet for the next week now.

But what else would gardeners moan about, if it weren't for the weather!

Very wet, very cold and very windy

2006-02-27T22:15:00.001Z

Very wet, very cold and very windy weather last week = Very tidy greenhouse.

Also, no more mealy bug on our citrus trees. Tony spent a morning wiping the leaves our oranges and lemons free of mealy bugs, in the warmth of the greenhouse . These little creatures look nothing more than a tiny speck of cotton wool stuck to the branches or leaves of the oranges, and colonies will increase if not treated.

Low numbers will not really cause any harm to plants, but severe infestations can lead to eventual death of the plant.

Because of the waxy 'cotton wool' covering these pests have, pesticides have a limited effect, so physically removing them with a little soapy water is far more effective.

And at least you escape the worst of the wet, cold and wind.

Pruning our (very large) wisteria

2006-02-27T21:38:00.001Z

Every February and July we prune the very large wisteria which covers the front of the Manor.

When I say 'we', I really mean the royal 'we' as Tony the gardener is the bravest one of us to clamber up the scaffold tower to carry out this task. (you can spot him in the photo at the top, which shows the scale of the job!)

This time of year it gets a hard prune, back to just 2 or 3 buds from the main framework. At this time of year the buds have started swelling, so they are easy to spot where to cut back to. Any long, whippy growth is also cut back, which may have been missed in the summer prune. The reason why we give it another prune in July is to shorten the whippy growths to about 30cm from the framework to allow more light to the wood, helping the flower buds gather energy for next years show - and what a show!

You will have to wait with anticipation until the photos are taken, but unfortunately you won't be able to appreciate the gorgeous scent wafting on the breeze...

RHS seed list

2006-02-17T19:57:00.001Z

A couple of weeks ago, the seed of Deschampsia cespitosa was sown in the propagator. The seed was part of the annual order we send to the RHS seed list scheme.

Available to all RHS members, the scheme gives access to unusual seeds collected in the RHS gardens around the UK. For just £10 you receive 20 packets of seed you choose from their comprehensive list, and these are sent out in spring.

Even though the deschampsia are from last years seeds, the germination rate was fantastic, with over 150 tiny little plants now nestled in their own modules to grow on. Not to mention the other 19 packets, it is well worth the money, especially as some of the seed is quite difficult to buy elsewhere! Other unusual little grasses now germinating are Ampelodesmos mauritanus, and Melica ciliata, both little known but sure to turn heads when the are big enough for the garden...

Apple pruning

2006-02-15T07:03:00.001Z

The annual task of pruning our apple tress in the wild flower meadow has come around again, and it was a case of girl power for the job - three of us all atop the step ladders snipping away.

All our apples were planted in the same year, and they all old varieties with some lovely names like 'Peasgood Nonsuch' and 'Irish Peach'. They were bought from Bernwode nursery near Aylesbury about 1998 (I shall have to check the diary).

Follow some easy rules and it becomes quite simple to prune established apples

Remove any dead or damaged branches
Remove any crossing branches
Remove any spindly laterials
Reduce last years growth (identified by the shiny new wood instead of older grey wood) by at least half, preferably two thirds. Cut to an outward facing bud.

Most of our trees are spur bearing, (the apples grow on 'spurs' along the branches), but some are tip bearing. We treat them pretty much the same, but they are pruned less hard.

The fruit buds (pictured) are quite clear this time of year, they are much fatter than the leaf buds. You can see the spurs quite clearly too, definitely do not remove these or you won't have any apples this summer!

http://www.bernwodeplants.co.uk/apples.htm

Holy smoke!

2006-02-14T18:17:00.002Z

Every two or three years we set fire to our two pampas grasses in the old herbaceous border, and the weather was perfect for this job on friday - very dry for the last couple of weeks, a gentle breeze, and before the grass has started to grow again.

It has a certain amount of naughtiness this job, like you are not really supposed to be setting plants in the borders alight, but if you have ever tried to tackle a large pampas with loppers and shear, believe me it is a lot quicker and easier and you end up with less cuts to your arms! I know there is an opinion that setting pampas grasses alight may damage the crown of the plant, yet in the 12 years we have been practicing this, they have not suffered.

The 'after' photo shows the result, but it will look fine as soon as it starts growing in spring.

Remember to check for hedgehogs before you start though!

Finished Plant Supports

2006-02-09T18:26:00.001Z

For Daisy, here is a picture of the finished plant supports, in situ in the potager - the colours of the willow really stand out well against the winter frost...

Coral spot spotted

2006-02-09T18:01:00.001Z

While pruning the roses this week, we noticed some tiny red 'pimples' on some of the dead wood we were pruning out. This is coral spot, a fungus which mainly attacks dead parts of woody plants, but may spread to live wood if not pruned out.

The correct name is Nectria cinnabarina. This lovely name observes the fact that the final colour of the mature pustules (not such a nice word) is cinnibar red.

I often see it, not just on dead wood, but old twiggy plant supports, the trellis obilisks our roses are grown against and wooden fences.

So whenever it is spotted, we prune the branch, to prevent it spreading - and the chances are the branch is already dead.

No frost in the greenhouse!

2006-02-04T11:04:00.001Z

This week has seen a lot of cold frosty weather. As it has been so dry, from inside it hasn't looked particually cold, as the grass has not been white and crisp, but on Friday the thermometer didn't rise above 0 degrees C at all.

This is always a good time to go into the greenhouse and sow seeds. We had grasses and perennials from the RHS seed distribution scheme, which were sowed in potting compost and covered with perlite. These were watered and placed in the two covered propagating units at either 15 or 20 degrees C depending on the seeds germination requirements. Seeds can be fickle things, and some will germinate within a few days, while others may take up to 6 weeks.

Just before christmas, Rachel and I had sowed seeds which needed stratification (a period of cold to break dormancy), so after sowing we placed them in our coldframes outside to expose them to the cold, of which we have had plenty of nights below freezing. This has already triggered germination in Nepeta parnassica, Sedum aizoon and Hyssopus officinalis. So don't assume every seed needs heat to germinate!

Dismal gardening weather!

2006-01-29T18:38:00.001Z

Has been one of those dismal winter weeks, with the fog and frost not lifting on some days. Has given us chance to catch up some indoor work, like painting the delphinium supports dark green so they do not show as much as bare metal. Tony got this choice job, and Barbara and Debi spent one morning giving our restored Victorian vinery a good clear out.

As the photo shows, it is a good month after Christmas, and the leaves are still falling off our Copper beech tree onto the borders. It seems unusually late for them to still be hanging on, even after the cold and windy weather of late, they are only leaving one by one. Keeps the gardeners busy clearing up though!

Wrags trainee gets stuck in with the saw

2006-01-23T20:37:00.001Z

Rachael is our WRAGS (Women Returning to Amenity Gardening Scheme) trainee for this year, and started in October. The scheme is run by the Womens Farm and Garden Association (WFGA). Today she got stuck into removing an old overgrown ceanothus which was smothering a lovely shrub rose near the entrance gate. On a chilly morning its also the quickest way to warm up and start removing the layers we are all bundled up in. Once the bulk had been removed, I am sure you could hear the rose breathe a sigh of relief, as fresh air wound its way around the stems, blowing away the cobwebs (along with any bugs and diseases hanging around).

A new year starts at Toddington

2006-01-22T13:40:00.001Z

Another year starts in the garden, and on one wet Tuesday afternoon, the gardeners set about remaking the hazel supports for the ornamental veggy, herb and cutflower garden, otherwise known as the potager!

We selected lovely, straight lengths of hazel growing along our nut walk, each about 6 feet long, and colourful stems of cornus and willow. The next part was a four-handed affair of holding the long hazel stems together whilst twining the cornus and willow around to hold it all together.

After trying three horizontal loops of cornus, the consensus was to increase this to five, and the supports were indeed much sturdier as a result. The resulting supports were put in place in the deserted winter potager ready to be smothered in the summer with sweet peas, spaghetti squash and purple pods of mange-tout.

(the attractive looking bin lid at the bottom was to ensure they were all roughly the same size - this was removed before positioning in the potager!)