Gardening Ways......

Sunday, 21 August 2011

Weekly View

It’s been an odd working week really, very ‘normal’ if there can be such a thing at a busy visitor attraction. The school summer holidays roll on, and from different working points, I see the visitors working their way to and fro, following the designed route on the way in, drifting more freely on the way out. Clouds have rolled by with the sun shining down on bleached lawns, and the odd shout can be heard coming from the picnic and play areas by families having, hopefully, fun times. Cows in the adjacent field drift towards the fence to greet the early passers by, and then

August Gardening Ways

A more traditional blog post from me for a change, but don't relax - I'll be back to my usual style very soon, following inspiration from visits to various gardens recently - watch this space!

One of the many delights of the English summer is to spot over a hedge the floral results of another gardener’s hard work. Hanging baskets spilling over with Lobelia, borders with spires of Delphinium, rambling Roses or even a nicely kept lawn. Grass areas around most homes have grown neatly since the introduction of the first mower in 1830. Since then, lawn quality has improved and developed beyond belief and lawns have earned their place as one of the key elements of any traditional English garden.

Throughout most months of the year the grass continues to grow and can look fabulous with regular trimming at a sensible height, some autumn aeration and a regular feed. To some of course, this sounds like an awful lot of work, but for a formal gardener; it is every bit as important as supporting those Delphiniums, or trimming those Roses. Another path you could tread with your lawn however is to let it grow wild, and see what occurs naturally within those grassy blades.

Remember that the lawn area will need a good late summer cut with a strimmer, followed by removal of all the cuttings, and even a square metre or two can act as a beacon to wildlife and provide a long season of colour and interest – all from species considered by many to be wild and uninteresting! You could think about mowing around the edge of the wildflower lawn, to give a neater appearance, and maybe for the more adventurous; a network of paths can be mown and woven through the larger wildflower lawn to give a tapestry effect. The overall result can be stunningly beautiful for those who appreciate nature’s gift of wildflowers, butterflies, bees and more.

Remembering those Delphiniums and Roses, by August many flowers in the border will be ‘going-over’ as people say, and the withering blooms sometimes detract from the overall beauty of a garden. Regular dead-heading, or removal of spent flowers (down to a fresh leaf) has the instant effect of tidying a plant, and can often encourage more blooms to be produced. This is particularly important with summer bedding and container plants to stop them running to seed, and to keep those blooms coming. In addition to the benefits to the plant and its flowering cycle, dead-heading is a pleasant way to interact with your garden, being such a relaxing and peaceful task – have a go – its addictive!

Enjoy your gardens ;)

Thursday, 21 July 2011

The East Park at Compton Verney

Another new feature for visitors to Compton Verney this year is the circular walk around the east meadow, which we began mowing back in the spring. Starting at the pedestrian gate near the 3 arch bridge, the path crosses straight over the area where the old village of Compton Murdak once stood, and loops around the field, raising up at the farthest point to reveal a stunning view back to the mansion of Compton Verney itself.

Whilst I was out working, travelling along the freshly mown grass path, I was again impressed with the insect life that buzzed and flew and hopped about amongst the sward. If my phone camera had been working, I'd have tweeted a picture to tell you all about it there and then - @GaryWebb1 Not only this, but the flowers that were still beaming away, attracting all those insects to feed. The change for the field from agricultural use to that of wildflower meadow is great for the area, and offers much for wildlife and visitors alike.

Of course, the field is due for its topping any day now, if the weather allows, which will of course leave margins for the wildlife to escape to. It occured to me however, that last season I did find some precious time to snap a few photographs, of anything that took my fancy. So in case you haven't made it over to the meadow this year, the photo's may help fill the void that you didn't know you had!

I've added names where known, but do point out any glaring mistakes or offer suggestions with species identification, as I'm always happy to correct for accuracy. Enjoy!