Our work at Saltram

Two gardens working on the garden beside the pond at Saltram, Devon — Working by the pond at Saltram | © National Trust Images / Mel Peters

Maintaining Saltram’s house and estate provides plenty of work for our team of staff and volunteers. We recently completed a project to conserve the beautiful Orange Grove in the garden here. Despite work unexpectedly grinding to a halt during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, the much-needed conservation to the central pond kicked back up and was completed in spring 2021.

Conserving the Orange Grove

Work to conserve the Orange Grove in the garden at Saltram was forced to pause in March 2020 when staff were sent home during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Fortunately, funding was found to revive the project and the project was completed one year later in spring 2021. The Orange Grove is looking the best it has in a long time and once again it’s the beautiful, secluded space at the heart of the garden.

A National Trust gardener Tim Harris works to move citrus plants out of the Orangery at Saltram, Devon — Moving the citrus plants from Saltram's Orangery | © National Trust Images / Paul Harris

What was the problem?

The beds surrounding the Orange Grove had actually improved in recent years. However, its central pond was in dire need of conserving. Several leaks were found in the pond liner, due to the fact it had perished over time.

The central fountain was also no longer working and the coping stones around the pond edge needed to be reset and repointed. Problems with poor draining and weeds growing through the gravel were caused by the condition of the subsurface too.

What work was carried out?

In order to repair the pond lining, a thin layer of concrete was put down over the old lining. Then, a thick layer of fibreglass was laid over the top to create a new, durable lining that should last many years.

While the concrete was still curing, all the ducting and pipework for the pond’s pump, filter and fountain were installed. Plus, the coping stones around the pond edge were reset, while keeping them in their original location.

Improving pathways and plants

New gravel was added to existing paths surrounding the pond, which were in a poor condition. Existing plants were rearranged, new plants were added and the citrus planters and benches were given a fresh lick of paint.

Find out more about the conservation work that took place in this video on Saltram’s Orange Grove, presented by the Head Gardener Martin.

What’s next?

Looking ahead, the garden team hope to focus their conservation efforts on a different part of the garden each year. Check back to see what other projects we undertake on the Saltram estate.