Baddesley's gardens are worth exploring in the winter

There’s something for everyone to enjoy here in the gardens at Baddesley Clinton; wrap up warm and play in the woodland, walk around the lake or simply find a quiet seat and relax in the winter sun.

Winter is still a time of interest in our gardens. The dahlia border may not be there, and there’s not much colour in the walled garden, but you can admire the structure of the trees and shrubs without their leaves.

It’s a busy time for the gardening team preparing for next year’s displays.

We are resurfacing the lakeside and wilderness paths to improve safety, trafficability and drainage. Test samples of three self-binding gravels have been laid, of which the terracotta is favoured for its earthy tones and smooth, hard surface. Removing the old timber edges creates a more casual feel to the pathways.

A major job this winter is removing the Rhododendron Ponticum from around the lake side. Ponticum, though beautiful for a few weeks in the late spring is very invasive, and will easily crowd out other plants. Removing it will give us the opportunity to look at the space we have and introduce new rhododendron cultivars and potentially more trees for autumn colour.