Winter in the gardens
As the low winter sun shines on the gardens, not all of the plants are dormant. Herbs and plants left in borders take on a new aspect as they shimmer in the winter frost.
Low lying fogs brings an ethereal atmosphere to the gardens. Casting the house in shadows, it can make you feel you have Hardwick all to yourself
Winter colour can be found in vibrant flowers such as Narcissus, Winter Aconite and Winter Flowering Honeysuckle.
From December an amazing display of snowdrops can be found across the estate, especially around our Stumpery, alongside Irises, Fritillaries and Ferns.
What are the Gardeners up to this winter
While the garden may start to look dormant, our garden is far from quiet.
With many of our trees finally letting the last of their autumn leaves fall, the clearing of leaves is always a big task for our gardeners. Along with hedge cutting, weeding and preparing borders, winter is the perfect time for our gardeners to plan ahead and prepare the garden for the coming year.
Some of our gardener’s winter tasks include lifting stock plants such as Dahlia’s, Chrysanthemum’s and tender perennials such as Salvia and Penstemon to help protect them from the cold winter temperatures and to take cuttings from in Spring.
Cuttings will be taken to help propagate new plants which will either go back into the garden next year or will be available to buy from our plant sales. The gardening team have been planting thousands of Spring bulbs such as Iris, Tulips and Fritillaries, which visitors will be able to buy from the shop in the New Year
Herbs which were grown from cuttings in Summer are busy growing behind the scenes in our greenhouses. Herbs such as Rosemary, Marjoram, the often-overlooked Hyssop would be a welcome addition to the home herb garden. With colourful pink, white or blue flowers this Mediterranean herb from the mint family is extremely fragrant and used sparingly in recipes such as soups.
