We’re also planning for a change in this bottom area. Just next to the kiosk behind the enclosed four walls of a yew hedge we’re planning to update one of our themed gardens. Our plans are to rejuvenate the old special winter garden space. We will maintain the shelter and intimacy but now add a twist; that of an imagination space. This new imagination garden will be full of inspiring plants and remarkable features and will be a perfect space to read a book or tell a story. We will move out many of the old scented winter flowering plants so hopefully this theme won’t be lost. However, the new garden will be something special for all ages and is something I’m sure will be loved just like the old winter garden.
Friday 27 September
Rain, rain go away....but do we really mean that? Head Gardener Simon fills us in on what the weather, particularly the rain, means to the garden.
Weather!
It’s raining today, it was raining yesterday, and it looks like it will be raining tomorrow. To work in a garden means developing a relationship with the weather. Firstly, there is the horticultural side of this, we need the right temperatures and the right amount of rain at the right time, as gardeners we spend a huge amount of time pretending we can predict this.
Autumn is usually a great time of year that helps us in our work, I always favour planting at this time of year, the ground is relatively warm, and the amount of rain around generally aids fresh planting.
The climate in all our gardens is very important as whether we like it or not, it makes all our gardens unique, and to me this is one of the things that makes working in a garden so interesting.
There’s a lot more to this when you think about it, the unique micro climate in my garden has decided which of the plants will grow and flourish and which will not. Next if we think about what makes Wallington feel the way it does, let’s consider it in terms of the Theatre.
Starting at the top the Weather is the Director, it sets the mood of the garden, daily. Today is damp misty and beautifully calm, last Saturday morning was bright, sharp and full of optimism. As a gardener no matter how hard I work I could not affect the garden as profoundly as a frosty January morning or that magical half light of a late June evening.
As gardeners, we are the cast of actors who are influenced greatly by our Director. On a daily basis, our moods are affected by the weather, which will in turn affect how we make the garden look. With any successful West End production, the actors and director need to work together, so as a gardener I need to embrace the weather and use it as a design tool, I need to experience all the weather when I’m out working in it and take note how it makes me feel and use that to help me influence the decisions I need to make.
Yes, it is raining today, as I cycled in today I can certainly vouch for the fact that it is very damp, but there is a special beauty in our garden on a day like this.
So, think about our wonderful varied climate and come and visit our garden in all the different weather that we can offer and I guarantee you’ll create some unforgettable memories, (just bring the right clothing).