December 2020

by Anne chambers

It is nearly the end of the year and one we won’t be sorry to say goodbye to. We could never have ever imagined this time last year how much our lives have changed, however life in the garden carries on as normal with the seasons coming and going.  The garden has been a wonderful escape for us and we have been very content and healthy outside every day tending to the endless jobs which still need doing.

The Four Squares has now been put to bed for the winter, dug over, weeded and pruned ready for the Spring when everything will appear again as if by magic.  It is very comforting to know that nature will carry on unconcerned by the ravages of covid and disease.

One really notices evergreen leaves at this time of year and the cyclamen hederifolium are very special with their beautiful markings.  The hedges stand out too and also the hebe gauntletti in the lower garden is still flowering and has the glossy green leaves throughout the winter

Rather old fashioned and Victorian are the yuccas planted by my grandmother in the lower garden.  They seem to have a mind of their own and have decided to have a full second flowering in time for Christmas.  They are not everyone’s favourites but are very stately and regal at this time of year.

We have our daughter Clare home from America with her family and I have been so looking forward to meeting my new granddaughter Tabitha who is now four months old.  They have just finished self-isolating so we decided to scoop them all up from their cottage before midnight yesterday and bring them home so we are looking forward to a noisy and joyful Christmas with all the family.

It just remains for us to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and will look forward to seeing you all again in 2021.

October 2020

by anne chambers

I often wonder if we should stay open in October especially when we have those beautiful clear autumn days with blue sky and stunning colours. It is difficult choice between sharing the beauty of the season with our visitors and the practical reality of being able to make a mess and start putting the garden to bed for the winter.

This year the colours have been wonderful and only now at the end of the month are leaves covering the ground and the trees beginning to look bare. In particular the acers are magnificent with their vibrant red and orange foliage which light up dark corners and shine in the sunlight.

The dark stemmed aster calliope is in full flower and mixed with the vivid blue salvias again are a highlight in the hydrangea border.  However this particular one in the photo is going to be taken out as it has got too large for the border and is dominating the smaller hydrangeas alongside.  This is the time to evaluate the borders and make hard decisions about what should be removed or divided.  We dig up many large clumps of differing plants to take to the nursery and pot up for next year’s plant sales. Another example are  the dierama in the white sunk garden are now far too numerous and have seeded all over, so again some will be carefully removed and potted for next year.

I am not planting many tulips this year and it will be interesting to see how many of last year’s varieties return in the Spring. The only exception I have made is the tulip ballerina in the yellow border which are a highlight in May.  However we have added to the narcissus in the orchard but not the camassias which have now bulked up really well and cover most of the area.

September 2020

by anne chambers

A misty autumn morning and the weather on the change. We have had the most beautiful warm month so far and as a result have still been very busy with visitors making the most of the sunshine and freedom!

At the beginning of the month we had a lovely few days in Norfolk near Holkham.  We took Boris our cocker spaniel and went for stunning walks along the vast beach there plus visited two gardens.  The first being at Holkham itself where they are in the long process of restoring the enormous walled garden.  We met Kirsty one of the gardeners in charge and admired the very productive and endless vegetable garden which she looks after.  Greenhouses have been restored but still more to do and it will take several more years to finish the project.  We were amused to see a whole section planted with vines which looked very productive and ready for the harvest, weighed down with grapes

Then we revisited The Old Vicarage at East Ruston which we last visited about fifteen years ago.  Much has changed here. After our last visit we felt the strong influence of Hidcote in its layout.  But now it has become a Tresco in the East. The Desert garden, at this time of year an echo of what it was a couple of months ago: Aloes, agaves, puya, besconaria and many other unidentified plants thrive in the arid east and it is amazing what they can grow considering they are so close to the sea.  Throughout the garden echiums, bananas, and daturas all thriving and so many plectranthus bedded out.

We have been hard at work keeping our garden looking good through September and now the asters are full out and adding so much colour to the borders.  Yesterday we decided to visit Percy Pictons old garden and nursery near Malvern for the first time.  It is small but cleverly designed to seem much larger and the national collection of asters is held here.

A stunning display of all colours and sizes and needless to say we managed to buy some new varieties. Afterwards a beautiful walk up the Malvern Hills and a pub lunch made a perfect day out.

August 2020

by anne chambers

Despite some days of heavy rain and high winds we have remained relatively busy with visitors, but the rush of July has passed.  The garden is definitely looking autumnal with the dahlias looking wonderful.  We decided to leave them in situ last winter and even with an exceptionally wet winter they have come back and are flowering magnificently.  My particular favourite this year is dahlia Tony Poulton which is at least six feet tall and a beautiful shade of pink.  If we keep dead heading them they should last right through until October.

I have also regularly dead headed the beautiful rosa White Wings in the White Sunk garden which is much admired and quite difficult to find now a days.

Our main excitement in August was the birth of a new granddaughter Tabitha.  Sadly Clare and her husband David are still in Houston so we are unable to visit them at the moment due to covid.  However they seem to be doing incredibly well and she was luckily a large baby weighing in at 9lbs 3oz so feeding is not a problem!

We are planning to do a short staycation in Norfolk at the beginning of September which we are really looking forward to.  It seems so strange not to have visited any nurseries or gardens so far this year but hopefully we might fit one or two in when we are there.

It is a bumper year for fruit and our apple trees are laden.  Particularly attractive is the Lady Sudeley variety which has the brightest red apples I have ever seen.  The plum tree is also weighed down and have been making plum jam which we will be able to enjoy all winter.

July 2020

by anne chambers

After the BBC repeated the Gardeners World programme with Rachel de Thame the garden has been very busy and we have been very close to capacity on two occasions.  At least we have no buses which has helped to relieve the numbers and the garden has managed to absorb visitors with a one way system helping to reduce visitors bumping into each other. Another consequence of the release from lockdown is the jump in plant sales and we are constantly working to produce more to keep pace.

The main attraction in the garden at the moment are the dieramas in the white sunk garden which love their site and have seeded everywhere.  We have got several varieties, mostly pink but also a white one too.  It was luck that they decided to like this spot and many people have said how difficult they are to establish.

The grey and blue pots have been very successful this year with the beautiful salvia Amstrad as a star performer.  It is a stunning dark blue/purple and like all salvias, flowers for a very long time.

The borders have filled out with plants, now spilling over the grass paths and flowering at least two weeks sooner than normal.   It will be a good test to see if we can keep up the momentum into the autumn.  We do this by endless dead heading and pruning and are lucky too to be able to pop in one or two additions from our nursery into bare spots.

We have really missed not being able to visit nurseries this year so far and at the moment are too busy to venture out to see other people’s gardens.  Hopefully things will calm down and we will be able to do this again as one always comes away with a new idea or plant.

June 2020

by anne chambers

We are now fully open with our one way system in place around the garden and it is lovely to be able to welcome visitors back.  Because we have no buses everything is much more relaxed and we have never been too hectic even on a lovely day.  Everyone seems really appreciative to be able to get out in the fresh air and into a garden and we have noticed many younger visitors have come for the first time. 

At last the rain has arrived with thunderstorms but still warm and humid.  The garden is breathing and growing again after six weeks of drought.  The scent after the rain is wonderful with the philadelphus Mexican Jewel being the winner.  I always thought of this shrub as an untidy grower which I despaired of but now that it has grown into maturity its form is fine if a little spiky. Its tiny white flowers give off the most stunning perfume which wafts throughout the white sunk garden.

Life is still busy with the endless pruning now beginning after the spring shrubs have flowered, not to mention a lot of dead heading to keep the garden going into the next stage.  We have planted out our white cosmos, dahlias as well as tender salvias with our thoughts turning to late summer.  The roses have flowered in abundance but sadly with the heavy rain will not last too long. 

Robin Lane Fox came round last weekend and is kindly writing an article in the Financial Times on how we are coping with opening with covid.  He was particularly taken by our social distancing display of pelargoniums marking the two metre distancing entrance to buy tickets!

May 2020

BY ANNE CHAMBERS

May has been like living in the Mediterranean with hot sunny and dry days.  No rain at all and we really need some now.  However the plants which are accustomed to this climate have thrived and flowered better than ever.

The irises along the front drive have been stunning, all colours of the rainbow and have benefitted from divisions two years ago. 

Also Coopers Burmese rose (rosa cooperi ) which we planted on the west side of the house has not only grown enormous but been covered in beautiful white flowers from top to toe.  We had one planted on a shady wall before and were lucky to see a dozen flowers so it really does need light and sun.

Of course our banks resemble the Mediterranean in that they are very dry and sunny so all the cistus, rosemary and rhaphiolepsis have thrived this month.  Again some years the more tender plants just don’t get enough warmth to perform but not this year!

We decided to open to sell plants a week ago and now we have opened the garden as well, following the guidance we received from Historic Houses who had been lobbying the government as to when gardens could open.  We have put in place a one way system and all the hygiene requirements so are hoping those who would like a walk around will come and enjoy a visit.  We will be limiting numbers but don’t expect to be really busy for a while.

The nursery is taking a lot of our time as besides the endless watering we have a vast selection of plants to look after and seedlings to prick out.  Johnny is now busy taking cuttings again which he used to do for many years after we first moved down here thirty years ago.  Delighted to say he has been rather successful!

April 2020

by anne chambers

It is very sad that no one can see the garden this April as we have had the most beautiful spring with everything flowering magnificently.  However it has also been rather wonderful having the garden to ourselves with lots to do to keep us busy and well, and also the time to see the everyday changes.

Because of the warm weather we are at least two weeks ahead of normal with the bluebells full out and the first  tree peonies already flowering. As well as being in the garden, we are spending a lot of time in the nursery pricking out seeds and re potting plants which hopefully we will be selling one day soon!

The greenhouse has also given us surprises with the clianthus (lobster claw) flowering for the first time and also the Chatham island forget-me-knot which is the most stunning blue and a beautiful shiny green leaf.  Neither are hardy enough to survive outside but give enormous pleasure at this time of year.

The birds and wildlife are loving the solitude and because of our new perimeter fence we don’t seem to have any rabbits in the garden which is a first! 

I am delighted that the cowslip seed which I must have sewn several years ago has eventually appeared in the orchard and will now spread.  The Jan Reus tulips there are also out and so are the tulip Westpoint in the terracotta pots.  A real flavour of spring and new hope for the future.

March 2020

BY ANNE CHAMBERS

Who would have thought when I wrote my last diary in February that the world would have changed so radically?  Even three weeks ago we were working towards opening the garden as normal on April 1st, but sadly this is not to be. We are keeping the garden closed until further notice because the coronavirus has completely changed the way we live. With the wonderful weather of this last week we have been able to sit and enjoy each day’s new bloom. It has also been beautifully peaceful without the normal noise of traffic and aeroplanes.

However the garden is bursting into life and we feel so lucky to have our sanctuary and special place of beauty on our doorstep.  We have lots to keep us busy as we are determined to keep up our high standards in the garden so we will be ready for the wonderful day when people can come back and visit us. The anemone blandas just inside the garden gate are so vibrant in the sunshine.

It is an early year with the magnolias and daffodils flowering magnificently and even the tree peonies are covered in buds .  The pieris in the four squares is full out. This shrub has been there for a long time and it is surprising that it does so well because it likes acid soil and we are neutral.

Less surprising are the rhododendrons that grow in the bluebell wood and for the first time we have a flower on the rhodo. falconeri that we bought on holiday in Argylshire at least eight years ago.  Very exciting and hoping more will appear over the years to come.

February 2020

BY ANNE CHAMBERS

Oh dear I am rather late writing my diary this month and even though this is a leap year it has slipped into March. However I do have an excuse in that we have been in India for two weeks where we had the most amazing time.  We visited the Taj Mahal at daybreak, saw tigers and leopards and visited the most beautiful sites in Rajasthan.  It amused us to see which flowers seemed to appeal there, many of which may well have originated from the British days, dahlias, pansies, marigolds etc. Needless to say they were all hues of the brightest colours like the fabrics and stunning saris which are so beautiful in the clear Indian light.

Now home having missed the terrible storms and one of the wettest Februaries on record. We have had some trees down in the bluebell wood and surrounding fields but luckily not in the garden itself.  Just endless twigs and branches to clear up.  However it is so mild that daffodils are already flowering and the garden is bursting into life again.

Before we left I pruned the floribunda roses including the very old Felicia roses planted by my grandmother.  They are very woody and gnarled but every year perform brilliantly with two flushes of stunning flowers.

We also decided to completely re-new the perimeter fence to keep out rabbits etc. which was put in thirty years ago.  This was a mammoth job as every post had to be replaced and new wire installed and buried.  Particularly hard on the steep slopes and the men who undertook the job really earned their wage and said it was the hardest job they had ever done!

The tulip tree in the lower garden that split in the summer has been cut down and the evergreen leylandii windbreaks next to it have been halved to let in more light.  We are now planning the replanting of this border which was always a tricky area due to lack of light.

Only a month to go before we open again, gosh how the time goes!

January 2020

by Anne chambers

Happy New Year

Another new decade begins but the endless rain seems to continue; the ground is sodden and there is a continuous stream running down the road outside our front gate. But wait! The sun has come out, a frost is in the air and our spirits are lifted. We have started cleaning out the pond in the new garden but now ice is slowing down that work. However the gardeners are progressing well in the lower garden which remains frost free and a pleasure to work in during January and February. Sadly Tom who had been with us for three years has left on his travels in an old truck converted to provide accommodation and will by now have probably reached Spain. In his place we have now recruited William to replace him and take over the propagation and the running of the nursery.

The snowdrops are out and even daffodil shoots are appearing in the bluebell wood where we have done the annual cull of brambles over the Christmas holidays. The daphne bholua Peter Smithers is flowering for the first time and am looking forward to it filling the wide border with scent in years to come.

How many of the flowering plants that I included in my December diary did you identify? From top left they were: ceanothus Henri de Fosse,  hebe gauntletii,  hydrangea Mme Emile Mouliere,  cestrum parqui,  liriope muscari, phymosia umbellata.

Now for a date for your diary. I have organized for Helen Yemm to come and give a talk for the Wilson Garden in Chipping Campden on Thursday 23rd April at 7pm. Of all the gardening correspondents in the press, I find her column in the Daily Telegraph on a Saturday the most refreshing and practical, full of down to earth advice and tips on a wealth of topics.  This should be very entertaining and useful as her talk is on downsizing to the smaller garden, a project she undertook a few years ago.

Johnny and I are off to the enormous and exhausting gift trade fair in Birmingham at the beginning of February to seek out novel, beautiful or useful items for our little shop. Then to escape the bitter month of February we are escaping to the warmth and bustle of India. News from the sub-continent next month.