Harris Garden diary Jan. 2012

Posted on February 19, 2012 by petetipping

The New Year has started with the weather conditions continuing in much the same vein as they have over the past few months with mild above average temperatures and mainly dry days.  This has enabled us to continue the winter work uninterrupted by breaks for bad weather but the plants are starting to show fattening buds as they prepare for an early spring. The first snowdrops were beginning to flower in mid December and by mid January the area under the crab-apple orchard was a carpet of white contrasting with the small deep red crab-apples hanging on the Malus above.  The sweet scent of the Sarcococca in the Winter Border … Continue reading →

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December 2011 in the Harris Garden

Posted on January 22, 2012 by petetipping

The weather has continued to be mild throughout the month with the only cold weather coming in a short spell mid-month when we had a couple of fairly light ground frosts. The weather forecasters predicted a wet day for the first volunteer Thursday of the month so we arranged to have a morning in the potting shed potting up the bare-rooted plants that had been delivered and to prick out seedling that we had grown ourselves. The day dawned clear and bright with no sign of the rain that had been forecast so we enjoyed the warmth of the potting shed while the sun shone outside. These plants are mainly … Continue reading →

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November 2011 in the Harris Garden

Posted on December 16, 2011 by petetipping

This month has continued to be unusually mild and mainly dry with the average temperatures above average.  This has meant that the autumn leaf colours have lasted nearly all month as some trees have hung onto their foliage and the grass has also continued to grow so the last cut of the season will be in December. The Dutch company who planted all the bulbs in the meadows last year returned on the 3rd of the month with their wonderful bulb planting machine to plant species Tulips in and around the cherry circle.  The volunteers then added a selection of wild flower plants in the same area to complement the … Continue reading →

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October 2011 in the Harris Garden

Posted on November 24, 2011 by petetipping

As plant growth slows with the onset of autumn and mowing, edging, hedge trimming, weeding and the other summer maintenance jobs finish it is time to address the planning of the winter’s tasks and then begin the implementation of these plans. These plans include the continuation of redevelopment of overgrown borders and woodland areas in the garden to bring them back to an acceptable level of maintenance.  The areas to be improved this winter and spring are; The Iris border and the large border behind it which has become completely overgrown.  The Irises have been removed to be used elsewhere in the garden and the borders dug over and cleaned … Continue reading →

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September 2011 in the Harris Garden

Posted on October 24, 2011 by petetipping

After four wet Thursdays in a row during August leaving the volunteers wet, muddy and wondering what happened to the predicted ‘barbeque summer’ September arrived bringing the glorious sunny days we had hoped for in August.  It was as though someone had turned a tap off with the change of month and September turned out to be the warmest on record with day after day of clear skies and hot sun. The volunteer group spent the first two Thursdays working on the stream and small ponds weeding along the stream edges and lifting the self-sown Primula and Iris plants out of the stream bed where they were impeding the flow … Continue reading →

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August 2011 in the Harris Garden

Posted on September 16, 2011 by petetipping

The weather has been very changeable during August leaving us wondering where summer went, the plus side has been that the plants have benefitted with the garden looking lush and green instead of the normal for August of scorched lawns and dry borders. The volunteer group has suffered from four wet Thursdays in a row.  The first Thursday of the month was a complete washout with only two hardy souls braving the weather but they were soaked by the time they reached the garden so after a brief assessment of the conditions we abandoned for the day. The following Thursday was planned to drain and clean out the main pond … Continue reading →

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July 2011 in the Harris Garden

Posted on August 13, 2011 by petetipping

There has been the usual mid-summer lull in the garden when the flush of spring and early summer have passed many of the showy flowering plants have had their moment of glory in the sun.  The garden settles down to the heat of summer and many of the flowers are more muted pastel shades and the garden seems quieter in the afternoon heat. The long border continues to put on a good display however with the many Phlox in full flower giving off some lovely scents that linger in the air on a hot still day.  They are accompanied by Echinops, Echinacea, Helianthus, Heleniums, a beautiful Agapanthus, a large flowered … Continue reading →

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June 2011 in the Harris Garden

Posted on June 28, 2011 by petetipping

After two months of exceptionally warm, dry weather which saw us all preparing for drought conditions and water shortages June arrived and with it the rain.  The garden has had frequent and at times prolonged spells of wet weather that has allowed the garden to ‘green’ up, the wild flower sowings are flowering and I have been able to put away the hose-pipes and sprinklers. Unfortunately the Open Day on June 12th in aid of the Pre-school Group was a casualty of the weather.  It rained from the time we got up until about teatime without a break so very few people visited the garden and apparently only approximately £150 … Continue reading →

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May 2011 in the Harris Garden

Posted on June 2, 2011 by petetipping

May has been another extremely dry month with only a couple of wet days during the second half of the month and the rain we have had has not penetrated the soil just wet the surface.  Despite this we have had a good month in the garden with one open day and the Launch Day both enjoying good weather and good attendance rates. The open day on May 8th drew over 200 visitors who were able to enjoy the bluebell meadow beneath the Turkey oaks it was a carpet of blue with the meadows beyond displaying drifts of light blue and blue Comassia mixed with the taller heads of Allium … Continue reading →

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April 2011 in the Harris Garden

Posted on May 5, 2011 by petetipping

This has been a good month in the garden with the fruit trees producing an abundance of blossom.  First the cherry trees flowered from late March through the first two weeks of April, the cherries in the Cherry Bowl were laden with blossom I heard many comments on what a good display it had been and the large cherry on the right at the garden entrance flowered with perfect timing for the open day on April 10th. The cherries were followed by the apple blossom on the crab-apples in the Orchard to the left of the green border.  The apple blossom stayed on the trees for longer than the cherry … Continue reading →

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