Head Gardener's Diary - October
 We’ve
had a few frosts this last week and today has been decidedly
chilly. It’s the first time I’ve put my coat on
(other than raincoat) since the spring. Along with the frosts
we do get a fair amount of sun which always makes the garden
look good especially when it’s shining through Autumn-coloured
leaves. The last Open Day has been and gone – apparently
quite a few visitors for the time of year.
We have now emptied all the summer beds except the Dahlias,
which we don’t lift until the frost has killed off all
the top growth. We will save one of each variety and take cuttings
from them in early spring. The formal garden has also been emptied,
rotovated and replanted with Myosotis (Forget-me-not) and Bellis
(Daisies). We also have 1000 tulip bulbs to plant between the
Myosotis, and will do that this coming month. There are two
different varieties flowering a few weeks apart so hopefully
we can have a good display for two consecutive Open Days in
April and May.
 The
hedge trimming is continuing slowly. We now have a few students
helping us as well as the “friends” who are still
weeding, most recently the Digitalis groups. The students helped
me with the formal garden and have also been tackling the beech
hedges and the Bays in the walled garden.
I have tidied through the vegetables and removed a couple of
nice pumpkins which will be carved for Hallowe’en (and
the contents eaten). We are still lifting the maincrop potatoes
and clearing all the summer vegetables. The tomatoes didn’t
do very well this year and the pheasants ate all the sweetcorn
except for two heads I removed as soon as they were ripe. The
walled fruit has almost all been pruned, we are leaving the
top of the big fig in the corner until the spring.
I’ve just been told that the “dangerous”
trees in the Harris Garden are going to be cut down this winter,
so I shall get some more information on that and report back
to you next month.
Julia Wesley
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