Bursting into Bloom

The amount of snow that fell this week took us all by surprise. After basking in the sun all last week, the poor plants were subjected to 3 inches of wet snow and strong, blustery winds. There’s no harm done though, other than a few handfuls of vibrant fallen petals adding colour to the woodland floor. We now seem to be back to typical April weather, sunshine and showers are forecast over the next few days. Just how the plants like it best.

We do have a great show though, for our Easter visitors. Camellias are still at their best - bright crimsons, blushing pinks and delicate soft white shades all glowing like beacons amongst the darker evergreen foliage. Originating from southern and eastern Asia, Camellias are quite at home here having been introduced to Britain in the middle of the 18th century. Perhaps the most famous Camellia is the tea plant, Camellia sinensis although it certainly isn't ornamental like most of its family.



The rhododendrons are now coming into their own.The giant primrose coloured flowers of Rhododendron Maccabeanum contrasting wonderfully with the delicate pink, small flowers of R. Racemosum. Big, blousy Magnolias will be at their best over the coming weekend, looking absolutely gorgeous against the blue sky.

Rhododendron Maccabeanum










Primula denticulata



Closer to the ground, Primula denticulata, the so called ‘Drumstick or tooth-leaved Primula', is a handsome, striking plant originating from the meadows and woodlands of the Himalayas. It blends in perfectly here at Wentworth set amongst the trees with its purple blooms reflecting the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves in the Wilderness Garden. this a a clump-forming hardy species but doesn't like to dry out.





Pasque Flower

In the Azalea Garden, the daffodils are coming to the end of their flowering season to be succeeded by the beautiful red tulips. Pasque flowers with their delicate heads bowing and blowing in the breeze sit alongside Muscari - Grape Hyacinths. It won’t be too long now until the Azaleas themselves begin to bloom.

The Garden Team have been busy cutting the grass this week, the second cut of the year. The volunteers too, have been busy, weeding through the beds in the Union Jack garden.

Spring is now most definitely here, the gardens are filled with birdsong and the first butterflies of the year are taking flight in the sunshine. Holly Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Small Whites have all been seen on the wing in the last week. Great-Spotted Woodpeckers, Nuthatches and Tree Creepers are busily feeding on the emerging insects and a pair of Little Owls regularly make an appearance.

This is a wonderful time of year and it's a joy to see the Gardens bursting into life.

Springing into Life

It really feels like spring is in the air at the moment. At long last there is some warmth in the sun and the extra daylight at each end of the day is very welcome.

The Gardens are coming to life now, the first Camellias are in bloom, displaying of a range of colours ranging from delicate whites, through pastel pink shades to sumptuous deep reds.

This one is Camellia x williamsii 'Phillippa Forward'.

The williamsii hybrids were introduced by J C Williams in the early 1930s and are remarkably hardy even in the most extreme British weather.

Early Rhododendrons are now beginning to flower. The one shown on the right, Rhododendron arboreum 'Tony Schilling', was named after a retired curator of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Wakehurst Place. These Tree Rhododendrons are native to Bhutan, China, Nepal, India, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

One of my favourite spring flowering plants, the Spring Snowflake (Leucojum vernum) can be found at the top of the Wilderness, in close proximity to Stainborough Castle. The scientific name means 'spring white violet' and the plant provides an early pollen and nectar source for bees

Elsewhere in the Gardens, the Estates Team have been busy clearing the area around the Conservatory in preparation for it's removal for restoration. It all looks very different now! For the first time in many, many years the Corinthian Temple is now visible from the Conservatory and the Azalea Garden and the west elevation of Wentworth Castle can be seen in all it's glory.

The volunteers are currently busy raking and restoring the paths in the Union Jack Garden and if this sunny weather continues the first grass cut of the year is imminent.

A Royal Visitor

His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales paid a visit to the Gardens on a very foggy day earlier this week. Prince Charles toured the Gardens in the company of the Trust Director and Estate Manager, chatting to the gardeners and volunteers to find out more about their work and about the historic follies that give the site its uniqueness. The Prince spent the day visiting the Barnsley region and came along to the Gardens to unveil a plaque commemorating the start of the project to restore our Victorian Conservatory. The Trust was granted funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the European Regional Development Fund, English Heritage and the Country Houses Foundation to undertake a complete restoration of the glasshouse first built in the 1880s. The volunteers also raised the magnificent sum of £25000 to go towards the project. Work now starts in earnest and it's hoped to have the Conservatory open to the public in the summer of 2013.

Another visitor this week was this Robin who popped into the office to say hello. He seemed to take a fancy to my cheese sandwiches.

The bird-feeder in the Gardens has been very busy this week with plenty of Nuthatches, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Great Tits and Long-tailed Tits all competing to get to the seed. The Tawny Owls are making lots of noise as the light fades in the evenings and are wonderful to hear when the Gardens are quiet.

Exciting news!

At long last we are about to start work to restore our Victorian Conservatory. Built around 1885 the cast iron Conservatory was bought from Chelmsford company Crompton & Fawkes and featured a geometrically patterned tiled floor, complex heating system and a rare luxury at that time - electric lighting. Also innovative for the time was a rainwater collection system which diverted the water from the glass roof into an underground storage tank via the cast iron columns.

Now in a sorry state, the conservatory is to be fully restored and is scheduled to be open to the public in the summer of 2013. The garden team have already carried out preparatory work on the site, moving and replanting some of the Rhododendrons and the contractors will begin work very soon. I'll post regular updates as project moves forward.





Elsewhere in the Gardens, the mild weather has been a bonus. The native primroses (Primula vulgaris) are in bloom alongside Lady Lucy's Walk and in the Union Jack Garden. Purple Cyclamen are still flowering and looking beautiful in the low winter sun.

The early flowering Rhododendron Nobleanum with its lovely scarlet blooms is showing well in the Victorian Flower Garden and the first Hellebores are starting to flower, bowing their heads in the breeze. There's still a long way to go until spring but the Gardens have a lovely feel to them as the days once more begin to lengthen.

A Thin Covering of Snow

The gardens have been ringing with the sound of excited children for the last couple of weeks. After paying a visit to Santa, the school groups have been busily working out the answers to the Christmas Gardens Trail Quiz and have been thoroughly enjoying doing so.

This year has been an unusually dry year in this part of the country and the Garden Team have done wonders keeping the plants in good condition by watering and mulching. A couple of the team members are now installing an irrigation system which will make life much easier if we have another dry year in 2012.

The warm November has brought out a few blooms on some of the early flowering Rhododendrons and the hardy fuschias are still showing well, all providing a display of colour during the short daylight hours.

An unexpected overnight fall of snow has added a lovely early Christmas feel to the site and though most of it has now melted it's a sign that winter has definitely arrived.

Preparing for the spring

This is a busy time for the Garden Team in what has so far been a mild autumn. In the last couple of weeks the summer bedding plants have been taken out of the Victorian Flower Garden which has now been replanted for the spring.

Purple, Yellow and White will be the dominant colours and for many the star of the show will be Primula ‘Gold Lace’, a polyanthus primula with a gold centre and black petals with gold margins. Around 1400 of this unusual variety have been planted, together with 700 Bellis Habenera ‘White’, an English daisy, and 2600 pansies both purple and white varieties.

Amongst the many bulbs planted, my favourite has to be the Tulip, ‘Black Hero’ which has a large double bowl shaped bloom resembling a peony. Muscari’ golden fragrance’ is another unusual plant. Unlike most other grape hyacinths, this one has large golden flower heads merging to a smoky purple colour and has a rather exotic fragrance. Purple cordylines, strategically placed to add height to the beds, complete the planting. I’m looking forward to next year to see the plants in full bloom.

The dahlias in the John Arnold Garden have been fantastic

this year and have only recently finished flowering. They'll

be lifted, cleaned and treated with fungicide before being

carefully stored for next year.

The last few days have been very windy and the Garden Volunteers are busy today sweeping up the last of the fallen leaves. Despite having a particularly dry summer, most of the trees have kept their leaves until now and the colours have been spectacular in the last couple of weeks.