How to Prune Apples and Pears

There are a few last minute spaces on the Apple Pruning workshop with our Head Gardener Claire Reid next Wednesday. The course is a busy morning full of hints and tips from Claire plus hands-on practice in the gardens.

Have you ever wondered about mistletoe? I have been working in the orchard pruning the apple trees recently and noticed the abundance of mistletoe we have growing there. I was inspired to learn more about this interesting plant that I walk past every day Mistletoe, or _Viscum album_ in Latin, is an evergreen partially parasitic plant which grows in the...

The Hestercombe archives are bursting at the seams with facts, pictures and accounts of the history of Hestercombe and those who lived and worked here. In this installment of _Memories of Hestercombe_ we take a step back almost 300 years and explore the Hestercombe estate as it was in 1720. _Written by Kim Legate, Archivist_ Fig. - John Bampfylde's Georgian...

Our friendly Applegrove, Somerset Court home is currently looking for a passionate and committed Senior Support Worker to join their team to support autistic adults.This role will ensure that all new staff have the support they require to execute their job role to the best of their ability. You will be there from day 1 to support new employees and will...

All the detailsThe work pattern for this vacancy is: Wk1Sun , Tues Thurs Fri Wk2Tues Weds Fri Sat Purpose To deliver a great shopping experience for our customers, we are looking for colleagues who put customers before tasks every time whilst championing and promoting our brilliant products. As the face of the business, you will be the voice of our...

All the detailsThe work pattern for this vacancy is: Wk1Sun , Tues Thurs Fri Wk2Tues Weds Fri Sat Purpose To deliver a great shopping experience for our customers, we are looking for colleagues who put customers before tasks every time whilst championing and promoting our brilliant products. As the face of the business, you will be the voice of our...

Sales AssistantRole Purpose:Are you keen to join an expanding business with opportunities to develop your career and who love you as you are?Savers are recruiting for a Sales Assistant who has a positive can-do attitude, loves selling fantastic products and enjoys working as part of a team.It is a great experience working in a fast-paced and fun environment...

Role Purpose:Are you keen to join an expanding business with opportunities to develop your career and who love you as you are?Savers are recruiting for a Sales Assistant who has a positive can-do attitude, loves selling fantastic products and enjoys working as part of a team.It is a great experience working in a fast-paced and fun environment that will...

**Step by step advice from Hestercombe's Head Gardener Claire Greenslade on the do's and don't's of pruning apples and pears**: - Follow Claire's step by step guide to apple pruning and you could end up with a big punnet of juicy apples like we do at Hestercombe!The first rule of apple pruning is... don’t worry, it’s not that hard and it’s unlikely...

Apple pruning confuses a lot of people and it doesn't matter how many times you look at that diagram in the book, your tree just looks nothing like it! Here is my simple version of how to prune your apple tree. First you need to be aware of the reasons for pruning. - To maintain the health of the plant/tree - To control the shape or size - To encourage...

**Today was the first of the Confident Gardener workshops at Hestercombe and we mastered apple pruning. Although very cold, we had dry weather and met a lovely bunch of people who had come to learn how to prune their trees at home. As with anything I am involved with, this also included a great deal of tea drinking and lots of general chat - about gardening...

Pruning has been the predominant task for the Formal Gardens team over the last couple of weeks, and its no surprise when you count the number of plants that need pruning during winter. We have seven wall trained figs, five big _Wisteria, _an orchard full of apple trees, not to mention hundreds of roses! Although all these different plants have their own...

Readers, I am after your ideas and thoughts. As you may know we run several half day courses through the year - apple pruning/rose pruning/ seed sowing/cuttings/dry stone walling and charcoal burning etc. What I would like to know from you is, are we missing anything? Is there something horticultural that you wish we could explain to you? Would you like...

There are a few last minute spaces on the Apple Pruning workshop with our Head Gardener Claire Reid next Wednesday. The course is a busy morning full of hints and tips from Claire plus hands-on practice in the gardens.

Have you ever wondered about mistletoe? I have been working in the orchard pruning the apple trees recently and noticed the abundance of mistletoe we have growing there. I was inspired to learn more about this interesting plant that I walk past every day! Mistletoe, or _Viscum album_ in Latin, is an evergreen partially parasitic plant which grows in the...

**Winter Gardening Ideas: How To Look After Your Garden**: As the chilly nights draw-in make sure you follow these top tips on how to look after your garden over the winter with winter gardening ideas from Head Gardener **Claire Greenslade**. Cannas looking totally tropical on the Great Plat this summer **1. Lift tender plants**: Many tender species need...

The Hestercombe archives are bursting at the seams with facts, pictures and accounts of the history of Hestercombe and those who lived and worked here. In this installment of _Memories of Hestercombe_ we take a step back almost 300 years and explore the Hestercombe estate as it was in 1720. _Written by Kim Legate, Archivist_ Fig. 4 - John Bampfylde's...

**Hestercombe was something of a secret garden back in 1973**: The Formal Gardens were so run down that Somerset County Council, with the support of Somerset Fire Brigade, initiated what was to become one of the first major garden restorations in the country. **Read more**: The Restoration of the Formal Garden at Hestercombe 1973 to 1980 - a case study that...

There’s little better than a butterfly fluttering past, a bee buzzing by or a dragonfly darting through when you’re pottering in the garden. You can make those chance encounters more likely by embracing wildlife gardening. Luckily, finding the balance between a wildlife garden and beautiful planting is easier than you might think. Here, we suggest five...

**Chapter Two: The Portman’s & the Church of St. Mary, Hestercombe** “I remember well how, when I came to St. Andrews (Taunton) in 1947, I was faced with a very large and run-down parish, & no curate... and no car. You can perhaps imagine how I thought when I was told that I was expected to take services for an old lady in her private chapel, which was...

Have you spotted our exciting new Dogs of Hestercombe exhibition in the Long Gallery, which celebrates Hestercombe's patrons with paws? We love to welcome visitors and their dogs for walks in the garden and a spot of canine ice cream in the Stables Cafe. Earlier this year, volunteer and photographer Daniel McCarthy captured these charming photos of visitors...

Our friendly Applegrove, Somerset Court home is currently looking for a passionate and committed Senior Support Worker to join their team to support autistic adults. This role will ensure that all new staff have the support they require to execute their job role to the best of their ability. You will be there from day 1 to support new employees and will...

**Role Purpose**: Are you keen to join an expanding business with opportunities to develop your career and who love you as you are? Savers are recruiting for a Sales Assistant who has a positive can-do attitude, loves selling fantastic products and enjoys working as part of a team. It is a great experience working in a fast-paced and fun environment that...

**Role Purpose**: Are you keen to join an expanding business with opportunities to develop your career and who love you as you are? Savers are recruiting for a Sales Assistant who has a positive can-do attitude, loves selling fantastic products and enjoys working as part of a team. It is a great experience working in a fast-paced and fun environment that...

**Role Purpose**: Are you keen to join an expanding business with opportunities to develop your career and who love you as you are? Savers are recruiting for a Sales Assistant who has a positive can-do attitude, loves selling fantastic products and enjoys working as part of a team. It is a great experience working in a fast-paced and fun environment that...

**Salary**: £22,777 - £24,054 per annum (Grade D) Hours: Part time, 22.5 hours per week Contract: Permanent Location: Taunton Crematorium (variable & flexible) Job Ref: BSOD Interviews w/c 27 February 2023 Post holders at this level will provide support across Commercial Services. Predominantly based in a busy reception office at the Crematorium, there...

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Clinical Genetics department at University Hospital Bristol and Weston as a Medical Support Secretary. This is a substantive post on a part time basis. This role will be based in Musgrove Park Hospital. Taunton, however, you should be available to work at other sites as required. This role is part of a team...

Starting Salary: £22,183 Hours: 37 hours per week Contract: Fixed Term (24 months) Location: Taunton (variable & flexible) Job Ref: GHT This role will be in the landlord asset management team of the new Somerset Council. The Council’s in-house landlord function owns manages and maintains c5700 homes for rent plus 400 leasehold properties. The Asset...