Help Wildlife to Get Through Winter..

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...

**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...

When it's cold outside and the days are short, it can be all too tempting to hunker down, cosy up and stay indoors. But we're here to convince you to throw on a jacket, pull on your wellies and head outside. Visiting winter gardens is a great way to do this. And while there won't be quite so many blooms, the colder months bring their own unique treats. ...

**Happy new year! The new year has brought with it some beautiful flowers to brighten up the gloomy days. The following can all be found near the path as you walk through the Shrubbery: Above: Hamamelis commonly known as witch hazel has these spidery yellow flowers borne on bare stems. The flowers always remind me of curls of lemon rind! They prefer a sunny...

**Ok people, I know that the weather has been a bit challenging recently but it is time to shake off the winter blues with a trip to Hestercombe gardens. I know it's grey, I know it's raining but spring is springing and I'd hate you to miss it! Besides I read somewhere that a brisk walk in the fresh air is just the ticket for re focusing and re charging the...

**In addition to the beautiful landscape and varied plant life, Hestercombe is also a little patch of paradise for native wildlife.**: Exploring the gardens it’s not unusual to catch a glimpse of a roe deer bound away at your approach. You may also hear the rustle of leaves as common lizards busily go about their daily business of bug hunting. Hestercombe...

**WELCOME TO WINTER WONDERLAND AT HESTERCOMBE!** - A sparkling winter woodland walk, skating, Father Christmas and 3 unique Carol concerts combine to make the festive season at Hestercombe exceptional._ For the first time, from November 30th until December 24th, from 4.30pm each evening (check website for exact times) an enchanting Winter Wonderland...

**Over the last couple of weeks the weather has been wet and wild! The gardens and car park especially have suffered from flooding and water damage meaning that all the gardeners have been busy cleaning up! In the Formal Gardens we have been lifting the cannas from the Great Plat. We have two types, the Canna musifolia are the tall ones on the outside beds...

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...

**Graduates looking to get into teaching** - _Short working day 8:30- 3:30_ - _Excellent career prospects_ - _Transferable skills_ - _Competitive pay package, earn up to £110 per day_ We are on the hunt for a **confident individual** who is wanting to get into teaching, you don’t have to have had classroom experience but spent time working with children...

Contribute to Environmental Sustainability* As a volunteer with the Spark-A-Change Foundation, you will play a vital role in enhancing our 22-acre site, focusing on appearance and habitat value.* Collaborate with like-minded individuals on gardening and groundwork tasks, promoting a shared passion for conservation.Improve Habitat Value and Enhance Wildlife...

I am probably speaking far to soon and I'm sure that the snowy cold weather will soon find its way over to us but in the garden there are already signs of new growth and spring. Look at this fabulous witch hazel flowering away in the shrubbery. The Hellebores are just starting to show their pretty faces and the first of the snowdrops are poking their heads...

**If you are visiting Hestercombe over the next couple of weeks (and you must) then make sure you head to the rotunda in the formal garden to 'smell spring'. The walls of the rotunda are covered in a deciduous shrub called Chimonanthus praecox, also known as Wintersweet. At this time of year it produces these small waxy flowers that look rather like a 1930's...

The snow has come down all morning and the gardens look lovely. Trees are all dressed up in white and the formal garden is etched out under a snowy covering. We will stay open all weekend as long as at least one of us can get in! The cafe is serving toastie treats with hot chocolate and soup being high up on chilly walkers list of favorites. Come along to...

Conservation VolunteerJoin us as a conservation volunteer at Spark-A-Change Foundation's RSPCA West Hatch Animal and Wildlife Centre.In this role, you will assist our team with various conservation tasks, including:Helping with gardening and grounds maintenance to create a safe and comfortable environment for animalsParticipating in leaf clearing and pruning...

Garden VolunteerCorporate groups can volunteer for a day to make a difference at a local animal charity by helping with gardening, groundwork, or maintenance tasks.As a volunteer, your key responsibilities include:Weeding and clearing vegetation from designated areasStaining fences and animal cabins to maintain their appearance and durabilityPruning plants...

Sorry for the lack of blogs, we had a delivery last week of over 7000 bedding plants as well as our own home grown annuals to get in the ground so it has been a busy couple of weeks! Speed planting is definitely a required skill at this time of year and all us gardeners have to quickly find our second gear - there has also been a lot of early mornings and...

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...

Looking after the new hives at Hestercombe **We’re welcoming bees into a new home at Hestercombe, with the delivery of six hives for these humble honey makers.** Ian Stiby and Rosie Ellis, who are beekeeping partners at Three Bridges Apriary, have brought the new colony to the orchards of Hestercombe so we can produce our own special Hestercombe Honey....

I have mixed emotions about September. I love the light. I love the warm weather. But I cant shake off that feeling of impending doom as the nights draw in and the temperature drops - I have absolutely no love for winter! It is just too cold, and I can't even get excited about the prospect of snow. I've tried to enjoy sledging but frankly it's cold and wet...