White Winter Wonderland

**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...

**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...

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. ...

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...

It has taken two days of frantic activity but finally Christmas has been packed away until next year. The marquee is down and has left a very sad looking patch of grass which I am sure will soon recover. The ice rink has gone and all the lights from the winter wonderland have been packed away. But don't despair, we have plenty more activities on the...

**Philip White shares thoughts on the evolution of the members' newsletters found in the archive.**: **Today is a Red Letter day as the first time in nearly thirty years that our Hestercombe Newsletter has gone completely digital.**: I took the opportunity to delve into our archive where I was delighted to discover that we appear to have all, or nearly all,...

**Another week, and it's a week that is filled with menu planning for the new spring season. A visit to a local food show always gives a great opportunity to meet new suppliers and find new ideas. As winter is still upon us a great and versatile (if a little bit ugly) vegetable is the celeriac, fantastic as a soup and also great as mash or puree to accompany...

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...

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...

**In 2005, Hestercombe Gardens Trust took ownership of Gotton Copse, a patch of woodland roughly 9 acres in size, but it was several years later that we started to restore the area ~ and found swathes of glorious bluebells!**: - Watch above: Ben gives a tour of the Bluebell Walk at Gotton Copse_ - by Ben Knight, Gardener_ **In 2005, **Hestercombe Gardens...