Winter Gardening Ideas

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. ...

**Head Gardener Claire Greenslade explores the concept of re-using old bicycle inner tubes to help new trees grow, and reduce plastic in the garden**: - Hessian ribbon degraded too well and needed replacing every few monthsAt Hestercombe we're really keen to be as green and ecologically minded as possible, and are always looking for more ways to improve. So...

**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...

**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...

"To me the sound of summer is the buzz of bees as they happily collect pollen from the plants. I have a real interest in pollinators and make sure that the plant centre stocks plants that encourage bees, butterflies and other insects. **Pollinators are important** Bees pollinate 3/4 of the world's most important crops. Sadly bee numbers have been...

**With autumn in full swing now we are certainly finding plenty to do in the gardens! Apart from the seemingly never ending task of leaf blowing and raking we have been chopping back all the Mexican daisies that grow in the walls. This reveals the beautiful stone work underneath and shows off the intricate structure of the Formal Garden. We also have some...

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...

**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...

Winter is officially here, but before you chop all your foliage to the ground, think about the wildlife in your garden... The cold months last a long time if you’re a bird, a hedgehog, a deer or a rodent. Places to shelter are vital for the cold months, and food for them to eat gets more and more scarce. Some plants actually prefer it if you leave their...

Our autumn / winter events are all now online. This week is the **Confident Gardener** workshop - learn about how to prepare semi ripe cuttings with our Head Gardener Claire Reid.

Crunch through fallen leaves in the Landscape Garden, spot holly bushes and steal a kiss under the mistletoeHestercombe’s winter gardens are glimmering with the sleepy, frosty signs of the season. Paying us a visit is a wonderful way to get into the festive spirit, but in the meantime you can check out these ideas for a magical alternative Christmas...

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...

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...

So the late spring has in fact had quite an amazing affect on the garden as everything seems to have come at once. It's an awesome time in terms of colour and it's rare to admire irises, paeonies, roses, wisteria and cistus at the same time - I love it! It is like 3 months condensed into one. Gertrude Jekyll was a great colourist, it was one of her many...

**From 1st June - the Gardens Shop and Plant Centre will open from 11a.m. to 5p.m. daily And in the Winter months they will be open from 11a.m. to 4.30p.m.**: **From 1st June - the Gardens Shop and Plant Centre will open from 11a.m. to 5p.m. daily** And in the Winter months they will be open from 11a.m. to 4.30p.m.

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...

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...

**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,...

**Have you ever been scared to start a project in the garden because of the enormity of it? It happens to all of us, especially when deciding on the size of the flower beds.**: - By _Claire Greenslade_, Head Gardener_ "Have you ever been scared to start a project in the garden because of the enormity of it? It happens to all of us, especially when deciding...

by Claire Greenslade, Hestercombe’s Head Gardener_ **How do you manage a large garden with a furloughed team and locked down volunteers?!** Who knew that this would ever be a question I would have to ask myself. This virus is something that none of us had been able to prepare for. Since March 23rd 2020 Hestercombe has had to close its gates. Really big...