Come Plant Swapping

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...

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...

We require Class 1 Trampers to work for our client based out of Shepton Mallet (BA4). This work is for a large independent warehousing and distribution company, who provide transport and storage solutions to the retail and drinks market sectors. Your main duties will be working on their general haulage contract, where you will complete collections and...

mmmmm...... the Rhododendrons are confused! A few of the ones in the shrubbery have started flowering (they normally at the earliest come out in March). I'm sure the forthcoming cold spell will stop them in their tracks.

Our pastry chef Carol has shared one of her delicious 'free from' recipes with us to share with you... When you come to the Stables Cafe you will always find a tantalising selection of cakes and biscuits that cater to many dietary requirements, and with lots of people taking part in _Veganuary_ we thought we'd help you along by giving you a a sweet treat...

hi all this is just a quick plea.... as you know we are trying to run a new glasshouse at Hestercombe and things are really coming on well. We have been able to sow lots of annuals for the garden as well as to propagate stock plants such as Rosemary and lavender, and we also have a 'plants from the garden' section in plant sales. As a charity we are trying...

**Come and visit our new Gallery Shop in Hestercombe House, as well as our Gift Shop and Plant Centre on the Marquee Lawn**: - An overview of the new Gallery Shop**Gallery Shop**: Visit Hestercombe's new Gallery Shop for beautiful local handmade gifts. With a mix of high quality pieces, local artists showcase their work - a diverse selection of materials...

**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...

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...

It is HOT, HOT, HOT. The gardens team are wilting as quickly as the plants and my gentle coaxing and reminders about the how awful it was working in the rain last year are not helping! But we wouldn't be true Brits if we weren't moaning about the weather. All weather and climates come with their own set of problems, but, come on, this is a proper summer!! A...

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...

**No Mow May ~ can you resist your mower for one month to help insect life in the UK?! Head Gardener Claire Greenslade sets you a challenge...**: **No Mow May** is an initiative set up by Plant Life, a charity that aims to promote the conservation of plants and habitat, and to increase awareness of the value of plants. They're asking for gardeners across...

This time of year is the busiest for us and long days are required to keep on top of it all. The grass seems to have grown again two minutes after you have mown it and the weeds are on steroids! We also have the perfect growing weather so we are coming in at 6.30 am to get the pricking out done before it gets too hot for the plants. Great fun but a bit...

**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...

If you're starting the New Year with a ring on your finger and a wedding to plan, congratulations! Why not kick off the planning by taking inspiration from some of the most exciting 2019 wedding trends? We put our heads together with some of our trusted suppliers to bring you these predictions... Image courtesy of Ali Paul Photography **Eco-Friendly...

In the next two weekends the focus at Hestercombe is all about light - in the form of Illumina. The gardens are transformed by night with the work of Ulf Pederson who will light up the gardens with his light projections. It's a fantastic event and I highly recommend you come even if just to see the garden in a different perspective. Even if you know that...

Sadly the beautiful bluebells that have graced the slopes of the landscape garden and the shady spots in the trees are now giving their final flourish. Ben our landscape supervisor will be closing the walks for this year this afternoon (Monday 2nd June) and so it will be another year until the blue beauties return. But fear not this is a real sign of summer...

Hestercombe’s Wildflower meadow - showing evidence of the hot early summer (image: Ben Knight) - By Claire Greenslade_ “It has been such an extraordinary year in so many ways, even weather wise - spring was so hot that half the plants in the Wildflower Meadow germinated quickly, flowered and went to seed in a flash, and the whole site looked a bit burnt...

**National Tree Week is the perfect time for celebrating trees. Did you know that our sweet chestnut on Hestercombe's Orangery Lawn is over 500 years old?!**: - The Oak tree in the East Orchard at HestercombeNaturally, we’re tree mad here at Hestercombe, and as it’s National Tree Week from 27th November - 5th December, we want to shout about some of the...

**A 2004 project successfully replanted a unique variety of historic irises on the East Rill borders in Hestercombe's formal gardens ~ and many of them will be sold in the Plant Centre**: - Bruno- Flavescens- Honorabile- Ma mie- Madame Chereau- MonsignorIn 2004, an important project was undertaken at Hestercombe to replant irises on the East Rill, according...