The Water Garden

**What a summer! I have never known such a prolonged drought in my 15 years of working at Hestercombe. I’m surprised, and pleased, that not only have the plants survived, but the team has too.**: **Very early on we took the decision not to water the lawns. Water is such a valuable commodity and as a public garden it’s important that we show a different...

**Head Gardener, Claire Greenslade, shares tips on how we’re saving water at Hestercombe**: As you can imagine in the high temperatures we’ve experienced recently the gardens are beginning to suffer from heat exhaustion - just like the rest of us! At Hestercombe we are very conscious of our water consumption and use. We recognise that water is such a...

**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...

This week I have been getting quite strange looks from visitors. After a year or two of propagating plants we are ready to start following Jekyll's plan of planting up the walls around the plat. Lutyens and Jekyll had such a strong working relationship that Lutyens has built the walls and left gaps specifically for Jekyll to plant into. So the vertical...

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...

Do you like working outdoors? Are you currently working in the construction industry as an Operative looking to gain leadership experience? If so, we have a great opportunity to join our Sewer Renovations team as a Construction Team Leader. ? You will work across the Taunton, Bridgwater and surrounding areas with the main depot being based in West...

Do you like working outdoors? Are you currently working in the construction industry as an operative looking to gain leadership experience? If so, we have a great opportunity to join our Sewer Renovations team as a Construction Team Leader. You will work across Bridgwater and the surrounding areas with the main depot being based in West Huntspill. In...

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...

We were delighted to learn last month that the **Somerset Gardens Trust has generously donated £1,000** towards the cost of restoring and conserving the rotunda in Hestercombe’s fantastic formal garden. Designed by Sir Edward Lutyens and built between 1904 and 1908 after he and Gertrude Jekyll were commissioned to create the formal garden at Hestercombe,...

**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...

**Head Gardener, Claire Greenslade, on how we can adjust our garden planting to better suit long, dry spells**: The recent heatwave and ongoing extreme weather is very hard for our garden plants to respond to. Most plants like consistency and are adapted to specific climates, temperatures, topography, soil types and weather types. They respond to circadian...

**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...

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...

Exciting plans are afoot for Hestercombe as we continue to bring art and the landscape together in one destination. Philip White, CEO has announced our vision for the future, which includes the completion of the Landscape Garden and the creation of workshops and gallery space within the house. Phased into five projects, the developments for Hestercombe...

Half-term activities in the gardens over half-term. This time the trail focuses on the history behind Hestercombe. Explore the background of the gardens with interesting questions about your surroundings. Plus there are loads of family friendly games and toys in the shop, from decorate your own wellies to sock in a box or a mini watering can. Enjoy the...

The next Mill Demo Day is Wednesday 29th October. Hopefully there will then be plenty of water running through the landscape gardens to power the mill! Tom the 'miller' will be on hand to answer any questions and show all visitors how the old machines in the mill complex are run through water power. Please note: there will not be a mill demonstration on...

**Head Gardener Claire Greenslade shares her step-by-step guide on how to sow seeds, from preparing seed trays to hardening off**: **Why sow seed?**: Sowing seed is one of the most easy, satisfying and cheap ways to get growing. March is the perfect time of year to start the majority of seed sowing. Some people start early in autumn, some start seeds off in...

During the heavy rains of last year we had a lot of flood damage around the garden. Many of the culverts simply collapsed under the pressure and we have slowly worked our way around repairing them all. This was the leat path. The water knocked out lots of the bricks that form the leat and this all had to be repaired. Th stream at the bottom of the cascade...

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....

**January is when we start much of the pruning in the Formal Gardens. This week we have started pruning the vines and the Magnolia that grow against the walls. The Magnolia is grown to provide a green leafy covering for the tall walls such as those by the South Walk and surrounding the Rotunda. The way we prune these Magnolia is to encourage this green leafy...