Hello Garden Group members
Welcome to the latest edition of ‘Cuttings’ - the Gardens Group periodic newsletter.
I hope that you are all enjoying this lovely mild slide into Autumn. A great time for those of us with gardens to reflect on what has worked well and what may need tweaking, or totally redesigning. The soil is still warm so most plants can safely be moved and start to settle into their new locations.
It’s good to try to leave most of the tidying up until early spring, so wildlife can benefit from seed heads, leaf litter and spaces within plants, giving them food and shelter. Of course, many woody plants do need cutting back so they don’t get damaged, or cause damage during the predicted storms. Also, many such plants need to be pruned to provide a fine display next year. But many jobs can wait until early next year, which at the time of writing is less than three months away!
Have you seen much Autumn colour yet? It is just starting around here in South Wales. After all the sunshine this year, there should be lots of those warm hues of reds, oranges and yellows to savour. But there are also still plenty late flowering plants doing their stuff. Let’s make the most of it while it lasts, whether in gardens, parks or hedgerows.
Our next visit, on Friday, 30th October, is to soak up some of this Autumn colour at Thenford Arboretum near Banbury on the Oxfordshire/Northamptonshire border. This fine estate offers a spectacular autumn display across its 70 acres, featuring over 3,000 different species and cultivars of trees and shrubs. The Garden has been developed by Lord and Lady Heseltine over the past 40 plus years and is only open for a limited number of days throughout the year. More details here.
Continuing on the theme of colour, but a very different experience will be the one kilometre long Christmas illuminated trail at West Green House near Hook in Hampshire. Join us on Thursday, 3rd December to discover the magic, passing lakes and gardens to discover the magical creatures and fairy folk who live there. More details here.
If you are a fan of the Great British Bake Off, then our first trip of 2027 is on Saturday, 13th February to see the snowdrops at Welford Park, where the series is filmed. You will see one of the finest snowdrop collections in the UK. The dainty droplets of snowdrops thrive amongst the 5-acre beech wood, enchanting riverbanks of the River Lambourn and the glorious gardens at Welford Park. There is a nice video clip on Facebook - to see it, click here. We went in February last year – see report- but are going again as not everyone could get tickets last year. So, as well as seeing the snowdrops, take the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of Paul Hollywood, Nigella Lawson and the contestants!
As most of you know, GOC has a popular annual gathering each year. In 2027 we will be in Hatfield in Hertfordshire. Plans are well underway to organise some very special gardens in the area over the weekend of July 23rd-26th. I hope that you can join us.
Suggestions for events always welcome and I am happy to offer as much help as I can. If there is nothing happening in your area, please consider putting something on. Guidance for organising Garden Group events can be found here. (https://www.goc.org.uk/news/guidance-re-garden-visits/)
Happy Gardening/Garden visiting.
With best wishes
Neil
Gardens Group Co-Ordinator.
