July in the Garden: An overview by Head Gardener, Will Ralls
July in the estate gardens can be characterised as a profusion of bright and colourful flowers, sweet smelling herbs and ripening vegetables.
Long drifts of Lavender lead the way in the formal gardens of Mill Down House. While out in the meadows and woodlands, Poppies, Cornflower and Oxeye Daises nod in the breeze amongst swaying grasses. The trees and flowers beds hum with the sound of working bees and the scent of roses fills the air when you walk through the gardens.
For the garden team this month it is all about those small maintenance tasks every gardener looks forward to. Dead heading flowers, harvesting vegetables and doing some light summer pruning on fruit trees and espaliers. The team are out daily, watering everything, but especially our pot plants. We're also out collecting herbs from our medicinal Physic Garden to hang and dry, ready to trial in various herbal remedies.
After what seems like a mad flurry of activity through spring and early summer to get everything done, in July there is a brief window where things seem to slow down just a little. Everything is in and growing, the gardens look good and all the hard work we put in at the beginning of the year has paid off. We can afford a little time to observe, decide what is working and what isn't, and start planning for next season before the intensity of hedge trimming season kicks off in Auust.
Plant of the month
It's hard for me to pick a favourite plant as there are so many here that I look forward to seeing every year. But for me the Dahlias stand out the most. They always put on a marvellous display and due to our climate, we have stopped digging them up in winter for storage.
The gardens signature lavender hedges are in full bloom now, and they look and smell amazing. Around Mill Down House, we have drift plantings of Sunflowers, Nasturtiums & Calendula which all add a fantastic array of colour and texture, and I love them all.
In the culinary garden I would have to say the pumpkins always look great, their huge trumpet shaped yellow flowers stand out amongst some of the most beautiful. And the tall purple flowers of the sweet rocket are just gorgeous.
What's ready in the culinary garden?
Right now, we are harvesting beetroot and planting out our third sowing of the year. Our Thai Basil is something we harvest often, and it goes extremely well with the tomatoes which we have just started to bring in now too.
The Cardoons are enormous now and have plenty of Artichokes for us to collect. And the first ears of corn are appearing on our sweetcorn, but they're not ready just yet.
We are looking forward to harvesting the apples, pears and quince too. And finally, the tree spinach and tree onions are coming in as well, so look out for those.
Winter Planting
This time of year is perfect to sow winter crops. This week we have been sowing Chard, Kale, Cabbages & Cauliflower. And we have kept back plenty of Garlic to sow out in autumn as well.
July is also a great time to sow some fresh Nasturtiums; I love them as they are so broad in their uses. They can climb, be used as ground cover, in pots, you name it. They come in various colours and always have masses of lovely flowers. And even better, you can eat their leaves, flowers, and young seed pods in salads to give them a fiery kick.
My tips for drought
It must be said that this year has been extremely dry for us here at Hambledon. And while the weather has been spectacular so far for our vineyard, the gardens have struggled to cope.
Obviously regular watering is important, but it is better to water thoroughly once a week, rather than little and often. If watering pots, keep going until you see water coming from beneath the pot to ensure moisture is reaching the roots of your plant.
If having an evening bath, use the water for your plants, rather than draining your rain butts. And ensure a good layer of mulch is applied where necessary to help retain moisture below the surface.
Over the last couple of years we have been trialling a Hügelkultur raised bed system, whereby logs are placed on the ground and layers of soil, straw and compost are added to form a mound. The idea being that as the logs break down they act as a sponge for moisture and provide nutrients. So far, we have had great success with this and have barely watered it at all this year with the plants absolutely thriving.
As the effects of climate change are creating various challenges for gardeners across the country, it is a good idea to trial more drought tolerant plants within your garden and see what works.
I'm looking forward to...
The team recently went on a trip to RHS Wisley, where we observed various methods of introducing wildlife habitat into the garden whilst creating interest for visitors. Behind the scenes we have been working on plans to introduce creative biodiversity improvements of our own, which we are all looking forward to. But I won't give anything away just yet, you'll have to come and see for yourselves.
Over the last couple of years we have been making vast improvements to our habitat and ecology areas around the site. And this month we have been watching them come to fruition, I am really looking forward to watching them develop and making additions where possible.
Introducing Louise....
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Louise is our new Vineyard Apprentice- she started at Hambledon back in April and immediately gelled with all of the team and our beautiful yet varied site here on the estate.
Gardening was a natural career path for her, she loves spending time in nature and watching things grow and relishes in the physical work that comes with the job.. Variety is key for her and here at Hambledon, no two days are the same- one day she might be helping with lawn care, the next she might be planting seeds for winter crops. She also enjoys maintaining her own corner of the physic garden, currently full of thriving squash and rhubarb.
Her favourite season in the garden? Summer. Its long days allow for more time outdoors and the plants, from manicured floral displays to wildflower meadows and hedgerows, are flourishing.
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