As autumn slowly gives way to winter in the estate gardens, we enter one of the most understated yet beautiful seasons. While the vibrant patchwork of autumnal colours slowly fades, the gardens continue to offer interest through striking winter colours, such as the glorious reds of our cornus display, along with textured ornamental grasses, evergreen topiary, and the silver foliage of lavender, artemisia and sage. Seed heads remain an eye-catcher as well as a good food source for small birds in winter. Verbena Bonensiaris, Echinacea, Rudbeckia and more are all left for ornamental value as well as for biodiversity as long as possible before being cut back in the spring.
November and December are often viewed as quiet times in the garden, with many areas being closed off for winter renovations. But behind the scenes, the garden team is busy as ever, preparing for the year ahead. Now is a time for improving soil health, protecting tender plants, tending winter crops, and bringing a touch of the garden indoors as we prepare for Christmas.
Plants of the season:
Chrysanthemums.
One of my favourite late autumn plants for this time of the year is the humble chrysanthemum. After all the vibrancy and drama of the summer planting, chrysanthemums provide a valuable splash of late season colour with gold, burgundy, crimson and bronze flowers.
Grasses (reedgrass & silvergrass): Miscanthus shows off with elegant plumes that catch the early morning light beautifully and provides texture to a border all winter. Calamagrostis, with is vertical seed heads and strong form, add another layer of texture and movement, which I have found to be very useful.
What have we been doing?
Mulching beds:
One of the most important jobs in any garden is adding a good layer of mulch to beds and borders. We like to use a good layer of well rotted stable manure to enrich the soil, improve moisture retention, protect plant roots in winter, and improve the structure of the soil over time. While in the short term a nice layer of mulch looks great, the long-term benefits of mulching are one of the most valuable investments you can make for your planting.
Pruning climbing roses:
Our climbers have had their winter tidy-up. The long stems which grow so vigorously in the year can be susceptible to wind damage at this time, and so removing those we don't need and tying down those we do helps to protect them. The trick to any climbing rose is to remember that they will always produce far more flowers if grown laterally (Along a wall or fence). Doing this disrupts what is called 'Apical Dominance'. When a rose grows straight up, the plant will concentrate its growth hormones at the tip, resulting in a leggy plant with only a few flowers at the top. If you bend the canes, you create side shoots which in turn create more flowers. Once established, it can be spur pruned each autumn to maintain its framework.
Lifting and storing Dahlia Tubers:
We are due our first frosts, and so we have been cutting back and lifting our Dahlias ready to be stored for the winter. Some however, we will leave in the ground if the soil is very free-draining and simply mulch them over.
Continuing to mow lawns:
The mild conditions we experienced during early autumn have meant that grass growth has continued at a good rate. Growth Is beginning to slow now, and so we will monitor growth as well as how well the croquet lawn is recovering from its renovation back in October.
Creating Dead Hedges:
One of our ongoing projects has been the creation of a ' Dead Hedge' linking two of our large bug hotel installations. The hedge, made up of cut logs, branches and woody garden waste, will create a sustainable boundary and connection between our two bug hotels to increase access for insects. For this, we will stack our materials laterally between two sets of vertical stakes. This method recycles garden waste, creates habitat, and doesn't look half bad either.
Christmas:
With preparations well underway for Christmas in the Visitor Centre, the garden team have been out selecting plants to prune back, which will be used as sustainable decorations by our florist, Millie.
Prunings from our olive trees will provide silvery foliage, combined with cuttings from the vineyard, flower seed heads from across the estate such as Achillea, Teasels, Globe Artichoke and more. Dried flower stems combined with evergreen branches will help create decorations which reflect the character of the estate.
Jobs to be getting on with:
Along with those listed above, here are some jobs to be getting on with in your own garden.
- Plant spring flowering bulbs along with garlic and onions in your veg plot.
- Protect tender plants and pots from frost damage with horticultural fleece
- Plant out winter veg (Kale, Broad Beans, Chard)
- For formal lawns, remove morning dew with a wide broom or rope to prevent fusarium, red thread and other lawn diseases from spreading.
- Carry out your last cuts to meadow areas.
- Service your mower, strimmer and other garden machinery or send off to a specialist.
- Bring tender pot plants inside for the winter.
- Remove tap timers from any garden irrigation to prevent frost damage, wrap taps in fleece to prevent cracking and isolate if possible.
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Prune climbing roses, dahlias and continue weeding as you go.
While harvest may be over and the vines take a well earned rest, the gardens continue to provide the perfect backdrop for a glass of English sparkling wine, with the very best views from our restaurant. We look forward to seeing you.
Join us at the estate this winter for one of our Wreath Making Workshops, winter workshops or seasonal pop ups, or a Sip & Shop: Festive Tasting, where you can book your place online. You can also plan your festive shopping at our Cellar Door Christmas Shopping Weekend.