Hestercombe Blog

Woo hoo! Another long weekend... it will be great to see some more people at Hestercombe this side of half-term. And in true Hestercombe style, Kevin's putting on a BBQ in the courtyard on Bank Holiday Monday. Freshly cooked meat over the Hestercombe charcoal (get your own too! - read more about where it comes from here) and a delicious variety of crispy salads. And as May draws to an end we're all getting busy. Herb May will continue, but the big date in the diary is Saturday 1st June for our SUMMER FETE!  The BOUNCY CASTLE is booked and 1610 are bringing their CLIMBING WALL, there will be a select number of STALLS on the Orangery Lawn, TRADITIONAL GAMES, TAUNTON CROQUET CLUB will be giving a demonstration & you can try it out yourself, FAMILY GAMES, including a kids v adults tug of war, make your own MINI GARDEN in...

Keep your eye on the plant sales area of the shop.  We have started a new 'Plants form the garden' section. We are propagating plants form around the gardens to sell in the shop. All the compost is peat free and the pots are recycled/donated from staff, volunteers and friends. The stock will change quickly and seasonally and obviously we will not be producing huge quantities of particular varieties so you'll have to get in their quick to pick up your favourites. Currently we have a wonderful selection of Victorian pelargoniums, Ceratostigma, Scilla, Iris, London pride, Echevarias and evening primrose....

As some of you know I have developed an obsession with our new glasshouse. Me and Rascal (the dog) are often found there at 6.30 in the morning while i pot up the softwood cuttings collected from around the garden that morning and prick out seedlings before it gets too hot (!). Somehow these little seedlings become precious. I suppose it is because we have spent time choosing the seed, planting the seeds, watering, pricking out and potting on these little vulnerable things, until finally they are ready for the big wide world. And that happened to be this week for some. The first of the seedlings have now been planted and, after a good watering in, are left to fend for themselves against the elements and slugs. So the first to go in have been Nicotiana alata 'Lime Green', Ammi majus, Salvia horminum 'White Swan', Matthiola bicornis, Nemophila menziesii, Verbascum phlomoides. I...

plant id from left to right:   Convallaria majilis Scilla peruviana Asphodeline lutea Paeonia tenuifolia Aquilegia vulgaris Syringa x persica ...

Hestercombe’s first ever good olde fashioned fete will be held on Saturday June 1st, 11am – 6pm.   All sorts of attractions for the family.  If you fancy tug of war, whacking a rat or simply eating a jolly tasty BBQ in the glorious setting of the Orangery Lawn then come on down! Normal garden admission applies and all the extras are thrown in (small charge for  the bouncy castle and mini garden ’ activity for children.)   The gardens are looking spectacular too with the bluebells and rhododendrons finally out and peonies starting to push through. Lovely images if you need any!   ...