We are CLOSED

Preparing for winter

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 with banana like leaves and the smaller ones are Canna indica. In the spring we plunged the cannas into the beds whilst still in their pots, making it much easier to lift them out. The leaves of the cannas are cut back and we store them in the greenhouse over winter. We have been chopping back the Bergenia x schmidtii that edge the Plat borders to stop them spreading too far into the beds. We simply take a spade and chop the plants back to the desired size. This is quite a big job so it was great to have the help of all our volunteers! Also this week we have finished chopping back the Mexican daisies in the walls and have given the orange trees in the Orangery a wash! The oranges were starting to show signs of sooty mould, so we wiped all the leaves with a cloth soaked in warm soapy water to stop the spread. Plants that will be looking good in the gardens over the next few weeks include the Skimmia japonica and Skimmia japonica 'Rubella'. The red Skimmia berries provide a bright splash of colour amongst the glossy evergreen foliage. The Magnolia stellata in the Shrubbery is coming into bud, a little earlier than usual!

Hestercombe Gardens aerial Pawel Borowski DJI 0038

Plant & Shop SALE - this weekend!!

The ladies are busy pricing up as we speak!! Helen is reluctant to let her plants go but she has succombed and is lovingly stickering and postering ready for the weekend. There are some really lovely things there too, as well as a couple of FREE things to pick up from the gardens! The gladioli have been replaced on the Great Plat and their bulbs are out alongside the reduced plants. There's more on offer in the shop too - perhaps a present to tuck away for someone, or some pretty cards just to remind them you care. DON'T MISS OUT! Get on down to Hestercombe this weekend!

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Autumn Brings a Whole New Diary of Surprises!

Just when we all though we could go on holiday... Illumina is over but there's no rest for the wicked and still loads going on at Hestercombe. Plans are afoot for the Hallowe'en Spooky Tours - both day and night, and there are loads of seasonal activities including the Fungal Foray http://www.hestercombe.com/events-and-activities.html#October And not to forget the new Autumn Menu. Kevin and his team have once again exceeded expectation with some scrumptious warming dishes using seasonal and local ingredients including a wholesome beef stew with dumplings and the delicious apple and cider cake made with Hestercombe's very own apples! I'm sure Kelvin, front of house will tempt you to try the special of the day... So once the gardeners had collected those crunchy fresh apples they were off out in the rain to count cars on the road at the end of the drive. Apparently some kind of survey... in this weather - poor things! Don't forget the Mill and Barn Demo Days either! http://www.hestercombe.com/events-and-activities.html#October

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