A new beginning-The First edition of the Gardeners blog.

October, the start of the gardening year, a month filled with so much possibility and promise of what is to come. A busy month. Weeding, mulching & a lot of planting. Hundreds of foxgloves, other biannuals and hardy annuals have been planted to bulk up over winter, so they can burst forth in spring with in a spectacular display. But they’re only a backdrop. The real stars of the show are the vegetables & fruit. & so they should be. October is a month for planting garlic, onions, shallots & broad beans for an early crop next year. & the exciting thing is, they’re only the beginning. 

The Thornbridge gardening team has new members. They’re experts in pest control, especially with slugs & snails, & they call the scented terrace home. Yes, you guessed it, we’re very pleased to have six finely feathered chickens in our care. & they’ll be watching, as over the month plants are moved, pruned & planted with the aim of created a real sensory experience next year. 

And lastly, big changes are coming to the orangery, especially in the tropical wing. There are plans for a living wall filled with aroids straight from Amazon basin, a border bursting with begonia from Borneo and lots of plants that shine blue like diamonds from an alien planet. These plants can’t be seen in a public garden anywhere in the country. Exciting times ahead!