12 June 2012
In the strawberry patch in our Walled Garden there are absolutely loads of strawberries forming!
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| Strawberries – fruits flowering after pollination by the bumblebees! |
There are only a few flowers left to be pollinated, the rest have been and the fruits are now forming and gradually dropping under their own weight down onto the straw mulch as they swell.
We just need the sun to come out and ripen them, then you’ll be able to buy your own fresh punnet from our shop…mmm!
12 June 2012
As well as our traditional ‘English’ cottage garden flowers, some of our more tender exotics, such as the lovely blue salvia patens (Gentian Sage) from Mexico and the ornamental onions from central Asia are to be seen in flower now too…
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| Flower border in early June |
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| Rose Constance Spry |
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| Rose Ophelia |
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| Rose Blairii No.2 |
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| Salvia Patens |
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| Bearded Iris |
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| Ornamental Onion Flower |
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| Rose Madame Alfred Carriere |
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| Foxglove Excelsior Hybrid |
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| Delphiniums |
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| Foxglove Elsie Kelsey |
The borders are a must-see attraction at Harewood!
12 June 2012
Our group of Chusan palms are just coming into flower in the Archery Border. You most likely won’t have seen these palms anywhere else, nor would you necessarily associate palm trees coming into flower in Yorkshire! These flower here thanks to the southerly-facing aspect and sheltered location of the Archery Border below the Terrace, it’s a real sun-trap in Summer and a nice quiet spot for relaxing with a book…
The palms look fantastic in the Archery Border here at Harewood…
They were planted in the border about twelve years ago as part of the sub-tropical replanting scheme and have since grown to more than ten feet high. They are native to central China. Another name for them is the ‘Chinese Windmill Palm’. Their scientific name is Trachycarpus fortunei, they are named after the famous (and very interesting!) Victorian plant hunter, Robert Fortune, who discovered them growing on the island of Chusan near Shanghai.
Find out more about Robert Fortune on the Plant Explorers.Com website
11 June 2012
The ‘Dig for Victory’ bed is starting to show results…with peas, beans and potatoes looking promising…
As well as the three varieties we are growing as part of the ‘Dig for Victory’ plot, we have a further ten different varieties of potato growing in the Walled Garden.
Crops in the Walled Garden are all labelled so you can take a look for yourself and get tips and ideas for growing in your own garden!
Gardeners are always on hand and happy to answer questions too…
The Walled Garden is a hive of activity throughout the Summer months, harking back to its heyday when it would have been the centre of food production for the Estate.
Arran Victory was bred in the Isle of Arran by Donald Mackelvie. Victory, the oldest of the “Arrans” still grown, was named in 1918 in celebration of the ending of the war. It is rare and is one of only two blue skinned varieties still available for general cultivation. It is high yielding given a long season.
Home Guard. This first early variety was first introduced in 1942 and was grown by Jeremy Shirley’s father in the late 1940’s – the Dad’s Army Days!
Home Guard is a superior potato of excellent flavour that does not go floury like some varieties. Both the skin and flesh is pure white. High yielding and with good resistance to scab, this explains why this popular wartime variety found huge commercial success – and has continued to remain one of the gardener’s favourites since WWII.
Kelvedon Wonder has been a favourite with gardeners for many years. It is an early variety but is suitable for successional sowings throughout the season.
Green Windsor. Those of you old enough to recall those great old days of English gastronomy just after the last war will remember that the choice of starters for a 3-course, table d´hote (à la carte had yet to be invented) meal was either fruit juice or the ubiquitous Brown Windsor Soup. Introduced in 1831, this ever popular variety was once one of the main ingredients of said soup.
You can read more about the Walled Garden on our website, including the free beekeeping demonstrations run by the Harrogate & Ripon Beekeepers Association which take place in the Walled Garden on Saturdays from now for the rest of the Summer.
Enjoy the Gardens at Harewood this Summer!
8 June 2012
In response to the global crisis in bee populations bumblebee ‘lodges’ are being installed in amongst the vegetable and fruit beds and orchard in the Walled Garden at Harewood for the second year.
Head Gardener Trevor explains it’s all part of Harewood’s conservation and sustainability strategy, “We use bumblebees to help with pollination in the orchard and vegetable garden. Bumblebees carry more pollen, visit more flowers and work at lower temperatures than the average honey bee and we’re keen to support British bumblebee populations as much as we can.” The Beepol bumblebee ‘lodges’ were installed last year for the first time and were a great success with bees buzzing happily in the borders.
What’s new this year, is a wax-moth-guard which attaches to each of the Beepol Lodges…
The nests and hives of a number of different bee species, including bumblebees, are sometimes invaded by wax moths. Wax moths lay their eggs within or close to the bee nests and the larvae hatch then disperse into the nest feeding on the contents. If nests are invaded during the early stage, then the wax moth infestation is often fatal.
Amazingly, the bumblebees soon learn how to push open the guard to leave and return to the nest. Wax moths however, are neither strong enough or clever enough to do this! It’s a great chemical-free solution.
You can find out more about the Beepol Lodges, and wax-moth-guards on the Beepol website, and Beepol Lodges will shortly be available to purchase from our Bookshop and Plant Stall in Terrace Cottage here at Harewood.
Gardens have become such important places for bees – here at Harewood the Gardens Team also make a point of growing bee-friendly plants such as salvias, catmint, raspberries, lavender, green manures such as phacelia, and other flowering shrubs.
Beekeeping Taster Days and Demonstrations…
The Harrogate and Ripon Beekeepers Association also have a working apiary in the Walled Garden where they run Beekeeping Taster Days and demonstrations throughout the summer, helping people to find out more about bees and get some hands-on experience if they are thinking about keeping their own…
Click here to visit the gardens webpages for videos, recipes and more…