Happy Scything

Pete scything under the supervision of John

On Wednesday our warden team had a days training using  scythes – ably led by a colleague, John, from another NT property (Gibside in the north-east). A couple of the garden team including Pete also had the opportunity to try out their hand. In fact Tom, a Sparsholt student who is with us for a couple of weeks gaining work experience, proved he had a natural scything talent!

Our bee colonies – update

You have no doubt wondered what has been happening to our bees that where previously installed within the Vyne’s orchard early last year.

Western honey bees filling cells.

Well, there is good and bad news. Recently we discovered that the center hive of the three had failed. Essentially the colony had not had enough time to store sufficient reserves of honey to feed themselves through the winter period [November - January] and thus the colony had simply collapsed and died out.

A swarm resting in a tree

Today a vigilant volunteer spotted that one of the two remaining colonies had decided to swarm, something that happens this time of year and is normal behaviour for bees wanting to increase their numbers by forming a new brood hive elsewhere. On this occasion our bees had taken up residence on one of the branches of a tree overhanging the hive enclosure. The swarm, about the size of two small footballs rests for a while outside the hive before setting off for pastures new, the location of  which is signalled by scout worker bees. The existing queen will have emitted a pheromone which triggers swarming behaviour and she and around half the colony will up-sticks for a new life usually within a 3 mile radius.

Luckily on this occasion we were able to coral the swarm into a cardboard box and then cover it with a cloth to retain and calm them. Essentially bees like dark enclosures.

Our bee swarm within the enclosure before it’s capture

Sometime this summer we will have two new colonies complete with new queens installed in the affected hives. All being well both colonies will have sufficient time to increase their strength and store sufficient reserves of honey to see them through the coming winter. Realistically we will have to wait until next year before we are in a position to harvest and bottle our first batch of honey from these hives.

You are probably wondering what happens to the remaining bees after a the swarm and the existing queen have departed. Well, a new queen will be raised by the remaining workers over the next 2 or 3 weeks and she will be fertilised by external drones [males]. Shortly afterwards she will start laying up to 1500 eggs daily and the colony will start to grow in strength once again.

At this point it remains to be seen whether the third hive will produce enough honey for us to be in a position to take a small harvest, possibly around 20Ibs. We keep our fingers crossed….

Sherborne St John Village Hall – Monthly Market

Over the coming months there will be a regular village market held in the hall at Sherborne St John just a mile or so west of The Vyne where you can buy local produce, art and craft. Looking for something to do at the weekend? Why not drop by and support your local community.

The Vyne – National Trust will also hold a regular stall too at these events and we look forward to seeing you there. Please come along, bring your families, you are always welcome.

Future dates for your diary and a contact point are below:

The village hall is indicated with a red diamond.

Map data copyright - Google

Cake

It is hard to imagine how a garden team could manage to operate without cake and biscuits. Yesterday was one of those special days when one of our volunteers (Maggie) had spent the evening slaving over a hot oven to bring us a truly amazing double chocolate cake decorated with mini eggs.
Thank you Maggie for the Easter treat.

 

Maggie in pink

Blossom time

It’s that time of year again when the blossom is coming thick and fast on various trees around the garden and through the hedgerows. Some trees have already ‘gone over’: for example, the Prunus cerasifera ‘Pissardii’ in the Summerhouse Garden and the apricot in the Walled Garden. However others are at their peak (like the nectarine and plums, see photos below) and there are many more to come like the apples and hawthorns. Extraordinary to think that all these trees and shrubs are members of just one group of plants, the rose family.

Nectarine 'Lord Napier'

Plums flowering in the Walled Garden

Unfortunately I’ve noticed that this recent cold snap has affected our Magnolia, turning the flowers brown over the last 48 hours. Let’s hope for better luck with our standard Wisteria this year which got frosted this way in 2011.

Our frost-damaged Magnolia

Plants in the wrong place – (Weeds to you and me)

Oxalis [Woodsorrels] sometimes known as ‘false Shamrocks’ occur throughout the world. These annual/perennial plants are relatively resistant to most weed control techniques because they store energy in tubers underground and unless these are fully removed they return with a vengeance so they are not the best loved friends of us gardeners.

Oxalis Spiralis

Oxalis Spiralis often found in our gardens and parks is generally perceived and treated as a weed and if not kept in check will quickly cover the ground and self propagate via seed with extreme rapidity. In herbaecous flower borders it is unsightly and for many a gardener one of the causes of a common side effect of our work, backaches and dodgy knees after spending long hours extracting this unwelcome renegade.

Conversely there are to be found cultivars of Oxalis that wouldn’t look out of place in a rockery at for example RHS Wisley. Oxalis Obtusa is one such specimen that I happened by on a sunny afternoon visit to this world renewed establishment. It truly is the picture of innocence and beauty and in the right place it is just that. Curiously this plant has for many thousands of years been used by us humans as a remedy for coughs , sore throats, fever and nausea and even used by Kiowa Indians as relief from thirst on long trips across the American great plains. The oxalic acid within the leaves gives them a sour but refreshing taste when chewed. As an aside oxalic acid is also found in common foods we eat such as broccoli, rhubarb and grapefruit.

So next time you’re out with hand fork in hand doing battle with renegade plants in your garden, remember that someone somewhere loves them and their history is often full of surprises.

Oxalis Obtusa - RHS Wisley

There are two extraordinary plants growing away in our glasshouse at the moment.

The first, Furcraea longaeva (Agavaceae/Asparagaceae), looms out over gardeners and visitors alike; held back by rope its flowering stem or inflorescence has grown to a startling height in the last few weeks. It has certainly put me in mind of one John Wyndham’s triffids on a couple of occasions when I’ve been walking past.

Furcraea longaeva

The second is a citrus plant with the common name of Buddha’s fingers or Buddha’s hand, Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis (Rutaceae). Turned upside down it reminds me of the hairstyle of one of the Simpson’s characters, Sideshow Bob!

Our Buddha's fingers

 

 

Monday 5th March

The weather has shown more benevolence this week after the heavy rain and brief snow flurry on Sunday.
On Monday we were able to get to grips with a number of jobs including moving some of the strawberry beds – partly because their turf walls are beginning to collapse and partly to experiment with another space for our gazebo and produce sales later in the year.
One of our volunteers, Stephen, undertook some apple tree pruning in the Walled Garden – a job that has been keeping several of our team busy since the New Year.
And Mary helped us out with the chalkboards that we are using to advertise our garden tours and events.

Chris and John working on the strawberry beds

Stephen pruning in the chicken pen

Mary and the chalkboards

Walled garden news

Good pruning should lead to improved yields

Around 23 keen amateur gardeners attended our  ’Fruity Tips’  pruning day event within the walled garden. Head gardener Nick Lightfoot  was on hand giving instruction on how best to prune and get the most out of fruit bearing trees for the coming season. A good day was had by all with lots of opportunity for visitors to have hands on experience pruning our apple trees.

As you can see below turf has been removed inside the walled garden to form new vegetable growing beds which will be cultivated and tended by our Thrive clients during the course of the year. The intention is to grow seasonal produce and use this in our Tea-room for you our visitors to enjoy, so do stop by and discover for yourself how good home grown food can be later in the year. Additionally some of this new bedding area will also be home to varieties of wallflowers [Erysimum] encouraging pollinators to visit the area and butterflies to lay eggs here rather than on our vegetable plants.

Thrive clients cultivating the new beds

The resulting turf from this part of the walled garden has been put to good use to renovate an area just outside the walled garden near the orchard which was previously a herbaceous and shrub border. The border had not performed as well as we would have liked so for the time being it has been laid to lawn.

The shrub border area outside the walled garden after turfing

Below you can see additional work has also been undertaken to help control weeds and ease access to the flower and shrub borders that line the north wall of the walled garden. Here we have used horticultural membrane and wood chip which will help reduce weeding maintenance.

Two of our Thrive clients take time out to study their handiwork

Spring at The Vyne, a garden guide’s perspective.

Author:  Jill Pritchet – volunteer Garden Guide.

Jill Pritchet

I will shortly start my 3rd year as a volunteer Garden Guide at The Vyne and I am already getting excited. I remember when I first started and how it felt to walk down the drive from the car park. I would be wondering; what would I see today, who would I meet and what questions might our visitors ask? This is a large part of the buzz I get from volunteering with the Trust, I only wish I had more time to give.

The volunteers at The Vyne a really nice bunch of people but we also get such a mixture of visitors from all walks of life, young and old and from all corners of the globe. It makes for a very different day, every day.

I am currently wearing ‘Garden Guide L Plates’, this means I do not have the in depth knowledge of those guides who have been at The Vyne for years. But what I lack in experience I hope I make up for with my sheer enthusiasm for the venue and the things it has to offer.

Depending on when you visit you can amble through the gardens and the adjacent Morgaston woods sometimes without bumping into another person. On busier days you may find many people who are keen to find out a bit more about the history of the house and gardens or what route to take to reach the café.

There have already been some highlights for me including:

During a group tour, my colleague Bob finished showing them the delights of the Pumping Station with its historical pumps. I noticed a mother duck with her chicks coming out of the lake right behind the group. I quietly asked them to turn around, with their cameras ready, and she walked her eight ducklings along the lake edge providing a wonderful photo opportunity. Bob leaned over and asked; how on earth did you manage to arrange that!

Chickens busy foraging

Learning about the chickens so that I could show the visiting children where eggs come from. They don’t come from the supermarket shelves after all you know!
There’s a right way to pick up a chicken without frightening them or damaging their wings. Having been shown the technique I was given a go. There followed a hilarious 20 minutes (it felt like 40 minutes) when the 12 chickens led me a merry dance. Eventually a kindly chicken called Mildred took pity on me and sat down allowing me to gently pick her up.

The Guinea Oak

One of our clients Tony from Thrive was keen to be shown round the gardens last summer and I was delighted to help. He is visually impaired so I had to think about how to make the tour both interesting and engaging for him.

We take for granted what we are able to see but it was essential that Tony was able to touch the plants, feel how different they are in size, texture and experience their scent. What better way for Tony to understand the size of the huge Guinea Oak tree than by taking him over to try and put his arms around it.  I learnt a great deal that day and I know he enjoyed it as much as I did.

I feel privileged to work as a volunteer at The Vyne and I can’t wait for this year to start. I wonder what surprises this year will bring.