Gardens Blog

The Cottage Lawn Meadow has been wonderful these last few weeks with an abundance of wildflowers appreciating the warm and sunny weather. This selection of native biennials has appeared in front of the cottages, providing food and shelter for ladybirds, butterflies, bees and dragon and damselflies.

There is plenty of Reseda luteola otherwise known as Weld, or Dyer's Rocket. This was used in ancient times to give a bright yellow colour to fabric.

The blue flowers are Echium vulgare, Viper's Bugloss an old plant used as follows '..a decoction, made by boiling the seeds in wine and taken daily, was reputed to help the flow of mother's milk'. Today it is popular with our ladybird population some of who can be seen tucked in the flowers.

The teasels, Dipsacus fullonum are just finishing flowering and forming their seedheads ready for the goldfinches to descend. They have been picking their way over the Knapweed seedheads this week in their small flocks which has been lovely to see. Teasels are so called as a subspecies of this plant was cultivated to be used for teasing fabrics, mainly wool.

Finally the beautiful Wild Carrot, Daucus carota. This pretty little Umbellifera has pinky white flower heads that amaze me each year when they start to form their seedheads as they curl up to form exquisite little lacy balls.

Also another good year for Evening Primrose, Oenothera biennis. This non-native was introduced in 1614 from North America but has become naturalised throughout Europe. It produces fresh flowers each day for several months, is a great moth attractant and the seeds are popular with birds throughout the winter.

 These two dragonflies are sunning themselves by the Habitat Garden pond. The weather has been fantastic for the gardens this week with plenty of light rain and sunshine, not so much for holiday campers but today the sun is out so hopefully that will cheer everyone up!

 The Yew hedges in the Wave Garden have just had their late summer haircut, this should give them time to put on a little regrowth before winter sets in.

Eryngium yuccifolium heads against the lovely soft pink of Lythrum virgatum

Yellow Sedum 'Sunkissed' with a backdrop of Molinia 'Transparent', Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate' (now called Ageratina altissima 'Chocolate but old habits die hard) and blue Agastache in the background

Lythrum virgatum in the wind

Echinacea 'Rubinglow' against Astilbe 'Purpurlanze'. Running through each Echinacea bed now are new varieties to the garden. There is about a ten percent mix of a gorgeous new red stems Echinacea called 'Fatal Attraction' in with the 'Rubinglow' which should enhance the colours even more so than in this picture.

'Fatal Attraction' in the nursery

The compost bins are filling up in the Wildlife Habitat Garden. As an experiment hese were woven from Cornus stems last winter and have provided an ornamental structure to use for clippings and weeds. They may last a year or two, then I shall dismantle them, chop up the dried out Cornus into the next bin and start all over again, when the fresh Cornus will probably need cutting back again ready to weave....my kind of recycling!

A selection of photos taken this morning in the Millennium Garden. These pictures only tell half of the story, you really have to stand within the garden to really appreciate its scale, colour and texture.  It truly is THE place to come and relax, unwind, sit back and take in all the splendor that this style of planting offers. 

Agastache foeniculum and Echinops 'Veitch's Blue'

Echinacea 'Rubinglow' backed by Veronicastrum 'Temptation'

Astilbe 'Purpurlanze' (pink), Pycnanthemum muticum (green), Helenium 'Rubinzwerg' (orange), Lythrum virgatum (pink) and Eupatorium 'Chocolate' in the background

Our new yellow Sedum 'Sunkissed' backed by the dark leaved Eupatorium 'Chocolate', the tall grass Molinia 'Transparent' and the blue spires of Agastache foeniculum

Echinacea 'Rubinstern' with Liatris spicata

The fading Inula 'Sonnenstrahl'

The red buttons of Sanguisorba officinalis

Persicaria 'Rosea'

Persicaria 'Firedance'

Seedheads of Penstemon 'Husker's Red' against Deschampsia 'Goldtau'

Blue grass Sesleria nitida, Echinacea 'Rubinglow' and Deschampsia 'Goldtau'

Echinacea 'Green Edge' with Echinops sphaerocephalus in the background

Molinia 'Transparent' with Echinacea 'Rubinglow'

Red Knautia macedonica with purple Stachys 'Hummelo'

Seedheads of Allium sphaerocephalus coming through Sedum 'Matrona'

Helenium with Sidalcea 'My Love' in front

Blue Scutellaria incana with Astilbe 'Purpulanze'

Heleniums becoming more burnt orange as they age

 The Wildlife Habitat Garden is really warming up colour-wise this week. The Echinacea 'Rubinglow' bed is blooming away attracting plenty of butterflies on the recent warm sunny days, and the Sedum 'Matrona' beds are about to take over as they come into bloom with late summer approaching. The butterflies appreciate the flat tops of both of these flowers to land on and feed. Both of these key butterfly and bee attracting plants have benefited from the lovely long hot summer that we have enjoyed this year in Norfolk, though the Echinacea's have perked up a little more with the recent rainfall.

While we wait for our Jasmines, Trachelospermums and Passion Flowers to establish in the Bat and Moth area of the garden I have added some annuals this year for scent and colour. These large, stately flower sprays are Nicotiana sylvestris (tobacco plants) and are highly fragrant, particularly at dusk attracting moths and other insects to the beds. This is usually grown as an annual, but may overwinter in a sheltered spot such as this if cut down after the seeds have been collected and given winter protection. In the background is Ipomea purpurea (Morning Glory) Each of these beautiful bright purple flowers lasts for just one day but provides an early morning attraction for passing insects, and flower enthusiasts.

 As we enter August the Millennium Garden is really beginning to show how sumptuous Piet Oudolf's new design is with a riot of new colour and architectural form enhancing the existing planting. The blocks of perennials and grasses are knitting together to form the traditional 'tapestry' effect that we are used to within this garden, but with the addition of new heights and colours the overall effect is enhanced and beginning to form a beautiful new garden. Some of the more rampant plants from previous years are back with a vengeance such as the Persicaria 'Rosea' and their mounding effect is helping to fill in the garden in its first year after replanting. I shall be keeping an eye on them over the winter, possibly removing another third to keep them more manageable for the future.

 Below is one of my favourite new additions to the garden this year, Lobelia vedrariensis, here backed by the golden hued grass Deschampsia 'Goldtau'.

These beautiful violet-purple spires add both a new shade of purple to the planting as well as vertical interest and look great as late summer approaches against the grasses in the garden.

Our revamped plant sales area has proved very popular this year, we are stocking a wider variety of plants from the gardens which have come from my new nursery and we are hoping to expand on this in future years with an even wider selection. Come and see our stock and you can create your own little Millennium Garden at home!

Raining at last!!

The rain has put a smile on my face and the plants are loving it too!.

Warden Edward bramham- Jones and Head Gardener Imogen Checketts led another fun and informative walk in the evening sunshine last night.

 Imogen sharing her knowledge in the Wave garden

Ed explaining management of the Wild Flower Meadow

Take advantage of seeing the reserve after hours with expert guides.  There are two walks left this year

Evening walk on Wednesday 18th August

or the

Late Afternoon walk on Thursday 23rd September to enjoy the Autumnal hues of the reserve.

The entrance planting to the Millennium Garden has really shot up over the last week, despite the Norfolk drought, with these blue  Echinops 'Veitch's Blue' and Agastache foeniculum greeting you in the sunshine.

 The rest of the planting is really taking shape and worth a visit to see how the new colours and forms will be transforming the garden. With the weather being so consistently dry, and after such a long cold winter the plants are flowering at unusual times, some lasting longer than usual and others over in a matter of days. The beauty of this garden is that the seed heads are part of the display, so for this year there may be a really interesting mixture of colour and form to take us through the seasons.

The central beds in the Habitat Garden are hotting up colour wise with this bright mixture of Lythrum, Liatris, Echinacea's and Alliums.

Some of the waterside plants have been suffering from lack of rainfall, no decent rainfall since last November in Fakenham, however there are always buckets and lakes to keep our Gunnera's going strong!

The two newly formed mounds are not only providing a patchwork of colour but also a home for a variety of wildlife. The Chalk Mound has been planted with a mix of native wildflowers and is enhanced by hundreds of self sown white Oxeye Daisies and yellow Linum. We have achieved our aim of planting specifically to attract blue butterflies as several have already been seen this year. On the opposite side of Mill Pond the Wave Mound is really coming into its own, with a carpet of colourful Thyme and Sedum literally buzzing with bees, and the occasional family of Barnacle Geese who have taken to perching atop both mounds, possibly for the fine views

 New colour in the Millennium Garden

Below are some of the new additions to the Milllennium Garden, providing creams and yellows to the new planting scheme. In front of the existing white Persicaria polymorpha are the towering yellow Inula 'Sonnenstrahl' and the fluffy creamy white heads of Aruncus 'Horatio'

 Sculptural forms in the Habitat Garden

Two new additions to our Habitat Garden are these beautiful cranes courting each other on our Bee Banks.

The smaller insect box is slowly being inhabited, mainly by spiders! In front is a splash of Salvia 'Caradonna'

The tall grass Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster'  offsets the bold purple blue of Salvia 'Ostfriesland' and the lighter shades of Lavendula 'Hidcote' and 'Rosea'  in front of the Viewing Gallery 

There are new and exotic forms lurking in the depths of the Wave Garden.......

created by Peter M Clarke, these metal sculptures titled 'Organic Forms' rise from the boggy area with triffid like qualities, adding a certain mystic to this natural corner of the garden.

Make sure you take a look next time you visit!!

The Wave Garden, featured on the Wednesday 16^th June Springwatch Episode, showing Chris and Kate relaxing in the bench in the raised bark chipped circle before moving down to our newly turfed viewing area.  The summer sunshine looked fantastic on screen filtering through the dense greens of the garden.  The blue Iris 'Papillion' is still in full flower possibly due to the late start to the flowering season.

The Habitat Garden is a riot of colour this week, everything seems to be coming out all at once which is providing a kaleidoscope of colour for the public and plenty of pollen and nectar for the bees and insects.  A good plant to add at this time of year is Morning Glory (Ipomoea) which I have added along the back wall of the garden in the Bat and Moth habitat area.  This is an annual climber and a good filler with plenty of scent for evening visitors.

Our Salvia's are looking fantastic at the moment including this popular bee plant - Salvia 'Caradonna'.

Brightening up the Millennium garden at the moment is this Thalictrum aquilegifolium which self seeds around the garden but it is not too invasive. Pictured with it is an Eryngium 'Blue Star' also popular with bees. 

All the gardens are great places to sit and observe fledglings, such as these wrens seen last week.  The mother was seen taking grubs to the newly emerged fledglings in the Habitat Garden, leading them down through the garden to forage amongst the shrubs.

Some of the new additions to the Millennium Garden are blooming after the recent sunshine and rain.  This is a picture of Anemone leveillei one of the late spring plants that Piet has added to extend the flowering season of the Millennium Garden.

Also flowering throughout the garden are the large white flowering Persicaria polymorpha, the purple fluffy headed Thalictrum aquilegiifolium and the blue mounds of the cat mint Nepeta 'Walkers Low'.

Following its fine spring display of Hellebores and bulbs the Habitat Garden is now evolving into a bushy and colourful environment for the many creatures we are hoping to attract there. Birds are nesting aplenty along the banks with the necessary food, water and shelter available for them and bees are buzzing with the recent rain and sunshine bringing on a fine choice of flowers for them to feast upon.  Looking good now are Salvia's, Sweet Rocket, Iris, Clematis, Euphorbia and the last of our highly fragrant Wisteria.

Two key plants of the Habitat Garden in flower this week, Pyracantha and Nepeta 'Walker's Low' Pyracantha, also known as Firethorn, is a thorny bush planted along the high banks of the garden.  This is providing perfect dense cover for roosting and nesting birds with the flowers attracting bees at the moment and berries to follow for winter bird food. The resident blackbirds love rustling around underneath and they will feast on the berries later in the year.  Alongside is a bank of Nepeta, commonly known as Catmint this herbaceous perennial is one of our most popular bee plants, the bushes are literally buzzing all day long.

The new insect meadow in front of the Viewing Gallery has begun to fill out recently.  With its floral mixture of Salvia's   Lavandula 'Hidcote' and 'Rosea',  mixed with grasses Carex flagellifera, Deschampsia cespitosa and Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' for height and shelter we are hoping the sheltered and warm environment may attract butterflies and other insects to be viewed closely from the gallery.

This week has been spent making the final prepareations to the gardens to ensure they are at their best ahead of our annual Gardening, Craft and Food Fair.  When I havent been weeding and watering I have been in the polytunnel making sure that all the plants to be sold on the Pensthorpe stand and in our Plants sales area are all well stocked. 

This is the first year that we are selling plants from the Millennium Garden which we have propgated and brought on ourselves and the feedback so far is fantastic - all the hours of hard work have been worth it and it!

Fantastic vibrant tulips welcome you on the mound at the entrance to the Wave Garden, followed by a flush of meandering green hues as you walk through.   The garden is full of song as the birds start to pair and nest.

Cowslips are putting on a great display at the end of the Habitat Garden, near the chalk mound, Orange tip Butterflies are spotted regularly in the garden. 

The Millennium Garden has benefited from the warm spring sunshine and showers , the newly planted perennials are pushing up, offering a patchwork of differing greens and  reds.  

The early display of bulbs in the Wildlife Habitat Garden, such as Chionodoxia 'Pink Giant', helps extend the flowering season at Pensthorpe as well as providing much needed pollen and nectar for the emerging bees. 

The weather has warmed up significantly this week and the garden is beginning to show signs of life with the birds, bees and flowers taking good advantage of the Spring sunshine.

The Tulip mound at the entrance to the Wave Garden has started to come into bloom.  The mound has a show of colour with a succession of dwarf and species tulips from now until late April.

Tulip Mound: - Tulipa turkestanica and Tulipa 'Hearts Delight'.

It is a time to celebrate for our Head Gardener as she has now completed the last patch of digging up and dividing of the Millennium Garden.  Imogen has been working very hard, along with the help of some Pensthorpe staff and loyal volunteers, systematically working through all the flower beds in the garden.

There are a still few more areas to plant up ready for the breath taking display of colour this summer.

The end is in sight! Our Millennium Garden update is almost complete, with just the last few blocks in the last bed, to dig out.   Most of the replanting had been done before the frosts came so as soon as the sun comes back out for more than a day we can finish. Everything should be done around the end of February, just in time for the Dwarf Iris to appear.

Our garden volunteers have tidied up the Habitat Garden ready for the early spring bulbs, Dwarf Iris, Chionodoxia and Alliums to emerge.  These should provide some early pollen and nectar for the gardens insect dwellers.  All the debris (apart from the weeds) is recycled within the garden either as a habitat pile or in the composting area.