Peace disturbed for a time.
‘We survive a near miss from a tree fall at the Top pond by the obelisk Il Riposo di Claudio. Peace disturbed for a time but all cleared away and order returns.
More planned work with trees continues – in the Woodland Garden by the Pyramidlower branches are removed from pines and conifers to raise the crown levels and let more light filter through. Other bits and pieces of deadwood and overlapping braces are thinned out giving this whole area a bit of a tidy.
Clumps of snowberry are also trimmed back along the edges of the Parklandwhere it meets the Allotment and wooded areas.
Along the front facade of Temple of Apolloapple trees and shrubs are cut back to keep them more formalised and in check. The cherry tree here is a problem as it is overbearing and out of scale in relation to the building and the rest of the planting – it will eventually have to be taken down and replaced. In the Hortus also the fruit trees are trimmed into shape and the roses pruned – they will always struggle for light in this confined space and we can only hope for a better floral display next year, if they make it through the winter and receive a little more pampering come spring.
Trees which have been identified for removal over the winter have been marked up (a coded sequence of spray painted red dots and lines…) – clearing areas where there is crowding to bring back proportion and light – and in particular finishing work around theRoman and Front garden.
The fishing craft and sailing boat pavers have been brought in to the house and repainted, then placed out again and covered so that they will be fresh and clean in the springtime. The Picturesquefence rail has also been repaired and repainted.
Many of the pot holes along the track (in particular by the cattle grid) have been filled in and repaired – the track remains muddy from the passage of farm traffic – but at least it is a less bumpy journey to get up and down to the garden. The track will still need a full resurfacing again in the spring to prepare it for a new season.
Elsewhere the vast bulk of fallen leaves have been gathered up and and got rid of on a smouldering fire. There are still more to come but they have not yet been dislodged by what frosts we have had to date. And while it has got much colder and wetter there are still days when the sunlight makes you wince and the skies are a searing transparent blue.
For the most part though days are now dulled down to a low grey silvery cloud cover. A continual dewiness clings to the grass. The heavy wetness underfoot leaves flattened shadow trails of trodden passage behind.’