April Miracles - Norton Conyers, April 2018
The gap between this post and the last wasn’t intentional. Sorry if anyone(!) has been waiting for the next instalment. I’m glad to report that this post will give you a good summary of the intervening weeks and bring us up to date.
However, I also think it’s quite appropriate. The last month has seen the biggest transformation I have seen in the gardens, and surely the biggest transformation of the year.
April brought the full British spectrum of weather - we had snow, rain, a heatwave; indeed it was like a year unto itself.
Perhaps this weather was the ‘perfect mix’ for healthy Spring growth; as I write, the gardens are flourishing, and growth has been incredibly rapid.
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| Peach Blossom |
So, the weather and the flora have both undergone almost miraculous transformations. But the biggest achievement for the workers at Norton Conyers this month was the transformation of the physical space in the vegetable garden. Giles had a masterplan for new paths to be installed in this space. He isn’t one for sharing his plans however, and keeps us on our toes!!
In late March, Giles ventured off in his van, and returned with huge planks of wood and stakes. I was fairly tired, having turned manure grass for much of the day, but Giles and I shared the job of hauling them from the middle garden gate to the vegetable garden. We laid them at intervals. Perhaps I wasn’t listening properly, but I vaguely remember Giles saying something about path building at this point; up until then I thought we would be creating borders…
A series of blogs are on the way detailing the building of these paths, which, all being well could still be here in a century or so. One thing Giles is certain of - no one will ever move the foundations we laid!!
Easter in Edinburgh
The end of March also saw my first break from the gardens; the last Tuesday I ventured up to Edinburgh, and the gardens allowed us a day off for Easter Monday!
I didn’t get away from gardening, however. We stayed with my Aunty in Burntisland, and relaid a huge section of turf in her back garden; this needed doing due to a trampoline installed by previous owners which had ruined the grass! Being in the area, I had obligatory Whiskies and explored the wonderful city of Edinburgh. However, The Royal Botanical Gardens were new to me, and I was truly blown away. Both the scale and magnificence of the gardens were worth the Harrogate to Edinburgh journey alone. Perhaps it was the Spring air? The grandeur of the plants in the glass house? Well perhaps it was a mixture of both of these, but it was undoubtedly the dedication and careful conservation of thoughtful, inspired and forward-thinking gardeners and architects. The gardens deserve a post of their own; watch this space!
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| The Victorian Glass House at The Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh |
Rallying Shandy
Shandy had been a bit off-colour a few times over the last few months; who could blame her after the miserable winter we’ve had in the UK? But April saw the 15-year-old rallying and youthful once again. Plum had been left to her own resources on a few occasions this year, but now her mentor returned refreshed and ready to show her how it’s done. The rabbits of Norton Conyers shuddered.
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| Shandy and Plum having a (well-earned!) break from catching rabbits |
Towards the end of March, Giles recruited me for a day at Markenfield Hall - another blog here too!! Both Norton Conyers and Markenfield both have a unique, enchanting and historic beauty, unspoiled by hoards of visitors. Markenfield Hall is a 14th Century manor house 3 miles south of Ripon. It has been wonderfully conserved, preserved and restored. Even more remote than Norton Conyers, Markenfield really is off the beaten track - it is a little paradise of its own. The surrounding moat adds to its unique charm.
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| Mowing at Markenfield |
Having laboured hard on the paths for much of April, Giles gave me a break and sent me to pot up the Dahlias with Bex and Alyson. Having sledgehammered, lifted, hammered and dug my way through April, I was glad for a change. ‘Don’t get used to it, though!’ were Giles droll words as he left us to get on with it! Giles is never short of wit.
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| Dahliutopia |
The Dahlias don’t survive the winter; they were dug up from the borders in November and stored in racking in the Orangery. Alyson operated the computer to write and print off labels for the different varieties, and we all worked as a team to break up the tubers, before potting them in fresh compost. This was a full day’s work!
Grass cutting and hoeing finished off April at Norton Conyers (both nearly finished me off!). I still haven’t progressed to the level of ‘sit on mower operator yet’, so my job involved mowing the edges and smaller areas. A big job! Despite the recommended 10,000 steps, the stepcount recorded by my iPhone reached 33,000 after a full day mowing the lawn!
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| Green Fingers |
April was the most varied and satisfying yet, but I have a feeling there are even better things to come in these remarkable gardens.
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