A blanket of mist hovered across the landscape as I drove towards Norton Conyers. It is the eighteenth of October - days before the clocks go back - and there is a real nip in the air; the first morning of the season where car de-icer has been required! I arrived early and walked towards the house - the crunch of frosted grass underneath my boots. The adjacent fields were atmospheric as sheep continued to graze - seemingly unperturbed by the cold.
Later, the sky cleared and the gardens were bathed in autumnal sunshine, but for now there was work to be done.
With leaves scattered across the drive and courtyard, a clear-up was required before they had the chance to degrade. Leaf-blower, rake and brush were used to gather, and dumper truck and wheelbarrow to convey them to the compost heap.
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| Clearing Leaves |
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The lawns had their final trim of 2018 in late October, after which the machinery was given a little maintenance. A pressure washer was used to clean the lawnmowers, tractor and dumper truck to prevent rusting over the winter. Months of grassy build up and mud were removed. Unfortunately my waterproof boots didn't live up to their promise...
By lunchtime I was already saturated. The lack of wellies was a mistake. But - unfortunately for me, there was more pressure washing to be done in the afternoon (the paving outside the house this time!).
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| Yellowing Pear Tree |
Dahlias
With the temperature dropping, it was time for the Dahlias to be cut back in preparation for winter storage. The masses of foliage collected held on to glimmers of their summer shades. After depletion over the summer, the compost heap was quickly filling again.
The following week, each plant was easily forked out of the ground before being placed in a labelled crate. The many different varieties are curiously - often amusingly named - 'Chat Noir', 'Sean C', 'Thomas Edison', 'Bishop of Canterbury'.
The afternoon's work was more challenging; the Dahlias in the top border of the garden are not labelled and are mixed in with other plants. Giles' encyclopaedic plant knowledge was required to help identify each variety.
As I labelled up a Dahlia as 'Murky Eye', I sensed Giles' amusement - it is in fact spelt 'Merckii'.
After a full day digging up Dahlias, the Orangery is once again filled with dozens of crates of them - protected from the chill of winter.
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| Dahlias |
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Apple Juice
Apple juice continued to be produced throughout October and into early November - a team effort required to produce the necessary three barrels in a day.
Each batch is a completely unique combination of apple varieties, and so each bottle of Norton Conyers apple juice has its own subtly delicious flavour.
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The compost heaps rapidly filled with cuttings from this years' growth.
But the woody stems from the berry plot were taken into the woods to add to habitat piles.
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| Redcurrants before pruning |
On my first day at Norton Conyers, Giles and I installed wooden supports for new plants in the berry plot. But now, some of the older supports - installed by Giles in 1995 - had given way, and so it was time to replace them.
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| Installing new supports |
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It is nearly one month since the first paragraph of this post was written - the fifteenth of November. This time mist overwhelmed the atmosphere on my morning commute. And the temperature was bitter. But, as has become a pattern for the time of year, the sun came out unexpectedly and the temperature rose to give a spring-like feel to this Autumnal air. I wonder for how long we will continue to be pleasantly surprised by the weather?
