Silence is Golden (or orange).

As you will be know until very recently the garden at Scotney was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Now that we are open for seven days a week we are faced with the challenge of carrying on our normal work whilst being open to visitors.  However, the last thing we want to do is spoil your visit with noisy machinery.  So with this in mind we have been looking at some different technology.  After reading a a very positive review in our trade paper Horticulture Week of a new Husqvarna battery powered grass trimmer we requested a demonstration.  Gary from Husqvarna UK arrived this morning with this for us to try out:

 

 

I was personally quite sceptical about how effective a battery powered machine would be over our faithful petrol machines.  After today's demonstration I am totally convinced that this is the right tool for our needs.  Firstly the machine is extremely quiet, to the point where wearing ear defenders become optional.  Its very light and comfortable to use for long periods.  This light weight also helps to keep vibration levels to a minimum reducing the overall fatigue experienced by the operator.  The battery is powerful and will charge in under 30 mins and will provide at least the same amount of time in use.  Theoretically with two batteries you can keep on going all day.  The battery sits where a petrol engine would normally be found and helps to balance the machine:

 

As you can see the battery is a manageable size and simply slots in and out of the machine:

 

Controls are simple and clear.  You switch the machine on with the button (rather than the traditional kung fu fight with the starter cord) and then you have  a choice of two speed settings and you can even change the direction of the cutter head.  These options allow you to strim very gently to avoid damaging trees and shrubs as well as directing your grass debris to avoid paths etc: 

 

 

So, after using this machine for most of the day, I am won over. Its hard to find a negative, its quiet, light, low on vibration, has no emissions and costs approximately 1p to charge a battery.  We are looking forward to continuing our demo this week and hope to procure some machines of our own very soon.  If you see us using this machine this week and you would like to have a closer look let us know (from a safe distance) and we'll run through it with you.  The strimmer was so quiet that some of our flightiest friends even came over for a closer look:

 

 

 



 Unfortunately for them though, Husqvarna don't do strimmer harnesses in their size...

Dave

 

Pictures from our Bird Feeding Area

Arnaud has sent in the following photographs of a male Pheasant from a recent visit to Scotney Castle and I thought they were great so I would share them with you.....

 

Goslings and Garden Guides

Each day of the week a different team of Garden Guides is working hard here at Scotney. A couple of months ago I mentioned Pat and Nathan who are here at the weekend and today it's the turn of our Thursday regulars Cathy, Claudia and Ian.

Cathy, Claudia and Ian on the Ha-Ha



Cathy and Claudia now count as vintage - or should I say veteran? - garden guides, having been coming to Scotney for four and three years respectively. Although Ian, who also works on Tuesdays, has only been a guide since January he's settled in so well its hard to remember that its his first year. As with all the Garden Guides they spend their time out and about in the garden ready to answer any queries you can throw at them. Cathy and Claudia are also always grateful for any help they can get with the Guardian crossword. Garden Guides are a key part of the welcome we aspire to provide for visitors and we're very grateful that they give up their time to make a visit to Scotney as enjoyable as possible.

As well as chatting to visitors, Ian was busy on Tuesday taking photographs of the garden. This year we've had a pair of Grey Lag Geese nesting on the Moat, and for the last couple of weeks the young goslings have been bobbing around on the moat after their parents. Ian managed to get this shot of them yesterday.

Here are a few more of Ian's photos.

A view along the terrace with Rhododendron obtusum 'Amoenum' in the foreground.

A fiery red azalea in the Quarry.

The cool and serene path in the West Glade.

Duncan



Viens dans le jardin, Maud!

Today is a grey day, not just because it's raining, but because Maud, our volunteer from France is leaving us! Maud is a landscape architecture student studying at Blois in France and for the last couple of months has been working with the garden team. She's worked hard helping us with maintaining the garden including heroic amounts of weeding and has shown great patience in putting up with all of us.

Maud dans le greenhouse

Maud has taken lots of photographs including some which show how the garden has been transformed during the time she has been here. These great pictures from the Bastion show the amazing difference a few weeks can make.

Maud has also taken a number of panoramic shots including these:



These are just a few more of her lovely photos.

Pinus sylvestris on the Woodland Path

A view from the Quarry up to the Bastion.

Fagus sylvatica 'Asplenifolia' in the West Glade

Its been a pleasure for us having Maud working in the garden and we'll all miss her when she leaves. So merci beaucoup and au revoir Maud!

Colour, colour everywhere.

Its been a busy week for the garden team as we spent the first part of the week at our other site Sprivers in Horsmonden.  The garden team headed off armed from head to toe with equipment from hand forks to ride on mowers.  The task was to get the garden looking ship shape and Bristol fashion for the first open day in conjunction with the first NGS open day of the season on Thursday.  A big thank you to all of our volunteers that helped out this week especially those lending an international flavour to proceedings, Gabrielle from Germany and Maud from France (I'm sure I also heard a Cornish accent at some point but I can't be sure).  There will be two further days this year in case you missed this one and they are on 8th July and 18th August.  Further details of the open days can be found here:

http://www.ngs.org.uk/gardens/gardenfinder/garden.aspx?search=&id=7170

Back at base things are looking really good.  We promised that we would keep you posted as to how the garden is looking and I attach a few pictures below to give you a small taste of the glorious colour currently on display here at Scotney.

The very pretty cones of our Abies koreana (Korean Fir) in the West Glade.

The Red Border and the Sequoiadendron giganteum ( Giant Sequoia).

A riot of colour in the Quarry.

The Sunken way looks a little more inviting now with some sun and the trees coming into leaf.

Looking up at the Terrace we can see the Cercis siliquastrum (Judas Tree) flowering.

Here's one of the famous 'Bastion view' with our colourful Japanese Acers.

Our final picture is of the newly refurbished bench on the Terrace.  Our maintenance supervisor Rick has lavished a lot of TLC on this old bench and it really shows - it looks great.  So reward his hard work by having a sit down next time you're passing.

Although I can't be regarded as impartial in the matter I would say that the garden is looking fantastic at the moment and if you are planning to see the rhododendrons and Azaleas at their best I would recommend that you plan your visit for the next couple of weeks.

Dave.

May Colour

Well, Duncan was right - spring did eventually appear.  One of our old favourites the Magnolia x loebneri 'Leonard Messel' (Len to his friends) put on a great show and despite being battered by the winds managed to keep his glorious creamy pink and purple colour for several weeks, here he is looking at his best (apologies for the low resolution of the pics):

I was also able to snap a few shots of the castle from the Scots Pine whilst installing a new bird box the other day.  As you can see the birds have got quite a view from their front door - it's all about location, location, location:

Our Tuesday volunteer group have been busy as always and amongst other things have helped us to carry out repairs to the Chinese Bridge as well as patch up the tired old post and rail fence along the back of the moat (hopefully to be replaced later this year).  It's been a fantastic year for many of our native plants and the good old Primrose (Primula vulgaris) is putting on a magnificent show all around the garden and estate.  They've even reappeared by the wall on the bowling green where our Tuesday group removed the overgrown ivy last year.

Another star performer right now is the Acer pseudoplatanus 'Brilliantissum' towards the right of the quarry as you head along the steps bed path.  It's basically a small cultivar of the very common sycamore but it is absolutely stunning at this time of year.  The colour is hard to describe and is quite different to most colours currently on display in the garden.  It's been described as 'Shrimp Pink' but I prefer "Coral" as suggested by Anne, one of our visitors yesterday.  For a small tree it really has big impact (as usual the following picture doesn't really do it justice):

Finally, one of the questions that we get asked the most (apart from "What are those metal bolt things at the top of the quarry?) is "What is the best time to come to Scotney to see the Rhododendrons and Azaleas?"  Well, as you can imagine, this isn't a precise science and depends on many factors (weather, soil condition, temperature etc) so we can't give you an exact date.  We usually suggest that the end of May is a good time to come but because the weather has been so strange this year (and getting chilly again next week apparently) things are quite out of kilter.  So, keep an eye on this blog or Paul's tweets and we will try to keep you updated as to how things are looking.  At the moment there are several nice rhododendrons in flower around the garden and the quarry is also starting to look really good.  In the meantime, I'll leave you with a pic of 'Mrs G W Leak' a spectacular rhododendron just by the bench at the top crossroads:

P.S. Just noticed today that the Spotted Flycatchers who like to spend their summer hols with us gardeners have just returned from their winter home in central Africa (hope they packed their thermals!).

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/spottedflycatcher/index.aspx

Dave

Has Spring finally Sprung?

A thin scraping of ice on my car windscreen this morning notwithstanding, looking at the garden today I'm wondering whether spring might have finally arrived. There are lots of people here enjoying the sunshine which has just reached the heady heights of 10.5ºC. Jackets and jumpers are being shed and I've even seen a few bare legs welcoming in the change in the weather. I mustn't speak too soon but I'm quietly hopeful things wamthwise are looking up!

Its not long now before the azaleas and rhododendrons start to turn the landscape into a blaze of colour. I've even noticed a few flowers breaking through on one of the Kurume azaleas on the edge of the quarry. This Japanese variety is one of the first azaleas to come out, and is also one of the most spectacular in terms of colour and brightness, it's almost vulgar in its densely flowered showiness. I'll post a picture in a few weeks when they're at their best.

In the meantime, splashes of colour are appearing all around the garden. There's a lovely display of daffodils on the Boathouse Flat next to the moat, where there are hundreds of golden blooms doing their traditional 'fluttering and dancing in the breeze'. The photo at the start of this blog shows the view from the Boathouse Flat towards the Old Castle this morning and the one below is looking the other way towards the Boathouse itself.

In the Quarry the Cornus mas or Cornelian Cherry is blooming away in a quiet corner. Small sprays of tiny yellow flowers appear on the branches in late winter and early spring before the leaves break. Its slightly hidden location seems to suit its unostentatious though beautful character.

Also unostentatious but not to be missed is Chionodoxa luciliae, known as the Glory of the Snow. This perennial bulb, that can be seen on the Top Walk, usually grows on open mountainsides and in forests in Crete, Western Turkey and Cyprus. As you can see from the photo below it is the most wonderful blue colour, and appears gem-like from amongst the remains of the winter's leaves.



Finally, in the blog this year I want to introduce and to thank our wonderful and dedicated band of Garden Guides. Whatever the weather they are here at Scotney to answer visitors questions and to provide a warm welcome. Its only appropriate that I start with two of our longest serving Garden Guides, Pat and Nathan. Indeed, Pat was one of the very first Garden Guides here at Scotney. Both Pat and Nathan are here every weekend to tell people about the history of the garden and castle, to point out what plants are of particular interest or to just pass the time of day. If you visit make sure you stop and say hello.

Duncan