In the midst of lockdown and working in the garden shed at home, amidst the mud and dark that is an English January, nonetheless, bulbs are peeping above the earth, buds are appearing and the beds are starting to look a lot more cheerful as they are immersed in their covering of homemade, organic compost. The spring is coming and so now is the time to plan for the new season and all the amazing things that are going to grow and flower and blossom.
The NGS opening in June is a long way away and we need to be ready.
Every January, I call up the long suffering Nick from Tinstar Design who built the Ferns Lodge website and ask him to update our plan. He’s done the business and it’s on the home page and it looks fab. Now we have to match the garden to the plan. A lot is in place but there is stacks more to do and it is fun to plan what is possible and when it’s on the plan – it jolly well has to be so… – no pressure then!
Clever Nick also updates his graphic showing the putting together of the plan and you can watch this here.
So what of the plan for 2021?
The job that is done is Bee Village. The bees have been moved and are snoozing in Bee Village High Street, getting ready for warmer, better times. John, the bee man, is feeding them sugar fondant to make sure that they make it through this, the hardest part of the year. The Queens should get busy sometime soon and then as the days lengthen and the temperature rises they will start with their 2021 cycle in their new village – all good!
Of course, we have a shrubbery project from whence they came and I dream of a copper beach and other lovely things to take over from the bees’ area and to develop this woodland garden in the making. All good – but lots to do…
The next change is the Monterey pine limb that has fallen and is all tidy waiting for the wonderful planting that we advertise in the plan… Another little job and one which I approach with caution, as our doe like visitor loves any sort of climber and has a particular penchant for roses so we will see – and I am sure, overcome!
Of course my elephant remains a vegetable garden that currently exists only in my imagination and of course on the plan… The tractor and digger are ordered and then the race will be on to show vegetables growing in beds for the NGS opening. What could possibly go wrong!
Over the coming months we will be working hard to make Ferns Lodge garden match the plan and we very much look forward to welcoming you to our garden opening on the 5th and 6th June and you can then see for yourselves how we have done.
Please do all stay safe and well.
Contact sue.grant@fernslodge.co.uk.