Welcome to our April Blog!
The main news is the extensive planting of new indigenous tree species - Justin and his team, with a little help from some of the residents, have been busy planting over 40 trees. We have bought some mature trees, to make an immediate impact for our wildlife and residents.
Matt Hanson is one of our gardening team and has a real eye for wildlife photography, he has taken some stunning images of bird species within the Estate which we share on social media.
The bird nest boxes are getting a lot of interested potential ‘nesters’, and by the next Blog I am sure we will have some occupied with families being fed. The nest boxes were made by Ben Butterfield (Mark’s son) who was kind enough to make them for us. One of our Mews owners has offered his time to monitor the bird boxes around his property, as he is a keen bird watcher and loves nature. We have also purchased a ‘bird box’ camera and plan to set it up near a nest box in use, so that residents will be able to view the bird activity from the comfort of the house.
Three new bird feeding stations are being made by a local blacksmith so that we can attract more birds, though we will also have to keep an eye on the squirrels to make sure they don’t get all the food!
Frank Martin
Here’s what Justin Cole, Head Gardener, has to say:
April is the month for a massive surge of growth in the garden, with new shoots and buds bursting. The wallflowers in the parterre smell divine from noon onwards, particularly on the more beautiful days with their purple and mauve flowers – stop for a while and take in their heady fragrance.
All the late daffodils are coming into flower, with the tulips to follow. Around the croquet lawn the autumn flowering cherries are looking stunning this spring, and the camelia and magnolia are in full flower. Forget me nots and primroses are looking lovely all around the garden. The saying is that, “April showers bring forth May flowers”, although it is very dry at the moment so a little rain would be welcome to help settle in the new trees planted along the north drive footpath.