SPECIAL GIFTS
HIGHGROVE GARDEN: THE GARDEN NOW
AUGUST
Plums, apples and pears! It has been the start of a bumper year with the Highgrove Garden team in full harvest mode. Although Highgrove, like many gardens in the country, lost many tender plants, the lack of any major spring frosts saw good flower on the fruit trees and excellent pollination.
Unfortunately we did not manage to thin the abundant fruit set on the apples with the number of trees in the Garden, but the normal June/July drop of immature fruit has helped. These are either hand collected or picked up by the mowers and composted.
Fruit is first and foremost used for Household needs, with the quality surplus sold in the Highgrove Shop to visitors. Much of the remainder is used to make juice, chutneys and jams for the Shop with the final pickings going to the pigs at Home Farm or into the compost bins. Nothing is wasted.
Summer so far has not been particularly warm if you’re a sun bather, but it has been a good growing year with ample moisture to establish many of the new plantings, and for continual flowering on the tender perennials.
The pelargoniums have been a real treat particularly in the Carpet Garden; three in particular stand out:
- Pelargonium ‘Atlantic Burgundy’
This is a trailing variety with clusters of maroon burgundy flowers. - Pelargonium ‘Purple Unique’
– This very old variety has strongly scented foliage with limited but large purple – mauve flowers. - Pelargonium tomentosum
pretty, but small white flowers with a most lovely velvety peppermint scented leaf – this one ground covers or trails and definitely one to plant to stroke and enjoy!
The Hydrangeas are seasonally making impact in the Garden with more to be planted in the autumn and next spring to replace shrubs lost last winter. Two of many that are looking good right now are:
- Hydrangea ‘Sanguine Merveille’- or to translate from the French “bloody marvellous”. This describes this traditional mop head variety well with intense deep wine-red flowers and leaves that attractively darken through the season. Several are planted in containers in the Carpet Garden.
- Hydrangea ‘Geoffrey Chabaud’ also called ‘Mówe’ – This lovely lacecap in pots in the Sundial Garden has brick red flowers and good form; if planted out it can grow to 5 feet (1.5m).
The golden topiary forms, which line the iconic view of the House along the Thyme Walk, have just been trimmed by the expert team of Gardeners at Highgrove. The main hedges and remaining topiary pieces are now being started which visitors find most interesting to see shaped as they tour the Garden.
The meadows seem quiet at the moment; they have been harvested and are starting to green up. Soon the sheep will be coming in to graze; they will move the wildflower seed around on their hooves and in their droppings for future displays. A few patches of late flowering meadow plants remain to harvest seed from over the next few weeks – the knapweeds and scabious in particular; these wildflowers add a hint of what has been and will come again next year.
And the Highgrove Rose, named in 2009 and planted in several locations in the Garden continues to flower with its scented deep red velvety flowers…
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