Welcome to my April estate blog.
Well, at last Spring has truly sprung with so much new growth and colour, even the soil is drying out and the grass greening up. The days are getting longer and warmer and now is a great time to get out and about.
We have started to make up our hanging baskets which will be kept undercover until we are sure there will be no more cold nights and frosts. Work has been ongoing in the Walled Garden with cutting back and cleaning up the borders. The fruit trees this year have been pruned by George our apprentice gardener with some guidance from myself, looking forward to a bumper crop.
We have a Secret Garden on the estate which is well worth a visit during the spring as it has a collection of spring flowering shrubs including Azaleas and Rhododendrons. If you would like to visit the Secret Garden then here is a clue... it is very close to the East Wing side of the hotel.
I am also pleased to announce we have our very first Spring Forest Walk taking place on Sunday 16th April. The walk will be hosted by Tom Forward who is a local expert on all things to do with the Ashdown Forest. We will be holding a walk each season so this is a great way to find out what to see and look out for during the year. Each walk will finish with a two-course lunch in our Forest Brasserie. All the details can be found here.
April's Garden Tips:
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Start sowing Annuals flower seeds.
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Start cutting the lawn on a high cut and reduce the hight in stages.
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Take of any frost protection of tender plants.
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Start hardening off any summer bedding plants.
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Water any planted containers and start feeding with a liquid feed.
Until next time, Happy Gardening!
Kevin Sweet