EVERY autumn, the team at Waddesdon Manor plants half a million bulbs in only a few short weeks, a task accomplished with help from volunteers and local children. ‘We start in Daffodil Valley,’ says Mike Buffin, head of gardens. ‘This is part of the original Victorian landscape garden, where we aim to plant 40,000 reliably perennial narcissus bulbs in two weeks.’ The team uses a simple recipe containing four persistently perennial daffodil varieties, which will flower from January until April. ‘Heights and flower shapes vary, so it looks very natural.’
The large, open areas are planted with a specially hired bulb-planting machine that allows a huge number of bulbs to be put into the ground quite quickly. ‘The machine lifts the turf and the bulbs slide down both sides of a hopper before being covered up again,’ Mr Buffin explains. Areas that are steeply sided or have tree roots have to be covered with a variety of different hand-held bulb planters. The gardeners make the holes and children from local primary schools help by dropping the bulbs in and covering them back up again. ‘Some holes are made mechanically with a clever piece of equipment, designed to cut holes in golfing greens. The aim is to plant each bulb at twice its depth.’
Denne historien er fra September 15, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra September 15, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
