The latest film adaptation of The Secret Garden will be in cinemas nationwide from April 17th 2020. Helmsley Walled Garden was one of a number of locations in and around Helmsley and we are looking forward to seeing the Garden on ‘the big screen’. The Secret Garden Weekend May 29th… Continue Reading
January 2020 – Planning a Winter Garden
Last month I was at an RHS gardeners’ networking day down at Hyde Hall, their garden in Essex. They built a winter garden about four years ago and so it was a chance to see how it had developed and learn from the people who designed and built it. Winter is the season of short,… Continue Reading
December 2019 – Flowers to tell a story
Ladies and gentlemen let me take you on a little time travel as we go back to the middle ages and the time when plants were the only form of medicine and linked with myth and legend. In an age when only wealthy people could read and church services were in Latin, people learnt the… Continue Reading
November 2019 – Dahlias
Dear readers I have a terrible confession to make this month. I used to think dahlias were a frou-frou waste of time and effort. I know. I can see you all stern faced, lips pressed tight in disapproval at this scandalous attitude. But fear not I have turned my back on my former louche behaviour.… Continue Reading
October 2019 – The busyness of October
In the days of my extreme youth when people would say “ooh hasn’t the year gone by quickly” I was filled with scepticism and disbelief that these older people really knew what they were talking about. How could the year go by faster? All days and months are the same length every year? Reader, I… Continue Reading
September 2019 – Bringing in the Harvest
It has been something of a topsy-turvey summer with the weather cracking the flags one minute and rain of positively Biblical proportions the next. I’ve noticed a big difference in our apple crop this year. There are a lot less for a start. One reason for that is last year was a bumper crop and… Continue Reading
August 2019 – Show stopping plants
Talking to visitors about the plants in the garden got me thinking about show stoppers. The sort of plant that make you stop dead in your tracks and say wow. There are definitely some visitor favourites: one would be Lychnis chalcedonica in the Gravel Garden and Hot Border, tall with bright scarlet flowers it catches… Continue Reading
July 2019 – Working in the White Garden
It’s all hands to the pump here as we swing into July. Our head gardener is unwell so I have had to step into her shoes. Mind you with a diminutive shoe size 3, I find it hard to fill anyone’s shoes but I’ll always have a go. This is the most exciting time to… Continue Reading
June 2019 – Iris germanica
I got a lovely surprise when I went into the Physic Garden the other day. Iris germanica, otherwise known as Orris Root in physic was flowering. Now that may not sound very exciting or unusual. It is the time for iris to flower after all but what was exciting was that it is hasn’t flowered… Continue Reading
