In the 2nd installment of our series building up to the 20th West Dean Chilli Fiesta in August, we take a look at the family entertainment in store… Continue reading
Tag Archives: west dean
Spring has Sprung!
Yes folks, it’s official, Spring has sprung! How do we know this? Not because we have passed some arbitrary date such as the 1st of March but because we are gardeners and are attuned to all those subtle, sensory signals that silently but insistently say “Winter is past, the sap is rising, it’s all before … Continue reading
Looking Good – March
Did you see the naturalised bulbs in action at West Dean during February this year? If you missed the display poor you as it was a sight to gladden any heart. On sunny days, the gardens were bathed in a symphony of mauve, yellow and white as the bulb flowers opened their faces, creating a … Continue reading
Restoration Project
In 1991, in the aftermath of the Great Storms of 1987, Head Gardeners Jim Buckland and Sarah Wain began a programme of renovating works at West Dean Gardens. They have been the inspirational leaders of the professional garden team, bringing to the place zeal, imagination, deep horticultural knowledge and an ever-growing understanding and enthusiasm for … Continue reading
Snowdrop Time
The gardeners at West Dean are set to welcome visitors back this weekend (re-opening Sunday 1st February). Childish excitement abounds when playing the ‘can-you-spot-it game?’ as bulbs erupt from their winter quarters on the lawns. Early spring is the best time to see the emerging displays of snowdrops and crocuses which carpet the lawns here, … Continue reading
Flint at West Dean
Flint is one of the defining characteristics of our chalk landscape. Whether coating the fields like a dusting of pebbly ground pepper or as the principal constituent of most local vernacular architecture it is a constant geological presence. It is also evident in the flint walls that line the river banks in the Spring Garden … Continue reading
URGENT – Victorian Glasshouse Appeal
“The Victorian glasshouses at West Dean are an inspirational model of how best to use any greenhouse. They are a treasure for all gardeners.” Monty Don West Dean’s glasshouses are of great historical value and enjoyed by thousands of visitors each year, but now we need your help to preserve them for future generations. Despite … Continue reading
Getting the Garden Ready for Winter
As temperatures plummet this time of the year the lights go back on in the cold frames at West Dean Gardens. It is essential to provide a minimum of frost protection for those border line hardy plants that are lined out to over-winter. Large mature plants of frost tender perennials, that have a semi-woody framework … Continue reading
November at West Dean
A dry September – the driest on record has been followed by a reasonably damp October (so my wish for rain was granted!) this year and I must say the recent weather has created perfect conditions for planting, of which we’ve been taking advantage. As I write we have yet to suffer a frost which … Continue reading
October at West Dean
There is a wistful softness about golden October, a period that can produce some of our most congenial weather in which to enjoy the less urgent jobs of autumn such as lawn raking! Highly meditative if you allow yourself to be lost in its tranquil rhythm, or perhaps even better, picking apples and pears. So … Continue reading
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