Well well what a week it's been here at Harlow Carr: global warming seems a dim and distant memory when you're standing in 12cm of the white stuff! The snow came down with a vengeance on Sunday evening, and Monday morning saw the whole garden team mobilised with all manner of shovels small and large. The car park was first to be under attack from the newly formed ‘snow army', followed by a path round the garden, opening up a circuit to enable all visitors access in time for opening at 9.30am. The gardens have a whole new aspect to them when covered in snow: it's all rather beautiful and takes on an air of mystique.
Tuesday morning saw another heavy covering of snow overnight, so it was back to the shovels and the wheelbarrows with grit and salt. We had only a brief pause to watch a fox slinking across south field, no doubt feeling highly conspicuous against the bright white snow.
Tom and I had a bit of respite from path clearing on Wednesday as we were continuing our development of the Island bed on the main borders. The seating area here has been dug out so that people will be able to actually sit inside the bed, not only getting a fantastic vista across and down the gardens; but being actually surrounded by and in amongst the flowers. It had been pre arranged that we were to be doing some ‘willow spiling' with our Willow growing expert: Phil Bradley from Cockermouth in Cumbria. We were to build a retaining wall made of hazel uprights (coppiced from Harlow Carr) with willow woven round them - grown and harvested by Phil. This willow wall would act as support in the area enabling a seat to be placed on the top. The willow (Salix vilminalis) was a glorious colour: bright green tapering to a deep crimson. The operation generated so much interest with the visitors that we had to dig out a path in the snow down to it.
On Thursday the snow waited until everyone had arrived before falling, soft white and powdery, it was a glorious winter wonderland. Paths were disappearing as fast as they had been cleared and for the gardeners it was beginning to feel like ‘Ground Hog Day'.
Visitors arrived loaded down with their cameras perhaps hoping for that winning winter shot and there were many opportunities not least of which was our little Robin friend, a feisty little chap with only one leg who guards his territory with great gusto and much fluffing out of his chest.
No two weeks are the same here - but one thing's for sure there's never a dull moment!
Katherine Musgrove
Gardener with Gardens West Team