Ian LeGros

Development work at Hyde Hall

2008-10-03T13:59:00Z

Major new development work at the Royal Horticultural Society's (RHS) Garden at Hyde Hall, Rettendon, near Chelmsford has begun. The work will provide Hyde Hall with a new approach road, car park, and garden entrance building within a new landscape scheme. The new facilities will be open to visitors next summer, but meanwhile it's ‘business as usual'. The building works are taking place to the north of the site, well away from the existing garden, but the progress of works can be seen from the main Hilltop Garden at several viewing points.

Autumn delights

2008-09-22T11:00:00Z

As the sun sinks lower in the sky through October its low rays highlight the dazzling rich oranges, yellows and reds that bedeck many trees and shrubs. Other plants, such as shrub roses, produce vibrant hips in shades of red and orange if they are not dead-headed in the summer. Most summer perennials have finished flowering by autumn, but if they are not cut back you will have the benefit of architectural seed heads and structural stems in tones of sandy brown, which look fantastic with early autumn frosts on them. Summer flowering grasses such as Miscanthus, Panicum and Stipa also give excellent structure, colour and textural movement through the autumn as their flower heads fade through shades of brown. At RHS Garden Hyde Hall we cut back all our grasses and perennials in the spring to give us this structure through the autumn and winter. For added winter colour now is also a great time to plant up winter containers and pots to add a zest of colour through until the spring.

Plant Fair

2008-09-10T10:45:00Z

This Saturday ( 13 September) you will have the opportunity to pick up some stunning plants at the NCCPC Autumn Plant Fair. There will be a selection of specialist nurseries including: Shiela Chapman Clematis, Essex Carnivorous Plants, Rose Cottage Plants, Blacksmiths Cottage Nursery and Herbal Heaven to name but a few!

Bank Holiday Weekend

2008-08-22T15:50:00Z

Over the bank holiday weekend, Hyde Hall will be open daily from 10am and we have a number of special garden trails which will make your visit more enjoyable.

Koi fish

2008-08-22T15:29:00Z

Regular visitors to Hyde Hall may have noticed that we have lost a number of carp, from the Top Pond, which have died as a result of Koi Herpesvirus Disease (KHV Disease). During this time we have followed the advice of the Environment Agency, Defra and the Centre for the Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), and closed the pond’s water course, and disposed of all the carcases through incineration. Following the confirmation of KHV Disease in the Top Pond a Designated Area Order (DAO) was placed on the site by Defra. The DAO prevents any movements of fish onto or off of the site. There are no implications for human health regarding the KHV Disease and it only affects fish of the carp variety. It spreads rapidly through the water during warmer temperatures and unfortunately there is no treatment or licensed vaccine to prevent or cure possible infections. We have posted information about the situation for visitors. Our pond is home to other species of fish not affected by KHV and some carp which might be resistant to infection. We have therefore opted to undergo a 4 year monitoring and testing regime under the supervision of Cefas. As our pond is a closed system, the infection is effectively contained. However, I’m pleased to say that over the past couple of weeks we have not had any fatalities and the Koi that remain appear to be healthy, so hopefully we are now over the worst. As a precaution all RHS Gardens have ceased accepting donations of fish from visitors, as the introduction of fish from other courses is a potential source of infection

Bee Hives on Site

2008-08-06T14:22:00Z

I am pleased to announce that we now have bee hives at Hyde Hall.

Just two colonies at the moment, the others are out and busy pollinating Borage.

Getting ready for the arrival of bee hives

2008-07-09T09:11:00Z

We are delighted that a local bee keeper - Jean Smye - has agreed to house some of her bee hives at Hyde Hall. The hives will be situated on the area known as the 'Gateway to the Countryside' (just beyond the Robinson Garden) and final preparations are taking place in readiness for their arrival.

Dry Garden

2008-06-17T16:32:00Z

Even if I say so myself, the Dry Garden is looking absolutely splendid at the moment! Earlier rainfall this year, followed by the odd warm spell has seen the garden literally burst into bloom. The vibrant shades of purples, oranges and yellows look amazing - not bad for a garden that is never watered.

Of particular interest are the giant Verbascums and Echiums, which are literally towering abover everything else at the moment. In fact this is the first year that the Echiums have bloomed. The Phlomis, Salvia, Nigella, and Leptospermum are also providing useful colour and the wonderful textural qualities of grasses such as Stipa gigantea and Stipa tenacissima add great movement and softness.

Flower Festival

2008-06-04T14:01:00Z

When the idea of a flower festival came about, one of my garden team members - Michelle Renwick - eagerly volunteered to 'dress' our events barn.

Michelle, who in her spare time is studying floristry at Writtle College, has a great talent for flower arranging and relished the challenge when asked to create a number of displays.

Hyde Hall Roses

2008-05-30T15:00:00Z

The Rose Garden at Hyde Hall comprises six rectangular beds of David Austin English Roses set in an immaculate verdant green lawn. All these roses have been bred to combine the disease resistance and vigour of modern varieties, combined with the flower structure and fragrance of traditional roses. Many of them have repeat flowering flushes thus providing colour from June right through to November. The beds are grouped according to colour and are bounded by tightly clipped hedges of Buxus sempervirens and Taxus baccata, the deep green perfectly complementing the hues of the roses. Some noteworthy varieties include Rosa 'The Mayflower' which is incredibly disease resistant, Rosa 'Winchester Cathedral' which has a very compact pure white bloom and Rosa 'Scepter’d Isle', a deep red rose with an outstanding fragrance. Two climbing roses on modern style obelisks are situated on the corner of each bed.

The Rose Rope Walk is one of the older features of Hyde Hall, originally planted in the late 1960s. It comprises a delectable selection of climbers, ramblers and clematis trained along thick shipping rope and makes a heavenly scented walk in the summer months. The Rope Walk is also spectacular in the winter, when the roses are pruned and trained into labyrinthine shapes around the ropes.

Diary notes - Mon 18 January - Crocus watch

2008-02-18T15:31:00Z

At long last our Crocus are beginning to bloom!

Last year we undertook a major bulb planting session and over 200,000 crocus were sown. The majority of them are blue / lilac tones and on a bright sunny day you can really appreciate their subtle colours.

Diary notes - 24 January - maintenance activities

2008-01-24T13:37:00Z

During the winter months we like to carry out any maintenance or refrubishment tasks around the garden while there are fewer visitors to disturb!

At the moment we have a number of maintenance tasks ongoing:

Diary notes - 24 January - Wisteria pruning

2008-01-24T13:28:00Z

At Hyde Hall you enter the eight-acre Hilltop Garden through a solid oak pergola draped with the wonderfully scented Wisteria brachybotrys 'Shiro-kapitan' and this needs to be pruned twice a year - in Janaury and June.

At the moment members of the Hilltop Gardening team are hard pruning to about 2-3 inches per spur. The next prune will be a light one in June when each spur is reduced by about half.