Throughout the year all green waste material from the garden is collected in our bulk material storage area. This green waste includes waste plant material, grass clippings, wood chip, annual weed, branches up to 20mm diameter, root balls and small tree stumps.

Green waste awaiting the shredder Read More...

The results of Rosemoor's Half Term Bird Count are now in:

Over the week, children (and adults) counted the number of Blackbirds, Chaffinches, Blue Tits and Robins that they spotted around the garden

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Do you want to be in with a chance of winning the fantastic Pumpkin Competition at RHS Garden Rosemoor this October? Why not start as you mean to go on: apply for your free seed now, and get planting! 

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Towards the end of January Rod Knight, Phil and myself, together with a local farm contractor, ventured into Rosemoor’s lower woodland area to cut a number of sizable slabs of beech (Fagus sylvatica) from a fallen tree. These slabs are to become table tops for the new picnic area that is being created in the woodland fringes of the Formal Garden. Several natural features have already been installed, including stumps for seats and balance beams for children to play on, and the inclusion of some natural, rustic tables for use in the area will further compliment the project.
 
The beech tree itself was blown down several years ago and by the looks of it was a monster of a tree! The base and root area of the trunk (which we were going to be cutting) was in some places around 1.75 metres in diameter, so when it was standing the tree must have been quite a sight. To help us cut this huge piece of timber, we enlisted the help of a local farmer with his telehandler (much like a very large forklift) to move and position it for cutting, and also to help with removal of the slabs once they were cut. With such a huge trunk the usual small 38cm chainsaw would have little if any hope of getting through, so this is where the fun began (for me anyway - it’s the small things in life that make me happy!).  Another arboriculture team lent us one of the largest saws available - a ‘Husqvarna 395xp with a 1.25 metre bar and chain (compared to the usual small 38cm bar it was a monster) and I couldn’t wait to get started. Even with this large cutting bar I would still have to cut from both sides, ensuring that the cuts met in the middle.

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Rosemoor’s ‘Birds in the Garden’ week this half-term has been a great success, with great fun being had by all throughout the week! There have been lots of birdie-themed activities to take part in, including Bird I-Spy, Bird Walks, Nest displays, a Children’s Photographic Competition and a Bird Count!

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At this time of year we are thinking ahead to the coming season and getting ready for all the seed sowing, pricking out, potting on, as well as all the other exciting jobs that come up as the days get longer, promising sunshine and the summer to come.
 
Here on the nursery there are a lot of plants that we have been growing on for a year.  These, as well as the thousands of tender plant cuttings that we took last summer, will be planted out in the garden with the arrival of the warmer spring weather. These plants need to make the most of the little light that they get in the darker months of the year as it is vital for the process of photosynthesis, to make the food they need to grow. Hence the spring cleaning!

The polytunnels are cleaned using a length of loosely rolled shade netting. A rope is tied on either end to give us something to hold onto, and with the help of a ladder the netting is draped over one end of the tunnel.

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Sowing peas in gutters

A good way to grow early peas is to sow them in gutters under glass.

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If you fancy a spot of bird watching, then bring your family along to RHS Garden Rosemoor in Great Torrington, Devon this February Half Term (14 – 22 February) for a fascinating ‘Birds in the Garden’ week, and join in the fun of spotting and learning about our feathered friends!

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Appropriately, bearing in mind the weather we have had recently, the snowdrops at Rosemoor are putting on a fine display at the moment.  Despite being buried under the snow, they soon perked up once the thaw set in.  There are good drifts in the Winter Garden, under the trees in the Stream Field and near the Lake, and also in Lady Anne’s Garden.

Most of our snowdrops are the variety Galanthus ‘Atkinsii’ AGM.  It is one of the largest snowdrops, growing to a height of 25cm, and is also an early flowerer.  G. ‘Atkinsii’ is very vigorous and spreads into large clumps very quickly. 

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We thought we would share a few of the lovely pictures of Rosemoor in the snow on Tuesday, as it really did look beautiful!

The Garden was closed all day on Tuesday, and re-opened on Wednesday afternoon after staff had worked hard to clear the paths that morning.

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We have cleared the paths at Rosemoor and we are now open to the public. Please look out for an announcement tomorrow as we are expecting more snow overnight and tomorrow.

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