Blog
2 April 2025
We have had a recent nice spell of weather in the Emmanuel gardens. It certainly has lifted the spirit of the Garden Team after the many grey months that we have had to endure. With the clocks changing, we will see some prolonged periods of daylight. It’s certainly good for the soul.
March has seen us complete the winter pruning schedules that has taken us through the limbo since Christmas. The early bulbs are just fading only to be replaced by the many wonderful things that the spring plants and bulbs bring us. The splashes of colour, the promise of early flower buds swelling and the perfumes starting to arise.
The grass cutting is now in earnest as the temperatures rise and everywhere just looks and feels that little bit sharper. We continue with our lawn maintenance programme and are amid applying a spring fertilizer to our lawns. As I become more conscious of my environmental responsibilities, I have swapped to an organic seaweed-based fertiliser that is chemical free. This is not only morally the right thing to do but it also comes from a natural sustainable source. It will benefit our lawns’ health and help improve the microbial balance and sequentially release organo minerals.
As we enter the Easter break, I have been busy organising essential tree works to our offsite properties. This includes pollarding the willow tree at the boat house. This process is done approximately every five or six years and always looks very harsh when done. Pollarding is the process of reducing the length of branches back to the major trunks. This will rejuvenate the tree and prolong the life expectancy for us all to enjoy the tree for many years to come. The willow in Chapman’s Garden will be due this year too at some point.
I am very lucky to have an extremely talented Garden Team, each member playing a vital role, and individually and collectively extremely important to the cog that keeps turning. I am especially amazed by the talents of Martin Place. A hard landscaping professional for over 30 years, Martin has been extremely busy since Christmas, lovingly restoring all the memorial benches. The Garden Department do our best to look after these benches, as we are very aware of the memories that they provide for families of past members. I am keen for these to be looked after, and Martin has done a magnificent job in a full restoration this year.
Since completing the benches, Martin has gone on to complete the last piece of hard landscaping left from the new build at the front of Furness Lodge. Martin’s skill in cobble laying has been fantastic and probably the best example of workmanship that I have seen in years. We are very lucky to have him on our team. I thought it would be near impossible to replace our former landscaper, Phil Bland, who retired a year ago. Luckily, we found someone equally as fantastic. Well done, Martin.
Best wishes.
Brendon Sims, Head Gardener
