HAMPSHIRE
Gardener’s Cuttings
Exbury’s unique trees ready for Danebury Vineyards- a real local wine
new season
If you want to support a local Hampshire wine grower then Danebury Vineyards is
A pocket-size guide to the unique
the place to start. A 7-acre vineyard set among gardens nestling beneath Danebury
Exbury collection of trees from around
Hill Fort provides four varieties of grapes, which are used to make a sparkling and
the world will be published this year. The
dry white and medium dry wine
guide catalogues almost a century of
Elisabeth & Ernst Piech chose to focus on quality, maintained by using only the first
tree planting in the -famous woodland
pressings of hand-selected grapes grown under dedicated and careful management,
gardens, which open for the 2010
from the pruning to the storage of the wines. Danebury Vineyard is located in the Test
season on Saturday March 13.
Valley at Nether Wallop, Hampshire.The soil is made up of chalk and flint - similar to
that of the Champagne in France.The original vines were bought in Austria at Kloster
Exbury’s head gardener, John Anderson,
Neuberg near Vienna and consisted of Auxerrois and Schonburger, with smaller
a member of the Royal Horticultural
plantings of the other varieties.
Society’s Woody Plants committee,
Elisabeth & Ernst bought the mature vineyard in 1993 after the previous owner had
which deals with trees and shrubs, says
taken two crops from the five year old vines. One of the first investments of the
there are trees that please all the senses
new owners was to construct a cellar deep in the chalk to store the wine.
with huge colourful flowers, leaves and
wonderful scent.
Their second investment was to extend the vineyard by planting a further 3000
vines over 3 acres in 1996. These are mainly of Bacchus and Madeliene Angevine.
“We have pink, white and purple
Phone 01264-781851 www.danebury.com
magnolias from China which is also the
home of the fantastic ‘handkerchief
tree’, Davidia involucrata.
Hestercombe Water Mill – making the new in the spirit of the old
Trees are still being planted at Exbury.
The historic Hestercombe Water Mill opens on April 20th after a year long
The Gardens holds two NCCPG
restoration project. Visitors will be able to see how Hestercombe was renovated
(National Council for the Conservation
and restored.
and Protection of Gardens) national
An unrivalled collection of energy sources dating from Victorian and Edwardian
collections, of Nyssa and Oxydendrum.
times will be showcased in the Water Mill. Star of the show in the Dynamo-House
is the water wheel, exquisitely restored by leading mill wright Martin Watts and
now powering equipment for demonstrations in the Mill Room to crush apples,
grind corn and cut timber, activities that have all been prominent on the estate
over the centuries.
The Hestercombe Water Mill will be launched with a celebrity ‘ribbon cutting‘
followed by a black tie dinner on 23rd April and a Garden Tea Party on Sunday
25th April: Tea and cake on the Orangery Lawns, Punch and Judy, magicians, morris
dancing, brass bands. Open to everyone from 11am – 4pm. Usual garden entry
rates apply, entry is FREE to those arriving in Victorian dress!
www.hestercombe.com
Exbury – home of the fantastic ‘handkerchief Call Rebecca Pow on 07900 685303
tree’, Davidia involucrata
Wild Flower Meadow turf at
the turf is grown on Ashe Warren
the Natural History Museum
Farm in Hampshire. The meadows
The Natural History Museum has
are characterised by a wealth of
extended the meadow habitat in their
colourful wild flowers, requiring little
wildlife garden using an innovative
maintenance and have the additional
soil-less Wild Flower Turf from
use as grazing land during the winter
Hampshire for the meadow area of the
for sheep.
project. The Museum’s Wildlife Garden,
Caroline Ware said “I was so pleased to
first opened in 1995 was created to
have the turf in our wildlife garden, the
illustrate a range of habitats including
ease of the laying and the speed with
woodland, heath land, hedgerow,
which the turf set down its roots was
freshwater pond, fen, chalk grassland,
amazing. The turf complemented our
reed-bed and meadow to showcase
existing meadows beautifully with oxeye
the variety in the English countryside.
daisies, wild carrot, common sorrel and
This most recent meadow project was
crested dog’s-tail amongst the variety
started using 75 sq meters of soil
of wild flowers and grasses in bloom
less wild flower turf. This is compost
this first year, and which attracted a
based, laid over a membrane using
wonderful variety of bees, and other
a 50% grass, 50% flower seeds, to
insects.”
give a natural meadow area .The
Tel 01256 771222 or go to
brainchild of James Hewetson-Brown,
www.wildflowerturf.co.uk
Wild Flower Turf from Hampshire
Country Gardener
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