homes & gardens INDEX
Photograph Peony Border at Penshurst Place & Gardens 2013 (c) Leigh Clapp
Glorious gardens
June is one of the busiest months in the garden – and one of the most rewarding when you can sit out, enjoy your surroundings and the sunshine. Plus jobs to do in the garden, water and wildlife, and boosting butterfl ies
Words Caroline Knight
Penshurst Place hosts glorious gardens week
can manage it – there’s nothing more luscious than the smell of freshly cut grass.
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Some people take more pride than others in grooming their green glory and there are many companies specialising in eliminating every weed from that soft outdoor carpet. Others like to have a little more biodiversity and the bees certainly love those clover fl owers, buttercups, daisies and speedwell that bloom whenever they are allowed to. Some regard their lawn as a creative canvas and you only have to research ‘striped lawn competitions’ to see what amazing effects can be achieved with a mower! Use stunning stripes to plan patterns that amaze. You can create an
lthough you might already be fed up with the continual need to mow your lawn – at least once per week if you
organic swathe of curves, a formidable formal chessboard, elegant striped vistas, intricate patterns, diagonal drama, surprising spirals and much more.
If it’s a pristine lawn you are after (rather than a fl owery mead), take out the ‘thatch’ or dead grass as soon as possible. If you are energetic, a rake will do the job rather nicely. You might want to improve your drainage too, by aerating with a hollow- tined aerator or even a garden fork. You can fertilise your lawn with a product that also kills moss and weeds, then you might need to sow fresh grass seed into any bare patches.
Mowing little and often, and never too short (unless you want a bowling green), is the best policy. But most important of all – don’t forget to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labours now that summer is here.
There is always something to see and do at Penshurst Place but for Glorious Gardens Week – 1st to 8th June – there is a very special line- up of events, as well as the chance to enjoy the wonderful Gardens in full bloom. Events taking place include: • A master class in fl oristry • A professional photography workshop • A garden tour with Lady De L’Isle, who is passionate about ensuring the gardens remain the glittering jewel in the crown of the historic Grade I listed Elizabethan Penshurst Place • Thespians in the grounds
• A historic performance of Elizabethan Play • Head gardener’s tours Alongside the house and gardens, there is also the Garden Restaurant, managed by Leith’s, along with parkland and riverside walks across this ancient estate, and a cycle path from Tonbridge Castle to Penshurst Place’s doorstep. • For more information, opening hours and admission prices for Penshurst Place & Gardens, Penshurst TN11 8DG, visit www.
penshurstplace.com or call 01892 870307.
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