HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MONTH DECEMBER 2009 / JANUARY 2010

Although we are closed for the winter the gardeners are still working hard. At the moment it’s ‘all hands on deck’ planting the 20,000 tulip bulbs in preparation for our spectacular Tulip Festival, which opens on 23rd April and runs to 3rd May 2010. The bulb planting is carefully planned each year by my wife and our head gardener, Keith Boylett, with much valued input from Ronald Blom and his sons, of 59 times Chelsea Gold Medal winning Bloms Bulbs. The tulips will be planted in colour co-ordinated groups ranging from white, creams, greens and pale yellows in the Elizabethan garden to hot reds, golds and oranges in the herbaceous borders.

Some new varieties for Pashley this year are Tulipa Rosy Bouquet a classic creamy white tulip with pastel pink feathering; Tulipa Deidre a greenish-white base with a fresh green stripe and 'lily-flowered' shape; Tulipa Aria Card a creamy white flower with the palest yellow flush, which fades with age, and petal edges which turn into a delightful lilac mauve; and Tulipa Yoyina a pink flower with a blue base - when open, the contrast between blue base and black stamens is amazing.

The new beds outside the Gift Shop have been prepared and planned and we have just placed the order for the shrubs so hope to be planting them up soon. They will also contain three roses which are new to Pashley this year; Rosa Rugosa Alba, Rosa Fimbrata and Rosa Louis XIV.

The gardeners are also about to plant two new varieties of roses from Peter Beales Roses, 17 times Chelsea Gold medal winners, introduced at the 2009 Chelsea Flower Show. The rich red Highgrove is a citrus scented, modern climber, which will be situated in the herbaceous borders and Leah Tutu is multi-petalled, rich golden yellow coloured rose with a subtle fragrance and dark green foliage in the Golden Bed. This means there will be over 90 different varieties of roses on display for our Special Rose Weekend from Friday 11th to Sunday 13th June.

Tidying up the Autumn leaves continues and soon climbing and rambling roses will be pruned and retrained, then it will be the turn of the apple, pear and peach trees - all will be pruned and trained. Seeds for the kitchen and flower gardens will be chosen and ordered along with potato, garlic and onion sets. The kitchen garden will be particularly in the spotlight again this year for the Kitchen Garden Weekend, from Friday 18th to Sunday 20th June, which will be focusing on home grown vegetables – easy to grow and good to eat.

Excursions
On Saturday 16th January 2010, we will be exhibiting at Excursions in Alexandra Palace, London. If you are a group organiser and would like to come and see us we can give you details about our events and group visits. Pashley Manor Gardens will be in the Tourism South East section, we look forward to seeing you there. Click on the link above to get free tickets to the show.

For other shows we will be exhibiting at please see our Links page.

Season Tickets
A Season Ticket, £26.50, allows entry to the gardens on all open days and includes a bi-annual newsletter and invitations to special events, allows you to book tables for lunch (except on Festival days) and bring a non-member friend for half price on certain days. Perfect whether you visit to enjoy our Gardens or the great food in our Garden Room café. We can also provide vouchers, in values of £5 and £10 or the price of entrance to the gardens, for those looking for gift ideas. Our facilities are available for private hire on the Mondays and Fridays during the season and over the whole week, excluding Sundays, in autumn and winter. Please contact us should you wish to celebrate a special event here on 01580 200888 or email: info@pashleymanorgardens.com.
 

With best wishes for Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

	James A. Sellick