Yorkshire in Bloom

Yorkshire in Bloom

Spring is the perfect time to get back out in the garden. We have put together some helpful hints and tips from top gardeners across Yorkshire to help make your garden bloom.

Kiplin Hall & Gardens

Chris Baker, Head Gardener
Replanting your pots with spring bedding As well as putting the crock at the base of the pot to help with drainage, use a layer of dried beech leaves on the surface and then add compost on top, to prevent the soil from blocking the drainage holes.

Sledmere Estate

Andrew Karavics, Head Gardener
Apple tree pruning Never be scared to prune apple trees quite hard to provide good air flow through the tree as this helps to produce healthy fruit. An old saying is “you should be able to kick a rugby ball through a well-trained apple tree”.

Burton Constable Hall

Chris Richards, Gardener
Caring for your citrus trees We feed our citrus trees once a month with sulphate of iron during autumn and winter, which is upped to a weekly dose in the spring and summer. The trick with citrus trees is knowing when to water them, as you need to make the roots work hard in order to produce the best fruits.

Newby Hall

Mark Jackson, Head Gardener
Weeding After such a mild winter there will be plenty of weeds lurking in your beds and pots. If time is pressing, concentrate on weeds that are flowering. Just make sure they don’t seed, then sit back and enjoy the beauty of your garden all summer.

Scampston Hall & Walled Garden

Paul Smith, Head Gardener
Fertilizer dos and don’ts Give lawns a spring boost with a nitrogen based fertilizer. This will strengthen grass and help to keep out weeds and moss. However, if applying a slow release fertilizer such as blood, fish and bone, avoid it blowing onto young shoots as this can scorch them.

Wentworth Castle

Claire Herring, Director
Don’t be afraid to move your plants If a plant is not thriving in its present location or is aggressively outcompeting its neighbours, don’t be afraid to make a change – and with a little lateral thinking you will find the perfect spot for your plant thugs as well as your shrinking violets.

Thorp Perrow

Faith Douglas, Curator
Caring for newly planted trees Check all newly planted trees to ensure a good layer of mulch – this helps to retain nutrients and water over the coming year – not to mention the pesky slug damage that some tastier trees may endure!

Renishaw Hall

David Kesteven, Head Gardener
Look after your soil Wet warm winters drain nutrients from the soil. Adding organic matter (manure, compost or leaf mould) will help rectify this and help improve the structure, water holding and nutrient holding ability of your soil.

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This article comes from our 2016 Spring Guide

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