Five of us travelled down the M6 today to Shugborough for our second visit this year. We spent the day trimming back the hedge above the stream that flows past the Ticket Office and cutting off vegetation that had gained a foothold in the stream’s sandstone wall. Those who had Wellington boots stood in the water and those without worked from the bank. The water was crystal clear and during the day we saw about 20 white-clawed crayfish and several small trout.
Joe Hawkins, head gardener, was his usual ebullient self, and during the tea breaks talked at length about the estate’s history and his vision for the garden. He’s recently taken on management of the 14-acre arboretum too. He wondered if we’d like to have a weekend trip to Shugborough – camping in the grounds, using the toilet blocks and shower in the Ticket Office complex and cooking our meals on camping stoves!! He’d need to clear it with his bosses. Anybody interested?
We ended the day with a demonstration of the £37,000 state-of-the-art composter (a 25’ long stainless steel tank that takes in chipped vegetation at one end, heats it up to 65 degrees C and churns out fine compost at the other end) and a tour of the walled garden to see the many varieties of fruit and vegetable that are being grown.
1 comment:
Sounds like a fascinating day. Camping would be good if we could guarantee a dry weekeend.
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