Welcome to the Spring edition fellow composters!
This season you will experience a combination of new blooms, all grown here at Priory, providing our ever-increasing visitors of wildlife from early morning and evening to appear. So far this year we have had sightings of a fox, hedgehog, moles, squirrels, rats, rabbits, mice and then a variety of birds including ducks, gulls, magpies, pigeons, blackbirds, sparrows, thrush, yellow hammers, finches, tits and oyster catchers. Although beneficial, most are a nuisance to young plants. However, it’s just a case of live and let live.
The combinations of plants will be a confetti of colour and fragrance throughout Priory gardens. There are sunny spots where Verbena Bonariensis mingles through other plants brilliantly tying through a display of tiny neon blooms.
Best for bees – Catmint Peta (Blue Moon) is a pretty shade of lavender and is a magnet for bees and butterflies. Digitalis (Fox Glove) – the colours of this are purple, cream, white and rose and can only be described as elegant speckled blooms.
Long-lasting plants – Silene Campion are pure white starry flowers and have a real elegance. Poppy Coral flowers provide a reef of oriental blousy blooms. Knautia Pastels which are pretty pincushions, bloom from May to September plus others growing in pots ready to go into the garden.
From Compost Corner to Confetti Corner
More new additions are picked out and ready to pot on. The plants are Dhalia, Sunflower, Cosmos, Sweet Peas, Californian Poppy and Gaillaidia. The Gabriel Oak Rose is an opulent rose and has long continuous flowering and is named after the hero of Hardy’s ‘Far From the Madding Crowd’ Pink and has a strong fruity scent situated in the centre of Priory Gardens.
So an abundance of fragrance and colour now awaits for all to see and look out for. I truly appreciate our pupils’ respect for our gardens and wish you all a wonderful Spring.
Oh, and look out for the water lily about to surface in the courtyard!
Mr C Farron
Head Gardener
