Garden Notes

I have found the perfect Christmas present for local gardeners. The Hampshire Gardens Trust is publishing a book about the Herriard estate. In the 1790’s The owner George Purefoy Jervoise inherited the estate and employed the then fashionable landscape gardener, Humphry Repton at Herriard Park ‘Improving the Premises’.

Repton is known for his little red books. He would show the client a painting of the estate as it was and by lifting the cut away picture would show them how it could be.

I think it will be fascinating to see what plants and seeds were ordered for this huge work and to learn more about Herriard and the family. The book can be ordered from the Hampshire Gardens Trust, Jermyns House, Jermyns Lane Ampfield, Romsey, Hants, SO51 0QA. It costs £12 plus £2.50 post and packing.

However you cannot spend all your time indoors reading, the holly needs picking before the birds get it and the Hellebore leaves need cutting off.

Now is the time to wander round the garden and make plans. Time to decide whether you get pleasure from a feature or if it is just a chore to keep it going. Sentiment in the garden only applies to plants given by dear friends or relations that you cannot bear to part with. I think this is why gardeners are sane and sensible people. They can exercise a measure of control over something, and gain pleasure from it.

Happy Christmas to you all and let us hope as we always do that next year the weather will be perfect, the blight will stay away and not a speck of blackspot will be seen.

Stella Strachan

[Please note that this message is not posted on behalf of Bentworth Parish Council and does not necessarily reflect the Parish Council’s policy]