Landscape & Garden Update – 05.04.17

Welcome to the latest news from the grounds team at Compton Verney – Landscape & Garden Update – 05.04.17.

Landscape and Garden

Generally speaking, the weather through late winter into spring has been mild, encouraging a steady and more traditional flowering period for plants throughout the grounds. The good quality footpaths we’ve installed over the last few years make Compton Verney a great venue for some early season fresh air, and especially so for wheelchair users (Do check our Access in the park information.) All the paths follow historic and designed routes, meaning you’re never far from a group of flowers in the grass or within the woodland garden areas, and there’s always a significant landscape vista around the next corner – a true landscape garden indeed.

Spring flowers at Compton Verney

spring flowers

Over the years, drifts of spring bulbs have been established, and we’ve worked over the last few years to spread these through division and supplementary planting. The horticultural effort over many years is finally coming to fruition now, and for a property that is more often known for its sweeping parkland, lake and stately trees; we’re gradually gaining recognition as a garden property. From early season winter aconites, through snowdrops and hellebores, to daffodils and windflowers; spring offers a surprising variety of blossom for the garden visitor to Compton Verney.

Nodding Star of Bethlehem, (Ornithogalum nutans) Beneath the Lime trees on the West Lawn.

Wild Tulips

The beautiful green and white flowers pictured above are naturalised amongst the foliage of the Winter Aconites, and just beside the path that curves gracefully through the Lime trees in the West Lawn. Such a refreshing change to the many Daffodils to be found elsewhere – they’re a particular favourite of mine and very much at home amongst the lush green foliage. Nearby are the intense blue flowered Windflower (Anemone blanda) and yellow flowered Wild Tulip (Tulipa sylvestris) both featured below, and flowering happily right now.

Wild Tulip, (Tulipa sylvestris) beneath a Lime tree at Compton Verney

Around the park

Speaking of activity in the grounds, we’re emerging from a very intense winter season into a rather busy spring one! As the temperature increases, so does the rate of grass growth – we’ve consequently begun the spring mowing cycle in an attempt to keep up with growth rate. Elsewhere we have been working through a major planting project to introduce ornamental planting around the recently completed welcome centre.

A planting we shall go…

Continuing the theme of using plants that were available to gardeners prior to 1800, we’re in the process of adding a range of flowering plants that we hope will achieve a number of results. Aside from their structural benefits, plants have been chosen for their flowering period (to stretch the seasonal interest,) for their scent and colour. They will also, I’m sure offer much food and shelter to wildlife.

Grounds Volunteer Anne helping with planting near the Welcome Centre.

An upcoming project that we’re looking forward to is the re-working of our popular Labyrinth feature. The plan is to have a new, improved labyrinth fully completed in time for World Labyrinth Day on May 6th – we’re incredibly excited to see this feature establish and be used, and I’ll be sure to post some images to show progress when we start work in earnest around mid-April.

Quick summary of grounds team activity across the park:

• New planting throughout the Ice House Coppice.
• Labyrinth planting in mid-April.
• Mowing underway from end of March.
• Refining the bird hide—new boards coming soon!
• Tree Mapping and surveying.
• Coppicing and pruning evergreen shrubs.

For visiting information, head to the main website – click here.

Hoping to see you around, in the mean time – do web-search #CVgrounds to see the latest grounds images we have been sharing!

Regards, Gary – Head of Landscape and Gardens.