We are dedicated gardeners but spending all four days of the bank holiday weekend tending the plot is a bit much. So, we dodged rain showers and enjoyed a great day out at Clumber Park near Worksop. We spent a long time in the walled garden which is well worth a visit!
The garden is huge and is home to the National Trust’s
largest glass house which adds architecture and stature to the garden. It is gardening on a grand scale and the plot has walls
within walls to create different garden rooms.
There are thirty local varieties of apple, grown as standards, espaliers
or step-overs and if you like rhubarb there are over a hundred varieties. It is a celebration of all things edible.
For late August the deep flower borders were full of colour
and buzzing with bees from the apiary. We
wandered round for ages, taking inspiration not only from the many varieties of
fruit and vegetables but also the standard of horticulture. All the plants are grown well and it is a
pleasure to see such high standards.
We enjoyed a lovely lunch at Barkers restaurant which was originally
the Head Gardeners house and sampled produce from the garden. The ambience, food and service were the same
standard as the garden. I love cooking but it was really nice to feel spoiled.
Since the weather was unexpectedly good during the late
afternoon, Doc cut the grass when we got home whilst I picked the beans. However, it wasn’t long before I spotted that
(thanks to all this moist, warm weather) the outdoor tomatoes have succumbed to
blight. We have never grown outdoor
tomatoes before so this is a new (and unwelcome) experience for us. I had to clear the bed and take everything to
the bonfire heap. This is another good
reason for continuing with our usual greenhouse tomatoes. They are growing well and despite the
challenging season, we are harvesting a decent crop - and there is no blight.
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