I was in early on this Thursday session at Blickling as I had to be off by lunch time. Fell0w volunteer Rory and I were sent off to a new area (for me); known as ‘the Parade’ it lies near the lake and offers an alternative route to the walled Garden.
We set about raking and piling up lots of small sticks that the storm ‘Doris’ had broken off the mature trees lining the path. On the way Rory pointed out a mother duck (or maybe it was a goose) and her three fluffy ducklings… apparently the day before there had been four, so perhaps Mr. Fox had been in and done his worst?
It took us an hour to complete the task, so now the gardening team can cut the grass here without messing it (and their mowers) up. on my way back towards the house I spotted Norfolk Peter who was on his way to the Walled Garden. He took time to show me the work being done on the small brick building that houses a water wheel which I think is somehow connected to the lake water supply and also disposing of the house grey water. Apparently plans are to put in steps so that visitors can go down and see the wheel in operation, another feature to provide some interest.
The water wheel building..in progress
After a quick trip to the Walled Garden, where the apple tunnel is currently being installed, we went to join the other volunteers in the Moat for a tidy up. I edged some grass, pruned a Buddleia and helped Aussie Peter lift out some sedge grass that was starting to take over one corner of this special area.
The moat looks very neat and tidy and it’s a shame that visitors don’t venture down into it to get a better look…that reminds me, I discussed the idea of putting up some signs to encourage visitors down here with Head Gardner Paul, some time ago in the context of the planned Tree Trail. I must remember to include this in our forthcoming discussion about the Trail, which begins with the Magnolia grandiflora that’s trained up the front wall of the house from the moat below.
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Blickling Hall website
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A 360 degree tour of Blickling Hall
Old School Gardener
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Back to Thursday, this week at Blickling; it was good to see my fellow volunteers, who haven’t been with for a few weeks…so there was much catching up of news as you might imagine.
Norfolk Pete, Jane and I set about lifting the bed of Penstemons that had been slotted in here last autumn. We transported them over to the potting shed where other volunteers and gardener Rebecca were trimming them, potting them up and planting cuttings to propagate.
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I joined the Wednesday volunteers for my latest session at Blickling. The task? Planting around 400 Hellebores in the Orangery Garden and Dell!
“At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.”
So this week we were mainly lifting, dividing and replanting herbaceous plants in the Walled Garden at Blickling…
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My first New Year session at Blickling was just a morning. Just recovering (hopefully) from an inflamed hip I wanted to ease myself back into physical work gradually.It was a lovely bright morning after a foggy start, I had a warm (if ‘bantered’) welcome back from the gardeners and volunteers and it was great to be back.
So it was the day of the garden volunteers party at Blickling this week. We spent the morning, though, raking and barrowing leaves from the Orangery Garden borders so that gardener Ed could ‘hoover’ them up into his giant leaf collector. 
Old School Garden 