Wednesday 5 March 2014

More RHS Harlow Carr

Tuesday morning was dull and it sort of attempted to rain around lunchtime but not enough to disturb my rain gauge. Then in the middle of the afternoon it brightened up considerably giving a pleasant end to the day.

I thought I’d add a little bit more about our visit to RHS Harlow Carr on Monday. There’s far more at Harlow Carr besides the well set out flower borders filled with spring flowering bulbs and shrubs. There’s a woodland walk where they’s lots more spring bulbs including masses of snowdrops in bloom with lots of daffodils to follow on.

If your quick enough with your camera the squirrels are almost willing to pose for a picture but then again maybe not as they spend their time dashing about beneath the trees searching out the last of the tasty pine cones. There’s also lots of giant rhododendrons amongst the trees which will soon becoming into flower.
Then there’s the kitchen garden admittedly not at its best in March but looking good in parts. As befits a Yorkshire kitchen garden it’s well stocked with rhubarb. All the varieties are nicely laid out and labelled.
This looked to be the earliest of the varieties. A pity I didn't have my spade to just cut off a small crown to take home. We've got Victoria on the plot but not Early Victoria. I must admit to being a bit envious of their purple sprouting broccoli. For us it’s the second year in a row without a crop as this year’s crop has been devastated by club root and the year before wood pigeons finished off the crop.
This nice tasty looking spear is ready for harvesting but as well as not having a spade with me for the rhubarb I didn't have my knife with me for the broccoli either. Unprotected without any netting it’s obvious that the local population of red kites are the best natural protection available.

4 comments:

  1. The vegetable garden at Wisley was also abundant with brocolli yesterday and flowers on their broad beans. It looked as if they'd just removed the protection from a lot of things

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    Replies
    1. None of the winter greens were covered at Harlow Carr on our rain shortened visit last month. As for broad beans in flower mine are still in their seed packet!

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  2. Good pic of the squirrel. I love snowdrops and that's a good drift of them!

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  3. How wonderful to have red kites nearby. Lovely photos, especially the squirrel. I found a pine cone in my washing machine this morning, maybe a squirrel has been by. That purple sprouting broccoli looks perfect. I do love it, but I can't imagine ever being able to grow any, there are so many pests that love it too.

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