September 2010

September didn't exactly bring us the Indian summer we were hoping for, but still reasonably warm with some nice sunny days.
Most of the blooms around the grounds are fading now, with just a few of the Hydrangeas and Fuchsias still in flower.
It certainly feels as though Autumn is on its way.

August 2010

I don't think I will mention the weather this month!
Most things around the Estate are looking very lush indeed. The Hydrangeas down the side of the drive are still providing us and our guests with a fantastic display of colour as you enter Lower Coombe Royal.
I've been busy this month digging up some 40 - 50 Camellias from an old nursery bed. These are now being relocated around the grounds but mainly down driveways which will in time provide a fantastic flood of early colour.
After being cleaned out last Autumn, the ponds appear to have revived beautifully and are full of life and activity. I wasn't too sure how the Water Lillies would cope with the disturbance, but are now looking much better and healthier.

July 2010

Here we are at the end of July, I can't believe where the year is going.
After a very hot, dry June, July has been a good few degrees cooler with some much needed rain. Everything around the Estate is looking beautifully lush again. The Estate is now buzzing with wildlife in abundance. Whilst working out on the grounds, I'm accompanied by the almost constant cry of juvenile Buzzards in the woods.
The Hydrangeas are now almost in full bloom with a spectacular display of blue, pink and white down the side of the main drive. Even some of the Rhododendrons have given us a second burst of colour this month.

June 2010

What an incredibly hot, dry June it has been. I think we have only had one day of light rain during the whole of the month to the point where the flow of water through the ponds has reduced to a mere trickle at the moment.
After looking as though they had suffered quite badly from the cold winter and the heavy frosts we had had, the Cornus capitata around the grounds seem to have suddenly burst into life giving us wonderful displays of yellow. The Hydrangea are just about starting to flower so hopefully we will have a fantastic display next month and an abundant supply for our Housekeeper to cut for vases.
One thing about the warm weather, it brings out so much of the wildlife with the buzzards calling to each other as they rise on thermals and slow worms and grass snakes out basking in the sun.

May 2010

After a very warm, dry April, May started off on a rather cooler note. 'Never shed a clout till may be out' was quite correct this year. However, towards the end of the month, temperatures started increasing so that by the end of the month, it really did feel as though Summer had arrived.
The Camellias, Magnolias and Cherries have all but finished. Now it's the turn of the Rhododendrons to fill the grounds with their wonderful spectacular colours. The herbaceous borders around the Formal Lawn are bursting into bloom to.
Here's hoping for a long warm summer!

April 2010

What a glorious month April has been. I'm not quite sure what happened to the 'April Showers', it has been so dry with some wonderful warm, sunny days.
Things seem to have been a little late coming into leaf and bloom this year, probably something to do with the long cold winter we had but this last week has suddenly seen everything bursting into life. We are starting to see lush shades of green all around the estate now.
The Magnolias and Cherries have been absolutely splendid this month, and thankfully, unlike previous years, the winds have not been too bad thus prolonging their displays.
I was lucky enough earlier in the month to spot a Common Lizard basking in the warm sun. I know, as the name suggests, that they are relatively common, but it is fantastic to know that we have them here.

December '09 - March '10

Here we are at the end of March with my first writings for the year.

Having been my first Winter at Lower Coombe Royal it has been interesting to see how the estate changes over the seasons. It has been one of the coldest winters we have had in 30 years with the estate seeing quite a substantial covering of snow early on in January providing us with a very picturesque scene for a couple of days. Although the vast majority of the estate has been in dormancy for the last few months, we have been busy with maintenance and additions such as a newly planted mixed deciduous hedge along one side of the paddock which will in time provide a wonderful habitat and feeding ground for birds and insects. The ponds have been cleaned out and repairs made to a couple of the water falls, and have now attracted a number of Mallard ducks and a pair of Moorhens, so fingers crossed for ducklings and chicks this spring.

February saw a fantastic display of snow drops in the orchard which have now been replaced with an abundant show of daffodils signalling that spring really is on the way. The Camellias are starting to come into their own now giving us some much awaited early colour, and couple of Magnolias are starting to show signs of bursting into life. After such a cold winter it really is wonderful to see everything beginning to come into leaf again.
Richard Giles
Estate Manager