Norfolk


<p>Tending to the garden might be quite low down the to-do list – especially when entertaining the kids and juggling work and holidays. But grab your sunhat &#8211; and, er, raincoat &#8211; and tick off these must-do maintenance and general beautifying tasks from the experts at <a href="https://pensthorpe.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pensthorpe</a> in Fakenham.</p>



<p>Known for its nature reserve, Pensthorpe is also a great source of garden inspo, boasting five gardens designed by some of the world’s garden-design heavyweights. So, who better than to tap up for the horticultural knowhow than its head gardener Jonathan Pearce?</p>



<p>And fingers crossed for an opportunity to admire your efforts from the comfort of a sunlounger before the summer&#8217;s out!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-fed-and-watered">1. <strong>Fed and watered</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Watering-can.jpg" alt="A person watering the plants with a galvanised steel watering can" class="wp-image-43091" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Watering-can.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Watering-can-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Watering-can-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Watering-can-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Despite Norfolk experiencing some rain and humidity this summer, it’s still important to give your containers, pots and hanging baskets a good water and regular feeding.&nbsp;I’d recommend having a water butt in the garden to collect rainwater that can be used across your garden. You’ll use less water from your hose or tap, so it’s much better for the environment, as well as your water meter and bank balance.</p>



<p>At Pensthorpe, we’ve been making the most of the rainwater by using a can, and mulching flowerbed and new planting. We take care to not overwater the plants by carefully monitoring the dampness in the soil. We are also starting to think about alternative plants that will tolerate the changing climate.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Whilst there are different types of plant feed that keep your flowers in tiptop condition, you don’t necessarily need all of them. I’d prioritise feeding plants like&nbsp;dahlias,&nbsp;annuals&nbsp;and things in your vegetable garden, such as tomatoes and cucumbers, as they require extra nutrients compared to others.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>2. Dead those heads</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/2020_07_15_Millennium-Garden-at-dawn-13-Ellen-Rooney.jpg" alt="Pink flowers in Pensthorpe's Millennium Garden at dawn. Credit: Ellen Rooney" class="wp-image-43090" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/2020_07_15_Millennium-Garden-at-dawn-13-Ellen-Rooney.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/2020_07_15_Millennium-Garden-at-dawn-13-Ellen-Rooney-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/2020_07_15_Millennium-Garden-at-dawn-13-Ellen-Rooney-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/2020_07_15_Millennium-Garden-at-dawn-13-Ellen-Rooney-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption>Echinacea in the Millennium Garden at Pensthorpe. Photo: Ellen Rooney</figcaption></figure>



<p>It’s likely that you’ve seen plants in your garden flower throughout June and July, so August is a great time to dead head. Make sure you’re cutting very delicately, so you’re not disturbing any living flowers or growing buds, as this will promote successional flowering possibly even into September.&nbsp;</p>



<p>However, in the Millennium Garden at Pensthorpe, we want the seed heads on the flowers for the winter months so dead heading is not something that we do in this particular garden. The seed heads give a food source and additional habitats for birds and insects. They also form the structure for the design in the winter months, especially plants such as&nbsp;echinacea which&nbsp;are a good contrast against the golden grasses.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>3. Show some support</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Wisteria.jpg" alt="Wisteria" class="wp-image-43093" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Wisteria.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Wisteria-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Wisteria-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Wisteria-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>In August, you’ll likely be seeing lots of growth on wisteria (above) and other climbing plants, so with the support you’ve already got in place, it’s a good idea to tie in any leggy growth for structure for next year, as well as protection against the increasingly windy autumns we’re having.&nbsp;</p>



<p>You’ll find plant supports in garden centres and some retail stores too, so there’s plenty of choice to make sure it fits your garden’s colour scheme and most importantly, helps the plant stay supported. You could even make wooden ones from recycled timber, creating a small trellis that can be pinned to fences or dug into the ground.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/The-Glade-Sculpture-Garden-at-Pensthorpe-Norfolk.jpg" alt="The Glade Sculpture Garden at Pensthorpe, Norfolk" class="wp-image-43092" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/The-Glade-Sculpture-Garden-at-Pensthorpe-Norfolk.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/The-Glade-Sculpture-Garden-at-Pensthorpe-Norfolk-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/The-Glade-Sculpture-Garden-at-Pensthorpe-Norfolk-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/The-Glade-Sculpture-Garden-at-Pensthorpe-Norfolk-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Sculptures, like the ones in the Glade Sculpture Garden (above) at Pensthorpe, are a good way of giving height and scale. Some sculptures can be used in your garden to support plants, for example a metal or wooden arch can support your climbing plants. We use sculptures to provide interest at different times of the year, and there are some great new sculptures at Pensthorpe this year by Jenny Pickford and Maggie Howarth.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. <strong>Prepare for propagation</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Habitat-Garden-at-Pensthorpe-credit-Steve-Adams.jpg.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-43098" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Habitat-Garden-at-Pensthorpe-credit-Steve-Adams.jpg.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Habitat-Garden-at-Pensthorpe-credit-Steve-Adams.jpg-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Habitat-Garden-at-Pensthorpe-credit-Steve-Adams.jpg-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Habitat-Garden-at-Pensthorpe-credit-Steve-Adams.jpg-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption>Pensthorpe&#8217;s Habitat Garden. Photo: Steve Adams</figcaption></figure>



<p>This time of year is perfect for propagation, as you may be considering what has worked well in your garden and hoping to replicate it next spring.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Taking semi-ripe cuttings from plants like&nbsp;salvias (above), hardy&nbsp;fuchsias, and&nbsp;pelargoniums<em>&nbsp;</em>is beneficial, as some don’t survive the winter with the changing weather. All you need is a pot, a bag to cover the plant for humidity and warmth, and a well-lit windowsill.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Collecting seeds from your favourite plants that have blossomed, ready for spring sowings, is a great way to save money as well as increasing the number of the plants you have. Just make sure to label your envelopes and store them in a cool dry place.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. <strong>Reap the rewards</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Pensthorep-Natural-Park-Fakenham-Norfolk.jpg" alt="Pensthorpe Natural Park" class="wp-image-43094" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Pensthorep-Natural-Park-Fakenham-Norfolk.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Pensthorep-Natural-Park-Fakenham-Norfolk-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Pensthorep-Natural-Park-Fakenham-Norfolk-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Pensthorep-Natural-Park-Fakenham-Norfolk-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption>Pensthorpe in full bloom</figcaption></figure>



<p>Despite putting plenty of effort and love into your outdoor space, you can forget to enjoy the rewards of a thriving garden as life gets busy. Whether it’s admiring your blooming plants, trees and shrubs as you drink a coffee (or gin and tonic) or cutting some of the flowers and placing them in a vase of water to enjoy indoors, it’s important to acknowledge its success and enjoy it.</p>



<p>Success in a garden can also be defined by the biodiversity that thrives there.&nbsp;As your garden blooms through August, wildlife will continue to make it their home with nesting birds, fledging chicks, foraging mammals and busy insects like bees and butterflies, which is exactly what we see at Pensthorpe at this time of year. Whilst it’s wonderful to enjoy all the flowers bloom with pretty colours, ultimately the reserve provides a home to Norfolk’s wildlife and we measure the reserve’s success on the biodiversity we observe there.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">6. Plan ahead</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Bulbs-in-hands.jpg" alt="Bulbs in hands" class="wp-image-43095" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Bulbs-in-hands.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Bulbs-in-hands-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Bulbs-in-hands-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/07/Bulbs-in-hands-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>If you have the time, August is a great month to research and order the bulbs you’d like to plant in autumn, that will spring to life next year.&nbsp;Spend some time researching the types of bulbs that thrive in your garden, thinking about your soil type; for example sandy, clay or water retentive, but also your aspect &#8211; shaded or sunny. </p>



<p>I used to spend lots of time planting&nbsp;tulips&nbsp;in the autumn, which are perfect for spring colour, but these are a great food favourite for the ducks and geese here at Pensthorpe so I have moved away from this and instead, I plant a wider variety of&nbsp;daffodils,&nbsp;scillas and&nbsp;iris corms.&nbsp;There are bulbs that flower later, like&nbsp;foxtail lilies&nbsp;(eremurus)&nbsp;and even autumn flowering bulbs like&nbsp;nerines&nbsp;which thrive in our Habitat Garden.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/02/Pensthorpe.jpg" alt="Aerial view of Pensthorpe" class="wp-image-39421" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/02/Pensthorpe.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/02/Pensthorpe-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/02/Pensthorpe-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/norfolk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2023/02/Pensthorpe-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p><em><a href="https://pensthorpe.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pensthorpe</a> is a 700-acre family-friendly nature reserve, with shop and café, located 11 miles inland from the North Norfolk coast. Entry prices: Adults £14.95 and children £13.95, Under 3’s free. Annual Members enter for free. Pre-booking recommended.</em></p>


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