What's happening in our New Forest Hotel Garden

As February fast approaches, the days are getting longer and the sunshine is growing stronger - a sure sign that Spring is just around the corner!

Here at our New Forest Hotel, our garden is already starting to stir from its winter slumber, and Head Gardener Matt has been kind enough to give us a sneak peek at what's in store for the coming months.

 

In our New Forest hotel garden, bulbs are shooting up almost everywhere we look, whilst buds are forming on cherry trees in preparation for the stunning blossom they will bring us in March.

 

We're currently enjoying the wonderful aromas of chimonanthus praecox (also known as wintersweet), along with winter honeysuckle and sweet box. Many guests find themselves pausing for a moment to enjoy these sweet scents.

Bird activity here is currently very high, with the feeders and water bowls needing regular topping up. Each day, our gardeners are greeted by collared doves, blackbirds, robins, great tits, blue tits, sparrows, dunnocks, and bullfinches. The birds are currently eating a lot to build up their fat reserves for the cold nights.

Our gardeners are often asked "what do you do in the garden at this time of year?". So, here's a small selection of the tasks they will be completing this month:

• Winter pruning the wisterias (taking shoots back to the 2nd or 3rd buds)
• Pruning apple and pear trees, along with other deciduous trees and shrubs
• Mowing the lawns whilst the weather is mild (setting the mower to the highest setting)
• Removing weeds from flowerbeds and pathways (grass and brambles are great ones to tackle now, whilst everything else is dormant, as they are easier to spot and get to)
• Cleaning the greenhouses
• Planning what annuals, vegetables, salads and herbs will be grown this year
• Creating seed packs using seeds collected in our own garden
• Creating log piles, bug hotels and bird boxes to provide habitat for our wildlife

 

We will be taking part in the RSPB big garden bird watch again this year, which runs from the 24-26 January. Our gardeners believe that the number of birds visiting our garden has increased since last year, so we are excited to see the results.