MAY
Out & About
Phoebe Jayes recommends some of the UK’s best gardens for tulips and rounds up outdoor jobs to do in spring – as well as the latest news
Spring jobs ● Start increasing the
amount of water given to houseplants as they respond to increased light and day length with new growth. ● Feed roses to
ensure lots of flowers this summer. Scatter granular rose fertiliser around the base of the bush and work in with a fork; water in the feed if there is no rain. ● Mid-spring is a good
time to sow lawn seed to repair bare patches or thicken the grass.
Tulip FEVER
● Sow tender crops
It’s the most colourful time of year, with gardens all around the country rolling out special displays of vibrant tulips in a range of hues
such as tomatoes, beans and sweetcorn under cover. ● Pot up dahlia tubers
Chenies Manor House Gardens These award-winning gardens in Buckinghamshire (above) open from mid-April, to coincide with the start of the colourful tulip displays that continue into May. Tel: +44 (0)1494 762888; cheniesmanorhouse.co.uk
Hole Park
Morton Hall Gardens
In late spring, Kent’s Hole Park boasts 16 acres of tulips, roses and clematis, while the vineyard garden is filled with wisteria. Wild orchids flower in the meadows alongside star-shaped camassia. Tel: +44 (0)1580 241344; holepark.com
This Worcestershire garden holds its annual Tulip Festival from 30 April to 2 May, in collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company. See RSC costumes and swathes of tulips in borders and meadows. Booking essential. Tel: +44 (0)1386 791820; mortonhallgardens.co.uk
Hever Castle Head to Kent this April and May for displays of glorious tulips in the historic grounds of Hever Castle (right). Some 21,000 tulips will be in bloom, usually along with beautiful tulip arrangements inside the castle. Tel: +44 (0)1732 865224; hevercastle.co.uk 10 THE ENGLISH GARDEN MAY 2022
Pashley Manor Gardens During the Tulip Festival, from 20 April to 4 May, over 35,000 tulips bloom in these Sussex gardens, separated into colour themes within a patchwork of atmospheric garden ‘rooms’. Tel: +44 (0)1580 200888; pashleymanorgardens.com
and start them into growth in the warmth of the greenhouse. ● Try sowing some
hardy annual grasses such as briza, hordeum (below) and lagurus to add movement to summer borders.
