VII
GARDENS
The unpredictable nature of the weather has again played a key role. Again, the seasons seem to blur or no longer exist; daffodils flowering in early December, no frost all winter, a rather dry April followed by torrential rain and hail throughout June! Even when it seems as if climatic conditions are conspiring against the humble gardener it is easy to forget the times when it is our ally. Last autumn’s strong winds meant the bulk of the leaf fall had occurred by the second week of November, and we have not had to water First Court the first half of this year.
The Fellows’ Garden in Spring, with the Pepys Building in the background (Photo: Mark Scott)
The rainfall over winter certainly helped the early and rapid growth of College’s ever expanding bulb collections. In the autumn many thousands of bulbs were planted around various areas, River Court being the most high profile, where several thousand Crocus were planted between the two specimens of Prunus. A blend of two hybrids, Crocus vernus ‘Remembrance’ and C. tommasinianus ‘Ruby Giant’, was used here as the modern cultivars perform very well in longevity of flowering period and flower size. The areas of rough grass at either end of the lower lawn were restocked with a variety of diverse bulbs including: Galanthus elwesii, Fritillaria meleagris, Anemone blanda, Camassia esculenta, Ornithogalum umbellatum. For good measure and a touch of yellow, 25kg of the classic Narcissus ‘Dutch Master’ were also planted. The intention is to give this area a long flowering period with the specimens of Prunus flowering after the bulbs, followed by the Wisterias on the facade of College and thereafter by the Dahlia bed.
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