By Gianni Antoniazzi – Head Gardener
This January was much like the Roman God, Janus, who the month is named after. He had one head looking back to the previous year and one looking forward to the year ahead, which is exactly what we were doing in the gardens at Charterhouse. Last year we were busy surveying the existing plant stock and planning ahead, and in the coming months we will be planting up the newly landscaped areas ready for welcoming visitors at the grand opening.
January is the quietest month in the garden, but just because it looks that way doesn’t mean nothing is happening. Myself and the teams of volunteers got busy building and filling new compost bays, constructing more raised beds ready to be planted up in the spring, pruning the apple trees and planning corporate volunteer sessions for the year ahead. A particularly exciting project was the designing, planning and re-planting of the Victorian rose beds. They will be blossoming with colour later in the year.
The regular team of dedicated volunteers are full of vim and vigour and back in force for 2023, working across the walled garden, parkland and surrounding area and providing indispensable support. Excitingly, we have a new team of enthusiastic volunteers ready to start work on the Kitchen Garden. Upcoming projects will also include refurbing the existing beds, readying the soil for planting, and sowing the seeds for the fruit and veg required in the café. The beds will look vibrant and interesting with an array of colours, sizes and smells, which will add to the ornamental look of the whole garden.
There is much excitement on-site at the moment. We can’t wait to open up to the public in April to share this wonderful space, exhibit the historical elements of the garden and showcase the new planting schemes. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Some of our amazing volunteers working hard in the gardens at Charterhouse.
