March 2010

The madness of the month in which scampering hares chase and box, Englishmen advance their clocks, gardeners gaze at lunar phases (whilst snails emerge from dark, damp places) is chronicled in prose and rhyme, steeped in myth, caught in time.

Like water swirling round a filling pale, great gangs of rooks and crows tumble in spiralling formation beneath turbulent topaz skies. On sunny spring days, those warmer breezes caress the lined and sleepy faces of townsfolk in the Park. This great, green liberating place of sheep and trees, of lake and reeds, of birds and bees stimulates, invigorates and exhilarates. The wash of March winds launders lonely thoughts from troubled heads as gentle south-westerlies sigh peacefully about them.

This is the season of Lent, and the shameful lenten roses hang abundant freckled flowers in self-conscious false modesty. The innumerable shades and patterns betray indemic promiscuity throughout the herbaceous beds of the Lily Pond Garden. Seeding is prolific and, when gently lifted, the flowers reveal stunning and diverse variety. Insects are captivated in a surreal world of pinks, purples and pale mauves as they trip from one nectarous sanctuary to another.

The gardens at Corsham Court are reviewed and improved whenever an opportunity arises. Roses are presently being reintroduced to the former rose garden, where the soil was diagnosed as being "rose sick" some years ago. The availability of organic mycorrhizal products for soil incorporation has enabled this area to be re-stocked with old-fashioned English roses. Recently, a rare form of flowering currant was planted nearby. Ribies speciosum has deep "fuchsia-red" flowers and thorny amber-coloured branches. It does not have the characteristic strong scent of the ubiquitous Ribies sanguinium that we all know and (some of us) love. Elsewhere, the fragrant flowers of Christmas box enchants visitors as they walk beneath a "vaulted" canopy of ageing yews.

There is a yellow theme coursing through the Wiltshire countryside in March. Gilded with catkins, sprawling hazel stowells spill from woods, where celandines are strewn in unknown glades. Rich, boggy streamsides are regaled with marsh marigolds and mossy hollows host huddles of delightful primroses in delicate bouquets. The scheme encroaches upon our gardens as waving ranks of early daffodils troop dutifully along the paths and rides, borders and boundaries that define and delineate those sacred spots.

In the Court orchard, winter pruning has been completed and our chosen apple this month is the American Mother. A fairly uncommon dual purpose fruit (like the Bramley, it keeps its shape when cooked), it is sometimes known as "Queen Anne" or simply "Mother". Thought to have originated from the garden of General Stephen P Gardener of Bolton, Massachusetts, American Mother is of unknown parentage and was introduced commercially in the middle of the Nineteenth Century. It was highly regarded for its distinctive flavour. The skin (very waxy) is yellow and red. The flesh is yellow, fine-grained, tender and juicy with a pleasant aroma. Trees crop heavily in September and it is one of those varieties that is often recalled with great fondness (being known for its sweetness). Intervening years have seen a decline in the apple's availability and reminiscing by older generations has prompted renewed interest in its propagation. It is self-sterile and needs to be planted near another apple tree from pollination group 4.

Late snow drops are a pleasant consolation for the bitter winter, with many different types drifting throughout our woods and copses. They have made a welcome distraction for woodsmen saddled with the monotony of planting some 6000 new trees on the Estate during the past few months.

This is the 51st edition of the Garden Diary and we would be pleased to receive any comments, queries or observations. Posting a monthly missive into cyberspace is a "hit and miss affair" and we truly would be pleased to hear from anybody with suggestions, views or whatever. You can click here to send an email.

Parking in Church Square, Corsham is reserved strictly for those visiting Corsham Court or attending St Bartholomew's church and churchyard. Such is the popularity of nearby Corsham Park that too frequently visitors to the Court have experienced difficulty in parking in the Estate-owned square that has always served principally as a facility for house and garden entrants. Corsham Park has become popular with folk far and wide and most will drive there. To accommodate their vehicles, a new car park (with 1.90m height restriction) has been provided in Lacock Road. There are spaces sufficient for up to 55 cars and direct access to the Park via a new permissive footpath through the Park wall and narrow belt of woodland immediately behind. This facility is offered free of charge and has been provided at the sole expense of the Corsham Estate.

(Thanks to Christine Waltho (Editor), Duncan Armstrong (Head Gardener) and Christopher Couzens (Photographer) who assisted in the compilation of this month's diary.)