A Bright Wednesday in the Walled Garden

Having missed the Sunday event at Luton Hoo, I wanted to see how the team restoring a Dairy cart were getting on, and now the days were getting both sunnier and warmer, see whether some of the plants were catching up.

There was still a cold breeze when I first arrived, and there were a good number of volunteers judging by the number of vehicles, but oddly it did not look crowded with people, I later gathered there was a meeting discussing future plans.

The restoration team were not due till after one, so I wandered around the greenhouses and garden first. And later met the three main restorers who were now cleaning up the springs for the cart, then later was shown a room I had never been in and found an old bus sign and odd finials. There was discussion this might well become a tea shop.

I also recorded some very obvious signs of subsidence damage evident in the brickwork of the potting shed outhouses.There was an abundance of tulips many yet to open, but still snowdrops, daffodils and bluebells and some blossom appearing on the fruit trees.

The sun had brought out the bees and they were once again swarming around a water trough.

1st Visit to Walled Garden in 2010

The forecasters predicted sunshine, but they forgot to tell the clouds over Luton – as I started putting the cameras into the car, it was spitting with rain! Arriving at the Garden, it was immediately noticeable that changes were afoot, there was a much larger and far more permanent-looking marquee and that half of the Octagon had been further fenced off to make this area more exclusive, with lights placed to light the wall after dark.
The cold weather had noticeably had its effect on the plants; the snowdrops and crocuses were still out and no sign of flowers on the daffodils. Much of the brambles outside the wall were gone, and there were now areas of aluminium walkways.
The volunteers were repotting seedlings, digging, edging, erecting posts, burning, clearing weeds and mending fences.
The cart which last year was still having its woodwork restored was now undercoated and being painted, Keith is doing an excellent job and the restoration has so far taken a year. Dave was restoring the door their work area, which had been the mushroom shed.
By the Portakabin the car park was being resurfaced and levelled. Visitors in the coming year, who have visited before will certainly notice the changes.