Over the past year, the garden team has been working on a host of large planting and re-development projects around the College, managing this alongside the important seasonal maintenance that keeps the gardens looking their best.
The new planting in the large circular border outside of Talbot is thriving.
One of the largest pieces of work has been making significant improvements to the Fellows’ Terrace. The borders have been mostly cleared, save for some mature shrubs and perennials, and the wall at the back re-pointed and made good. Ramp access to the terrace has also been improved, and some areas of the borders widened to make them more symmetrical. A new brick area has been added at the bottom of the central steps, helping to provide visual balance to the border design. Planning for the planting scheme is progressing well, and it is estimated that some 2,500 to 3,000 new plants will be needed to fill the borders.
Works to the Fellows' Terrace included the re-pointing of the walls and paving, and the addition of some new brick blockwork at the bottom of the stairs.
Another area of focus has been the large border that runs along the outside of Hell’s Passage. Planting is now well underway, with just under 1,000 of the planned 1,318 plants now in place. There will be 138 different varieties of plants from 95 different species. Planting is continuing this Spring as more plants become available to order, and we’re looking forward to seeing how the look of this border develops as we move towards the warmer months.
The border running alongside Hell's Passage has been re-planted, with almost 1,000 individual plants put in the ground so far.
A new greenhouse, installed last year thanks to a donation from generous alumni, has already made a noticeable difference. It allows the team to overwinter plants that would not survive outdoors, so they can return to the gardens in the warmer months. One example is Brugmansia, a trumpet-flowered plant that thrives with a little extra protection during the colder season. The greenhouse also supports a small nursery system, giving plants a chance to grow on before they are planted out in the garden.
The circular bed outside Talbot Hall (pictured at the beginning of this article) has now had its first full year to establish. Despite a hot and dry summer, it has settled in well and, like much of the garden, will continue to evolve as the plants grow and find their place.
The new greenhouse allows the team to over-winter non-hardy plants, like the yellow-trumpeted Brugmansia.
