In the garden: Autumn tasks and garden visits

The glorious autumnal weather that we have been experiencing for the last week or two is allowing a lot of ‘putting the garden to bed for winter’ jobs to get done.

This includes clearing weeds from vegetable beds and sowing green manures, weeding paths and clearing them of fallen leaves, and cutting grass, which appears to be growing more now than it did during the summer.

Working in the garden during dry and mild autumn days is a pure pleasure and it feels good to be getting the garden in some shape as the season winds down and we prepare for shorter days and longer nights. It has been a wonderful growing season, which has resulted in bountiful harvests, plenty of colour, and good growth on young trees as they get their roots down and established.

We had some sunny and dry weather this summer, interspersed with rain, which prevented plants from getting too stressed. Every year is certainly different, but there is some comfort in the changing seasons and the feeling of familiarity that the leaf turn on the deciduous trees bring at this time of year. Now is a time of winding down and adjusting the tempo, moving slower and allowing nature to rest.

A recent trip north took me to Glenarm Castle on the coast of Antrim, where there was much to explore within the confines of a 4-acre walled garden as well as woodland walks, craft shops, and delicious food within the café in the former mushroom grow houses. The walled garden was certainly the jewel in the crown for me, and it has been creatively reinvented in recent years.

The current owner, Earl of Antrim, Randall McDonnell took over from his father in 1992 and has spent the last 33 years creating a thriving enterprise around the estate.

The walled garden at that time was used for grazing sheep, and the yew circle around the herb garden is one of the original features remaining, which was planted in the 1830s.

The walled garden itself was built in the 1820s to grow fruit and vegetables in a sheltered environment at a time when fresh produce was hard to come by. Today, it is used largely for ornamental features, with a lot of fruit trees used throughout as part of the design. Vegetable growing today is confined to an area adjacent to the walled garden in front of the head gardener’s house, accessible through the café. There is plenty of inspiration to be gained from a visit to this imaginative and plant-filled haven.

When redesigning the walled garden, Nigel Marshall, retired head gardener from Mount Stewart gardens, was involved with the initial planting and restructuring of the walled garden layout. In 2006, Catherine Fitzgerald devised a layout which divided the upper part of the walled garden into six distinct hedged areas, each devoted to a type of fruit tree; apples, crab apples, cherries, and medlars all feature, as well as a grassy mound which can be ascended to obtain a view down over the walled garden planting. It is a delightful space with thrills around every corner, water features, trained fruit, geometric patterns, and immaculate hedge cutting.

If you are lucky, you may even see a hedgehog! The walled garden is home to seven rescue hedgehogs from Loughgall Rescue Centre that have suffered trauma in their lifetime and require the sanctuary of a safe space like this walled garden. Mostly active at night time they do occasionally appear during the day, and their little houses can be seen in different locations in the walled garden.

The double herbaceous border was still looking colourful and full in early October, as was the hot border which had some striking salvias, dahlias, alstromeria, sedums, and coreopsis combining to create some heat! Today, Neil Porteous provides guidance around planting combinations and design, and uses the restored glasshouse to propagate many unusual tender perennials to add colour, texture and a touch of the exotic to different areas of the garden.

The herb garden is a formal space within the yew circle with a large Magnolia a one side, which gives some asymmetry to the space. A rill runs downhill on either side of a grass path from the top of the walled garden into a rectangular water feature with fountain. There is a lot of formality in the walled garden and wildflower areas too, which had recently been cut beneath fruit trees. Sensitively placed sculptures can be found throughout the walled garden.

The walled garden is the central attraction at this estate and gardens, and there is plenty outside of it also to keep the visitor interested. The Castle shop sells souvenirs, meat produced on the estate, garden plants, tools, and much more. There are many craft-based shops on the estate selling aromatics, art, clothes, wooden and ceramics, as well as food offerings like pizza, ice cream, and a great menu in the tea rooms. There is also a dog park and activities for kids at different times of the year adjacent to the tea rooms.

A great model for how an estate can be made viable in today’s world. This place has had the ability to reinvent itself making it relevant and sustainable for the future. In addition, it is providing a valuable amenity for locals and tourists visiting the area.

See www.glenarmcastle.com for details of opening times,upcoming events and admission prices.

Happy autumnal garden visiting!