The first of September marked my twenty-ninth year of being here and so that morning I celebrated by going in our walled kitchen garden and eating a ripe fig. It has been a fantastic year for figs – we have had dozens and dozens – one of the few benefits of such a hot summer. We have three ‘Brown Turkey’ fig trees growing in this garden and the one that’s near our herb garden is a cutting from the fig tree planted at Lambeth Palace by the last Roman Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Pole. It came from the Museum of Garden History and they tell us it’s a White Marseilles fig that was planted in 1555. I love everything about fig trees, from the elephant-trunk stems to the huge leaves and of course the wonderful fruit. To achieve the maximum amount of fruit when planting a fig it’s best to restrict the roots which will limit the growth of the tree and stimulate a higher rate of fruit. I love to grow them as lovely living objects with the fruit as a bonus.
Hew and I had a wonderful time last week at Wyken Vineyards. We had a delicious lunch in their restaurant The Leaping Hare (with Wyken wine of course), a browse around the fantastic shop and utterly superb book room – I never come home empty-handed! And then a walk around the gardens which were looking glorious and still remarkably fresh thanks to their borehole. And utter joy – I saw my first hummingbird hawk-moth.
Talking of moths – I noticed a grey silvery moth resting on the gate outside our walled garden the other day, looking remarkably similar to a birch twig which really made it stand out against the green paintwork. I was very lucky to see it as usually like so many moths they make themselves perfectly camouflaged and almost impossible to see but this one I think was just having a rest. A quick browse at my moth book identified it as a buff-tip moth and I read it mimics exactly to look like a broken stick for camouflage. I must confess I know very little about moths but would love to learn more. I have always wanted to get an expert here to set up moth taps to see all the various moths we do have here and then once noted, duly set them free. Apparently now is the best time to see moths – at the end of summer when they become really noticeable especially at dusk. I love that we include plants that depend on moths here such as honeysuckle, evening primrose and tobacco plants which increase the richness of insect life in the garden and help the steady decline in moth numbers. Hew saw our own hummingbird hawkmoth in the new Italianate garden the other day so clearly our planting is working.
September is one of my favourite times in the garden and I think this has much to do with the light. The sun noticeably drops in the sky slanting at an angle so that for a few weeks it creates the best light of the year.
Kate Elliott came to Columbine Hall in 1997 when she was sixteen. She is now head gardener but also helps with managing the property generally and in conducting guided tours.