Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Latest news from Aberglasney House and Gardens in the Tywi Valley - Sense and Sensibility • An evening with the Head Gardener • Late cottage deals Looking good in the Gardens... The Rose Garden Flowering dogwood 'Cornus' white Meconopsis (pictured above) Siberian iris Photo courtesy of Nigel McCall Theatre in the Gardens ~ Sense & Sensibility Sunday 12th June ~ gates open at 6.30pm for a 7pm performance Adults ~ £14; Children ~ £10; Family (2 adults & 2 children) ~ £42. Tickets available through our website or on the gate on the night. An Evening with the Head Gardener, Joseph Atkin Thursday 16th June at 6pm Join Joseph for a special evening tour of the Gardens followed by supper and an after dinner talk on the terrace in the beautiful Pool Garden. Booking essential ~ you can book through our website or by calling the Ticket Office directly on 01558 667956. Sandra Phillips exhibition In the Mansion until Wednesday 15th June Find out more about Sandra P...

Aberglasney Head Gardener Joseph Atkin tells the story of how a rare Orchid has flowered at the Tywi Valley gardens - Three years ago I had a call to say that Liverpool Botanic Gardens were closing some old glasshouses and rationalising their plant collections which included Orchids and Clivia. They kindly offered me the chance to take some of the plants back to Aberglasney as they were bound for homelessness and a rather gruesome end. So at 4.30am the next morning I was on my way to Liverpool in a hire van to collect/save what I could. On arrival, I found all sorts of treasures that would suit our Ninfarium and promptly filled the van to its rafters. This was followed by some really hard decisions about what I could and couldn’t take as there wasn’t enough room in the van. After much deliberation this Orchid Dendrobium speciosum made it onto the van as the last plant. This week I was overjoyed to see it bursting into full flower for the first time. This is some ...

From Colossal Cabbages to Mammoth Marrows, the Aberglasney Gardens Giant Vegetable Competition returns this October Some of the biggest vegetables in the World have been grown in Wales and in the past this has meant a titanic tomato weighing in at an astonishing 2.602kg (5.73lb), a super swede weighing 54kg (119lb) and a colossal carrot weighing 8.35kg (18.4lb). Aberglasney Gardens’ Giant Vegetable Competition which takes place on Sunday October 5 will be your chance to see some of these monsters ‘in the flesh’ as growers from near and far come together for the second time at this historic site. In charge of the official weigh-in will be gardening guru Medwyn Williams MBE. No one knows their vegetables like the 11 time Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winner. Medwyn also has a gold medal from the Hampton Court Flower Show and nine Gordon Lennox Trophies for the best vegetable of the year. He is president of the National Vegetable Society. The head gardener at Aberglasney, Joseph ...

Now’s the perfect time to get gardening and ensure you get the most out of your patch next year - and the team at Aberglasney House and Gardens would like to help you! Aberglasney Gardens in the Tywi Valley in Carmarthenshire is currently selling a huge range of rare and unusual plants at greatly discounted prices. Many are surplus plants from the gardens themselves while others come from some of Wales’ top nurseries. What’s more. the garden's team of expert gardeners are on hand with help and advice on the plants on sale, as well as to answer your general gardening queries. Head gardener Joseph Atkin said: “The team at Aberglasney not only enjoy being able to inspire the tens of thousands of visitors who come here every year, but we like to be able to help them get the most of their gardens at home.” He added: “Our plant sales area is open all year and entry is free. Why not come along and see for yourselves the great range of plants that we have and let us help and advise you ...

Aberglasney House and Gardens in Wales - News Details For the first time in many decades Aberglasney Gardens in Carmarthenshire has its own bee hives. Thanks to a collaboration with the East Carmarthenshire Bee Keepers Association two hives arrived at the gardens last week, and it’s hoped that over time this will be increased to four. Not only will this enable Aberglasney to produce its own honey for use in the Gardener’s Café and to be sold at the shop, but the bees themselves will be a great asset to the gardens. Head gardener Joseph Atkin also hopes to be able to create a bit of a ‘buzz’ surrounding the plight of the humble honey bee. He said: “Bees are absolutely essential to gardening as pollinators, as well as being crucial to the food chain – most of the fruit you eat and the plants around you are intrinsically linked to the bee.”

The latest Carmarthen Journal gardening column from Aberglasney head gardener Joseph Atkin -  With the weather being kind and finally some dry weather spring has really begun in the garden. The bulbs and shrubs are out in force at Aberglasney and everything else is bursting into growth. With so much going on it’s almost impossible to keep up with everything that’s coming into flower. The Narcissus and even some Tulips are coming out the Magnolias have started to flower and everything seems to have appreciated the milder winter. Between all this elegance and spectacular flowers there are also some very interesting bulbs although they should technically be called tubers. The Arisaema which is related to Arum and Calla Lily is an excellent plant that deserves much more interest than it often gets. Often known as the Cobra Lily due to the sinister shape of the flowers they are something very different for spring and summer. For many years they have been really expensive ...

The latest South Wales Evening Post gardening column by Aberglasney's head gardener Joseph Atkin -  Spring is upon us nice and early and we have even been blessed with a few breaks in the rain and some sunshine. Despite the cold nights we are having some great gardening weather even if the ground is still very wet. One of the great things about gardening in the spring is presence of the early flowering plants reminding us why we do it. At Aberglasney the snowdrops, Hellebores and Crocus have and are putting on a great show. Looking round the garden today buds could even be seen on the Tulips and many of the earlier flowering Narcissus (Daffodil) have started. Last autumn we planted more than 100 different varieties of Narcissus amounting to more than 10,000 bulbs. One of the most interesting parts of growing a variety of the same plant is you see all its different shapes and guises as well as benefiting from a greater length of flowering. Amazingly we have had Nar...

Joseph Atkin's latest Aberglasney gardening column was in the South Wales Evening Post yesterday.

The latest South Wales Evening Post gardening column by Aberglasney Head Gardener Joseph Atkin -   As we continue to enjoy this mild weather we are greeted with a succession of treats in the form of spring flowering bulbs and shrubs. The bees are out and there is even the odd glimpse of sun shine. While we are wondering if it’s safe to mow the grass especially as it’s romping away with this warm wet weather special attention should be paid to one spring flowering plant in particular. Crocus fills the gap between Daffodils and snowdrops really well. They also come in a fantastic colour range that contrast well with snowdrops and the supposedly later Daffodils. Before the Daffodils steal the show at Aberglasney the new plantings of Crocus are really looking good. Not only are they very easy to grow and relatively cheap to buy but they have a multitude of uses in the garden. On top of these different uses they also come in superb variety and have spring and autumn ...

The first specialist plant sale of the season at Aberglasney proved a big hit. “It was good to welcome plenty of new visitors to the garden,” said head gardener Joseph Atkin. “It's still quite early in the year for plant sales, but we were very encouraged by the numbers who turned up. “We will have visiting nurseries coming to Aberglasney on the first Saturday of each month from now until October," said Mr Atkin. The sales will be taking place between 10:30am - 4:00pm on the first Saturday of each month. The sales are free to all members of the public. Mr Atkin said: The plant sales are designed to give keen gardeners and plant hunters the opportunity to see what specialist growers have for sale throughout the year. "The Aberglasney shop will also be having a wider range of plants available and entry to the shop is free to all members of the public throughout the year." Mr Atkin said he hoped many people attending the free plant sales would also take the opportun...

It's all blooming marvellous at Aberglasney House and Gardens in the Tywi Valley, with possibly the finest display of daffodils in Wales. But green-fingered gardeners are being urged not to forget other plants as Aberglasney starts to stage its monthly specialist plant sales. "We have visiting nurseries coming to Aberglasney on the first Saturday of each month from March to October," said head gardener Joseph Atkin. "The daffodils in March are brilliant, but I don't want  people to forget that there's much, much more on offer here at Aberglasney. "The sales will be taking place between 10:30am - 4:00pm on the first Saturday of each month, starting this Saturday. "The event is free to all members of the public. "The plant sales are designed to give keen gardeners and plant hunters the opportunity to see what specialist growers have for sale throughout the year. "The Aberglasney shop will also be having a wider range of plants...

The latest gardening column from the South Wales Evening Post by Aberglasney head gardener Joseph Atkin -  This mild winter weather is fantastic news both inside and outside at Aberglasney Gardens in the Tywi Valley. The bulbs and other spring flowering plants are really getting going with Crocus early Daffodils and Snowdrops stealing the show. The plants in the Ninfarium are also doing really well as the indoor garden is partially heated. What this means is most of the plants growing in there are just the wrong side of hardy. In fact, many will be fine in a very sheltered position. One of the things I have learnt this winter is many plants such as Rex Begonia and Streptocarpus are much more cold tolerant than I realised. Another group of plants that are much more cold tolerant than often realised is the Orchids. One of the important things to remember is the two different types - Epiphytic grow on trees and rocks and Terrestrial grow in soil. Many terrestrial orchids are very...

 Bishop of Auckland, a purple leaved Dahlia  Dahlia in flower in November Purple leaved Dahlia stand out well against other plants The latest South Wales Evening Post gardening column by Aberglasney Head Gardener Joseph Atkin -  Having a kitchen garden is a great deal of work but worth every minute that goes into it. Throughout the season there is always something to look at. This year, the kitchen garden has been producing all year round. Last year’s beets and cabbage are still being used as is the parsley and many other herbs. This year’s Narcissus for cutting are starting to come through and the welcoming site of a box full of seeds has landed on my desk. The kitchen garden at Aberglasney has really become the hub of the gardens producing flowers food and interest throughout the year. One of the best doers and most talked about plants are the Dahlia. They really performed well for us last year flowering for a good three months and yielding plenty of bloom...

Aberglasney head gardener Joseph Atkin’s monthly Carmarthen Journal column on gardening -  January is a time when flowers can often be in very short supply. Indeed, last year, they were covered in snow. The snowdrops give a welcome treat in these colder times but shrubs can also give good value for January and February. There are plenty of evergreen shrubs for the winter months, but what about deciduous plants? One of the benefits of deciduous plants is the variety that is available and the autumn colour they produce. There are many different types that flower in early spring before the leaves have emerged. Many of them have small flowers but are often fragrant as well. They work well in a winter garden as they add variety to the more common evergreens that are also very good. One of the earliest and most spectacular plants to do this is the Witch Hazels which started in December this year and finished in March last year. Any plant that gives you interest for this perio...

The latest gardening column from Aberglasney head gardener Joseph Atkin is in the South Wales Evening Post today.

The latest Aberglasney gardening column (by head gardener Joseph Atkin) from the Carmarthen Journal newspaper -  Mulching Why, When and What . . . One of the most impressive winter sights is a well tended border being weed free nicely cultivated and maybe mulched. What we do in our borders in the winter often decides how well the summer goes. Much of the work in a border is actually best done in the winter leaving only staking weeding and dead heading for the summer or maybe watering in other parts of the country. Mulching can be a really important part of the garden calendar and can be hugely beneficial or in some case can cause some serious problems. But first of all what is mulch? Well this is always up for discussion. In my view, it is something you put on top of the soil to suppress weeds and or improve the soil. Gravels and aggregates can be used as weed suppressants but more commonly organic matter (composts) is used. So what do they do? Well they all suppress wee...

Head gardener Joseph Atkin's latest Evening Post gardening column from the newspaper dated December 31, 2011 - After Christmas dinner, what does a gardener do? Well snow permitting it is great fun to walk round the garden and make a list of what plants are in flower. Every year I have done this and each year the list is very different. If you read the literature then technically there should be very little in flower as most things either finish late November or start in January. So what you actually see are either late arrivals or early starters. There is always plenty to see in the garden in December with winter stems, ornamental barks, winter coloured foliage and berries but it’s those seasonal refugees that can be a real surprise and treat. This is especially so this December as the weather has been so mild if not a little wet. Aberglasney is particularly good garden for doing this as it contains so many early flowering plants which often appear in December. Since the 2...

Aberglasney head gardener Joseph Atkin's latest gardening column in the South Wales Evening Post yesterday.

Tune in to the Radio Wales Roy Noble Show at about 3pm today - Aberglasney's Joseph Atkin and Rhys Griffiths will be on air.

Staff at Aberglasney Gardens in the Tywi Valley took part in an innovative careers convention which allowed school pupils get a taste of land-based jobs. The convention was organised by Careers Wales at the Coleg Sir Gar Gelli Aur campus in the Tywi Valley to help pupils from Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. “One of the key pillars of the convention was to allow the children to get out and about to sample various land-based jobs” said Aberglasney head gardener Joseph Atkin. “It was an excellent and very exciting opportunity for Year 9 students with an interest in land-based career opportunities to meet with professionals in the sector. “There were opportunities to get a taste of jobs in agriculture, agricultural engineering, animal studies and the equine industry. “At Aberglasney, we were able to explain a variety of career paths in everything from landscape design to countryside management. “For example, there are a whole host of career opportunities linked to a heritage...