Bees for Betley Court

It has been blisteringly hot around the gardens at Betley Court. Now ‘No Mow May’ is over, Shane has cut back the grass on the main lawn. The clippings were left for a week or so, to allow the seeds to drop, then collected up. The grass looks a bit straw-like now, but nothing that a good rain storm won’t correct. Tanya, our volunteer gardener has got to grips with our collection of ‘glug-glug’ bottles, and the pots decorating the bottom of the steps on the southern elevation are doing well with good access to water.

Catchup weeding - eek! Getting rid of grasses before they seed.

We’ve spent a couple of afternoons catchup weeding in the flowerbeds. Things got a little out of hand last year, as I was away working on a gardening/art project in Newcastle, so we have our work cut out to bring order back. We’ve planted some little box bushes to fill in a few gaps in the box hedging, either where one didn’t take, or a rabbit has dug it out, or where the blades of the big mower have come too close, and unleased a terminal pruning on an unsuspecting bush. I’ve got some dahlias to go in – some of my favourites, like the scarlet, peony-flowered Bishop of Llandaff, but some others with pom-pom flowers like the puse-coloured Franz Kafka. The pom-pom types are beloved by some, but derided by others as old-fashioned. All I know is that they grow pretty well in the conditions we have at Betley Court Gardens, and have a wonderfully long season, from now until the first frosts cut them down in October/November. And bees love them!

Peony-flowered Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff' in 2021

On Friday, we had the pleasure of walking an old friend, Harry around the gardens. He’s looking for a new home for his bee hives, and we wondered if a quiet corner of the gardens might be suitable? As we walked around the garden, Harry became more and more enthusiastic, pointing out plants that his bees would enjoy. Currently, elder flowers, and woodland wildflowers are in bloom. Elder is a favourite for bees. The aptly named butterfly bush Buddleia davidii will shortly be in bloom too, its colourful spires of flowers another favourite.

I was surprised to find out that all the pretty cottage gardens along the main road in Betley will delight the bees too. Gardeners’ passion for both native and non-native species means that the flowering season of the average British garden broadens bees' access to food through the lean patches between native plants’ flowering seasons.

Native wildflowers down by the lake in the Dingle. Bees are just as happy withnon-natives grown in people's gardens.

Harry also asked if there were any lime trees. I pointed to the long avenue of lime trees along the Wilderness. John Cradock’s ancient rows of trees, planted in the early 1700s. “Bees love lime trees; you’ll always get tonnes of honey if the bees can find lime flowers!”

Lime tree flowers (Tillia x europea) in flower last year. Bee love 'em!

We’ve agreed a rent – traditionally, this is a jar of honey from the beekeeper to the landowner. Hopefully the bee colonies arrival will coincide with the lime trees’ flowering season! The bees will make quite a change from our usual tenants.

Recreating Anastasia Fenton's conical roof sections

A quick update on the rebuild, and the wooden structure of the new roof is becoming more and more recognisably ‘Betley Court’ with each day. It is incredible how it has come together, seeing as the design was created from photographs and laser scans of the building (no historical blue prints from the original build exist). Although there is still some work to do before the next phase starts, the distinctive new Vermont green tiles have arrived, and it won’t be too long before they are installed.

Surviving green roof tiles over Royds House

Brand new Vermont green slates, ready to go on

Photographs on an app on my phone from two years ago popped up recently on my timeline, and it is incredible how much our contractors have achieved since they started in April 2021.  It is all heading in the right direction.

All best wishes

Ladybird Su