Harewood Gardens

27 April 2017

A Gardeners View of Spring at Harewood

Springtime in the gardens at Harewood means colour. Lots and lots of colour! From
the dazzling display of tulips in the borders, alongside masses of hyacinths on the
Terrace, down through the West Garden and all the way around the lakeside
woodlands. Here, swathes of daffodils cover the thickly wooded slopes in between
groups of stately rhododendrons.

But there is always more than meets the eye at Harewood. Linger in those verdant
glades a while longer. Take the time to stroll. Pause and look beyond those
perennial showstoppers. Look closer. Look up, even look behind you, and you might
be rewarded with a glimpse of something special. Whether it’s the billowing clouds
of pure white cherry blossom against the blue sky, or the eerily striped hood of a
cobra lily rising from the woodland floor, or a colony of orchids growing on a mossy
roof, the richness and diversity contained within these gardens is staggering.

And that’s just what’s in store for visitors now. Things are only starting to get
interesting. Because for gardeners, springtime, of course, means more than colour.
It means growth and renewal. It also means a lot of hard work. Harewood is very
much a developing garden. We’re busy planting some amazing plants, many of
which visitors will see flowering in the gardens this summer, while some will put on
growth and then flower next spring, and there are others that may take some years
to reach flowering size. The important thing for us is continuity – evolving the
gardens through the constant addition of new plants. Enjoy the gardens this spring!
Posted 27 April 2017 at 5.04pm by Gardens Team. Filed under: Notes.
Tagged: explore harewood, Harewood Gardens, Spring at Harewood, visit
harewood, Visit the Gardens, Yorkshire.

15 February 2017

Harewood Volunteer Programme – why not join us?

Now in its 19th year, the Harewood Volunteer Programme continues to go from
strength to strength. In 2016, over 18,000 hours were given by volunteers,
supporting Harewood House Trust. With over 200 returning volunteers, the
programme, and importantly the people who give their time, are an integral part of
the charity.
Each year, all Harewood’s dedicated volunteers attend a Welcome Day as
Harewood House once again prepares to open its doors on 24th March. The
atmosphere is always fantastic as old friends and new gather together to preview
what’s in store for the forthcoming year. This year, a focus on our Victorian heritage
awaits with rare objects owned by Queen Victoria on display alongside costumes
from ITV’s Victoria series.
Of the 200 volunteers who regularly give their time, over half are based in the House
where they play a vital role welcoming visitors. They cast a watchful eye over the
rooms they are caring for making sure that our visitors, members, coach groups and
schools get the best out of their time in the house.
Mary Cook has volunteered in the house for over 13 years. Mary said, “I started
volunteering after a friend recommended Harewood to me. 13 years later, I’m still
enjoying meeting visitors and learning from them.

When you start volunteering at Harewood there isn’t a prerequisite to know

everything but as you spend time in each room you gain more and more knowledge.
After volunteering at Harewood I’m always buzzing and my mind is full of all the
interesting people and fellow volunteers I have met that day.”
Harewood’s Volunteer Programme extends far beyond the House with volunteers
giving their time all year round in the Gardens, Bird Garden and Farm Experience.
As a licensed zoo, Harewood’s Bird Garden supports students each year through
the volunteer opportunities it offers. Many choose to use their time at Harewood to
support further education and career ambitions in zoology and animal welfare.

With 120 acres of formal grounds including the Terrace, Himalayan Garden and
Walled Garden, help and support from our dedicated band of garden volunteers is
invaluable ensuring the grounds and gardens always look at their very best.
Alan Skedd, is in his 10th season as a Garden Volunteer. Alan said, “Volunteering is
useful, productive and satisfying. I get pleasure from seeing how my efforts make a
difference and I hope to continue volunteering until age and my health allows”.
Head Gardner, Trevor Nicholson said, “Our garden volunteers play a vital role in
maintaining the grounds supporting with weeding, pruning and other tasks which can
be endless in a place as large as Harewood.”

Every department from Marketing to Education values the important role that
volunteers have in the Trust. At a time when the demand for volunteers is at an all-
time high, we know that we are incredibly lucky to have the support and help of so
many dedicated people.

To volunteer at Harewood, is to experience one of Yorkshire’s most beautiful houses

and landscapes, and to be part of a very special team. Many volunteers return
season after season, renewing friendships and deriving satisfaction knowing they
have contributed to history of this great house.

If volunteering at Harewood is something that would appeal to you it is not too late to
sign up before the House and grounds open on March 24th. There are many
opportunities from the Bookshop which is entirely run and managed by volunteers,
to the Shuttle Bus which was responsible for transporting over 21,000 people around
Harewood in 2016.
To join the scheme or if you have any questions simply contact the Volunteer
Coordinator on volunteer@harewood.org or visit our website.

Posted 15 February 2017 at 11.08am by Alexis G. Filed under: Notes.

Tagged: Harewood bird garden, Harewood Farm, Harewood Gardens, Harewood
House, Volunteer, Yorkshire.

3 October 2016

Early Autumn in Harewood’s Gardens

A note from Trevor Nicholson, Head Gardener, Harewood House Trust
The gardens team at Harewood are responsible for maintaining over 100 acres of
beautiful Grade 1 listed gardens, grounds and woodlands. From the elaborate colour
schemes, flower borders and fountains on the Victorian terrace gardens, to the
naturalistic planting around the lakeside and in the Himalayan garden, the team and
I work extremely hard to ensure that every space is not only looking its best, but also
being planned and developed to eventually reach its full potential.

The Victorian parterre, on the south front of the house, is the jewel-in-the-crown
among Harewood’s well-known gardens. With over a mile of box hedging clipped
into an intricate pattern and filled with thousands of seasonal plants and bulbs, this
formal garden takes a great deal of precision and care to maintain. At this time of
year, Tom and Harry, the terrace gardeners, are busy pruning, dead-heading and
weeding, as well as implementing a programme of turf improvements in preparation
for the winter months. The tall hornbeam hedges have been clipped and, in the
coming few weeks, we will start lifting and dividing tender plants in the herbaceous
borders, moving them to other parts of the gardens and making way for the planting
of thousands of tulips.

The Archery Border, situated at the foot of the terrace wall, is in its prime at this time
of year. The south facing aspect coupled with the 15ft high sandstone wall provides
the right environment for growing a range of exotic and tender plants. The hot colour
scheme for late summer interest includes Mediterranean and tropical plants, and is a
bold and vibrant display. We’ve just a visit from two gardeners from Kew who have
written to me describing the Archery Border as being still “amazing!” at this time of
year. The twelve-foot-high giant Dahlia (D. imperialis), flowering gingers, red hot
pokers and Mexican sunflowers, as well as the ‘Devil’s Tobacco’ (Lobelia tupa) are
all making the most the mild conditions of early autumn.
The bridge was added in 2006 to increase paths through the garden and offering
new views of the area.

The Himalayan Garden is one of my personal favourites; I have spent more than
twenty years researching Chines and Himalayan plants and sympathetically
developing this charming and tranquil garden. Helen, the gardener who maintains
this area, is busy weeding the primula glades ready for new planting to be
incorporated for spring colour. These boggy areas are being enriched annually, and
with the candelabra primulas in late May and early June creating a vivid carpet of
colour alongside the waterfall and stream, it’s a wonderfully vibrant display, which I
would recommend visiting every year.
Beyond the formal gardens, Harewood is also home to an historic Walled Garden. It
may not be widely known that the Walled Garden was in fact one of the first
structures Edwin Lascelles had built when setting about constructing the Harewood
you see today. Built in stages from 1755, a couple of years before the first stones
were laid for the house, the warm red brick walls are worlds away from the formal
Terraces many of our visitors are so familiar with.

At the time, the Walled Garden, with its double-brick ‘hot’ walls, was cutting edge
cultivation technology. The desire to have soft fruits and exotic foods out of season,
which was at the height of Victorian fashion at county houses like Harewood, which
would host lavish dinners with grapes, figs, and melons normally only grown in
warmer, European climates.

The enclosed space with high walls acts perfectly as a suntrap, literally! The south-
western angle of Harewood’s Walled Garden captures the sun’s rays, warming the
soil quickly to create perfect growing conditions for fruit, vegetables and flowers.
They also act as protection from wildlife such as deer, and as a visual barrier
between the designed landscape and the functionally arranged spaces necessary
for intensive production.

Spanning an acre of land, the Walled Garden currently houses twelve plots and a
fruit orchard, all of which is maintained by Jen, our gardener, along with Tom, our
new horticulture apprentice from Askham Bryan College. The mixed flowers and
vegetable beds create a strong visual impact as you arrive through the old wooden
door.
Cabbages are grown in the Walled Garden at Harewood

This year, the harvest has been particularly good. The warm weather has created a
long growing season, and with high soil temperatures has supported bountiful yields
of such things as potatoes and brassicas.

Before Harewood closes to the public on October 30th, visitors should come and see
the beautiful dahlias in full bloom and enjoy the wonderful orchard bearing autumnal
fruits. The late tender and hardy perennials are looking great too.
Across the entire gardens, we are also turning our attention towards our spring bulb
planting schemes. It’s a huge undertaking each year which is made possible with the
help of many of our garden volunteers. I am busy designing new tulip schemes for
the Terrace, daffodil glades along the lakeside and bluebells for the woodlands.

Maintaining this wonderful space is a real privilege and one that we enjoy sharing
with our visitors. We hope that you can join us and enjoy the last of the autumnal
summer sun.

Posted 3 October 2016 at 3.00pm by Gardens Team. Filed under: Notes.

Tagged: Harewood Gardens, Visit the Gardens, Yorkshire.

24 May 2016

Explore the Himalayan Garden at Harewood House

The Himalayan Garden at Harewood is a marvelous place to explore during spring.
The bright colours of the rhododendrons, the fresh green leaves in the trees create a
wonderful atmosphere which is a complete contrast to the formal Terraces which
Harewood is best known for. It’s a place which includes a massive variety of
naturalised planting which has matured since it’s creation in 2007. Here are a few
highlights visitors to the garden can enjoy now.
 Elements from the original Rock Garden were incorporated into the Himalayan
theme in 2007. Rhododendron, acers and magnolias create a mature structure here.
Candelabra primulas meadows thrive in the boggy area of the garden. Thousands of
plants bloom at Harewood each spring.
 Tress from the region such as the Tibetan Cherry with soft, red bark form a
significant part of the design. The water feature creates atmosphere, scale and
movement.
The bridge was added in 2006 to increase paths through the garden and offering
new views of the area.
Primula denticulata bloom in the gardens
Not often seen in collections, this Rhododendron is native to Bhutan region. It was
planted in 2015 and is a new plant to Harewood.
One of several types of terrestrial orchid in the Himalayan Garden, the distinctive
plant enjoys the rocky surroundings of the rocks. Withstanding harsh winters, the
orchid adds variety and interest to the garden.
 This plant was selected for the Himalayan Garden for its unusual form. The
woodland provides the right growing conditions. Rarely seen in gardens and parks,
May/June is the best time to see this plant at Harewood.
 Pleione ‘Tongariro’ at Harewood House

Posted 24 May 2016 at 9.54am by Alexis G. Filed under: Notes. Tagged: explore
harewood, gardens, Harewood Gardens, Himalayan.

25 March 2016

Spring Blooms at Harewood

Next year is an important year for the gardens due to the ‘Capability’ Brown
Tercentenary celebrations with our own exhibition programme forming part of
Harewood’s response. All eyes will be on the gardens and landscape so we want
them to look their very best. We have reintroduced a tulip scheme in the Terrace
borders to give a strong early season display. We have planted 3,600 grape
hyacinths in the Pyramid beds on the West Upper Terrace, with the deep purple
foliage of Heuchera being included as part of the scheme.

Throughout winter we have been busy planting thousands of bulbs along the
Lakeside and within the Bird Garden naturalising the space. With 10,000 English
Bluebells, over 1,000 Snake’s Head Fritillary and 7,000 botanical daffodils (Narcissi)
introduced on the grassy slopes, spring promises to be filled with colour. That’s not
all! 4,000 Wood Anemones, Cyclamen and many more have been planted to enrich
these woodland gardens.

Our major project work however has been concentrated in the Bird Garden with
tonnes of overgrown shrubbery being removed. New views across the Lake have
been opened up and we have an exciting planting scheme to follow which will be
introduced throughout 2016.