The lockdown has presented us with an opportunity to tackle parts of the garden we didn’t think we would have time for this year, or even next year! Having recently moved in and taken on the business, the 10 acres of gardens, woodland and lake presented an intimidating proposition. Even more so given our lack of land management experience, but, everyone has to start somewhere and its always great to be learning new skills and knowledge.
Gardening during lockdown
The amazing weather has provided plenty of time for us immerse ourselves in projects around the grounds and to become more familiar with our new beautiful surroundings. There has been nothing better than watching the garden come back to life following a very wet winter. It has also felt like a reward for all the cold, wet, miserable days digging mud for new drainage ditches back in January and February.
Bryn Llys packs a lot into a small site! We have formal gardens around the main buildings, complete with fish ponds – although the local heron has other ideas on that. These areas include a small, fruit garden / orchard with apples, pears, plums and cherry trees. We have a variety of woodland areas from very young to very old with a diverse range of trees mostly native deciduous species.
There is also a large lake, home to resident water fowl but also a ‘holiday’ destination for migrating visitors such as Grey lag geese, Swallow and House Martins. If that wasn’t enough, we also have a 2 acre field which the previous owners nurtured as a wild flower meadow. The meadow is just starting to spring into life and we are excited to see what flowers will be appearing during the coming months.
Much of the site has been left for nature to work its magic however it has reached the stage where some areas are in need of some TLC to help encourage new growth and improve the habitats. In these areas its brambles that dominate and whilst they provide good shelter and food for animals they do over power and prevent other plants from thriving. So, it’s been a simple task of clearing areas over the past few weeks to improve light and help encourage new growth and to open up opportunity for ways to create habitats in which plants and animals can thrive.
Bryn Llys is already a haven for wildlife but we hope would like to increase the diversity of plants and animals naturally through the way in which we manage areas. Easier said than done!
