A quick glance at the weather this morning assures us it will be dry.
A bright start to opening day
Hats the order of the day
It may not be perfect weather for gardening but with only three days to go until the gates open to the public everyone is hard at work.
All credit goes to John, Russell and Mike who are doing everything humanly possible to show the garden at its best and make sure our visitors on Saturday get the most from their time with us.
Gates open 2-6pm on Saturday 15th June. Adult £4, children 50p (all proceeds going to the NGS charity).
Tea and delicious homemade Cake will be available on the terrace with all the proceeds going to the NGS charity.
Home grown plants will be available for sale for £1.30 (£1 from each plant will go to the NGS charity).
5 acres of garden to explore set in mature Sussex parkland only 2.5 miles from Chichester City Centre.
Parking is free and access is all over level ground.
Well behaved dogs on leads please.
A friendly welcome awaits you.
1 week to go until our garden opening…
Lots still to do but the best bits we can claim no credit for, it’s just nature putting on a show. Here’s a taster…
New lease of life for our garden machinery
I was checking out a go-karting expedition online this month and found myself browsing the company’s tech blog. In it they were discussing a problem they had with the 250,000ltrs of fuel they purchase each year.
The go-karts kept loosing power and then stalling.
This struck a chord as a number of our two-stroke engines in the garden machinery seem to be running poorly despite us taking the usual running and maintenance precautions.
In the karting tech-blog they were explaining that the current requirement to add at least 5% ethanol to unleaded causes problems if your fuel system has any moisture in it. The ethanol mixes with the water creating a sludge that causes the running problems. The solution was cited as occasionally adding a product called Wynns Dry Fuel.
I rushed out and purchased some Dry Fuel and sure enough we are already seeing improvements in the garden machinery.
Couldn’t help wondering how much garden machinery servicing could be avoided or improved with this knowledge.
For a fuller explanation of the issue see the tech blog here.
Sennicotts Gardens Open Again in 2013
Having taken two years out of the National Garden Scheme’s Yellow Book we are opening again in 2013.
On Saturday 15th June 2013 we will open between 2 and 6pm.
All are welcome and once again the finest Sussex homemade cakes and tea will be on offer.
All proceeds will go to the NGS
Getting into the Diamond Jubilee spirit
Two Oak trees down
A combination of the wettest April on record and strong gusting winds from the North took it’s toll on two of the ancient Oak trees at Sennicotts last night. We’ll try to make best use of the precious wood but it will take hundreds of years to replace them.
Vegetable dilemma
Every year in the spring a single pair of wild Mallard ducks visit us. Usually their stay is for no more than 2 weeks.
We don’t know where they come from or where they leave us for but we’ve become attached to their annual visit. Another sign of spring.
This year however they look like they want to extend their stay. They have built a nest in the walled garden and laid six eggs. The nest is located right by the main doorway into the walled garden and no amount of human traffic and noise appears to unsettle the sitting mother.
The dilemma is whether we value our veg or our visitors more?!
April can be an inspiring month
…even if it is the wettest on record.
Bonfire in the woods
Fantastic team effort to build a monster bonfire in the woods. Well done everyone!
Our hard work might well have been in vain but for some timely advice from the Natural Navigator: use a leaf blower to get your Autumn bonfire going. It worked perfectly.
