Susan Allan's Achamore Gardens Diary.
Susan, a former gardener at Achamore, has kindly volunteered
to put her thoughts on her frequent visits to the Gardens onto this
website.
Susan has a keen eye for all items hortecultural and
is also a dab hand with her new digital camera.
A Walk in the Gardens - January
2006
A Walk in the Gardens - February
2006
A Walk in the Gardens - March
2006
A
Walk in the Gardens - April 2006
A
Walk in the Gardens - May 2006
A Walk in the Gardens - June 2006
A Walk in the Gardens - July 2006
A Walk in the Gardens - August
2006
A Walk in the Gardens - September
2006
A Walk in the Gardens - October
2006
A Walk in the Gardens - November
2006
A Walk in the Gardens - December
2006
A Walk in the Gardens - January
& February 2007
A Walk in the Gardens - March
2007
A Walk in the Gardens - April
2007
A Walk in the Gardens - May &
June 2007
A Walk in the Gardens - July
2007
A Walk in the Gardens - August
2007
News from the gardens January to June 2009
January
- Former Head Gardener Peter Clough was buried in Cornwall
- Thanks to Robyn, Maggie and the wee ones for the donation toward the barometer and thermometer for the Summer House and conservatory
- Contacted Duchy College regarding micropropagation of the Horlick Rhododendrons
- Repaired the path entrance to the Camellia Walk
- First batch of plant material sent to Duchy College
- Started restoration work on Spring Bank
- Gales on the 17th, nothing serious only 4 days clearing up with use of hired tree climber.
- Invited SNH to see restored work
- Removed the remainder of the glass from the old tomato house which showed the frames used to slide to act as vents.
February
- Gathered birch for use as pea-sticks for the herbaceous borders from Gallochoille
- Repaired tree-fallen damaged steps on the zig-zag path leading to the viewpoint.
- Attended NTS Argyll Group meeting in Oban and spoke about the work in progress within the gardens and also on Gigha
- I presented to the IOGHT Board an up to date Business and Management Plan
- SNH seem very happy for the remainder of their funds to be used for the installation of an Education and Interpretation Unit (6m x 6m shed at visitor reception)
- First Winter cut of the walled garden lawns
- Planted Salix exigua, Carpinus fangiana and Liquidamber styraciflua 'Worplesden' within the drive garden
- The Education Unit arrived and erected.
March
- Planted Wollemia nobilis, Syringa komarowii, Widdringtonia nodiflora, Acacia pravissima. Podocarpus salignus, Heptocodium miconoides, Hovenia dulcis, Austrocedrus chilensis, Ilex dimorphophylla, Ilex perado subsp. platyphylla, Dipteronia sinensis, Pinus bhutanica, Ilex perado 'Perado' and Pittosprorum euginoides on Spring Bank.
- Planted Euonymus grandiflorus, Pinus yunnanensis, Euonymus phellomenos, Quercus x ludoviciana, euonymus grandiflorus, Pinus yunnanensis, Pinus pinea, Euonymus latifolius and Quercus marylandica around the pond garden area.
- Stopped all the restoration work to start on the annnual maintenance within the borders in the walled gardens.
- Placed an advert for a part-time propagator.
- Planted out Widdringtonia nodiflora, Syringa komarowii, Acacia pravissima, Podocarpus salignus, Podocarpus henckelii and Pittosporum eugenoides along Spring Bank.
- Planted out Woodwardia radicans, Matteuccia struthiopteris, Culcita macrocarpa, Arachnoides webbianum, Todea barbarta, Cyathea dealbata, Histiopteris incisa, Thrysopteris elegans, Dicksonia squarrosa, and Dicksonia fibrosa all ferns down in the "Tree Fern Garden"
- Planted out Hamamelis mollis, Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena' and Styrax obassia in the Drive Garden where the big old griselinia screen used to be.
- Placed out all the seats and benches around the garden for the new season.
- Ensured all the red and yellow arrow waymarkers are correctly located and are visible.
April
- Planted out Philesia magellanica, Westringia rosmarinifolia, Metrosideros excelsa 'Tahiti', Billardia longifolia, Arbutus x andrachnoides, Acredenia franklinea, Quercus suber, Dipelta yunnanense, Ilex mutchagara and Gevuina avellana all along the newly cleared Spring Bank.
- Attended the Rhododendron Species Conservation Group Spring conferance at Garelochead.
- Planted out Betula albo-sinensis 'Kenneth Ashburner', Amelanchier bartramiana, Exochorda x macrantha 'The Bride', Hoheria populnea, Hoheria glabrata 'Glory of Amlwch', Salix gracilistyla 'Melanostachys' all down at the Hospital Garden.
- Easter Egg Trail joint effort between the Village Hall Committee and the gardens was a great success.
- Finished mulching the herbaceous borders with our own compost.
- Started pruning, weeding and mulching the Rose Garden.
- Mathew and I welcomed a new volunteer Blanca Thiebaut to the gardens
May
- Still splitting and delivering firewood around the island
- Installed into the garden laptop, software that allows me to update this website.
- Visit from Clachan Primary School
- Started planting the annuals within the exotic borders
- We welcomed Tracy Little as the newly appointed part-time propagator gardener.
- The toilets were given a thorough clean and repainted.
June
- Neil Bannatyne kindly lent us his newly aquired micro-digger to help us open out the pond liner.
- Tracy and Blanca continued planting out annuals within the walled gardens.
- Mathew and I laid out the new pond liner and welded the componants together.
THIS PAGE IS NOW OUT OF DATE AND NEEDS TO BE UPDATED .....SORRY!
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