How does your garden grow? Market Drayton attraction to host BBC radio show
A picturesque tourist destination near Market Drayton will soon enjoy some time in the spotlight when it features on a BBC radio show.
After a productive winter for the Dorothy Clive Garden it is to ‘host’ an episode of Gardeners’ Question Time next week.
The garden’s curator Kathryn Robey is looking forward to the show, and explained how the gardening team has found the winter so far.
“This year it’s been not too bad because it’s been a lot drier,” said Kathryn. “Last winter it was wet and that causes problems because of the frost and compaction.
“If it is frosty on the lawns or on the plants themselves it causes problems.
“This year we have been able to get on with maintenance, we’ve pushed on and it will make a difference.
“But the ground is so dry now, we could do with some rain overnight.
“If we have a dry spring now we could be in some trouble.
“We would like a few sunny days as well because then the visitors show up.
“We’re not asking for much – just tailor-made weather!”
One of the projects the garden team has worked on lately is redesigning one of the garden’s borders, installing a new hedge and allowing views of some historic trees.
Kathryn said some of her favourite flowers are puschkinias and daphne bholuas.
She also gave her advice to gardeners in winter: stay busy and diligent to prepare the ground and give plants the best chance of surviving the spring, and once they are planted keep them fed.
“They are better able to cope with diseases and pests if they are well fed.
“But in a very small garden you’re not devoting a lot of time to winter stuff.
“I love the snowdrops, they come up no matter the weather.
“They are quite humbling because they are so strong. We are aiming to make Dorothy Clive a year-round garden.
“There are different things going on all through the year.”
Tickets are still available for the radio recording which takes place on Tuesday, February 5 in Stoke-on-Trent. They are available from the Dorothy Clive Garden on 01630 647237 or the Mitchell Arts Centre in Hanley on 01782 409307.
In November the garden scooped a gold prize for the Best Small Visitor Attraction in Staffordshire category at the Staffordshire Tourism Awards.
And the Daily Mail gave the garden a nod last year too, naming the site one of Britain’s best winter gardens.
