The last couple of months at Ruthin Castle, the Gardens have been very dry following the beautifully sunny weather, which has been a challenge sometimes in the gardens. As part of our efforts to be more environmentally responsible, we are looking at ways to improve how we manage the grass and lawn areas of the Castle. During the National ‘No mow’ May, when the grass starts shooting up and large areas of daffodils are dying back, I left swatches of grass areas to grow, especially in the shaded woodland areas, gradually managing them.

We have cut pathways through the grass meadow which leads to the Gorsedd Stones area (which were erected during the Ruthin Eisteddod in 1973). This allows native wildflowers to grow and seed which in turn, encourage insects and wildlife to come to the areas increasing biodiversity. We was pleasantly surprised to spot a native Welsh Orchid growing in one of these areas of long grass!

The more formal lawns and grass areas are mown as normal for those smart wedding photos.

The pond in the Italian topiary gardens is also attracting wildlife, insects and birds who all enjoy a splash in the fountain. The water lilies that we planted last Autumn have begun to establish and we added some special slow release aqua fertilizers into the soil which seem to have had the desired effect. We have also added some oxygenator plants and small free floating lilies. If you see our Groundskeeper watering the herbaceous plants in the topiary areas, don’t worry, the water supply for the gardens is fed by a small reservoir up in the woods around the castle, which is also good for the fish in the pond, being Chlorine free.

It’s good to see the Tavern back up and running and the outside courtyard area is looking particularly attractive and proving very popular with guests and visitors. We’ve planted up some small terracotta pots with sempeviriums, sedums, herbs and other alpines which should tolerate the extremes of the summer ahead. Maybe the pizza oven will be fired up soon and you can sprinkle fresh oregano on your toppings!