Enjoy the Gardens, whatever the weather!

It’s April, so the weather is decidedly spring-like – one day it’s beautiful warm temperatures, the next it’s cold north winds and even snow. Whatever the weather, though, there’s always something to warm the heart and cheer the soul at the gardens. 

It’s been fantastic to see so many visitors taking advantage of the new guidelines and meeting safely with family and friends in our beautiful grounds. You might have seen us recently on BBC Midlands Today, too, when a reporter came down to chat to the team and to those who were enjoying the early spring sun, while the early evening news bulletin broadcast the weather report from the lawn. It’s always fun to show reporters and camera crews around – they are spoiled for choice when it comes to beautiful scenery.

We always enjoy chatting to visitors, too, who are invariably curious about some of the plants we have and the work we are doing. We’ve always got a few minutes to spare if you have any questions about the planting here, so please don’t be afraid to ask.

April will continue to be a busy month for the team. Although the glasshouses will remain closed until at least May 17, pending Government announcements, we are still tending to the plants in there and will be increasing the watering this month. We’re looking forward to unveiling the displays when we can.

We’ll also be potting on 4,000 bedding plant plugs in the nursery for our summer bedding schemes. It won’t be long before we start to plant them out in the car park, Terrace and bandstand – usually towards the end of May – and we can promise you another beautiful and colourful display.

Lawn mowing starts in earnest and we’ll be heading out on the mowers to the main lawn, west lawn, on the terrace, near the aviary, and the grass path in the grass garden, making sure we keep the blades high for the first couple of cuts so as not to “shock” the grass. We recommend you do the same for your lawns, too.

If you have been to visit us over the past few weeks, you’ll have noticed the work taking place at the bandstand. Now it is fully restored (more on this soon), we’ll be enhancing it with shrubs that tolerate permanent shade and drought. Many of these will come from the subtropical beds outside on the terrace, which will enable us to have a new planting scheme in that area in the summer. Watch this space for details about that.

Rockery and alpine fans should also head to the new Alan King Alpine Garden and Rock Garden, which is looking fantastic. It is stocked with gorgeous specimens, many of which are flowering for the first time. This part of the gardens will also have beautiful magnolias and displays of spring bulbs.

If you are planning to come and see us in the Easter holidays, we look forward to welcoming you. You can buy tickets here if you want to book in advance.