May is upon us, and its closing days – 30 and 31st – will see us open for the NGS – of course – WE ARE NOT READY! My concerns are totally lost on Ghillie, who snores happily at my feet, and a glorious new day is dawning at NGS garden Ferns Lodge. The…
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Another extremely long gap between blogs; it has been busy! The posters announcing our NGS opening on 30/31 May have arrived, and they glower (easy to do when you’re bright yellow) in the garden shed, as a constant reminder of all we still have left…
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It is late Autumn at NGS Garden Ferns Lodge and the leaves have turned. As I sit before the keyboard, Ghillie snoring at my feet, leaves are fluttering from tree to ground. This means frantic mowing to hoover them up for fab compost and to save the g…
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July came at NGS Garden Ferns Lodge, and with it Dan and his crew, who set to work cutting down the scrub in the centre of the big garden, armed with all manner of chainsaws, diggers, and the inevitable chipper – of which we now have many tons! Next…
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June 2025 hurtled past in what seemed to me a blizzard of NGS Garden Ferns Lodge openings: our Saturday and Sunday openings on the 14th and 15th, a private opening for the Bartley Horticultural Society on the 17th, and another for the Forest Ramblers…
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Gardeners and sailors always bore everyone with the weather – I’m no exception. We’ve had hot, dry weather, and now plenty of breeze. Our opening is later than usual, so we have lots to clear away. Whilst we may see less forget-me-not this year, we w…
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What a difference a few weeks make at NGS Garden Ferns Lodge… The mostly glorious weather in March has seen the camellias in full bloom, primroses everywhere, and after his expensive sojourn with the wizards at John Deere, the mower has made its fi…
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Winter is a time of renewal when NGS Garden Ferns Lodge slumbers. The shedding of literal truckloads of leaves from our mighty oaks and other trees is complete, the perennials are sleeping, and the days are short with little warmth. Of course, as wit…
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One of the great things about living and gardening in the UK is the changing seasons. As each season approaches, I decide that it is most definitely my favourite. As we hurtle through autumn and get ready for winter, the leaves are turning quickly, a…
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Hurrah! After a busy NGS Garden Ferns Lodge opening in June and six private viewings by all sorts of lovely people – U3A, WI, and the amazing Woodlands Gardening Group – we have closed our top gate and baked our last scone for 2024! We have raised an…
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