Gardens Update by Head Gardner, Edward Reid
Autumn as always is a busy time of year in the garden department with leaf clearing and cutting back herbaceous plants. We have a few exciting projects to begin over the winter months such as the refurbishment of our current rose arbour which has been made possible by a very generous donation.
I always think St Hugh’s looks best in the spring and autumn, and the recent planting chosen by Mike Hawkins at the rear of the China Center, looks particularly great, especially the bright gold of the Amsonia and the oranges reds and purples of the Cotinus.
We are also planning to remove the hazels from the adjacent bed and replant with similar plants to those Mike chose. The contrast of the two beds is quite striking and this should help to further smarten up the area. The hazels will be re-used elsewhere around the perimeter of the College. We are lucky to have some fantastic compost bays at St Hugh’s and all the main borders have benefited from a good covering of our home-made mulch. Recently a very friendly fox has decided to make his home at the rear of the compost area!
The student welfare events continue to be extremely popular, especially the pumpkin carving and holly wreath making. We plan to incorporate some vegetable growing into these events next term, to provide a small amount of fresh vegetables for the kitchens.
