The Estate.

          Of the four RHS gardens, Hyde Hall is the youngest - yet interestingly at three hundred and sixty acres it is also the one with the most land to its name. Vast swathes stretch far, far beyond the main garden, and are referred to simply as 'The Estate'.
     
        The man who cares for the Estate is Elliot Wagstaff, a fresh face on the team but knowledgeable in native flora and fauna. We walked around his domain this morning, as he pointed out to me many things the untrained eye would overlook: the first primroses of spring, purple alder buds, 'Dog's Mercury', and even tawny owl feathers (pictured left) in the grasses.

          However, the most exciting aspect of the day was seeing how the young trees are growing on the Estate. In January, I partook in an effort to plant thousands of saplings in the southern and eastern borders: oaks, maples, pines, apples and many more. It was a hard task indeed with ice and mud, cold winds and the odd hailstorm, and voles have torn through earlier plantations ruinously. Yet with warming camaraderie, we pushed on with ambition undimmed. It was wonderful to now see many of the trees alive and with new buds, and to admire the size of those planted by others in previous years. The hope is for a dense, rich woodland to encircle Hyde Hall - complimenting the surrounding landscape, nurturing wildlife, and creating a beautiful place for visitors to lose themselves in.