Estate News - Winter Garden Update

 Mick Horkan is head gardener at Lough Gill Distillery. Here, he shares with us how he and the team have been working to make the estate’s gardens thrive throughout the winter months – all with a little help from the local wildlife.

One of the many changes that has come to pass since we began working the grounds in Hazelwood has been the increasing numbers of wildlife, all busily doing their thing around the gardens that we have recently reclaimed.

When we started the work six years ago, the original gardens had been overtaken by the growth of Laurel and Rhododendron. Given enough time, these plants overwhelm whatever is in their path, shutting off light to the soil and making it impossible for other species of plants to grow and co-exist. This unfettered growth prevented many animals, birds and insects from living on the estate as it limits their habitat and food source.

Each year we have reclaimed new areas of the estate and set about restoring the balance by introducing a wide variety of suitable plants to the grounds. As the gardens develop, they bring more and more habitats and food for different species of wildlife.

In time, as the restoration of the house and estate continues and develops, we plan to restore the grounds properly around the house, by creating formal gardens. One of our visions is to recreate them as they once were in Hazelwood’s previous life as family home to the Wynne family. To do this, we’ll plant Yew, Lavender, Roses, Boxwood Rosemary and Privet.

However, although the work steadily continues, we are not there just yet. In the meantime, we have been busy preparing some of the areas by removing the unwanted growth, and tilling the soil for the sowing of wildflower seeds.

Wildflowers are one of nature’s best larders for our wildlife and those that are now germinating will produce a rich diet next year in spring, summer and autumn. Many of these plants will re-seed naturally each year and fill these areas with plants such as Red Clover, Forgot-me-nots, Loosestrife, Love-in-a-mist, Speedwell, Phacelia, Feverfew and the butterfly’s favourite - Lady’s Bedstraw. The new flowers bring an abundance of colours as they spread through the prepared soil and they also invite more species of insects such as caterpillars, ladybirds, moths, butterflies, hoverflies, wasps and bees.

Hazelwood is now home to a great range of wildlife – some new, but also and some old favourites like the night-prowling hedgehog or family of badgers hunting down slugs and fruit (often innocently digging up the lawns or flower beds!), and red squirrels, often found zooming around after berries, seeds and nuts, but who are just about to settle down for their big winter snooze. Thankfully sightings of these shy creatures are becoming more and more common with no sign of their invasive cousin the grey squirrel coming in to take over.

Bees have also become more noticeable recently and although there are over 250 varieties of bees in Ireland, our own native black honeybees seem to be thriving. They have many hives in various locations around the estate. A large hive resides in the hollow of a colossal 200-year-old London Plane tree growing right beside Hazelwood House - now golden with Autumn colour - while another also very active hive has established a home right in the front wall of the distillery.

The Winter months at Hazelwood give us a chance to really catch up on projects around the grounds as the mowing, pruning, weeding and watering has largely ceased. One of these tasks which we tackle every winter is the new planting of shrubs and herbaceous perennials. While this is normally not associated with the colder wetter seasons, this is in fact an ideal time because plants will root in and settle much better without the pressure to produce leaf and flower. This way they are ready when the spring light places new expectations upon them. 

This month, with the valuable help of our work experience crew (Conor, Lennon and Alex) from Summerhill College, we are also planting varieties of Lilies, Hyacinths, Tulips, Crocuses, Anemones, Narcissi, Alliums and Violets, into the gardens. These bulbs, which lie dormant in the cold earth until the winter leaves us, will pop up in the spring - not just once, but each and every year from now onwards. Each type has different needs, such as sun and shade levels, soil types and frost tolerance, so finding the perfect aspect for each can be a challenge. However, if you take the time to give them all what they need and plant properly, the results can be a feast for both our wildlife and our eyes.

As the weather gets colder we’ll continue to work hard on the grounds, and we look forward to seeing the fruits of our labour become apparent in the springtime!