As part of the Rose Garden restoration project at Nymans, the gardeners wanted to restore the soil to a state where they could replant a new scheme without encountering the same soil issues. At the time, the soil in the Rose Garden was far too rich in nearly every aspect and had especially high levels of phosphorus, which is detrimental for roses. To combat this, the gardeners wanted to plant with the objective of absorbing as much of the excess nutrients as possible. Initially, they were going to use a green manure, however they decided against this as it is not particularly appealing to look at.
After weighing up their options, the gardeners decided to use a Pictorial Meadows® seed mix as they had used them before and had been very happy with the results. They chose the Pastel seed mix because they liked the colour scheme and that, if any of the species in the mix reseeded, they would work with the plants in their future scheme for the Rose Garden. Once the gardeners received the seed mix, they made sure that all the beds were clear of any weeds and finished with a fine tilth to act as a good seed bed. They then sowed all the seeds onto the beds around mid-April.
The gardeners never watered the display once, even though they had very dry weather, and it performed fantastically. The display was exceptionally well received by visitors and staff alike, and became a small sensation. Over the months the Pastel seed mix was in full bloom, Nymans received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from visitors, either verbally or through comment cards at reception.
Photos © Harvey Dickins / Joe Whelan
