The Rosamund Diaries

Description With glossy, dark-green and heart-shaped leaves with long stalks and shiny, yellow star-like flowers with eight to twelve petals, lesser Celandine is a cheerful harbinger of spring found throughout the United Kingdom. It can be found in woodlands, hedgerows riverbanks, and meadows from February to May. It is a member of the buttercup family, not to be confused with Greater Celandine, which is poppy family. Lesser celandine is not a geophyte (a plant with a bulb –

📅 EVENTS AT THE GARDEN 🍂Saturday, 28th February, 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm - Family Nature Connection session with Jane, a perfect event for families to slow down, explore, and enjoy meaningful time together outdoors » TICKETS   🌾Sunday, 1st March, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm - Guildford Seed Swap - Trinity Centre, GU1 3RR - INFO 🥄Sunday, 8th March, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm - Bodgers Day in the Hub - Closed group, please get in touch with Guildford Spoon Carvers for details 🌱Saturday, 14

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2026! 📅 EVENTS AT THE GARDEN 🍎 Saturday, 7th February, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm - Wassail With Us - Free and fun event. A Wassail is an Anglo-Saxon tradition of blessing an orchard to ensure a good harvest. The celebration involves decorating a tree, singing, poetry and apple juice and snacks. Limited to 50 spaces, so grab a ticket HERE   🍂 Saturday, 28th February, 2:00 pm-3:00 pm -   Family Nature Connection session with Jane, a perfect eve

Here are a few words about the birds that are seen in the area of Rosamund Gardens and on to Pewley Down itself. 

Welcome to the last newsletter of 2025! By the way, if you missed our Clare on BBC Radio Surrey on Sunday - here’s the link at 1:18:53. As we move towards the quiet of Winter, the low light and shift in temperatures make for reflection on the year and allow time to tidy, cut back and put things to bed. Poly-Tunnels The gorgeous salads in poly 1 continue to yield spicy leaves full of goodness, but they won’t put on any more growth until February, when the days start to length

I think we can safely say that the summer is over and the Autumnal rains are replenishing the soil and ponds in the garden, after the thirsty, but enjoyable months of sunshine. This year, we haven’t had to water the fruit-cage or the orchard, and even the new Forest Garden has needed minimal watering. This proves that no-dig practices and deep mulching really work to lock moisture into the soil, maintaining vital fungal pathways. Keeping soil covered with plants through the y

This year’s phenomenal crop of apples, together with the warm sunshine on the day, meant a brilliant turnout for our popular open day. Volunteers went above and beyond, baking delicious cakes, preparing hearty soups, and keeping the stalls and apple press running smoothly. We had a record number of visitors, reflected in the takings (almost double compared to last year!). Mary Tobin from Mary Makes Jam sold out of her produce, as did all the food and juice. She generously do

This summer has brought unusually extreme weather. After the dry spring, we were worried there might not be much fruit at all. The drought has affected vegetable harvests. Yet, the fruit trees and bushes have managed to thrive, drawing on the reserves left by winter rains. Our plum trees, hybrid berries, and even our new cherry tree have given wonderful, sweet fruits. The apple trees are groaning under the weight, ready for our apple pressing afternoon later this month. The

As we experiment with different growing techniques, it’s fascinating to see what works and what doesn’t. This long period of hot, dry weather challenges the resilience of plants and animals, but it has confirmed that we’re going the right way, focusing on perennial planting and no-dig methods. Wildlife This year, the wildflowers are enjoying the dry spell, with much more diversity in the hedgerows and, consequently, noticeable rises in insects. Our swales of yellow rattle in

This lovely, dry, sunny spring has really suited the garden and kept slugs at bay, meaning our young plants have a chance of getting going before the rain comes back.

Hopefully you’re all managing to get out in this fantastic sunshine! The fruit trees and bushes have put on a glorious display this...

We’ve had a perfect month at the garden with lots of welcome sunshine and cool temperatures to keep the plants from putting on too much...

I just wanted to share my new journey into the community of forest gardeners. I was lucky enough to get some funding from Surrey Wildlife...

It’s a very exciting month as the first signs of Spring are appearing at the garden and the light has changed to stimulate new growth....

January is a quiet month at the garden, as most things are still hibernating and dormant and the weather has been pretty mixed with some...

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! We kicked off December with our wonderful wreath-making workshop , which was fully booked,...

Things are feeling very autumnal now with the short days and wonderful colours everywhere. Mike has scythed the orchard and the willow...

Autumn is here!! I’m always amazed by the shift of the sun in early September, and the gorgeous light in the morning and afternoons. ...

After a quiet August, with a lot of people away, September is looking to be a very productive month.  We’re really excited about the...

The glorious hot weather these last couple of weeks has really worked its magic on the garden, and finally we’re seeing some lovely fruit...