Springtime in the garden is a wonderful time, and the gardens at the Canalside Heritage Centre are no exception. The trees are in blossom getting ready to bear their fruits, the shrubs are greening up and beginning to bud and the spring bulbs are now in flower. Winter is over, time to look forward to warmer weather and relaxing with the sound of the weir. Every year the volunteer gardeners try to improve the garden, and many plans have been put in place. When you visit, you might see us creating a fernery, an area of beauty and colour that will brighten up the garden throughout the four seasons, and replanting the wild flower bed with a selection of English heritage wild flowers to encourage our bees and wildlife.

The perennials in the garden will be getting a spring prune to ensure maximum impact for the coming months. The ten raised beds are being prepared and made ready for the planned planting. This will include a mixture of flowering annuals and also a selection of salads and vegetables to be used in the tearoom at the Heritage Centre. The lawn will also be receiving a much-needed feed and some TLC after the hard wear it has had over the winter. We shall also be starting our seeding and cuttings programme, which will produce plants for the garden and also to sell on our plant stall.