Gallery Arranged as a collection of annual photos telling the story in slideshows of the land project at The Garden House since 2013. 2023 A frosty evening at the woodland pondVolunteers from Halow ‘unpacking’ the woodland – tree guards and mulch mats being removed after 10 years.Adam’s first go at using a lathe – successfully making a light pull!It is always lovely in the orchard when the apple blossom comes out, around the beginning of May.Salad crop looking good, grown from saved seed. Winter Density (Left), Salad bowl (Front Right)Pea plants slid from sowing in compost in suspended gutter in polytunnel into resting place, with ‘pea sticks’ to offer support. Weel done, Adam!Legumes and sweetcorn all sown in suspended guttering after mice ate first attempts on the bench – Guttering was a big success!Nic had a good year with his bees producing a good amount of honey.The enticing water of the main pond.Ben taking a well earned break in the garden – Thanks Ben! – The Longest Serving Volunteer Award goes to you!A new sign went up for the garden, made in the workshop.Echinops in the foreground and the 12 foot high runner beans in the background.Successful cucumber crop, though needed peeling, due to tough skins – Thought to be Telegraph Improved, but looks nothing like!Pleased to add some variation to our salad crop this year with ‘Salanova’An effort is being made to encourage more wildflowers around the trees in the orchard.A pleasing mix of garden flowers attracts all kinds of insects – here we have persicaria.Just some of the fruit picked and delivered to The Godalming and Villages Community Store (food bank).We see roe and muntjac deer from time-to-time around the estate (Unusually close on this occasion).We needed a ladder this year to harvest runner beans and French beans up to about 12 feet!Just some of the food for wildlife encouraged around the estate – ‘haws’ (hawthorn berries)Lots of lovely fruit this year in the orchard – here we see some early Howgate Wonder. 2022 Special frosty morning near the big pondWinter light on the back track treesFruit tree pruning in the orchardCold but golden!A magnificent evening view beyond the orchardBen collecting up rabbit guards and Matt finishing the willow cutting – Thanks everyone!Di and Jo with ‘Hope’ for a new garden – made in The Garden House WorkshopDaffodils in the sunshine, bringing some colour back after the winter.Blossom out in the orchard in April.Beautiful blossom on an orchard apple tree. The rhubarb planted in 2021 forming well in the orchard – rabbit and deer seem not to be interested in our rhubarbThe Growth Team from Surrey Choices, helping with the removal of tree mats – which have supressed weeds, but now need removing (currently 9 years after planting). The weeping cherry – exrtremely popular with the bees. The woodland ditch slowly beginning to blend in.Bluebells being encouraged to spread along the hedgerow of the orchard. Dianne pleased with her first creation on a lathe – a calibrated dibber – made in The Garden House Workshop.Ferns loving the wet late spring of 2022Foxgloves planted coming into flower at the stumpery at the end of May.Top bed in The Garden – including Dianthus, Lupins and SalviaJenny Greenland, professional artist tries out the maturing landscape for a painting.The Circle in the woodlandProfessional photographer, Nick Whittle visits The Garden House and photographs the baby coots across the pond.A baby coot is given a feed. Halow – Building Futures – The team were at The Garden House, fruit thinning and weeding in the orchard and finished the day with some woodland path maintenance – and they were still smiling! 2021 Real Snow!Caroline’s fine woodpecker made in willowOne of the babies from the first ever clutch of coots hatched at The Garden HouseA family of Egyptian Geese, hatched at The Garden HouseThe Welly Walk in May, arranged by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT), Godalming and Cranleigh DistrictSteve carving out another spoon!Participants working on shaving horsesRagged Robin – Silene flos-cuculiVolunteers about to roll out 30 metres of new liner for an extension to the ditch leading into the woodland pondThe Garden – drip irrigation pipe now in placeSalad grown at The Garden House (Red Frills mustard, Salad Bowl lettuce, Merveille de Quatre Saison lettuce, and cherry tomatoes) Plants for sale on our ‘pop-up’ stallHelpful volunteers from Halow planting dogwood shrubsWild flowers growing on the sandy bank by the main pondThe woodland pond is looking more mature this year – it is now a home for newts! Slow Please! We are trying to keep the speed of traffic down to support the activities going on around the estatePleasing growth in the woodland this year – ground during the main growing season remained mostly damp, except a couple of brief dry spells Great to see Nic and his workshop team back in action after the Covid-19 lockdown The new ditch and bridges finally made it into existence after being mothballed as a project through the lockdown periodA fine looking water lily of the ‘chrome’ coloured variety in the small pond – Nymphae Barbara DobbinsThe Stumpery looking well, created with volunteer help from St. Joseph’ s Specialist School Halow volunteers gathering up hedge cuttings to add to the dead hedges Despite the coldest April in 60 years, according to the BBC, we had some nice pears this yearVolunteers with the Guildford group of Surrey Choices helping to pick apples in the orchardNot a good harvest of apples this year. Was it the cold April or just an off year? The glorious corner beech tree in its autumn splendour! Ben supporting Halow volunteers with the planting of English bluebells – Hyacinthoides non-scriptaWorking on a new section of hard standing with the Growth Team from Surrey ChoicesThe main pond looking beautiful in the autumn sun! Thank you so much to everyone who has helped this year at The Garden House! 2020 Top of The Garden June 2020Trough pond and polytunnel June 2020Poppies and a blue skyA badger wandering about at The Garden HouseThe ditch feeding into the woodland pond had a test run in wet March 2020We’ve made a bridge over the ditch in the woodlandCompost bays completed spring 2020Salad crop – Winter Density and Red MustardBroomThe Garden in April 2020 A honey bee at work on the apple blossomThe orchard one late April eveningSky over the estate clear of aircraft contrails during the Covid-19 lockdownThe Stumpery created in the spring of 2020 with the assistance of St. Joseph’s Specialist TrustThe Garden at The Garden House in April 2020Radishes ‘Prinz Rotin’ (red) and ‘Ping Pong’ (white)Salad grown at The Garden HouseBags of salad grown at The Garden House 2019 Volunteers on tea break, enjoying the results of their efforts in the gardenThe Surrey Group of The Association of Pole Lathe Turners and Green WoodworkersButterfly – Common Blue – Some of the great wildlife seen at The Garden House 2019 Apple HarvestBrian at work in The WorkshopChilly start!The Woodland on a chilly morningTrees coming out of the deer guard tubes Winter 2019/20Great job, The Growth Team!Ben receives a Gold Award on behalf of The Garden House teamWildlife Garden Award 2019 for The Garden House GardenOak Tree, meadow mown and woodland autumn 2019Autumn 2019 – Woodland mowing just doneThe Dragonfly GateWater lilies on a lovely summer dayWater lilies expanding 2019The Garden in it’s first year of establishment 2019Woodland Pond 2018 The Garden House Workshop TeamBless you Veronica. Your gate.Bulrushes maturing in the pondNic putting up a fruit cageMarcus collecting nettles for the compost heapThanks to Halow volunteers who helped to dig the polytunnel foundationsCat sows the first batch of lettuces in the new gardenThanks to the Halow volunteers who helped to bring in soil to level the new polytunnelNewly planted daffodils in flowerCold looking orchardSnow on the pondA touch of colour – Willow ‘Britzensis’Steve demonstrating some good winter pruning Snowy pond areaApple harvest‘Black Cherry’ tomatoes sold at Hambledon Village ShopBulrushes maturingThe Growth Team from Surrey Choices wood-chipping the paths in the garden 2017 Volunteers take a well earned breakHalow volunteers help to create the woodland pathHalow volunteers with some of the apple harvestThe Growth Team from Surrey Choices in the newly dug woodland pondWater lilies flowering in the dipping pondA buggy walkThe Growth Team working on the woodland pondBorage and the apiaryWildflowers by the pondThe main pondPond maintenanceFlowering Rush – Butomus UmbellatusWinter pruningBlossom time in the orchardSue and AndyHalow working on dipping pond marginsA fine looking early crop! 2016 An apiary is startedMaking hazel revetments to retain soil for planting in marginsHalow working on the large pebble beachA platform to create easy access for activities such as dipping‘Dolly’ comes to visitGrass left longer for clover flowers to feed bees and other insects‘Discovery’ applesPlants lined up for plantingNewly planted pond marginWillow establishing in protective tubes by pond Woodland after being mowedLooking at pond from Veronica’s GateArea of woodrush in woodchippings by small pebble beachThe OrchardHarvesting cider applesCrab applesIce on the dipping pondIce on the main pondA chilly start to the day! 2015 Evergreen shrubs plantedWinter pruningThe site of the main pond just before work commencesFirst bulldozer work on main pondClay is brought in to line pondClay lined pondLooking down the field towards the finished pondSplit chestnut fencing of paddocks under wayNew post and rail fencing visible behind new woodlandTrees growing out of protective tubesA pond is born!Looking towards the pond from Veronica’s Gate directionGreen woodworking at The Garden House – the start of things to come!Paddocks and pondNew woodland in summerYoung woodlandSelective mowing to retain habitat value of long grassLooking up hill at the orchardApple harvest timeWinter returns 2014 The Christmas floods of 2014 created a temporary pond for 3 months…Not great for newly planted trees (they were moved after the flooding subsided)Looking down the field at flooded area Work commences on creating a deer fence around a paddock to enable a new orchard to be plantedReady for orchard plantingVolunteers help to plant the orchard treesTrees and supports in placeLooking towards Hambledon RoadThe new orchardOrchard establishingYoung trees in the pond area before being moved for pond creationThe Orchard 2013 Looking towards Hambledon RoadLooking across the field towards the beech tree in cornerThe new woodland is being planted at the end of 2013Looking south towards the eucalyptus treeThe paddock before the orchard was createdDerelict greenhouse and Leylandii at southern boundary Share this:TwitterFacebookLike Loading...