News from The Garden

Happy New Year to all our subscribers and supporters of Bridge End Garden. As well as celebrating the New Year, we are toasting the success of The Friends of Bridge End Gardens own brand of hot sauces, jams and chutneys made with produce from the Garden.  All credit must go to Garden supporter, Rachel Hewlett of Hello Food Tours , who persuaded chef Tom Arnold at Hops and Tails , to develop recipes for the rhubarb and apples from the Walled Garden. Tom also organises foraging

A spot of Christmas shopping is not complete without a mosey around Bridge End Garden. Somehow it calls to me a little louder at this busy time of unsustainable excess. It could be my need for tradition, continuity and reflection as the year approaches its conclusion. Some understandably seek this in churches at Christmas, but for me it will always be found outdoors.   Robin song and solitude were ample reward for my minor detour. The grey of the season has made my eyes hunge

The Fry family still own Bridge End Garden and occasionally send the Friends old photographs and documents for our archive.  Always welcome, these all add to our knowledge of the Garden and the Gibson family.  When a bundle of letters and documents arrived, all quite delicate, we thought they should be made available online so others could see them.  We applied for a grant from the Essex Heritage Trust to have the documents digitised by Essex Record Office (ERO) and they kind

It's that time of year again; it's distinctly colder indoors than outdoors and (in a bid to dodge the showers) the washing on the line...

Friends old and new gathered in the sunshine in the Walled Garden today to mark 25 years since the establishment of our charity - The...

The Rose Garden at Bridge End Garden Yes, the roses are starting to come out at Bridge End Garden! It is earlier than usual but they are probably as confused as we are by the recent weather patterns. The roses on the trellis surrounding the Rose Garden, Rosa 'Madame Plantier', are going to be particularly eye catching. In February our horticultural advisor, Charlotte Power, led a training workshop on how to prune older climbing roses. The Garden Team and volunteers then ca

It is time to visit the Garden to see the laburnum arch in the Wilderness in flower. It is always a little later than laburnums in the town, probably because it is in a shady location overhung with trees. But it is still a magnificent show and when the sun is shining you can hear the bees buzzing. Laburnums come from the mountains of southern Europe from France to the Balkans and were introduced to the UK in 1560. A surprise this year has been the flowering of a wiste

The team of gardeners working on the hedge were: (Left to right) Charles Courtney, Lee Barker, Rob Mcleod, Nathan Doe, and Steven Gates....

The yew hedge maze, photographed from a drone this month, ahead of restoration pruning. Credit: Mark Squires. Weather permitting, this week will see the start of major pruning work on the yew hedge maze in Bridge End Garden.  Last year was the 40th anniversary of the replanting of the maze by Uttlesford District Council. Over the years it has become taller and wider creating narrow paths. Now in the care of the Town Council, the Senior Gardener, Nathan Doe, said: "Th

Welcome to our winter garden and enjoy the gallery. Taken from every angle, these images capture the charm and mystery of our garden in...

Winter is a wonderful time of year to explore our Garden seeing corners and glimpsing views that are hidden when the trees and shrubs are in full leaf. The recent frost gave extra magic, showing off the topiary and adorning the bare branches. Here are a few of my photos - enjoy!

Saffron Walden Town Council is offering the post of Gardening Operative, based mainly in Bridge End Garden but occasionally working in...

To keep the character of a private garden, signage is kept to a minimum in Bridge End Garden but four discreet boards have recently been...

Bees and beekeeping have been part of Bridge End Garden throughout its history. Our current beekeeper Jerry considers it a privilege to be able to tend his bees in such a gloriously rich floriferous setting and glean the resulting delicious honey (available for sale at the Tourist Information Centre). Jerry has very kindly agreed to provide regular updates on the bees' activities in Spring and Summer, detailing their surprising lifestyle which he assures me includes wild fo

Despite the less than seasonal weather, the roses are blooming magnificently and their fragrant scent wafts across the Rose Garden as you...

The laburnum arch at Bridge End Garden has come into flower in the Wilderness and is a stunning sight even on dreary days. The Wilderness...

World Topiary Day was on the 12th May this year.  It was launched in 2021 by the owners of the world’s oldest topiary garden at Levens...

The Friends of Bridge End Gardens has today launched a brand-new website containing information for those wanting to visit the Garden,...

Looking for a new interest in 2024? Want to meet likeminded people and make a valuable contribution to one of Saffron Walden's greatest...

Bridge End Garden features in January 2024 edition of House & Garden magazine.