Garden Diary

Top 5 things to look out for in the garden this month

with Simon the gardener

Berries, seed heads and skeletal trees – sculptural in their stark winter beauty.
Huge ripe, yellow quince fruits hanging from leafless branches in Dickens garden with their fuzzy winter coats. Perfect for Christmas chutneys and cheeses
Old fashioned medlars full of curious fruit in the Dickens seating area. Medlars have been cultivated since Roman times, and are unusual in that they ripen in winter.
Our sparkly RIC Christmas tree all lit up and festive on Star Hill
The building of the new ‘fox-proof’ chicken coop and chicken house next to the Maths Shed. Simon says: ‘We’re building a new, safe and fox-proof chicken coop for RIC with a 6ft wire fence around and net over the top. We will start with 4 very fluffy chickens perfect for students to cuddle. It is proved that cuddling chickens is calming and excellent for health and well-being. Hopefully they will lay eggs too – not so much in the winter but when the light gets better we could get 4 a day! Sally is going to look after them and especially make sure they go on holiday too when there is no-one at college.”