The gates of the Gardens of Easton Lodge reopen to visitors every Thursday from April 2 and on Sunday April 12 for Easter fun, writes trustee Jill Goldsmith.
On the Sunday there will be the chance to try archery, in advance of St George’s Day, with the team from White Dragon, while the trust’s volunteers will provide a spring planting and craft activity for children at the Historic England Grade II-registered gardens near Great Dunmow.
There will be mini sculptures of the Countess of Warwick’s animals dotted around the gardens for children to find and there will be an Easter trail and garden games too.
The cherry blossom provides lots of pollen for the bees at the Gardens of Easton Lodge
There will be live music from duo Karen and Tony, craft and produce stalls and, as it is blossom season, visitors will be invited to take a close look at the blossom and the pollinators at work.
The trust’s archivists will have a special display marking the centenary of the date when the Countess attempted to persuade the trade union movement to use Easton Lodge as a college for union members.
In gorgeous April sunshine, the blossom and the daffodils are a feast for the eyes and provide pollen for the bumblebees.
The gardens will be a riot of colour
The gardens have a huge variety of historic and more recent daffodils. From Elizabethan times there was great enthusiasm for collecting wild daffodils from overseas and in the 1840s plantsmen started to hand pollinate daffodils to create hybrids. In the Lime Wood there are varieties featured in the 1904 Barr catalogue. The trust has planted more old varieties elsewhere.
There is a succession of blossom through the spring, which in April stars the cherry, apple and pear trees in the walled kitchen garden and the ornamental cherries in the glade.
The Japanese-style garden at the bottom of the glade has fresh acer leaves in a range of colours and sizes, and visitors will enjoy seeing the yin-yang feature and how the area has been expanded over the winter, with additional tree and shrub planting.
And it is tulip season in the Italian garden, the deep reds and oranges contrasting with the fresh leaves of the emerging herbaceous plants.
There will be Easter fun at the gardens on Sunday April 12
The trust’s history and information room will reopen with its wealth of information and pictures for visitors who want to learn the stories of the gardens, the Countess of Warwick, Harold Peto, who redesigned the gardens for her in 1902, the gardeners, and the airmen and women who cherished the gardens for repose in the Second World War.
On Thursdays, the gardens open at 11am and close at 3pm. Children will enjoy finding the treehouse and elephant statue, and there are garden games too. Daisy’s refreshment kiosk will provide hot and cold drinks and homemade cakes. Visitors are welcome to bring picnics and dogs on leads.
On Sunday April 12, the gardens open at 11am and close at 5pm, with last entry at 4pm. The trust’s volunteers will provide refreshments of hot and cold drinks, cheese and hummus rolls and a lovely selection of homemade cakes. The Giggly Pig will provide bacon and sausage rolls.
Tickets are available in advance at www.eastonlodge.co.uk and www.Trybooking.com.
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