Four walks to explore Harewood...

Long walks, short walks, dog walks, bluebell walks, walks in the rain, walks in the snow... the landscape at Harewood has all these walks and more...

A new walks booklet is now available to purchase from the Information Centre, Bookshop or House Desk at Harewood, with routes to discover more about this ancient landscape...

And a new guidebook written by David Lascelles, Lord Harewood with an updated history including new information we have learnt in recent years is available to buy at the House Desk, Information Centre and Bookshop.

Ask at the Information Centre next time you visit Harewood! Click here to see our opening times and prices...

Princess Beatrice Greeted the Olympic Torch at Harewood

The Olympic Torch arrived at Harewood yesterday in style, medieval-style!

On Day 2 of the Yorkshire leg of its journey through Britain, the Torch was led down the main drive to Harewood House by a mounted knight in full armour on Hawthorn, a Friesian stallion to celebrate the upcomingMedieval Faire.

Three runners took turns in carrying the torch down the drive, Jonny Johnston, Roy Leinster and finishing with Janet Baker presenting the torch to HRH Princess Beatrice of York and Lord & Lady Harewood who greeted the Torch on the front steps of the House along with an army of Harewood staff and visitors.

The press turned out in force, the Yorkshire Post have a great video on their website, view it in this page or go to their website here.

12 schools from across the region were also at Harewood, performing their responses to the Olympics, with a selection of sporting, dance and musical performances. HRH Princess Beatrice took the time to meet the children as they were preparing to perform in front of the House. 

The winning school on the day, as judged by Stephen Davidson the High Sherriff of West Yorkshire and his wife Carol, was Highfield Primary School, Moortown. Their winning performance was created and performed by Mr Brassil’s Year 5 class, and was called “Olympic Play”. The judges loved the variety of their piece, and the pupils won an annual pass for the school to visit Harewood once a month for a year.
 

David Lascelles, Lord Harewood said: ‘As an educational charitable trust, we’re keen to encourage and involve children in our celebrations and it was inspirational to see their interpretation of what the Olympics means to them through their superb performances.  This is a moment in time for all of them and it’s been a pleasure to welcome Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice to be a part of our day today to celebrate the Torch’s arrival.’

Further images can be found on our Facebook page...

Walled Garden update...heritage varieties and organic techniques to prevent pests

Since we’ve had all that rain and, now that the sun has come out, the vegetable crops are growing really well in the Walled Garden!

Releasing ladybirds

Simpson Lettuce

Carot-fly barrier protects crops without using chemicals

Globe Artichokes

Grape Vines in the Glasshouses (not currently accesible to visitor, but watch this space!)

Lettuce Rows

Onions growing well...

We’re using various organic techniques to prevent pests, including putting fine gauze around the carrot plots to act as a barrier against carrot root fly.

There are some interesting heritage varieties to be seen now too. On some of the indoor crops, instead of using chemicals to control pests such as ‘mealy bugs’ we are using a specially-bred ladybird which eats them!

Visit the Walled Garden at Harewood...

Read more about the Walled Garden including videos, recipes and more!

The Himalayan Garden is sublime in June...

‘Himalaya’, ‘The Abode of Snow’, the vast range of mountain peaks which arc across Central Asia, has an extraordinary diversity of flora.

Alan Titchmarsh, who opened the garden in May 2009, said “The Harewood Himalayan Garden is a hidden gem and second to none in the UK. Tell your friends!”

Harewood’s Himalayan Garden, a redevelopment of the ‘Rock Garden’ nurtured by Princess Mary and her husband the 6th Earl of Harewood in the 1930s, is this extraordinary world in miniature, a plant-hunter’s paradise.

With paths through a gorge and a bridge across the beck, this is somewhere for all garden-lovers to visit, with primulas, orchids, cobra lilies, blue poppies and more than 50 kinds of rhododendron.

It is also home to the Harewood Stupa, a Buddhist monument built in 2004 by monks from the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. The Stupa is the only one of its kind in the UK.

Some rare and beautiful flowers you might be lucky enough to see in this exotic Garden if you visit in June...

Iris Meadow

Primula Meadow

Cobra Lilly

Bhutan Pine

Chinese False Spikenard

Big-leaved Magnolia

Large Yellow Slipper Orchid

Blue Poppy

Enjoy the Gardens this Summer at Harewood...!

Read more and see videos about the Gardens on our website...

Strawberries on the way...!

In the strawberry patch in our Walled Garden there are absolutely loads of strawberries forming! 

Strawberries - fruits flowering after pollination by the bumblebees!

There are only a few flowers left to be pollinated, the rest have been and the fruits are now forming and gradually dropping under their own weight down onto the straw mulch as they swell.

We just need the sun to come out and ripen them, then you'll be able to buy your own fresh punnet from our shop...mmm!

Read more about our Gardens including videos and recipes on our website...

Blooming Borders in the Gardens at Harewood!

As well as our traditional ‘English’ cottage garden flowers, some of our more tender exotics, such as the lovely blue salvia patens (Gentian Sage) from Mexico and the ornamental onions from central Asia are to be seen in flower now too...

Flower border in early June

Rose Constance Spry

Rose Ophelia

Rose Blairii No.2

Salvia Patens

Bearded Iris

Ornamental Onion Flower

Rose Madame Alfred Carriere

Foxglove Excelsior Hybrid

Delphiniums

Foxglove Elsie Kelsey

The borders are a must-see attraction at Harewood!

Read more about the Borders on our webpages...

Exotic Chusan palms in the Archery Border...

Our group of Chusan palms are just coming into flower in the Archery Border. You most likely won't have seen these palms anywhere else, nor would you necessarily associate palm trees coming into flower in Yorkshire! These flower here thanks to the southerly-facing aspect and sheltered location of the Archery Border below the Terrace, it's a real sun-trap in Summer and a nice quiet spot for relaxing with a book...

The palms look fantastic in the Archery Border here at Harewood...

They were planted in the border about twelve years ago as part of the sub-tropical replanting scheme and have since grown to more than ten feet high. They are native to central China. Another name for them is the ‘Chinese Windmill Palm’. Their scientific name is Trachycarpus fortunei, they are named after the famous (and very interesting!) Victorian plant hunter, Robert Fortune, who discovered them growing on the island of Chusan near Shanghai.

Find out more about Robert Fortune on the Plant Explorers.Com website

Find out more about the Gardens at Harewood here... 

Developments in the Walled Garden at Harewood...

The 'Dig for Victory' bed is starting to show results...with peas, beans and potatoes looking promising...

As well as the three varieties we are growing as part of the 'Dig for Victory' plot, we have a further ten different varieties of potato growing in the Walled Garden.

Crops in the Walled Garden are all labelled so you can take a look for yourself and get tips and ideas for growing in your own garden!

Gardeners are always on hand and happy to answer questions too...

The Walled Garden is a hive of activity throughout the Summer months, harking back to its heyday when it would have been the centre of food production for the Estate. 

Some of the varieties we grow...

Arran Victory was bred in the Isle of Arran by Donald Mackelvie. Victory, the oldest of the "Arrans" still grown, was named in 1918 in celebration of the ending of the war. It is rare and is one of only two blue skinned varieties still available for general cultivation. It is high yielding given a long season.

Home Guard. This first early variety was first introduced in 1942 and was grown by Jeremy Shirley's father in the late 1940's - the Dad's Army Days!
Home Guard is a superior potato of excellent flavour that does not go floury like some varieties. Both the skin and flesh is pure white. High yielding and with good resistance to scab, this explains why this popular wartime variety found huge commercial success - and has continued to remain one of the gardener's favourites since WWII.

Kelvedon Wonder has been a favourite with gardeners for many years. It is an early variety but is suitable for successional sowings throughout the season.

Green Windsor. Those of you old enough to recall those great old days of English gastronomy just after the last war will remember that the choice of starters for a 3-course, table d´hote (à la carte had yet to be invented) meal was either fruit juice or the ubiquitous Brown Windsor Soup. Introduced in 1831, this ever popular variety was once one of the main ingredients of said soup.

You can read more about the Walled Garden on our website, including the free beekeeping demonstrations run by the Harrogate & Ripon Beekeepers Association which take place in the Walled Garden on Saturdays from now for the rest of the Summer. 

Enjoy the Gardens at Harewood this Summer!

Read more about the Gardens at Harewood here...

New bumblebee lodges in the Walled Garden...

In response to the global crisis in bee populations bumblebee ‘lodges’ are being installed in amongst the vegetable and fruit beds and orchard in the Walled Garden at Harewood for the second year.

Head Gardener Trevor explains it’s all part of Harewood’s conservation and sustainability strategy, “We use bumblebees to help with pollination in the orchard and vegetable garden. Bumblebees carry more pollen, visit more flowers and work at lower temperatures than the average honey bee and we’re keen to support British bumblebee populations as much as we can.” The Beepol bumblebee ‘lodges’ were installed last year for the first time and were a great success with bees buzzing happily in the borders.

What's new this year, is a wax-moth-guard which attaches to each of the Beepol Lodges...

The nests and hives of a number of different bee species, including bumblebees, are sometimes invaded by wax moths. Wax moths lay their eggs within or close to the bee nests and the larvae hatch then disperse into the nest feeding on the contents. If nests are invaded during the early stage, then the wax moth infestation is often fatal.

Amazingly, the bumblebees soon learn how to push open the guard to leave and return to the nest. Wax moths however, are neither strong enough or clever enough to do this! It's a great chemical-free solution.

You can find out more about the Beepol Lodges, and wax-moth-guards on the Beepol website, and Beepol Lodges will shortly be available to purchase from our Bookshop and Plant Stall in Terrace Cottage here at Harewood.

Gardens have become such important places for bees – here at Harewood the Gardens Team also make a point of growing bee-friendly plants such as salvias, catmint, raspberries, lavender, green manures such as phacelia, and other flowering shrubs.

Beekeeping Taster Days and Demonstrations...

The Harrogate and Ripon Beekeepers Association also have a working apiary in the Walled Garden where they run Beekeeping Taster Days and demonstrations throughout the summer, helping people to find out more about bees and get some hands-on experience if they are thinking about keeping their own...

Explore the delights of the Walled Garden this summer!

Click here to visit the gardens webpages for videos, recipes and more...