A Yorkshire Rose for Yorkshire Day!

The Yorkshire Post were here at Harewood today to photogrpah a new rose named 'Yorkshire Princess' in honour of HRH Princess Mary. Our Craft Gardener Helen Fletcher is shown with the rose in the Yorkshire Post piece (right).

We are introducing the new rose called 'Yorkshire Princess', dedicated to HRH the Princess Mary, Princess Royal, who lived here at Harewood for more than 30 years, to coincide with our Royal Harewood exhibition in this Diamond Jubilee year, .

Resembling an old-fashioned rose, this beautiful, but modest groundcover or patio rose, has a slight sweet scent, and is white with a delicate Orient Pink centre. Flowering throughout the summer, it is suitable for planting in rockeries, at the front of borders or alongside paths in cottage gardens, and will shortly be planted here at Harewood to commemorate the Princess's contribution to the Gardens.

Trevor Nicholson, Head Gardener at Harewood House, said: “Princess Mary was a very keen gardener and plantswoman who made a significant impact on the gardens here, introducing many elements of the gardens which our visitors still enjoy today. She was particularly fond of roses and so, to mark this year’s special ‘Royal Harewood’ exhibition, a rose was the ideal way to create a lasting tribute. The pure white petal, soft blush centre and sweet scent give a traditional feel, in-keeping with old-style roses and perfect for a Yorkshire Princess.”

A limited number of Rosa ‘Yorkshire Princess’ will be available to purchase as a containerised shrub from the Harewood plant stall this summer, with new stock arriving in November 2013. You can register your interest by emailing us your contact details, and we'll send you an update when further stock becomes available.

Bred in Northern Ireland by Dickson Nurseries, it is currently available to pre-order online as a root for potting from their website for delivery in November 2012.

We'll be officially launching our new rose at the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show, staged at the Great Yorkshire Showground from 14-16 September, you can call the Ticket hotline on 01423 546157 or visit their website for more details of the show.

Our exhibition, Royal Harewood, celebrating the life of the Princess continues until the end of September.

Explore the gardens for yourself, from the breath-taking Terrace overlooking majestic 'Capability' Brown landscape, to the exotic plant hunters' paradise of the Himalayan Garden and the delightful lakeside and woodland paths to the Walled Garden...

Find out more about the Gardens at Harewood...

 

The details:

Rosa ‘Yorkshire Princess’ – parentage Nice ‘n’ Easy x Regensberg; breeder Colin Dickson, Dickson Nurseries, Co Down; patio/groundcover; hybridised in 2005; blooms in clusters, white with hint of Orient pink; slight sweet scent; height 66cm, spread 65cm; flowers continuously throughout the summer.

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 'Dig for Victory' bed in the Walled Garden this Summer

This year as part of Royal Harewood celebrations in the House, we are planting our own 'Dig for Victory' bed in the Walled Garden. A scaled-down version of the original Dig for Victory beds, this will be a learning resource for school groups and also an opportunity for visitors to look back on the history of the Gardens at Harewood. 

The Dig for Victory campaign was launched at the outbreak of the Second World War. It encouraged people to cultivate their gardens and grow food to support the war effort.

This year at Harewood we are recreating Dig for Victory Leaflet No.1 on this bed (see poster).

We have sourced, where possible, varieties of vegetables that were grown during the war years.

 Whilst the bed is not as long as recommended in the poster, we have tried to be as true to the planting plan as possible.

Visit the Walled Garden this Summer, and feel free to ask a gardener for more information!

HRH Princess Mary made Harewood her home thoughout 4 decades and saw many changes in the use of the Gardens at Harewood, especially during the war years. She was also a keen gardener and plantswoman herself, and had a significant impact on the Gardens - the legacy of which is still visible in the Gardens today. 

In 2012 we will also be launching a new rose 'Yorkshire Princess', a fitting tribute to the Princess who loved roses and had many varieties planted on the Terrace here at Harewood in her time...

Read more about the Gardens on our website... 

http://www.harewood.org/grounds/gardens

HRH Princess Anne visits Harewood ahead of 'Royal Harewood' exhibition launch

HRH Princess Anne visited Harewood today ahead of our new exhibition season... The Princess was greeted by Lord and Lady Harewood, Harewood Chief Executive Mike Schafer and Harewood House Staff. Presented with one of Harewood's new roses, Rosa 'Yorkshire Princess' the Princess toured the exhibitions on the State Floor, 'Royal Harewood: Celebrating the Life of the Yorkshire Princess', as well as our temporary exhibition in the Terrace Gallery 'Marcus Adams: Royal Photogrpaher'...

Celebrating the Life of The Yorkshire Princess

Harewood was home to HRH Princess Mary, The Princess Royal, through four decades. Her love of Yorkshire and the affection the people of Yorkshire felt for her in return mean that she will always be remembered as ‘The Yorkshire Princess’.
Princess Mary married Henry, 6^th Earl of Harewood in 1922 and they moved into Harewood House in 1929. They were avid collectors and, with the generous help of the Heritage Lottery Fund, we will be displaying for the first time many of the things that were precious to her: personal items such as exquisite fans, gifts from heads of state, presents from her royal relations by the great designer Fabergé. These displays provide a glimpse into the life and loves of a very ‘Yorkshire Princess’.

Marcus Adams: Royal Photographer

In the Terrace Gallery a special collection of photographs taken by favourite royal photographer Marcus Adams, and generously lent by The Queen from The Royal Collection, capture with wonderful charm the young Princess Elizabeth, life as the new royal family, the pre-war years and then later a new generation of royals; Prince Charles and Princess Anne. Don’t miss the opportunity to see these striking, fun, informal and vibrant photographs.

Visit the House this season and round your visit off with a delicious cream tea in the Terrace Café! Marcus Adams exhibition open until Sunday 17 June, and Royal Harewood: Celebrating the Life of the Yorkshire Princess runs until 30 Sept.

 

Click here to visit our exhibitions pages