Gardening Group

Castle Wood Rose Garden & Jackwood Terrace

Friday 10th October 2025

On Friday, seven volunteers spent a combined total of five hours in Castle Wood Rose Garden, giving it a light autumn tidy. With the cooler weather slowing the bindweed, there wasn’t too much to do – we mainly focused on deadheading the roses, weeding out a few more young holly saplings, trimming the grass edges after the recent cut, and sweeping the steps.

These small tasks help maintain healthy growth, prevent unwanted self-seeding, and keep the garden looking its best as the season shifts.

A volunteer dead-heading the roses in Castle Wood Rose Garden

After finishing in Castle Wood, we moved on to Jackwood House Terrace, where we clocked up an additional ten hours of hard work. Here, we concentrated on pulling out brambles and thistles from the flower beds and trimming back more of the vigorous wisteria. Removing these fast-growing and competitive plants gives the cultivated species room to breathe and ensures a more balanced habitat for pollinators and other garden wildlife.

It was a productive and satisfying afternoon – a mix of care, conversation, and good company - and we admired the beautiful Virginia Creeper in its full autumn glory. We’ll be continuing this work on Sunday 19th October, and new volunteers are always welcome to join us email oxleas.volunteers@gmail.com for more information.

Every pair of hands helps keep the gardens thriving.