Gardening Group - November in Castle Wood
Castle Wood Rose Garden
Friday, 13th November 2026
It was the perfect day to be pottering around Castle Wood Rose Garden. The autumn leaves crunched beneath our boots (at least for a few minutes….more to come) and despite the cool temperature, we could mainly work in the warmth of the beautiful autumn sunshine. Plus we welcomed a new volunteer to our little group!
The rose beds were still pretty tidy overall and it was wonderful to see quite a few roses still flowering, mainly in one particular bed. However, one rose, pictured above, stood proudly - the only one in its bed in full bloom - a rose among thorns, as the saying goes.
Some volunteers quickly got down on their knees and tended the rose beds, forking out the weeds and grass shooting up between the roses following the recent showers, cutting back dead branches and snipping off the last of the dead heads. A quick forking of the bark mulch, some selective edging of the beds, and they were looking lovely again. And, we aren’t the only ones to think so - a couple of walkers congratulated us on the garden and offered their thanks. Very nice to hear and gratefully received.
Other volunteers, armed with brooms and shovels, tackled the leaf drop on the three flights of steps down from Severndroog, the section of access road between the steps and, of course, around the rose garden itself.
The sweeping will not only improve safety on the steps but will also reduce the amount of mulch which inevitably results, making them much easier to clean. There are still lots of leaves on the trees, and some are inevitably back on the steps already, so we will be back with our brooms another session, hopefully before they become too soggy.
Finally, for one volunteer, having taken a quick sit-down on a bench above the gardens, only to find a sweet chestnut sapling completely blocking the view, and despite having ‘clocked out’ of the sessions, those clippers just had to come out of the tool bag. It was removed in no time.
No view of the garden to enjoy from the benches!
And, hey presto, a view!
What a difference a few willing people, a few hours to spare, and a bit of energy can make. Enjoy the gardens everyone.
