A Cozy Retreat at Goldstone Hall Hotel
Brrrrr! November has arrived, and the log fires at Goldstone Hall Hotel offer a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle.

Harvesting the Last of the Season
In the gardens, much of the vegetable harvesting has been completed, but some resilient crops remain, including Kale ‘Cavolo Nero’ and ‘Redbor.’ Meanwhile, the Brussels sprouts await their first frost, which enhances their flavour. Interestingly, some crops, like Oxalis tuberosa, known as Oca, only reach their peak during winter. With clover-like leaves and brightly coloured tubers, have a taste that is slightly lemony and are ready for harvest once a frost has blackened the top growth.

Unique Additions to the Garden
Our Szechuan pepper (Zanthoxylum simulans) is also thriving this month. This large shrub or small tree adds a quirky touch to the garden, but caution is needed due to its sharp thorns. Its hard red fruits are fragrant and create a beautiful contrast against the yellow autumn foliage.

Preparing for Spring
Sarah has been busy planting garlic varieties, including ‘Iberian White’ and ‘Provence White,’ from cloves saved from the summer harvest. Garlic requires a long growing season, so it’s planted now to grow through winter and spring for a summer harvest. As winter approaches, gardeners prepare the ground for spring. In the cutting garden, annuals have been removed and dahlias lifted after an early frost. The tubers will be stored dry in the polytunnel over winter, while the ground will be cleared and enriched with manure to enhance fertility.

Exciting Developments Ahead
Regular visitors will notice that the area next to the polytunnel, once home to a derelict swimming pool, has been cleared and landscaped. This new development will create an exciting addition to the Goldstone garden in the coming year, so watch this space….literally!

Goldstone Meadows Update
In Goldstone Meadows, drainage work completed over the summer has improved conditions by removing blockages in clay pipes. This will allow finer grasses and wildflowers to thrive, establishing strong roots and outcompeting coarser plants like docks and nettles.

Join Us in the Garden 

Whether this is your first time visiting Goldstone or a repeat visit, the gardens create a tapestry of interest both outside and within where all of the exceptional produce from our garden is transformed into mouth-watering dishes.  Add to this our unrivalled cellar housing a carefully curated selection of wine and other tipples and there is plenty to keep out the chill of a winter day or night.

Also, don’t miss our garden updates on our new Youtube channel, see here.

Warm wishes from Ross and the Garden Team

A Georgian manor house and restaurant with 12 comfortable bedrooms overlooking the rolling tree-strewn hills of the North Shropshire countryside. Boasting 5 acres of award-winning gardens, including a productive one-acre kitchen garden.

Located in the ‘Golden Garden Triangle’ close to Wollerton Old Hall Garden, Hodnet Hall Gardens & Dorothy Clive Garden.  

A warm welcome awaits you.

Find out more about the hotel and garden opening times here.