Hibernating Hops!

It has definitely been a month of contrasts this December in the Hop Garden!

All the hard work from the Hoppers in getting the hop plants “dressed” in November has really paid off.  The plants had been cut right back to ground level in an attempt to get them to “hibernate” over the winter.....

.....and then came the cold snap!  

With a deep frost covering the hop garden, it was very picturesque, against a beautiful blue sky.

The last of the water in the Sunken Garden froze over....

.....as did the pond in the copse beside the hop garden.

The deer made a quick run for it.......

......but were not too bothered by their visitor.

 There’s still plenty of vegetation in the hop garden and Matthew will be tackling this in the new year, particularly after the deluge of rain, which has given the ground (and the weeds!) a good soaking.

In the meantime, Matthew has done more work on the fence as well as some generally tidying up, before taking a well-deserved break for Christmas!