A berberis which has been growing at the Marks Hall Estate near Coggeshall in Essex has been dramatically reduced in size. The plant which came from the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew over 30 years ago had grown to more than 20ft across and 23ft high. Curator at Mark Hall, Jonathan Jukes explained to Ken Crowther why they have had to hard prune the shrub.
If you wander through Marks Hall near Coggeshall in Essex and look up in the trees you will notice mistletoe growing. Now that there leaves have fallen the mistletoe is easy to spot hanging like chandeliers. The berries are sticky and stick to the branches when birds wipe their beaks as curator Jonathan Jukes explained to Ken Crowther.
Autumn is a great time to visit Marks Hall in Essex as the geographical themed planting produces a spectacularly colourful display. Curator Jonathan Jukes took Ken Crowther on a tour to see some of the highlights.