'All sorts going on' as gardeners prepare National Trust property for spring

As the sun begins to break through the clouds after a spell of heavy rain, work is under way to prepare a National Trust property for spring.

Each year, Wightwick Manor and Gardens in Wolverhampton attracts thousands of visitors, and the job of maintaining the 17.5 acres of heritage land falls to a team of gardeners and volunteers.

"We're a great family garden, we're always doing things to bring people in," head gardener James Carnell told BBC Radio WM.

"We've got all sorts going on in the gardens. There's water, there are apple trees which we have been pruning, and we're looking forward to them blossoming towards the end of March."

The National Trust property was once the home of the Mander family, local paint manufacturers who hired renowned designer Thomas Mawson in the early 1900s to landscape the grounds.

It features woodland, an orchard, pools, and a number of informal gardens filled with greenery and flowers.

The head gardener said: "We've just been through the orchards and we have pruned out some of the big branches and watershoots on our apple trees to let lots of light into all the branches.

"It's really fun to prune the climbing roses because you can create interesting shapes if you have a fence or some wall to trail them up on."

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