Castle Howard has welcomed its first garden volunteer to the team and is calling out for more budding gardeners to get involved with maintaining the beautiful 18th century walled garden.

The walled garden which covers an area of approximately 10 acres and is divided into a rose garden, vegetable garden and traditional flower garden is looked after by new Head of Gardens, Adele Hirst and gardener Julia Kirkman.

Adele is keen to encourage volunteers into the garden, sharing her own knowledge and giving others an opportunity to work within one of Yorkshire’s most beautiful gardens.

Castle Howard’s first volunteer, Tracey, has had an interest in gardening since childhood and as a frequent visitor to Castle Howard has always admired the borders and displays.  Pursuing a new direction in life, Tracey is due to begin a horticulture course at Askham Bryan College and jumped at the chance to get some hands on experience.

Volunteering two days a week, Tracey’s first jobs have included potting up in the greenhouse, hoeing the long borders and hand staking the delphiniums to support the vivid blue, white and purple stems.

The Castle Howard gardens cover 1,000 acres and include the walled garden, woodland garden with notable rhododendron and botanical collection, lakeside paths and parkland dotted with statues, temple and fountain.

Those interested in volunteering with the Castle Howard gardens team should visit www.castlehoward.co.uk/recruitment to find out more.