THE weather has been significantly better in July than in June and we are pleased to see a lot of our flowers in the gardens blooming beautifully.

Particularly impressive at the moment are the astilbes. Their robust nature, pretty foliage topped by brightly coloured blooms, make a colourful sight, particularly in the Knot and Sunken Gardens. The herbaceous border has also come into its own this month. Be sure to examine it closely as there are some beautiful and interesting combinations of plants and flowers. The vegetable garden has been slow to get going this year as our spring was wet and cold, but finally the brassicas and beans have started to make good progress. Some of our fruits are ripe already and we are currently selling blackcurrants and gooseberries in the visitor centre. In the coming weeks we are sure we will be offering more fruit and vegetables for sale.

Another wonderful thing about this time of year is the butterflies. Look out for Meadow Brown, Common White and Red Admirals around the gardens and Captain’s Field in particular. We are celebrating ‘Save our Butterflies Week’ by hosting our ‘Flutter By Butterfly’ event on Saturday 23 July. A local expert will be taking visitors on a butterfly hunt to learn about these beautiful insects from 2 to 4pm. This nature walk is included in the entry fee. Another exciting event is our ‘Wild Night’ on Saturday 6 August. Join our Rangers and have a go at building your own shelter in which to stay overnight in the woodlands. Booking is essential for this event and is priced at £6.50 per adult and £5 per child. All children must, of course, be accompanied by an adult. Please contact the visitor centre on 01505 540505 for more details and to book.

Fungi have also made a distinct appearance in the woodlands over the past few weeks, particularly Stinkhorn and Fly Agaric. Over the season we expect a wide variety of mushrooms and toadstools throughout the woods and clearings.

Now that the schools have finished for the summer, we are welcoming more and more families to the estate from all over the country. It is lovely to see visitors from around the British Isles and we have had a few from the continent and across the pond recently. We expect to see plenty more over the coming weeks. Every Tuesday and Wednesday from now until 10 August we have our ‘Wild Days Out’ activities aimed at children up to 10-years-old. These vary from educational nature walks to craft activities. More information about these events is on our website.

Although we are kept very busy with visitors at this time of year we are, of course, still working on essential conservation tasks around the estate. We are pleased to be working with our Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme participants from St Columba’s School in Kilmacolm. Over the past couple of weeks we have been clearing birch and other invasive species from the Arboretum Trail, in order to encourage some of our slower growing trees to thrive. Our regular volunteers, one of whom is pictured, are getting stuck in and we appreciate all the help they provide. If anyone else is interested in volunteering on the estate they should contact our Ranger Chris, on 01475 540505.

Don’t forget that our tearoom is open to all visitors from 11am to 5pm daily. Menu highlights include freshly-made soup, quiches, salads, smoothies, coffee and home baking. Every item is made fresh, nothing is frozen or packaged. Over the coming weeks they will also be selling seasonal fruit and vegetables, homemade jams, and other local produce. If you would like to find out more about our events, membership or volunteering opportunities please check our website www.finlaystone.co.uk. Alternatively, look us up on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.