Things are hotting up in Arundel Castle’s gardens
The heat is on at Arundel Castle as the gardening team celebrates its chilli harvest in the heart of West Sussex. More than 55 types of chilli peppers, as well as many other fruits and vegetables, can be spotted ripening within the glasshouses, delighting the senses as the summer wears on.
Arundel Castle’s head gardener, Martin Duncan, said, “Visitors will be enchanted by the Castle’s tropical glasshouse, beautifully ornamented along its length with a profusion of chillies in all shades of red, green, orange, yellow and even black.”
“The Victorian Vine House has a wonderful display of chillies to be admired as they dry out I the sun showing all their amazing shapes and sizes – from smooth, long and pointed to rippled, wavy and gnarled. Even the spiciest of chilli connoisseurs will spot a species to ‘piquant’ their interest.
“Some of the chillies in the flamboyant display are too hot to handle, such as ‘The Cat’ and ‘Scorpion Ghost’, but gardener Izzy takes special care, always wearing gloves when tending the chillies.
“We absolutely adore showing visitors our harvested chillies at this time of year. Chillies with the strangest forms and names, such as the ‘Peach Larga’ (very hot), ‘Lemon Drop’ (lemony flavour), ‘Friars Cap’ (fun shape), ‘Russian Flying Saucer’ and the ‘Brazilian Starfish’, tend to be the firm favourites of our guests! We’re keeping our fingers crossed for an extended Indian summer, to keep our harvest season going for longer.”
Aside from the abundance of chillies, the Victorian Vine House is also adorned with dangling grapes and loofah gourds, as well as juicy tomatoes and ripening figs.
The gardens can be enjoyed with the purchase of any ticket, starting from £11 for children and £13 for adults, available online and at the gate.
For more information regarding the gardens and all the events taking place at the Castle please visit: www.arundelcastle.org.