"My work is dictated by the seasons and the prevailing conditions of the time. There is a general calendar for the gardens each year but you have to be adaptable.

In the winter we have the witch-hazel and later magnolia in flower. It's also a chance for us to crack on with some of the bigger projects where you can make noise and mess and do some essential planting and pruning.

We usually open the gardens for the first two weekends in February (though this can change) for people to view the drifts of snowdrops.

The initial drifts of snowdrops pre-date my time, so over many generations they've been growing naturally in the grounds, though we have slowly increased their numbers. We always have a splendid display, without fail, but they tend to start flowering earlier and earlier as the years go by - though we've never failed to hit the right date for opening the gardens to the public.

By the time we officially reopen just before Easter we've got massive drift upon drift of narcissi. Daffodils are narcissi and there's a very wide range of varieties and species, from the traditional yellow trumpet star-shaped flowers to the pheasant's eye, some of which are scented. These blend in with the bluebells which follow on in May. So after the vibrant daffodils, we have the cooler, smoky blue haze of the bluebells.

Springtime is also when the wild flowers begin to bloom, making as much use of the natural light before the leaf canopy closes over.

Any grass cutting is held back until the optimum time, which gives wild grasses an opportunity to flower. This also allows the wildlife to take full advantage of the gardens, which are a habitat for pollinating insects, butterflies, beetles and their predators further up the food chain. It's a real, living garden.

In the summer the garden settles down and the invertebrates and mammals get on with their business. We always take into account conditions and manage islands and refuge areas for wildlife as they bring up their young.

The grounds are also home to buzzards and kestrels and a large bat population, mainly in areas of woodland - though there are some in the castle.

There's even more activity at night, with owls, bats and badgers coming out.

Another feature of the grounds is the Victorian walled garden, which is quite far from the castle and a bit of a surprise. The main features are a great collection of exotic trees, shrubs, wall climbers and herbaceous plants.

In its day, there would have been 30 gardeners and estate staff to run things. Now there's just a permanent staff of three, with people coming into help on seasonal contracts and some long-serving and dedicated volunteers.

If you'd like to volunteer in the gardens, come and talk to one of the staff to discuss what would best suit you. We're always happy to have chats with people about voluntary work - it's a chance to see first hand what the work is and how we go about it.

Schools and colleges also have training sessions here and we try and help students overcome any bad habits!

Being outdoors is the real essence of the job - the office can go hang at times when you have to get on with whatever needs to be done in the garden."