Village Gardeners
At our March meeting Mr Peter Walker took us on a journey through four gardens
of Devon and Somerset, each illustrated with his own interesting and sometimes
stunningly beautiful photographs.
We first visited Rosemoor in Devon which was given to the RHS in 1988. A garden of forty acres it includes, among others, formal gardens incorporating two hundred varieties of roses, colour themed gardens, a winter garden and woodland. Since the garden is in a frost pocket and averages one metre of rain a year, gardening here is something of a challenge!
We then moved on to Marwood Hill Garden near Barnstaple -twenty acres of often terraced areas including five hundred different varieties of plants and which holds the National Collection of camellias in a large glasshouse -a sight to behold in the spring I imagine.
Knightshayes National Trust garden near Tiverton came next, where we saw herbaceous borders, a Victorian walled kitchen garden and a wooded area with magnolias, rhododendrons and hydrangeas.
Lastly we paid a visit to Hestercombe Gardens over the county border near Taunton in Somerset. Here the hard landscaping was designed by Sir Edward Lutyens at his best, complemented by the softer planting of Gertrude Jekyll. The evening provided an interesting introduction to gardens which were, I think, new to many of us.
Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 19 April at 8pm in the Village Hall when Peter Jackson, from Scotsdales, will be talking on 'Trees for Modern Gardens'. The Village Gardeners'annual coach outing this year will be on Saturday 18 June to Barnsdale Gardens near Oakham. These gardens were immortalised by Geoff Hamilton on 'Gardeners'World' and are now run by his son and daughter-in-law.
Non-members are very welcome to join us on this outing. If you would like to add your name to the list or for more information please contact Roger Connan or Mary Hart.