Monday, October 01, 2012
Mark and Gaz
For us anyway. We've been to RHS Wisley so many times before but always during the winter, never in any other season apart from winter.
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| Blue skies, lush greenery, and sculptures for sale at RHS Wisley last Saturday |
And it looked like it was set to be like that again this year so before that became the case we decided to break tradition and actually made it there before the cold weather set in. Finally, we made it to Wisley, and it's not even winter yet!
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| The blue skies that greeted us just outside the main entrance |
It was great to see the place with the herbaceous plants not yet frosted and tidied away, and the long borders still looking lush and vibrant with colour. And to see the Alpine beds with out its perspex roof on too (which it always has, you guessed it right, during the winter). And even better, we spent most of our time outdoors rather than inside the main glasshouse seeking refuge from the cold outside.
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| It's mainly about the outside this time! |
To put it simply, it is such a beautiful garden/horticultural learning institution, where you can see and feel that every bit is well loved and taken cared for by people who love plants and gardening (it should be, it's the flagship garden of the RHS!). A plant lover's paradise!
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| Dappled autumn sunshine on Battleston Hill |
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| The Trial beds |
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| Dahlias on trial... |
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| Rows of beautiful grasses |
There are so many things to talk about and feature about this wonderful place so I won't make this particular post verbose. Rather this is just an introduction of some sort and we will feature different aspects of this garden in our future posts, interspersed amongst other blog subjects.
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| Love at first sight.... |
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| Pinus montezumae 'Sheffield Park' |
So great to see this garden whilst it's still reasonably warm (for British standards that is) and lush outside. No doubt we will be back again soon, in the winter most likely. But we must remember to break tradition again next year and hopefully make it in the spring and summer just for a change!
Mark
RHS Wisley
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
Gorgeous grounds! Some beautiful plants also and that Pine is fantastic. I've not seen one with such long needles before.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Love the photo of the Pinus absolutely beautiful, wish i had the space for a conifer collection.
ReplyDeleteSean (of Cistus Nursey) suggested that I visit Wisley while in London. I dismissed it as too far away. Darn, looks like I missed a good one! Looking forward to your future posts.
ReplyDeleteHi Cher, same here, I haven't seen a pine with such long needles before. I think that conifer is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteKaren, wouldn't it be lovely to have the space for a Pinetum indeed? I certainly would have one if we had the space.
Loree, it could be something to look forward to in the future, who knows? :)
Beautiful photos! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, glad you enjoyed them Lithops :)
ReplyDeleteI love Wisley, I like to go in Jan/Feb when the butterflies are in the glasshouse, and there's so much in flower in there. But really any time is good, as there is always something at its peak. And whatever the season, their rock cakes are to die for...
ReplyDeleteI've never been to Wisley. I'd like to spend time with the grasses. If I had a big garden I'd have a big jungle of grasses.
ReplyDeleteOne of the gardens that I, also, dismissed as simply too far away from where we were staying to visit. Clearly this is one that I need to make a priority on my next trip to England! (Perhaps a good reason to start planning that next trip......)
ReplyDeleteHi Martin! Looking forward to seeing the butterflies in the greenhouse again too,come February next year.
ReplyDeleteEsther, grasses are a fantastic group of plants and most of them look their best now, adding garden interest in late summer and autumn.
Definitely Tim, well worth visiting for next time you visit :)
I’ve never really been one for visiting gardens that are open to the public, not for any special reason just never really thought to do it despite my love for plants. However as I’m planning a trip to the south of England in the new year, I think this post has made me actually want to go to RHS Wisley as it looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteI often browse British garden blogs as being just a little north of you, our climates are not dissimilar. It really looks like a great day out and I’ve already browsed the website and will most definitely make a special effort to go there.
I have 2 months staying in Kent with my Brother who lives there and by all accounts Surrey is not too far away.
Loved the statue, the lawns look immaculate and above all the Pinus montezumae really took my eye. Seems it’s not just a great day out, it’s a learning experience also.
For someone that has never expressed an interest in visiting official gardens, suddenly I’m looking for more as I know there are some great ones there in the UK. Seems you have given me a potential treat for which I’m very grateful.
Hi Janus, I'm glad to hear that you found this post useful and have persuaded you to visit RHS Wisley whilst on holiday here :) It's a gorgeous place and you could easily spend the day there. Two months is a good amount of time to explore many places in the UK, and you'll find in your area alone (Kent and the south east) it is a treasure trove of beautiful gardens and other attractions (Kent is called the 'Garden of England'). I hope you'll find some of our other posts, of other gardens useful too. You'll have a fantastic time here for sure :)
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for the comment you left on my post, no not my garden, a shot from the open gardens that we visited up in the Blue Mountains. I actually did finish that post off with A New Post, if you are interested in viewing that, no whingeing this time, promise. Have a nice afternoon and a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteHi Mark and Gaz....I live so close to Wisely...let me know when you guys will be there...love to meet you. gardeninggabbing... /Debbie
ReplyDeleteHi Mark/Gaz....let me know when you are next at Wisely...would love to meet you! Debbie (gardeninggabbing)
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