Gardener’s Cuttings
Hestercombe wins top attraction award
Hestercombe, near Taunton, the Grade 1 Edwardian Garden designed by architect Edwin Lutyens and planted by Gertrude Jekyll, has been voted one of the south west’s top attractions.
Regal Swan at home on the lake in the landscape garden at Hestercombe. (Picture: Rebecca Pow)
The gardens have won Gold in the South West Tourism Excellence Awards confirming it as the 2010 best Small Attraction in the region. Hestercombe was shortlisted after an exhaustive selection and judging process, plus mystery inspections. The stylish venue, comprising gardens spanning three periods of garden history, an elegant café and restaurant using local produce, an art gallery, shop and contemporary conferencing facilities, beat hundreds of other entries to reach the final and ultimately to secure the Gold Award. Hestercombe now competes in the national Enjoy England Awards representing the South West; the results will be announced in April.
Save £2.99 off purchase price of 2011 Yellow Book
The 2011 edition of the NGS Yellow Book will contain around 500 new gardens listed to visit.
The Yellow Book has become something of a ‘bible’ of garden visits and the latest edition has been fully updated, detailed listings of 3,600 gardens open for visiting, and is packed with photographs of gardens and informed comment.
Country Gardener is offering you the chance to save £2.99 on the purchase price with a special NGS offer.
To purchase your copy of the Yellow Book 2011 at the offer price of just £7 including both post and packing to UK postal addresses, please either order via their website
www.ngs.org.uk and use the following promotional code CGYB11 or by phoning 01483 211535 and quoting CGYB11.
Please allow 14 days for delivery.
Gardens which welcome visitors on behalf of the NGS help raise funds for charities such as MacMillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Help the Hospices and Crossroads Care. 2010 saw the National Gardens Scheme donate over £2.6 million.
The Country Gardener offer is valid until July 2011. The front cover image on the Yellow Book is of Brook Farm, Worcestershire. The photographer is Julia Stanley.
Wrought iron can bring a garden alive
A historic metal and the traditional material of the blacksmith,wrought iron is a tough, ductile and fibrous material, more malleable and resistant to corrosion than steel. Dorset based Newton Forge specialise in making a wonderful range of gates and offer design options for gardens and gardeners. The iron is strong in both tension and compression and can be readily welded under the hammer. Today, wrought iron is mainly used in restoration and special projects where like for like materials are required and its high cost is warranted. Wrought iron comes in several varieties, namely charcoal and puddled iron which take their names from their production methods. A quality pair of gates can really enhance a property and add value which will last for years to come. We can work with your own ideas or offer a full design service. Newton Forge: 01258 472407.
10 Country Gardener
National Trust looks for volunteers
The National Trust is offering people the chance to find out more about what is involved in being a volunteer.
Whether interested in gardening, cooking, building, history, conservation or just like being outdoors, there are roles for all skills and interests and open days have been organised at various locations.
The Trust is also looking for guides for its houses and gardens, ideally anybody who enjoys meeting people and helping them get the most from their visit.
Richard Watson, community learning and volunteering manager for the region says: “The National Trust needs you whatever your interests, and however much spare time you have, even as little as one day a month. Volunteering is a great way to enhance your CV, keep your skills up to date and develop new ones. Even if you only have a few hours a week to spare, there’ll be something really useful to do.” For details contact your local NT property.
Care homes to help wildlife sanctuaries
Care homes seem to be taking a greater role in preserving wildlife and helping residents. People living in homes will be able to enjoy feeding a variety of birds thanks to the creation of hundreds of wildlife sanctuaries in the gardens of care properties. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has joined with Bupa, the health care organisation, to bring wildlife gardening to more than 300 care homes. The scheme is designed to boost some species currently in decline such as house sparrow, song thrushes, butterflies, bees and hedgehogs. It’s also hoped that helping to tend the gardens and watching wildlife will improve the health of elderly residents.
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