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Hampshire Cuttings


GARDENERS CUTTINGS


a look at news, events and happenings in Hampshire


Replanting the centenary border at the Harold Hillier Gardens


Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Romsey has one of the longest double borders in the country


One of the longest double borders in the country is being replanted at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Romsey in the coming months. It will feature around 1,000 different types of plants and the teams of staff and volunteers will plant around 30,000 individual plants. The gardens’ staff aim to give visitors as much access as possible to see this


project develop between this autumn and next spring. By next summer the new border will be reopened to the public.


Initially created in 1964, the 220-metre Centenary Border has outgrown its proportions and is in need of rejuvenation. Working with landscape architects Julia Fogg and Anny Evason, the border is being widened and extended to around 250 metres in length. The new design will allow, for the first time, all-year access with paving either side of the central grass vista and diagonal paths to give access to the tree and shrub collection beyond the border. The planting will show a wide range of exciting shrubs, herbaceous plants and bulbs as well as taking advantage of the surrounding collection of diverse trees and shrubs.


Established in 1953 by the distinguished plantsman Sir Harold Hillier, the current magnificent collection of over 42,000 plants from temperate regions around the world grows in a variety of landscapes and gardens. The 180-acre gardens offer beauty, tranquillity and discovery to all ages, whatever the season.


Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Jermyns Lane, Ampfield, Romsey SO52 0QA. Telephone: 01794 368787 (general enquiries) or visit the website: www.hilliergardens.org.uk


Moths enjoy life in Hampshire


Compared with their spectacular butterfly relatives, moths tend to be regarded at best as boring, brown jumper-munching pests.


“It could be that they’re regarded as creatures of the night. They seem to suffer a similar reputation as bats,” says moth expert Bob Chapman, a Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust reserves officer.


“The differences between moths and butterflies are frankly artificial. Moths are regarded as night-flying insects but there are many species that fly in the day. And some moths are brightly-coloured and pretty spectacular.”


What’s more there are about 2,500 species of moth in the UK to the butterfly’s 50 – and only three of those will nibble on clothes. There’s more good news for moth fans in Hampshire and along the south coast. This area is richer in species than most other parts of the UK.


Bob says: “We have a wide mixture of habitats for different species – meadows, woodland, the chalk of Portsdown Hill and salt marshes. The Portsmouth area has generated a lot of interesting moth records over the years.”


One species – the reddish buff – is now thought to be restricted in the wild to one colony on the Isle of Wight. www.hwt.org.uk


Country Gardener


Apple Day at Chawton House


Apple Day is being celebrated at Chawton House


Apple Day is being celebrated at Chawton House, the historic


Elizabethan house at Chawton near Alton which once belonged to Jane Austen’s brother. The open garden event takes place on Sunday, 2nd October between 10.30am and 4.30pm. There will be apple-themed refreshments and teas, produce for sale and a display of traditional implements used in the cultivation and harvesting of apples.


Edward Austen Knight gave his mother and two sisters a home in the village of Chawton, now Jane Austen’s House Museum. At Chawton House he built a walled kitchen garden, the plans for which Jane was involved with, although the garden was not completed until after her death in 1817.


Chawton House is now a charity and has a unique library of books written by women between 1600 and 1830. It runs a programme of various events throughout the year with lectures, music recitals, study days and workshops. During half-term in October there will be Hallowe’en activities for children and adults.


On Thursday, 13th October there is a


tour of the estate, a chance to see the shire horses, the parkland and gardens, followed by tea and cake in the kitchen. The walk starts at 2pm, and costs £10. Stout footwear is required. Telephone: 01420 541010.


Chawton House, Chawton, Alton, Hampshire GU34 ISJ. www.chawtonhouse.org


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