surrey days out
founded in 1804 by Sir Joseph Banks and John Wedgwood for the encouragement and improvement of the science, art and practice of horticulture. The RHS held its first flower shows in 1820 and was granted a Royal Charter in 1861. It acquired the first of its gardens, RHS Garden Wisley, in 1903 and went on to become the world’s largest gardening charity. Today, 211 years after its foundation, the RHS continues to safeguard and advance the world of horticulture, providing a voice for all gardeners, creating displays that encourage people to garden, sharing knowledge of plants, gardens and the environment. Nowadays the RHS has three other gardens: Hyde Hall in Essex; Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire; and Rosemoor in Devon. The Glasshouse at Wisley was constructed to celebrate the RHS bicentenary and Alan Titchmarsh cut the turf to mark the start of its construction in April 2005. Costing £7.7 million, it opened in June 2007, covering three quarters of an acre and overlooking a new lake, built at the same time. The Glasshouse is divided into three main planting zones representing desert, tropical and temperate climates. When the RHS was gifted Wisley in
1903, only a small part of the 60 acres estate was actually cultivated as a garden. The remainder was wooded farmland. The original garden was the creation of George Fergusson Wilson, a businessman, scientist, inventor and keen gardener who purchased the site in 1878 and established the Oakwood experimental garden with the aim of ‘making difficult plants grow successfully’. The garden acquired a reputation for its collections of lilies, gentians, Japanese irises, primulas and water plants. Today’s Wild Garden at Wisley is the direct descendant of Oakwood and remains true to the original concept. After Wilson’s death in 1902, Oakwood and the adjoining Glebe Farm were bought by Sir Thomas Hanbury, a wealthy Quaker who founded the celebrated garden of La Mortola on the Italian Riviera. In 1903, Sir Thomas presented the Wisley Estate to the RHS in trust for its perpetual use. For at least 30 years the Society had been seeking a larger garden ‘beyond the
radius of the London smoke’ to replace the garden at Chiswick which it has leased since 1822 and by May 1904 the move from Chiswick to Wisley was complete. While Wisley was taking shape as an ornamental garden, its educational and scientific roles were never forgotten and a small laboratory and School of Horticulture were founded to prepare young people for careers as professional gardeners. Following the move to Wisley, the trials of flowers, fruit and vegetables were resumed and expanded with the aim of showing the public the best kinds of plants to grow. The combination of learning with pleasure is the essence of Wisley today. At Wisley, there’s so much to
discover. The model gardens offer a wealth of inspirational ideas for ordinary domestic gardens; the Canal in front of the mellow laboratory building features spectacular water lilies in season; whilst the rhododendrons and azaleas on Battleston Hill along with shows of daffodils and camellias are spectacular in April. A new venture is the Mediterranean Walk on Battleston Hill where visitors can walk alongside plants from Australia, California, Chile and South Africa and the Mediterranean Basin. At over 150 metres, this will be the longest outdoors Mediterranean walk in the country. The rock garden and alpine meadow, the fruit field, pinetum and Jubilee arboretum, the Bowes-Lyon rose garden, mixed borders, and National heather collection all offer a fascinating day out. There’s a plant information centre and various courses are also available, together with a programme of exciting events throughout the year. RHS Garden Wisley – the country’s second most visited garden after Kew - is open all year round except Christmas Day. Opening hours are from 10am to 4.30pm weekdays, with the earlier start of 9am on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays. From 6th March, the later summer closing time of 6pm applies. Visitor facilities including cafes and restaurant, gift and plant centres, children’s play area, and a large car park.
For further details call 0845 260 900
www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley.
surrey magazine spring 2015 61
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