LIVE 24-SEVEN
The garland was cut with appropriate garden shears and the building was officially declared open, whilst guests enjoyed canapes and charismatic conversation.
With around 20,000 plants, the selection in the plant centre is impressive. There is a strong focus on British nurseries, with peonies, for example, being provided to the centre for the first time by Primrose Hall Peonies – a flower show favourite! I came away with a stunning Salvia nemorosa ‘Rose Marvel’ – such an eye-catching pink and planted in the gardens at Wisley, as many of the plants available for sale there are, giving you the perfect opportunity to wander around the grounds looking for inspiration before making a purchase. The Salvia seemed a popular pick, I even persuaded a lovely man with whom I shared a conversation over coffee, to take one back with him – his daughter had been married at Gloucestershire’s Barnsley House, I do hope he was pleased with his purchase!
In addition to plants, outside and in, there is also a huge selection of giftware and outdoor living products. From cushions and candles to chocolates and cards and a bevy of botanical books, this is a shopper’s dream. I was particularly enamoured with my small RHS designed watering can – passion flowers on a grey background – super pretty and perfect for a plethora of houseplants in favour of drinking in style!
Despite the continued precipitation, I took myself, my umbrella and my slightly impractical heels outside for a look around the impressive gardens before I departed, my last visit having been
93
during winter. There really is so much to see, from the 40ft high glasshouse filled with palms, tree ferns, cacti and bananas – and a sensational place for shelter on this occasion – to the numerous different garden areas. The Cottage Garden continues to delight with its roses, catmint and geraniums and the roses nearby in The Bowes Lyon Rose Garden still sparkled against the grey skies above. The Rock Garden is constantly admired and I was particularly taken with the alternatives to box laid out in the Walled Garden, a real mounded patchwork of colour with a stately Cycas standing guard at the centre. There’s a new garden headed for the site in September too, you may have already seen it – the RHS Back to Nature Garden, co-designed by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge and featured at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, a real oasis of natural calm.
So from new openings to age old plantings, Wisley continues to be firmly at the centre of the horticultural map and can’t wait to welcome you this summer.
LIVE24-SEVEN.COM
THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE CAMI L LA BAS S E T T - SMI TH
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
