It’s not just about weeding
Apart from the odd daffodil and tulip (yes I know my images of tulips are odd) I am not great on plant identification. In fact I would not list serious gardening as one of my top ten hobbies.
I can manage grass cutting on the grounds that the operation of the mower is as much about keeping our ancient machine in a good mechanical order as it is about reducing the height of those verdant pastures which we refer to as “the lawn” – and the occasional spot of weeding.
No doubt my reader(s) will be somewhat surprised to find me lining up to visit the nirvana of horticulturalists, RHS Wisley.
With the current road improvements on the A3, actually getting to the gardens is a feat in itself. There are lanes closed, bits dug up, road closed signs, diversions and one way only notices in abundance. But with a sturdy map, and ignoring the sat-nav one does eventually arrive at the gate.
From there on it is a delightful experience. Helpful staff with friendly faces and a most relaxing atmosphere. I was amazed to see how many young mothers popped in for the day with young children in tow. There were areas for them, plenty of space and an absence of “Keep off the Grass” notices to say nothing of a play area. Wisley is not precious!
It had been suggested that we should arrive on site early to avoid the crowds, but Wisley is so large (around 240 acres) that masses of people are simply absorbed. Even so one of the more popular areas may be found quite near the entrance – the Wisteria Walk – that attracted quite a lot of people. The walkway is undoubtedly picturesque and I shot a lot of images around it.
We were told that the rhododendrons might be out. That was a bit optimistic, but the walk up to the top end of the garden was quite rewarding in terms of seeing so many different patches of colour. (A quick gloss to avoid stabbing at difficult spellings of plant names).
The Glasshouse with its tropical and semi – tropical plants was reminiscent of the Eden Project (you see the lad is well travelled). One or two appear in my panel below and I wouldn’t even hazard a guess at the names of some of them, but they are undoubtedly beautiful.
Then it was lunch on site and a quiet afternoon snooze in the sunshine by the lake while the hoi-polloi attempted to photograph a passing heron who dropped in for a snack. I declined to be drawn on that one as my last blog featured a heron on Barton Broad.
All in all Wisley is a brilliant visit and one I can recommend even for a non-green fingered person like me.
In retrospect I wonder who cuts all that grass and you certainly wouldn’t catch me volunteering for weeding duty.