WFGS Outings for 2024
Bluebells at Coton Manor Thursday April 25th at 2.00pm
On Thursday 25th April we have booked a self drive visit to the glorious bluebell woods at Coton Manor, where you will not only get the chance to immerse yourselves in the sea of bluebells but to look round the rest of the garden and enjoy some of their luxurious cakes as well.
Hill Close Gardens near Warwick
(Saturday 15th June, with Michael Heseltine's garden in Thenford)
Rare survivals of Victorian gardens once used by townsfolk living above their business to escape from the crowded town, now lovingly restored and nationally recognised. Discover how owners came here after work or on Sundays to tend their plots or to relax…
The restored gardens at Hill Close, Warwick, offer an extremely rare opportunity to visit sixteen hedged Victorian pleasure gardens, which capture the planting and personalities of their original owners.
The plots are very varied and individual, as would have been the case more than a hundred years ago. Generally there is a mixture of flowers, fruit – such as apples, pears, plums and soft fruit – a grassed area and a range of vegetables, mostly heritage varieties seldom seen nowadays. Artists experiment with different materials to represent the Victorian era in another plot.
The Victorian-styled glasshouse is used to raise plants for the garden and for selling in the nursery. In the summer there is a display of exotic plants such as Hedychiums, Eucomis and Pelargoniums. Hill Close Gardens has an extremely wide range of horticulture with many rare and ‘at risk’ plants, particularly in Plot 17 and the glasshouse. Every year, many different cultivars are offered or received under the Plant Heritage plant exchange scheme for ‘at risk’ plants.
Our Visitor Centre which is environmentally friendly in design and structure, has recently been extended to give visitors their own dedicated space with all the information they need to enjoy their visit. The Tea Room has a more extensive range of refreshments, including locally sourced cakes, and cream teas. To take home a memento of the visit, there is the opportunity to buy garden-themed merchandise as well as plants, seasonal produce and fruit grown in the Plant Nursery.
Michael Heseltine's Garden (Thenford near Banbury)
(Saturday 15th June, with Hill Close Gardens)
Michael Heseltine’s Garden is in Thenford , near Banbury.
We visited it in 2017 and everybody agreed it was a wonderful garden.
A visit to Thenford is a must for all gardening enthusiasts. The Arboretum is spread over seventy acres, and features a collection of more than three thousand different trees and shrubs, together with extensive herbaceous borders, water gardens, an alpine trough garden, a sculpture garden, a rose garden and a rill. Thenford has something for every gardening enthusiast.
We intend to visit Hill Close Gardens near Warwick in the morning. We will be given a guided tour and plenty of free time to look round on our own. Tea/coffee and cake is included in the ticket.
We will then travel on to Thenford near Banbury for Michael Heseltine’s Open Garden Day starting at 2.00pm.
You will need a packed lunch to eat in Hill Close Garden or on the coach in between Warwick and Banbury, about 1/2 hour.
On Arrival at Thenford you will be given a map showing the layout of the garden and arboretum.
There will be tea, coffee and cakes available during the afternoon in the Church Barn, at extra cost.
Wisley in Autumn
(October 19th)
To end our visits for the year we plan to take our free (just coach to pay for) RHS visit to Wisley once more, enjoying the glorious Autumn colours in October and all the things that the gardens there now have to offer, which seem to change rapidly each year, there is always something new to be seen.
Christmas Lights Trail
We plan to revisit a tried and trusted venue this year. Details to follow later in the year.
