My Photos

Friday, 8 August 2014

Wakehurst Place

Botanical garden with the world's largest seed conservation project
Open throughout the year, Wakehurst is the country estate of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

The varied landscape is of international significance for its beautiful botanic gardens and tree collections, as well as for its science-based plant conservation and research.

A feast for the senses, Wakehurst features natural woodland and lakes, formal gardens, an Elizabethan house (five unfurnished rooms) and the 21st-century architecture of Kew's Millennium Seed Bank.

Wakehurst marks an international conservation milestone in 2010, having conserved seeds from ten per cent of the world's plant species.

Wakehurst Place is leased from the National Trust and is managed by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Wakehurst Place is funded and managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. To find out about the things you can see and do on a visit, please take a look at the Wakehurst Place pages on the Kew Gardens website.

More Photos HERE

Monday, 30 June 2014

Nymans 25th June 2014

Outstanding 20th-century garden, set around a romantic house and ruins, in beautiful woodland
In the late 1800s Ludwig Messel bought the Nymans Estate in the Sussex High Weald to make a dream family home. Inspired by the wooded surroundings he created a garden with plants collected from around the world. Here this creative family entertained friends and family, enjoyed relaxing, playing and picnicking in the garden and woods. Today it is still a garden lovers' home - a place to relax all year round and enjoy a peaceful country garden.

The house was partially destroyed by fire in 1947 and the romantic ruins of a fairytale gothic mansion remain. Nymans is one of the National Trust's most eco- friendly properties and aims to inspire a more sustainable way of living.

Inspired by the garden lovers' home there is a large shop and plant centre with a special collection of plants grown on site as well as a redesigned café offering a choice of seasonal food,a Grab & Go kiosk in the tea garden and woodland craft sales.

Every day there are guided walks and talks in the garden and woods, a small gallery in the house with changing exhibitions for every season, a secondhand bookshop, shop tastings and mobility tours of the garden and woods. For children there are natural play trails, geocaching in the garden and woods, pick up and go activities and school holiday trails.

Click on photo to enlarge: