Based at South Kensington, London or Tring Hertfordshire.
Open daily 10.00-17.50
(last entry 17.30)
Closed 24-26 December
Lots of online resources for your class before they visit!
Key Stage 1 (ages 5-7)
Animal and human bodies
Dinosaurs and fossils
Habitats and food chains
Famous people
Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11)
Build the Change: Human Impact
Evolution and inheritance
Volcanoes and earthquakes
Life cycles, habitats and classification
Animals including humans
Science and scientists
Rocks, fossils and dinosaurs
Key stage 3 (ages 11-14)
Urban habitats
Climate change and biodiversity
Pollution
Tools for outdoor enquiry
Working scientifically
Actions for urban nature
The Nation’s Favourite Gardens – winners announced
Coton Manor Garden in Northamptonshire has been named the Nation’s Favourite Garden to visit. Coton’s owners, Ian and Susie Pasley-Tyler, were given their award at a presentation held by The English Garden at London’s Garden Museum on Monday night.
The English Garden joined forces with the National Garden Scheme and Viking Cruises earlier this year to find the Nation’s Favourite Gardens. Throughout spring and early summer nominations poured in for favourite gardens from among the 3,500 that open their gates to the public through the National Garden Scheme.
Those nominations were narrowed down to a shortlist of 30 gardens by a panel of judges: National Garden Scheme chief executive George Plumptre, garden designer Paul Hervey-Brooks, garden photographer Clive Nichols and The English Garden’s editor Clare Foggett. During late summer and autumn the public voted for their favourite shortlisted gardens to produce the winners: one for each of the Scheme’s six regions and one champion of champion with the most votes overall.
The regional winners are: Kew Green Gardens, London, in the South East; Horatio’s Garden in Salisbury for the South West; The Manor House, Stevington for the East; Wollerton Old Hall in Shropshire for Wales & The Marches; Larch Cottage Nurseries in Melkinthorpe, Cumbria for the North; and Coton Manor Garden for the Midlands and overall.
Clare Foggett, editor of The English Garden said: “Any of the gardens on the 30-strong shortlist would have made very worthy winners, but we’re delighted that these six gardens have been voted the winners in their respective regions. They obviously all strike a chord with their visitors and have become much-loved places to visit.”
George Plumptre, CEO of the National Garden Scheme said: “We were quite bowled over by the quantity and range of nominations which illustrated very powerfully the huge diversity of our gardens. English Garden readers voted in huge numbers and so it was a great achievement for the six gardens that were our regional winners and in particular for Coton Manor, the well-deserved overall winner. Having opened for 50 years in aid of the National Garden Scheme, 30 of them under the loving care of the present owners, Coton Manor typifies the loyal support which we are so lucky to have from so many garden owners and visitors.”
Wendy Atkin-Smith, Managing Director of Viking UK, said: “We were pleased to support the search for the nation’s favourite garden, especially given that the nominees were chosen by the public and encompassed a diverse range of gardens across England and Wales. Gardening is very close to the heart of Viking guests and in a recent survey two thirds said that being outdoors is the key to wellbeing. At Viking we share our guests’ passion for nature and horticulture and we are involved in many garden-related events. We look forward to welcoming visitors to the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival presented by Viking in July next year.”
Kew Green Gardens in London is actually five discrete but adjoining gardens that combine to form one large and unique space extending over one-and-a-half acres. Borders are low and contribute to viewing, while clematis and roses climb between gardens to unite the whole.
Old yew and holly hedges bring structure to the 10-acre grounds at Coton Manor in Northamptonshire. Herbaceous borders are a speciality and are especially eye-catching in late summer. An adjacent nursery is stocked with plants propagated from the garden.
Larch Cottage in Penrith, Cumbria, is well-known for its nursery but the surrounding gardens are important in their own right. Find a Japanese dry garden, flowing perennial borders, a small lake and even an Italianate columned garden specifically for shade plants.
Designed by Cleve West, Horatio’s Garden at the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre in Salisbury, Wiltshire, features low, sinuous limestone walls and densely planted beds that double as seating. The garden opened in 2012 and is maintained by a head gardener and volunteers for the benefit of long-stay patients.
Kathy Brown’s garden at The Manor House in Stevington, Bedfordshire beautifully combines garden rooms and views. In late spring, cherries, lilacs and orchard trees blossom above meadows of camassias, while wisteria flowers above swathes of alliums.
Wollerton Old Hall, near Market Drayton in Shropshire is well-known to many and loved for its picture-perfect borders with towering delphiniums, timbered 16th century house bedecked with climbing roses and immaculate mirror-like water feature.
Paultons Park is inviting horticulture enthusiasts to the Park after it closes to explore its ‘exquisite gardens’ at the first Exclusive Gardens Open Evening.
On Tuesday, July 9 2019, the Paultons Estate – home to the UK’s best-rated theme park Paultons Park, based in the New Forest, is inviting gardening enthusiasts and horticulture groups to roam more than 65 acres of landscaped parkland.
The Exclusive Gardens Open Evening will start at 6.30pm and guests will be able to explore the themed and formal gardens located within Paultons Park, such as the Japanese Garden which opened at the Park in 2017. The dedicated gardening team will be on hand to share the estate’s history and answer questions. During the evening visitors will see themed topiaries, copper water features, historic cedar trees, and much more.
James Mancey, operations director, said: “The Paultons Estate features exquisite gardens rich in history, with the original features laid out by English landscape artist Capability Brown, known as ‘England’s greatest gardener’. Several of Brown’s iconic and recognisable design elements can still be seen today.
“We’re excited to welcome our fellow gardening enthusiasts to Paultons Park for the first Exclusive Gardens Open Evening and share with them a variety of different gardens and features outside that Park’s usual opening hours.”
Tickets for this event are limited and on sale now at: www.paultonspark.co.uk. Tickets are charged at £10 per person, with £2 going to the Park’s chosen charity.
Family-friendly rides, the Trekking Tractors and The Dinosaur Tour Co. Jeep Ride will be operating during the evening’s event to transport guests through the gardens in which they operate. Light refreshments will be available to purchase in the Wild Forest restaurant.
CHELSEA PHYSIC GARDEN WINS NATIONAL LOTTERY SUPPORT FOR GLASSHOUSE RESTORATION PROJECT
Chelsea Physic Garden is delighted to announce it has received initial support and development funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Chelsea Physic Garden Glasshouses Restoration project. *1
Made possible by National Lottery players, the project aims to repair and preserve the iconic glass structures within the Garden for at least the next fifty years. Development funding of £172,500 has been awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help Chelsea Physic Garden progress its plans to apply for a full National Lottery grant of £680,000 at a later date.
The funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund will contribute towards this extensive restoration project. Today whilst the glasshouses are home to a range of rare and sub-tropical species, the structures are fragile and in need of significant repair and conservation to restore them to their former glory thus saving them for future generations to enjoy.
When restored, the glasshouses will provide a much better growing environment for the important and diverse collection of plants. The work will include improvements to the paths and glasshouses to make them more accessible for visitors with disabilities. This will enable the Garden’s team to hold activities and workshops for a wide variety of people so they can discover and experience the history and contemporary relevance of the glasshouses plants. A programme of open days and events for local communities and schools will highlight plants from the many cultural backgrounds represented in London and in the Garden’s collections.
The first known heated glasshouse in the UK was erected at Chelsea Physic Garden in 1683. This ‘stove house’ as it was known) is thought to have been the first of its kind in Europe. It was heated using pioneering technology of the period which enabled the gardeners to control the heating and venting to nurture new tender species such as melon and pineapple that had never before been propagated in the UK.
The present glasshouses date back to the late Victorian period and are the most complete range of teak and iron houses in the country. Erected in 1902, these buildings house some of the world’s rarest sub-tropical species together with ferns, succulents and carnivorous plants. Many of these 1200 plants are historically important and some endangered in their natural habitat. Despite being damaged in the 1941 Blitz, these modest but elegant cast iron structures have survived to become an iconic feature within the peaceful surroundings of the historic botanic garden.
“As guardians of such a rare and special plant collection, it’s vitally important for us to ensure these plants and the structures are conserved. When a pane of glass falls from the glasshouse, leaving the plants vulnerable to the elements I know we must act with speed to start the renovation project” Nell Jones, Head of Plant Collections Chelsea Physic Garden.
“I am absolutely delighted that we have received the support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund and that National Lottery players are supporting us with this initial support. It enables us to carry out the vital investigative and preparatory work to undertake conservation repairs on our historic Glasshouses. We will be reaching out into our local communities as we want to know what the plants we grow today mean to people from all of our neighbours, be it in home remedies or in food. We will also be using this conservation project as an opportunity to ensure that our staff and volunteers have an opportunity to learn new skills. This grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund is a great first step and we will be launching the campaign for the funds we need to achieve the full restoration programme”. Sue Medway, Director of Chelsea Physic Garden
GARDEN-LOVERS GIFT GUIDE: Quintessentially British Christmas gifts for garden-lovers from the National Garden Scheme
Treat your garden-loving friends or family members to horticulture-inspired gifts and Christmas cards from the National Garden Scheme – and all proceeds will help support nursing and health charities such as Marie Curie, Hospice UK and Carers Trust.
Inspire a year of garden visiting with the Garden Visitor’s Handbook 2019 – the essential guide to over 3,500 gardens opening for the National Garden Scheme next year. With detailed descriptions of every garden, stunning photos, and handy maps and calendars, all of the information you could possibly need to visit a beautiful garden is right at your fingertips!
Pre-order the handbook as a Christmas gift and you’ll receive a printable gift voucher to give to your loved one, letting them know they’ll receive the Garden Visitor’s Handbook 2019 hot off the press in February 2019.
£13.99
Christmas cards
Send festive cheer to your friends and family with the National Garden Scheme’s range of three Christmas cards, all featuring beautiful National Garden Scheme gardens in winter.
Pack of 10 cards £4.25
Apron, tea towel, notebook, tote bag
Whether you’d like to inject some colour into someone’s kitchen with the National Garden Scheme apron and tea towel, add to their stationery collection with a beautifully illustrated notebook or help them transport plants home from a garden visit with a canvas tote bag – your loved one will be sure to treasure one of the National Garden Scheme’s quintessentially British gifts.
Prices range from £6 – £14
Please note, last order date to receive items in time for Christmas is Monday 17th December at midday.
Gardeners at Northamptonshire’s Boughton House have been hard at work as anticipation for the Estate’s summer opening heats up.
The Northamptonshire home of the Duke of Buccleuch, which will stage its annual seasonal opening in August, expects to see visitors flocking to enjoy its historic House, Gardens and cultural programme.
Led by David Cullum, the parks and gardens team has been redoubling its efforts in the recent hot weather to ensure the Gardens are a feast for the senses this August.
David Cullum, parks and gardens manager at Boughton House, said: “We’ve been especially hard at work preparing our Gardens and keeping them at their best in the dry weather.
“From the Walled Garden with its herbaceous border and flowerbeds, to our stunning Rose Garden, visitors will be able to enjoy our green spaces in full bloom.
“Our two new Gardens for 2018 – The Wedding Garden and the Alpine Garden – are really coming into their own this summer as well.
“And with a break in rainfall in recent weeks, we’ve been able to relax our mowing schedules and focus on the creation of a new bee enclosure in the orchard ahead of schedule. Not only will this benefit pollination in the Walled Garden and parklands, but we hope we may be blessed with some Boughton honey in the future.”
The Gardens at Boughton House will open throughout August between 12pm-5pm, with last entry at 4pm. Tickets cost £6 for adults, £3 for children and £14 for families (two adults and two children). As an added bonus, Gardens tickets holders will also gain access to the Armoury and the special MEMORY exhibition.
Reflecting on historic and significant memories of the House and its residents, key MEMORY exhibits will include the chapel altarpiece from Boughton’s time as a WWII prisoner of war camp, as well as the map of St Lucia, drawn by the 2nd Duke following his disastrous 1722 expedition to the Caribbean and some of the Duke of Marlborough’s campaign maps from the War of Spanish Succession.
The exhibition will see the collaboration of Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, Dementia UK, Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy and other memory-related charities.
Guided House tours will begin at 1pm, with the last tour at 3.30pm daily throughout August. The Great Hall Tour, plus entry to the Gardens, Armoury and special exhibition costs £10 for adults, £8 for children and £30 for families (two adults and two children). Children under five go free. The State Rooms tour is available for an extra £2.00 per person, while the Books, Beds and Beyond Tour is an additional £10 per person.
The Estate will also host alfresco cinema and theatre events, with screenings of Moulin Rouge and The Greatest Showman on Friday 10August and Saturday 11 August. And back by popular demand, Chaperhouse Theatre Company will take to the Estate’s sprawling lawns for a performance of Robin Hood and his Merry Men on Tuesday 14 August.
Tickets for Moulin Rouge are priced at £13.20 for over 15s and £8 for under 15s. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Book today atwww.lunaflix.co.uk.
Nationwide access to glorious gardens over Festival Weekend
The National Garden Scheme’s Festival Weekend 2018 will see gardens open for charity in all counties across England and Wales on 2nd and 3rd June – giving everyone access to private gardens in their area during one of the most beautiful months of the gardening year.
Held annually and now in its sixth year, Festival Weekend celebrates glorious gardens in bloom at the height of the season. Over 316 gardens will be open to the public over the weekend, with an average of nine open in every county across the North, East, South East, South West, the Midlands and Wales and the Marches.
Visitors can enjoy a variety of gardens over the weekend – including small urban spaces, cottage gardens and gardens opening together in a village group, as well as impressive country house gardens and community gardening projects. Delicious tea and cake, a much-loved staple of National Garden Scheme garden openings, will also be available.
George Plumptre, CEO of National Garden Scheme, says:
“Festival Weekend is a fantastic opportunity to experience the joy of gardens at their very best and with open gardens in each county, we’re delighted they are easily accessible to everyone. But it’s not just about enjoying our volunteer’s breath-taking gardens, a slice of cake and a cup of tea – the weekend will raise vital funds for the nursing and caring charities the National Garden Scheme supports, who do extraordinary work such as community nursing and in specialist areas such as cancer, Parkinson’s and end-of-life care.”
The average entry fee for visiting a National Garden Scheme garden over Festival Weekend is approximately £4.45 for adults and free for children. Dogs are also welcome at a number of open gardens and many sell plants.
This year the National Garden Scheme donated a record £3.1million from funds raised at open gardens in 2017 and continued supporting charities including: Macmillan Cancer Support; Marie Curie; Hospice UK; Carers Trust; Queen’s Nursing Institute; Parkinson’s UK; Perennial; National Autistic Society; and MS Society.
Ends
For more information, high resolution images or to interview a spokesperson, please contact Becky Medhurst by emailingbecky@ngs.org.uk or calling 01483 213908.
Notes to editors
About National Garden Scheme
Since 1927, the National Garden Scheme has been inviting garden owners to open their exceptional gardens to the public, giving people unique access to some of Britain’s most beautiful and memorable gardens while raising money for charity through entry fees, teas and cake.
Thanks to the generosity of garden owners, volunteers and visitors, the National Garden Scheme is the most significant charitable funder of nursing charities in the UK – having donated £55million over the last 90 years.
This year the National Garden Scheme donated a record £3.1million from funds raised at open gardens in 2017 and supported charities including: Macmillan Cancer Support; Marie Curie; Hospice UK; Carers Trust; Queen’s Nursing Institute; Parkinson’s UK; Perennial; National Autistic Society; and MS Society.
There are over 3,600 private gardens open to the public in 2018, all of which can be found by vising the National Garden Scheme website, or in the Garden Visitor’s Handbook, which is published annually and available via the National Garden Scheme shop and at all good book retailers.
A 3-acre garden situated on top of the Yorkshire Wolds, Hunmanby Grange boasts a delightful array of planting to create contrasting colour, shape and texture. Humanby Grange also features a pond garden, a scented patio, a coppice woodland and the National Garden Scheme’s only private brewery in a garden, Wold Top Brewery – where visitors can sample a beer brewed with home grown barley and pure chalk filtered water.
Opening times: 2nd June 2018 11:00 – 17:00 3rd June 2018 11:00 – 17:00
Refreshments:
Light refreshments in Wold Top Brewery bar area.
Admission:
Adult: £5.00
Child: Free
Address:
Hunmanby Grange
Wold Newton
Driffield
Yorkshire
YO25 3HS
Barton Bendish Hall, King’s Lynn, Norfolk
Barton Bendish Hall is a beautiful traditional 10 acre country estate garden which features a woodland drive, an orchard, a kitchen garden, a walled herb and cut flower garden, and a Thomas Messenger style glasshouse full of scented pelargoniums. The garden’s south facing terrace has wonderful open views onto the wider farmed landscape.
Kew Green Gardens is a fascinating group opening of five long gardens behind a row of 18th century houses, close to Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. Visitors will enjoy the profusely planted and traditional borders of a mature English country garden, contrasted with formal gardens, terraces and lawns, laid out around tall old trees; and woodland and wild flower planting. One garden boasts an unusual architect-designed summerhouse, while another offers the surprise of a modern planting of espaliered miniature fruit trees. Wine is served at this evening opening.
Opening times: 3rd June 2018 18:00 – 20:00
Refreshments:
Wine in the gardens
Admission:
Adult: £6.00
Address:
Kew Green Gardens (nos 69, 71, 73, 65, 67)
Kew
London
TW9 3AH
Spencers, Great Yeldham, Essex
Spencers is a dreamy 18th century walled country garden around an elegant white Georgian house. The garden was laid out by Lady Anne Spencer and has been renovated by top landscape artist, Tom Stuart-Smith. In Spring and Summer the garden overflows with spectacle – including huge tumbling wisteria, startling armies of ”true-blue” Lord Butler delphiniums, lavender walks, dazzling herbaceous borders and a knot garden enclosed by espaliered pears. Roses appear in many guises and visitors can also enjoy the woodland garden along the River Colne.
Opening times 3rd June 2018 14:00 – 17:00
Refreshments:
Home-made teas.
Admission:
Adult: £5.00
Child: Free
Address:
Spencers
Tilbury Road
Great Yeldham
Essex
CO9 4JG
Brand USA ‘Great Gardens of the USA’ to exhibit at
RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show
Partners, The Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel, Charleston, and Oregon team up for a U.S. showcase
Brand USA, the destination marketing organisation for the United States, has announced a trio of USA gardens at this summer’s Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, which will take place 3rd – 9th July 2017.
Partnering with The Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel, Explore Charleston, South Carolina and Travel Oregon, Brand USA will be bringing floral flavour to the UK, showcasing each destination through specially designed and built gardens for the flower show. This follows the United States’ presence at previous events.
Titled “Great Gardens of the USA,” The Charleston Garden, The Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel Garden and The Oregon Garden have all been designed by UK-based designer Sadie May Stowell, who has worked with Brand USA on five award-winning gardens over the past two years.
For the 2017 event, Stowell will seek to capture the essence of the historic Moonlight Garden of the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, Florida; the romanticism of Charleston, South Carolina, and the International Rose Test Garden of Portland, Oregon, and will bring to life the diverse culture and stunning landscapes of those destinations.
The three “Great Gardens of the USA” will showcase the diversity of the urban outdoors and neighbourhoods of the United States’ cities and towns. The gardens allow spectators to connect to the destinations’ unique culture and heritage by experiencing the plantings and landscapes of the local parks and gardens that define each destination, inspiring viewers to visit the destinations for themselves to experience the USA’s great and urban outdoors in person.
“Showcasing the Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel, the Historic Charleston and Resort Beaches, as well as the state of Oregon through the development of these inspirational gardens will provide visitors to the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show with a real sense of the diversity and beauty of these three destinations,” said Christopher L. Thompson, President and CEO of Brand USA. “From our urban gardens to National Parks, we look forward to welcoming more international visitors to explore the diverse escapes and natural wonders across the USA.”
While encompassing the spirit, charm, and elegance of Charleston, the Charleston Garden will offer a sense of the history, the sub-tropical climate and the atmosphere of this southern city. The design takes its inspiration from Charleston’s iconic Pineapple Fountain within Charleston Waterfront Park, an emblem that embodies the southern romance of Charleston as a destination.
In Florida, the historic Moonlight Garden at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers is a beautiful contemplative garden designed by Ellen Biddle Shipman, the first female landscape architect in the United States. This year’s show garden will take inspiration from the Moonlight Garden, incorporating Thomas Edison’s profound inventions including the phonograph and the light bulb. The garden’s main components will include a central water feature to reflect the moon and stars, with trellises of bougainvillea providing living fences along each side. The main colours of the flowers are white and blue, and the garden will include a replica of Edison’s office, a wooden building with an exposed brick chimney, visible behind a reflective pool.
The Oregon Garden will be a tribute to the renowned Portland International Rose Test Garden, which is celebrating its centennial this year. The garden will incorporate a water feature based on the central fountain in the Rose Test Garden, as well as an ‘East meets West’ theme, bringing in elements of Portland’s acclaimed Japanese and Chinese gardens. The backdrop will include rocky outcrops to convey Oregon’s mountainous topography and the natural beauty of the Oregon landscape. This comes at a time when travelling to Oregon has become much easier for UK travellers to visit because of a new direct flight that Delta will launch on 27th May 2017, from London Heathrow to Portland International Airport.
Dorset farm owner to give vegetable advice at Haskins
Corinne Kirkham, owner manager of Windrush Farm Growers in Wimborne, is set to visit customers at Haskins Garden Centre in West End on Saturday April 29, to give hints and tips on growing vegetables at home.
From 10am to 2pm Corinne will be on hand at the centre in West End to answer any vegetable based questions.
Having set up her business in 1980, in Horton, Corinne learnt her gardening skills from her father and for more than 30 years Windrush Farm Growers has traded with Haskins.
Alasdair Urquhart, plant advisor at Haskins Garden Centre, said: “We’re really pleased to have Corinne join us at the centre. Windrush Farm Growers are great friends of Haskins and we’re sure that Corinne can provide advice on any vegetable question.
“Growing your own at home is increasingly important these days. Often we’ll hear of national or international shortages of certain crops across the world and it is really worrying, but by being educated on how to grow your favourite vegetables at home, it can be a rewarding and fun activity and you’re saving money in the long run.”
Haskins Garden Centres is based in Ferndown in Dorset, West End in Southampton and Roundstone and Snowhill in West Sussex.
HOST A FEEL GOOD FESTIVAL FOR PARKINSON’S UK THIS SUMMER
With the clocks springing forward on Sunday 26 March, Parkinson’s UK is urging people to get ready for sunnier days and bring the fun, festival vibe to their gardens, by taking part in a brand new fundraising activity.
Garden Gathering, a new feel good fundraiser, encourages people across the country to host mini-festivals with family and friends in their own gardens or favourite outdoor spaces.
Diarmuid Gavin, an inspirational gardener and Chelsea Flower Show favourite, is backing Garden Gathering to help raise funds for the charity’s work to support people living with Parkinson’s and to support research into better treatments and a cure.
Diarmuid said, “I’m passionate about spending as much time in the fresh air as possible, and love to entertain outdoors in the summer in Ireland, where I live.
‘No matter how big or small your garden I’m encouraging everyone to use their special spaces for a Garden Gathering. Let’s get together with family and friends to raise lots of money for Parkinson’s UK – cheers!”
Paul Jackson-Clark, Director of Fundraising at Parkinson’s UK, explains: “You don’t have to go to Glastonbury or Bestival to get that festival feeling. Garden Gathering is the perfect opportunity to bring together friends and family closer to home.
‘July 1st is Garden Gathering day, but you can hold your mini-festival at any time during the summer. We are looking forward to seeing what events people organise. We hope that everyone will get behind us to make our first year a huge success”.
Garden Gatherers can order a fundraising pack full of tips for organising events, including festival wristbands, a teepee donation box, and a festival themed fundraising game.
GARDEN-LOVERS GIFT GUIDE: Quintessentially British Christmas gifts for garden-lovers from the National Garden Scheme
Soak up the summer at Boughton House
Dorset farm owner to give vegetable advice at Haskins