SHERFIELD ENGLISH - 31st August 2017 See Previous Events for Report
Our first stop is at Gilbert’s Nursery, the home of Nick Gilbert, a specialist in Dahlias. You will be free to wander his dahlia field containing over 300 varieties……..and, of course, have the opportunity to buy some plants, and have some tea and cake! Please note we had originally organised for Nick to talk to us but, as it would have been an hour long, it would have been difficult to fit that in with everything else on this trip. We shall however be seeing Nick in 2018 as he has already been booked to come and talk to us about his passions for dahlias. We then take the short drive to Sherfield English’s most famous horticultural resident, Andy McIndoe, winner of numerous Gold medals, 25 from his Chelsea Exhibits alone. Having been with Hilliers for 37 years, he left the Nursery in 2015 to follow a solo career and now lectures all over the world. We have been lucky enough to book him for a guided tour of his very own stunning 2 acre, naturalistic garden at Sandhill Farm. The garden features a beautiful terrace, plus numerous pots and containers, a small gravel garden, two ponds and many of the trees and shrubs he raved about during his recent visit to Colehill Memorial Hall when he spoke about “Bullet Proof Plants”. All of this is to be enjoyed with a glass of wine and nibbles in the early evening, returning back to Colehill by about 7.30 p.m.
Included
Return coach travel departing from Colehill at 2 p.m. and from Ringwood at 2.10 p.m. approximately
Entrance to both the Nursery and Andy McIndoe’s private garden
Here is an opportunity to enjoy a day out at the world famous RHS garden in Devon, without having to worry about the driving! The RHS vision is to enrich everyone’s lives through plants, and visiting Rosemoor will give us the chance to see plants at their very best, to see how they should be grown and to benefit from the expert knowledge of the RHS staff. Included
Return coach travel departing from Colehill at 8 a.m. and from Blandford at 8.30 a.m.
Entrance into the garden
Driver’s gratuity
There is a restaurant serving home-cooked food using local produce, light snacks and cakes. Alternatively you may choose to bring along a packed lunch. There is also an excellent Plant Centre with a wide range of plants for sale. You are free to spend your time as you wish. Rosemoor is an inspirational stunning garden set in the beautiful Torridge Valley, occupying an impressive 65 acres of gardens and woodland. More than 2,000 roses offer a fantastic fusion of colour and scent each summer. The sunken hot garden is also worthy of note and is frequently picked as a highlight when covering the garden on television—plenty to see for everyone.