Ramster is even closer to home than Woolbeding and I have often driven or cycled past and thought that I must visit. The gardens were laid out in 1890 by local nursery Gauntletts of Chiddingfold, to showcase their imports of plants and garden ornaments from Japan. In 1922 Ramster was bought by Sir Henry and Lady …
The Surrey PH group organised a trip to Woolbeding and Ramster as part of their summer programme of activities - two gardens within easy reach of Guildford, but I hadn't visited either of them. Woolbeding was given to the National Trust in 1957 and in 1972 was leased to Simon Sainsbury who restored the 17th C house and …
I had never heard this expression before Monday evening when it was used by Kevin Hughes in his talk to the Surrey PH group about Woodland Gardening. The truth of the saying - concerning the importance of preparation, can apparently allow plants, normally described as disliking alkaline soils, to survive in chalky earth - good news for someone …
The Hebe is dead, long live the hebe. For anyone with a smidgeon of taxonomical knowledge, or even a passing interest in plant names, the subtleties of this statement will be self explanatory. Hebe, in italics, with a capital H looks like the name of a botanical genus, hebe does not. And it was down …
Through a staff member, Plant Heritage Surrey Group was lucky enough to receive money from the charity arm of The Times to train 10 of our members on propagation courses with nurserywoman, author, botanist and lecturer Marina Christopher of Phoenix Plants . On arrival coffee and delicious apple and walnut cake courtesy of Jo, Marina's assistant. …
I don't work on Mondays so I was able to join the Surrey group last week for another in their series of propagation workshops, this time on soft-wood cuttings. It was one of those warm days that keep reminding us that it is summer and 16 group members met in Wendy Bentall's garden. Good preparation is make or break …
With lots of pent up plant buying demand from the miserably cold Easter and April, the Surrey Plant Heritage Plant Fair stood a reasonable chance of doing well. But add a healthy dose of sunshine, a Bank Holiday weekend and some great plants and the PH stall took a record amount. Putting up the canopy …
If people who love snowdrops are called Galanthophiles, then fans of Crocus are called Croconuts, or so said Roger Holland during the talk he gave to the Surrey group of Plant Heritage. Roger is the guardian of the National Collection of Crocus chrysanthus cvs., Crocus biflorus cvs., and Crocus cvs. raised by EA Bowles, which must be the longest …
Robin Williams was the guest speaker this week at the Surrey group meeting with a topic of 'Great Gardens and how to achieve them'. Robin grew up designing gardens and set up the Garden Design School in 2001 with Moira Farnham, running courses at Painshill Park - Cobham and the University of Bristol Botanical Gardens. …
In order to increase the number of plants available for sale at their Plant Fayres, the Surrey group have set up a Propagation Team. The inaugural February meeting to cover division of perennials was scotched by the snow - treacherous roads and plants frozen into the ground - but the session on seed sowing was …
Plant Heritage 