We have regular trips for members to see local or famous gardens. Photos and details of some we have visited over the last few years are below, but for example, we visited Finchcocks in Goudhurst a few years ago to see the wonderful collection of pianos and then a walk around the beautiful garden. Click the image below for a slideshow.
Finchcocks, Goudhurst, Kent
Members of the club have regular opportunities to visit gardens and nurseries. These are some of the places our members have visited:
Marle House Gardens, Lamberhurst An evening visit to Marle House Gardens. It was a lovely evening, and to start, we were given a short introduction to the house and Gardens, but we were amazed by a lovely smell: a flowering Lime Tree. The Bees like it so much they become drunk and lay recovering. It is a very large Garden and the hour was well spent discovering so many parts of it. Tea and cakes ended a very nice evening outing.
Hole Park at Rolvenden. Edward Barham gave us a brief chat on the history of the house and gardens, and then we wandered around to see the Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Wisteria, plus the Bluebells, one of the yearly main attractions at Hole Park. Tea and cakes in the tea room were very welcome after such a lovely afternoon.
Beth Chatto’s garden in Elmstead Market, Colchester. A nursery with over 2,000 plants classified according to their growing conditions. Fabulous trip, back in time for supper. Perfect weather. All had lunch in a little tea room, which was delicious and then wandered around the garden.
There’s a gravel garden, a water garden, a shade and woodland garden and ‘scree’ beds. It covers 0.75 an acre, so many diverse areas.
RHS Gardens at Wisley – An extra outing shared with the Tenterden Garden Club was a visit to the Wisley Gardens. The coach picked us up in the Village, and we enjoyed a really ideal day. There was also a Flower Show with 40 Nurseries involved to add to the gardens, so a full day. Thank you, Tenterden Garden Club, for inviting us. It was nice to share, and some new friends were made too.
Lindy Bates Garden – Townland, Sixfields, Tenterden. A 1.8-acre family garden in a unique position along Bell Lane. Landscaped features include a rose garden, Mediterranean gravel garden and shrubbery. You can wander around the meadow areas, stunning mixed borders and herbaceous beds providing a riot of colours and textures and a wide range of fruit and vegetables. Also, wildflowers are grown especially to attract bees. We were provided with tea and cakes on the lawn terrace.
Halls Court Geraniums – Bethersden. A small nursery specialising in Geraniums, but many other plants available. We had a short talk on a typical year at Halls Court and how she produces her stock, she answered lots of our questions, and of course, we had tea and cakes.
The Walled Nursery at Hawkhurst. This is a Victorian walled nursery boasting a Victorian glasshouse, including a Melon House, Vinery, Fernery and Peach House. The nursery sells a range of Bedding, Herbs, Vegetable Plants and Seed. Herbaceous Perennials, Shrubs, Specimen shrubs, Ornamental Grasses, Roses and Climbers.
