| Maidstone
Horticultural Society COACH OUTINGS IN 2003 We have again selected a number of superb venues chosen for their wide range of interest and good selection of facilities. As before, the Society is pleased to invite their good friends from the Church to join them on their outings. Seats will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis for both members and non-members alike, so book early to avoid disappointment. RHS GARDEN, Wisley, Surrey Sunday 18th May Fare £8.00 Group Entrance FREE Extending over 240 acres Wisley is the flagship garden of the Royal Horticultural Society, well worth a visit during any or all of the four seasons to benefit from the very best in gardening practices. Highlights include the magnificent Rock Garden, rock pools and Alpine House, the glories of the mixed borders, the Country Garden and Rose Garden, and the splendid array of glasshouses. Over the top of Battleston Hill, which in spring erupts with colour, is the Trials Field, with more than 50 trials each year. The peace and quiet of the Pinetum, a National Plant Collection of heather displayed in Howard’s Field, the Jubilee Arboretum and the 16 acre Fruit Field with over 670 apple cultivars, all have their appeal. The Model Gardens show design ideas on a realistic scale. Whatever the season, Wisley serves as a working encyclopaedia for gardeners of all levels. In 2003 Wisley celebrates its centenary year. New for the year will be the Herb Garden, the Golden Jubilee Rose garden, the Alitex Greenhouse and the Container Garden. Excellent refreshments are available in the new coffee shop, the new Orchards Café, the Conservatory cafeteria and the Terrace Restaurant. SYON PARK HOUSE & GARDENS, Brentford, Middlesex Sunday, 29th June Fare £8.00 Entry £5.50 (over 60s), or £6.50 In 1594, Henry Percy, the 9th Earl of Northumberland, took possession of Syon House and it has remained in the family for over 400 years. In the 1760’s, Robert Adam created some of his finest interiors at Syon House. Claimed to be ‘one of the finest villas in Europe’, Syon House was remodelled in the grand neo-classical style thus creating a fashionable house for the owners to entertain on a lavish scale. The present 12th Duke of Northumberland has recently opened the Private Apartments and State bedrooms. The gardens at Syon have been renowned for their extensive collection of rare trees and plants since Capability Brown landscaped the park during the mid 18th Century. Within the 40 acres of garden there is the Doric column bearing Flora, the goddess of flowers, a Rose Garden and a lake, a haven for wildlife. The spectacular Great Conservatory, built in the 1820’s, is thought to be the earliest kind in the country. In the 200 acre landscaped park is a fine garden centre in the former riding school and stable. There are full refreshment facilities and a shop. PARHAM HOUSE & GARDENS, Pulborough, Sussex Sunday, 13th July Fare £8.00 Group Entry, including Garden Festival, £5.50 (special price) Set in the heart of a medieval deer park on the slopes of the South Downs, the walled gardens of about 4 acres of this Elizabethan house are approached through Fountain Court. .The borders are planted to give interest for many months, with shrubs as well as herbaceous plants. There is a potager, a rose garden and a green border and glasshouses. The 18t century Pleasure Grounds of 7 acres include a lake, many specimen trees and a brick & turf maze. Our visit is timed to coincide with an annual Garden Weekend with 50/60 stands selling rare and unusual plants and garden sundries. Sussex area, NAFAS, are holding a flower arranging competition in one of the marquees and the Church will be specially decorated. There will be Folk Dancing and Morris dancing. The House has been carefully restored and filled with a sensitively chosen collection of fine furniture, paintings and textiles. There is an important collection of early needlework. The Big Kitchen offers teas, coffees and pastries, and in a licensed marquee coffees, lunches and teas can be obtained. UPTON HOUSE & GARDENS, Banbury, Oxon. (NT) Sunday, 14th September Fare £9.00 Entry £6.40 (Free to National Trust members) The long low house, built in 1695 of brown sandstone, known as Hornton stone, contains an outstanding collection of paintings by Canaletto, El Greco, Reynolds and Stubbs. The superb collection extends to rare Brussels tapestries, exquisite Chelsea figurines, Sevres porcelain and 18th century furniture under conditions it would be hard to better. The house stands high on Edgehill, near the site of the famous battle. It was bequeathed to the National Trust by the 2nd Viscount Bearsted in 1948. Below a great lawn, the garden descends in a series of long terraces, along one end of which an impressive flight of stone steps leads down to the large lake at the end of which is a classical temple. In the centre of the terraced area is a sloping vegetable garden, well labelled to indicate varieties. .There are many unusual plants, particularly perennials and bog plants, and the National Collection of Michaelmas Daisies is here. There is a rock garden, made by the late Lady Bearsted. This is a fine example of terraced gardening with much to see, beautifully maintained by the National Trust. There are full refreshment facilities in the new Pavilion Restaurant, and a shop. Coach Pick-up Points: For each of the outings the coach leaves Armstrong Road, Maidstone, at 9.00am. and the Old Palace at 9.15am. Book early by ringing our Treasurer, Mike Pursey, 01622 814324 (The Coach House, 76 Bow Road, Wateringbury, Maidstone, ME18 5DS), leaving a message on his answerphone if no reply. Cheques payable to Maidstone Horticultural Society please. |