April 1st - Woodchester Park & Tinkley Gate

At the April meeting Hilltop Gardening Club members were treated to an excellent talk entitled ‘A Year Long Walk in Woodchester Park’ by Robert Bryant, the Club president. Illustrated by some stunning photographs, Robert’s presentation took us on a gentle stroll through the seasons, highlighting the unique flora and flora of the landscape, which he clearly knows well. His account included fascinating details of the unfinished Victorian mansion at the heart of the estate. 

Our second guest speaker, James Walmsley, spoke briefly about the new National Trust property Tinkley Gate, on the edge of Woodchester Park, where he is a volunteer gardener. Tinkley Gate is an entrance point to the Park, and boasts a café, a second-hand bookshop and more obscure attractions, such as a stone circle - not as ancient as it looks! 

4th March - Vanessa Berridge - The National Garden Scheme

In early March, Hilltop Gardening Club welcomed Vanessa Berridge to Eastcombe Village Hall to speak on The National Garden Scheme and its gardens in Gloucestershire. Many HGC members are frequent “Yellow Book” visitors and some open their gardens for the scheme annually. Nonetheless, there was plenty to learn from this accessible talk beginning with historical foundations that resonate today. Established in 1927 to raise funds for community nursing, the original ‘caring’ focus continues. Opening a private garden for charity was successful from the outset. Spurred on by royal patronage, private gardens from Sandringham to Sissinghurst, opened to the public, initially for a shilling. The scheme’s history acted as a reminder of changing tastes in garden design, plants, practices, and patronage. Vanessa detailed the shift away from “double herbaceous border, pergola and lake” to latterly more inclusive, accessible, diverse and aspirational gardens. Open gardens also registered social changes for instance in embracing the “Dig for Victory” campaign during the Second World War. Once established the scheme was almost unstoppable: opening gardens survived during the war but was stymied by covid lockdowns. Nonetheless donations continued due to deft use of virtual on-line visits to gardens.

Vanessa is the NGS county organiser as well as a garden writer, and so we were in good hands for a slide tour of Gloucestershire gardens, that embraced a rich tapestry of beautiful gardens, ancient and modern, the exotic to the naturalistic. She was at pains to emphasise that ‘simply’ opening a garden belies the hard-work of owners, gardeners and the volunteers who crucially make and serve tea and cake!

As well as raising funds for larger organisations such as Macmillan Cancer Support and Marie Curie, smaller beneficiaries such as Horatio’s Garden charity provides therapeutic, accessible gardens within the NHS spinal injuries units. The scheme’s support of educational work to encourage new gardeners bodes well for the future.

Gardens have provided solace, healing and sustenance across cultures and time. Ready for another NGS visit anyone?

Pam Meecham.