“We’ve created colourful chaos”- Head Gardener describes the beauty of Westonbirt’s gardens in radio interview
On Sunday August 4th, Westonbirt opened its gardens to the public as part of the National Gardens scheme. This scheme gives visitors unique access to over 3500 exceptional private gardens throughout the country and raises money for charity and this is the 81st year that Westonbirt was involved. The day attracted several hundred visitors who enjoyed our fabulous gardens and we received numerous compliments on them.
Ahead of the event, our Head Gardener Alix Chalk, was interviewed by BBC Radio Gloucestershire. She has worked there for nine years, and currently works one day a week, aided by an amazing team of willing volunteers.
Of the gardens, Alix said:
“We’ve created colourful chaos, which has all grown organically and is just beautiful at this time of the year. Everything is in flower and because we’ve had such a lot of rain and sun lately, everything is looking very luscious.”
She described the flowers that are currently in bloom: tender perennials such as dahlias; climbers; traditional and old fashioned highly scented roses; herbaceous borders bursting with plants; lavender beds; and water lilies.
Alix feels it’s really important that the Holford Trust shows the public this special place, which gives wider context to the Arboretum. Robert Holford designed and planted the garden first and then expanded into the wider landscape and planted the arboretum, all between 1830-1872.
“It’s important to give access to the public into these spaces; there are huge recreational spaces to stroll through and seats to sit and contemplate. This gives everyone the opportunity to enjoy it.”
She also highlighted the fantastic benefits for students from using the gardens:
“The Head has made sure that pupils have full access. They get to really enjoy these gardens. They often have lessons out there; music students practise instruments or drama produce plays which are performed in the natural amphitheatre. You can see the little ones trooping out to do pond dipping, pick flowers and leaves up from the ground and take photos. It’s used as a brilliant resource and I can imagine that it fits into any subject.”
The full interview can be found here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0j9fs1m (at 2 hours 46 minutes 20 seconds) and is available until August 28th.
For further opportunities to visit the gardens, please visit www.holfordtrust.com/bookings/