I thought I would organise a day out and a seed swap at Wisley in July, for any members on here that are interested.
A group admission (10 adults) is £6 per head and has to be booked in advance. However, there are probably a few people on here who, like me, are members of the RHS and can take a guest in for free. It therefore depends on the numbers coming and how many of those are members before deciding whether we can go for a group admission. Does that make sense? ::)
Although there is a restaurant, cafeteria and a tea rooms within the gardens, Wisley are planning to have picnic areas available by the summer so there would be a choice as to whether we eat inside or out. It could get very packed in the self service cafeteria at that time of year and the restaurant is very expensive.
I have thought about a suitable date and have come up with Tuesday 8th July. It cannot be a weekend as Sunday's are for members only and Saturday's are really busy. On Friday's the roads are all clogged up. I thought it best to pick a date for there is no way that we could find one to suit everyone as much as I would like to do that.
Wisley is huge and very beautiful. There is so much to see there that is of interest. There are herbaceous borders, small individual gardens of interest, fruit and vegetable gardens, woodlands, rock gardens and a brand new glasshouse. I have been to many gardens over the years but Wisley is still my favourite.
If you would like to come, could you please let me know how many there are in your party and whether or not you are a member of the RHS. Thanks.
Pauline
great, put me on the maybe list depends on me being in the uk at the time :)
Sounds like fun, and I'm only down the road!
That sounds great, I'd love to come :D
Can I bring my toddler?
Please count me in. I have RHS membership and I love wandering round Wisley. It'll be great to meet a bunch of people from A4A too.
Quote from: elsie on February 06, 2008, 14:37:55
Can I bring my toddler?
Oh, er... how rude of me. I'd already planned to bring mine (she'll be nearly 3), and my new addition who should be 4 months by then (he doesn't exist yet)!
Children are welcome of course and are free if they are under 6 years of age. ;D
Count me in - I'm only 45 minutes from Wisley, and have never been there, even tho it's spitting distance from my sister's farm.
That's great ;D We'll be there. Glad there'll be other little ones (she'll be about 21 months by then)
I haven't got membership though
Where is it?
Hi Pauline,
Yes please I would like to come, I am a member, & my wife will come as well,
Jeannine, may be a bit of a trot for you, it is just off the M25, junc 10, 15 miles south of central London.
Adrian.
I'm not a member, but don't mind forking out for entrance.
MM definately too far for me, but have fun and get loads of pictures XX Jeannine
Too far for me too, Jeannine- maybe I should try again with a Harlow Carr meet after the last one got washed out?
Still be at work that week! :'(
Quote from: caroline7758 on February 06, 2008, 17:35:09
Too far for me too, Jeannine- maybe I should try again with a Harlow Carr meet after the last one got washed out?
I used to work at Harlow Carr, seems many many moons ago now though.....lovely place. Many happy days spent weeding there :D
Sorry I seem to gone off the original thread Pauline. I havent been to Wisley, I understand it is very beautiful there. Have a good time in July all who go on the day out!!
bit far for me too, but I'd like to go one day
Dont think I can spare a days holiday, but can highly recomend Wisley. We live nearby and often go there.
There is a picnic area with seats by the car park before you enter the pay kiosk. You are not allowed to take food into Wisley. The picnic area has benches dotted about. We often eat there before we go in.
There is a Cafe next to the retaurant but I think they charge plenty as well.
The trials field is very good. Recomend you get a Wisley guide or you will get lost, the area is in the hundreds of acres. Many people never go to the Arboretum which you walk through to the rhododendron trials. The orchards are vast.
I recomend getting there early simply because there is so much to see.
There are routes sutable for disabled and they have a little motorised conveyance but you would have to ask about that as I do not know the details and when it is manned.
Take your cameras 8)
I love Wisley and go twice a year meeting up with friends from Real Gardeners but this year we are helping our local Fuchsia club with a display there in August so im not sure about making the meet but i will try as i have never been there in July !
Always been May and September ::)
Would love to go to West Dean when they have the tomato or chilli feista on this year !
I'll come. Definateely not a member.
Should have some tomato results to discuss, Eristic!
Quote from: ipt8 on February 06, 2008, 22:35:25
There is a picnic area with seats by the car park before you enter the pay kiosk. You are not allowed to take food into Wisley. The picnic area has benches dotted about. We often eat there before we go in.
There are routes suitable for disabled and they have a little motorised conveyance but you would have to ask about that as I do not know the details and when it is manned.
Take your cameras 8)
Ipt, I rang Wisley a couple of days ago and they told me that they are planning two new picnic areas to be opened by the summer. One will be outside the grounds but the other one will be
inside the gardens. I was told people will not be allowed to bring in picnic chairs, tables etc. I am sure no-one from our group would want to cart those around anyway!
Regarding help for the disabled, there is a buggy which takes about 6-8 people but it is manned by volunteers so doesn't always run. There are, however, a few mobility scooters and wheelchairs available but they need to be booked a few weeks in advance. There is a £5 returnable deposit on these. The telephone number is on their website:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/WhatsOn/Gardens/wisley/
Keep your replies coming folks!!
Its the first day of the Hampton Court flower show, which is just up the road, Pity I shall have just left to go home.
Just bringing this to the top again for those who may have missed it first time around. ;D
Oh yes count me in, am a member and only 30 mins away....
Great idea :)
Only two months now so just bringing this to the top again for those who may have missed it first time around.
boing
Anymore people interested in the Wisley Gardens outing?
Just checked how I would get there if I went, as I don't drive so rely on public transport.
£225 return each, there would be 2 of us.
Could go to Spain for a week all inclusive for that.
So no I will not be going sorry
Am hoping my son can get the day off work to come too. :) :)
Our day out at Wisley on Tuesday 8th July is fast approaching. So far the following have said they can come:
Ollie C + 2 children
Elsie + 1 child
Spanner
Asbean with maybe 1 other
adrianhumph + wife
Eristic
raisedbedted
and me of course!
The maybe people are:
Cambourne
flower of shona 2007
I suggest that we meet at 10.30am by the small coffee bar next to the shop. This is outside the gardens. I have replaced the dog on my profile with a picture of myself so you should be able to recognise me. No, I'm not going to dye my hair purple as Kathi did when she organised the Barnsdale meeting!! ;D ;D
Let us hope that the weather will be good for the occasion. I have emailed Wisley to ask if their new picnic areas inside the gardens are now ready for use.
It's less than 3 weeks now!
I've turned down some lucrative work - just so I can make it. The weather had better be kind. Not sure about son coming, he finds it difficult to get time off work.
Sadly I shan't have broken up for the summer... :'(
The new picnic tables just up from the new greenhouse are there, in all their wonkiness...
I'll be there, with the wife, a 3 year old (not the wife, that's a daughter) and 2 month old boy child...
Just bouncing this back to the top - anyone else? I know Pauline won't mind me saying that all are welcome even if they haven't replied yet!
I had a reply from Wisley about the new picnic areas.
Both the new picnic areas in the Garden are now up and running. One is near the fruit mount and the other is in the pinetum. We still have a slightly smaller picnic area near to the car park.
I will get some garden maps to hand out when we meet and we can decide which one will be more convenient to have our lunch and seed swap.
Anymore people interested in joining us?
I am just bringing this to the top again in case anyone else is interested in joining us.
I have just come back from a week in Wales where Prink 13 and I celebrated her father's (my brother's) 70th Birthday. He lives in the USA. Joining the party were his wife, stepsons and their families. A good time was had by all but Prink and I have now gone down with a bug. Hopefully I will be recovered by Tuesday.
You'd better be better ??? ??? ???
While you're all in your cars travelling to Wisley, please tune in to BBC Southern Counties radio at 10am on Tuesday. I've been invited on along with a lady from RHS Wisley and another affected grower to talk about the 'manure contaminated with weedkiller' issue. Wish me luck!
Pauline and Kathi. Fingers crossed for a quick recovery. Hope Tuesday turns out a great day.
Quote from: ceres on July 04, 2008, 21:37:23
While you're all in your cars travelling to Wisley, please tune in to BBC Southern Counties radio at 10am on Tuesday. I've been invited on along with a lady from RHS Wisley and another affected grower to talk about the 'manure contaminated with weedkiller' issue. Wish me luck!
Will certainly do this if still travelling but may get there early. Good luck Ceres. Is it one of the BBC programmes that they keep on their website for a week?
I haven't had replies to my recent emails which I sent to elsie, Spanner, adrianhumph and raisedbedted, but my email box was full this morning. It should be all right now though.
have a fab time
p7 i'll be expecting to see loads of pics you know where ;)
Quote from: GREENWIZARD on July 06, 2008, 16:24:26
have a fab time
p7 i'll be expecting to see loads of pics you know where ;)
Hopefully I will take plenty. I have some to post soon from my holiday in Wales. I have just downloaded them this evening.
I've just emptied my phone of about three months' worth of pictures of the inside of my pocket. Hopefully will take lots :) :) :)
Well, just to say thanks for organising this Pauline, we had a great day & it was good to put some names to faces, as well as chatting to you all & getting to know you better.
Thanks!
Ollie
Yes I second that Pauline. It was a super day and I've come back with even more seeds for my very own 'Seed Bank'.
Thanks and lovely to meet you all.
Thank you all for coming, I enjoyed meeting you all. Such lovely people and absolutely delightful children. Apart from a five minute shower, the weather was good for us too.
You should have dragged me out of the Garden Centre as I ended up buying three Heuchera: "Ebony and Ivory", "Green Spice" and "Crème brûlée". We already have quite a collection of different ones. They seem to like our soil too.
I also found a very pretty plant called "Codonopsis Clematidea". I just couldn't resist it when I looked inside the bells. There are some pictures of it on these websites:
http://www.codonopsis.co.uk/clematidea.htm
http://www.robsplants.com/plants/CodonClema.php
sorry i could not make it but i hope you all had a nice time :)
It was a great day out - lovely meeting you all, names to faces etc and it was so relaxing.
I've downloaded the photos - they are lovely, the family are impressed, and I've had a few glasses of champers, a beer and I'm ready for bed - all before 10 o'clock!
Guildford station is not the best place to spend an hour and a half waiting for a train - but what the heck - my passenger finally arrived (keeping to Spanish time, of course).
Hope to see you all again at the Whitchurch Potato fair (last weekend in January) and perhaps a few more people might be able to come too.
A VERY BIG THANK YOU TO PAULINE - I think Wisley will be seeing me again - soooooon :) :) :) :) :)
My I just say a big thank you to Pauline for organising a lovely day out. It's so nice to meet and talk to the real people behind the screen names.
.... oh, and Pauline, I have 4 rooted Lilac suckers sitting in water at the moment - pm me your address & I'll pop them off to you... and having had a look on the www for picture, they're about as deep purple as they get!
Glad to hear you all had a great day. Where are the pics please??
Forgot to actually take many... but here's a few:
The "Glasshouse" plus wife & child from the top of the slope:
(http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g207/Big_Cheesus/Transferred8thJuly2008021.jpg)
The "Glasshouse"... asbean is beside me so is not in the photo...
(http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g207/Big_Cheesus/Transferred8thJuly2008022.jpg)
Wife, child & eristic:
(http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g207/Big_Cheesus/Transferred8thJuly2008024.jpg)
Quote from: OllieC on July 08, 2008, 22:48:39
.... oh, and Pauline, I have 4 rooted Lilac suckers sitting in water at the moment - pm me your address & I'll pop them off to you... and having had a look on the www for picture, they're about as deep purple as they get!
Ollie, you are very kind. I will send you a pm.
Lovely pictures. I was amazed at how mature that area is, given that the glasshouse was only finished last year.
I have put some A4A pics in the Gallery.