Spring Gardening Holidays
May 12th - 17th 2013
June 2nd - 7th 2013
Designed to take in and experience the vibrant fresh colours of springtime in the dynamic scenery of the Lake District, these 5-night holidays include accommodation, full breakfast and 3-course dinner each day. A coach is provided to transport you to the gardens listed below. giving more time to enjoy the scenery.
The garden visits include both large and small local gardens - some of which are not normally open to the public, with a chance to meet their owners and enjoy some beautiful gardens at a lovely time of year.
David Haigh is your tutor / guide and will be with you for the duration of the holiday to inform and answer your questions.
GARDENS TO VISIT
Chapelside, Mungrisdale
Tricia and Robin Ackland’s one acre organic, wildlife-friendly garden is a combination of her classic country garden plantings and his sculptural artefacts made from found and recycled materials. This enchanting garden which wraps itself around the 18th century farmhouse contains a tiny stream, a large pond, naturalised bulbs in the grass, alpine plants, herbaceous plants, damp and shady areas and a small potager.
The Mill House, Sebergham
Kay Jefferson trained as a textile designer before becoming a garden designer.and this four acre garden is testament to her skill in using shape, texture and colour in sophisticated combinations. This garden is full of joyful experiences from the gravel garden next to the house to the formal potager, the beautiful pond adjacent to the water wheel restored by Kay’s husband Richard (a retired architect) and an extensive wildflower meadow running down to the river Caldew.
Windy Hall, Windermere
This four acre fellside garden on the hills outside Windermere is the creation of David Kinsman (a geologist) and his wife Diane Hewitt (an ecologist). The two acre woodland garden has species of rhododendron, camellias, magnolias and hydrangeas as well being the home of national collections of Filipendula and Aruncus. An ancient small quarry has been made into a Japanese-style area of moss, ferns and stone. and other features include a wildflower meadow, kitchen garden, moss path and a wildfowl garden with gunneras and stewartias.
Levens Hall, Levens
This world famous topiary garden is an almost unique survivor from the late 17th century, retaining much of the original layout of hedged compartments set out by Guillaume Beaumont. But Leven’s isn’t just about the magical, surreal green giants which transport the visitor back to an earlier age -there are colourful bedding schemes, herbaceous borders, pleached lime walkways leading to a fountain garden, an ornamental vegetable garden and a herb garden.
Winton Park, Kirky Stephen
Anthony Killington’s three acre country garden is bordered by the banks of the river Eden with stunning views to the Cumbrian fells. Planting areas include woodland walks - with many fine conifers - and Japanese acers, underplanted with ferns and hostas. Twin herbaceous borders lead the eye from the front of the house to open countryside. In the region of 1,000 roses reach their peak in summer and in spring a large bank of rhododendrons takes centre stage with formal ponds and statuary plus a wildlife pond.
Church View, Appleby
The garden of Mrs H Holmes is a modern cottage garden, designed and maintained by Ian Huckson, on a gently sloping site which is easily accessible via the gravel paths. Recently featured in ‘Cumbria Life’, the garden has been extended to include a kitchen garden with the purchase of the adjoining cottage and its land. Through Ian’s choice of plants and intelligent planting style this garden has interest throughout the year including bulbs in spring, lush herbaceous plantings to delight in June, with late perennials and graceful grasses to provide joy for wildlife and people well into autumn.
TALKS
‘A Year in a Cumbrian Garden’ with Ron Davies.
Ron Davies was for 25 years Head Gardener at Winderwath Gardens near Temple Sowerby, Cumbria. A keen organic gardener Ron has been Chairman of Cumbria Organic Growers and Farmers. A fanatical plantsman Ron is a member of the Hardy Plant Society, the Sino Himalayan Plant Society and the North American Garden Club.
Gardeners Question Time
A chance to seek answers to any gardening problems with David Haigh and guest Shelagh Newman, an expert on Hydrangeas and Rhododendrons, widely travelled as a plant hunter and general plantswomen.
PRICES
All prices are per person for the 5 night holiday and include morning coffee, full English breakfast, 3-course Dinner and VAT @ 20%.
A deposit of £150 per person is required for the holidays, which is non-refundable unless the room is subsequently relet; cancellation insurance is available.
TUTOR
David Haigh has spent over 40 years as a professional horticulturalist, 30 of those in horticultural education, lecturing in the UK and Lesotho (Southern Africa) before his last position as ‘Head of Horticulture’ at Newton Rigg College, near Penrith.
He is a ‘Master of Horticulture’ - a qualification awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society - and is now semi-retired, dividing his time between freelance garden writing, lecturing, running practical training courses and hosting gardening holidays. To keep his hands dirty he tends two allotments where he grows a wide range of crops - his other great passion is cooking and this usually involves using the produce of his plots.