From April to October (inclusive) it is possible to book a ticket to visit the Orchard Plant Library and Barn Garden on the first Tuesday of each month. All money raised from ticket sales will go directly to the Serge Hill Project CIC a Community Interest Company, set up by Tom and Sue Stuart-Smith. The CIC will help provided support to local primary and secondary schools as well as other groups of people interested in learning about gardening and experiencing the benefits of nature connection for health, including mental health charities. The company will particularly benefit those sections of the community who have little opportunity for connecting to the natural world as well as people who are struggling with their mental health.
The Barn Garden has been developed by Tom and Sue Stuart-Smith since 1987 and has gradually expanded out from the areas around the house where a framework of hedges creates a series of interlocking spaces, surrounded by a native meadow of trees and wildflowers. Some of these spaces are empty and others densely planted. There’s also a courtyard that incorporates elements of Tom’s 2006 Chelsea show garden and an exotic meadow sown in 2011.
The Plant Library is set out in a grid system which at present holds more than 1200 different varieties of mainly herbaceous plants, serving as an interactive catalogue and community of plants that can be walked through and studied from all angles. Varieties and species can be compared, and combinations of form, texture, foliage and flower can be observed and appreciated.
The Orchard Building is currently under construction so visits to the garden must be supervised.
Visits will include an introduction to the Orchard Plant Library with Millie Souter (Head Gardener at the Orchard) and the Barn Garden with Brian Maslin (Head Gardener at the Barn).
Tickets must be booked in advance online and are non-refundable – ticket sales will go directly to the Serge Hill Community Project CIC.
Visits will be from 1
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