Regrettably, it's been nearly a year since my last blog post. The last twelve months have been incredible, bizarre, busy, tiring and wonderful all at once. After growing up in London, spending my years at University in Bristol and Manchester and using my mother's house in the Cotswolds as a frequent retreat, I finally moved back to London in August 2019. After moving into a new flat, starting a new job, I soon felt like I was finding my feet in my favourite city with friends both old and new... and then came the pandemic. I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to stop talking about all of the trials and tribulations that have come in all shapes and sizes for everyone, so instead, I wanted to talk about things we can do despite our situation; something we can do is visit gardens and outdoor sites. Gardens across the country have reopened with social distancing measures in place. Whether they are RHS run, NGS open gardens or private sites, they are one of the few attractions at the moment that allow you to forget momentarily about the daily stresses of navigating the current pandemic. Other than pre-booking a time-slot (this is essential for all gardens) and wearing a face covering if you choose to enter cafes or shops on the premises, the huge variety of open gardens in London and the surrounding areas alone provide vast escapes for walking, admiring, playing and resting.
It was our bad luck that our visit to Wisley happened to coincide with the end of the relentless August heatwave, which meant most of our visit was spent wondering around in the thunder and rain. Luckily, my Mum and I are far too interested in gardens to be bothered by rain, so as the families and children ran for cover one by one, we were able to blissfully wander through the rose gardens and walk through the wisteria arbour whilst being covered in a blanket of droplets. Wisley offers such a diverse collection of horticultural ideas; exploring the various sections offers new ideas and designs round every corner. Due to the weather, we saw a relatively small portion of what the site has to offer. On a sunnier day, I'd like to go back to explore the exotic and walled gardens, the pinetum (best seen in the Autumn), the alpine meadow and the Mediterranean terraces. Another downside of the pandemic is that the iconic glasshouse is currently closed to the public. I particularly liked the framed succulents we found near the Jellicoe Canal, and wondered what the logistics would be to install a similar living artwork on my bedroom wall...
The government have put such a massive emphasis on eating out to help out and other areas of the economy during lockdown, but gardens and horticulture are also in great need of financial support during these tough times, especially considering Wisley employs a world-class scientific research team which educates schools and community groups about how to improve the health of people and nature by using plant diversity to improve wellbeing. If you're unsure of your options, I've listed some fantastic gardens in and around London below which are perfect for an end of Summer day out.
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About meHi there, my name is Nevada and I'm a twenty-six year old music teacher. The Little Green blog centres around wildlife, gardening and lifestyle photography. All photos are my own and represent the portfolio of an amateur photographer! Archives
August 2020
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