I love the gardens at RHS Wisley in winter. It’s such a boost at this time of year to see winter flowering shrubs and the early spring blooms. Last year we made the mistake of visiting on a Saturday during half-term when there butterflies in the glasshouse. We had no idea it was school holidays, that there was a special event on or that this combination would prove so popular with visitors. Blissfully unaware we turned into the car park and immediately our naive thoughts that it would be quiet at Wisley in February were dispelled as a sea of sparkling metal greeted us. We had never seen the gardens so busy.
This time though we were prepared. The butterflies were back so we were going to go during the week. I didn’t, however factor in the fact that Wisley seems to be the hub for every mother and toddler group in Surrey. Fortunately though, it was the cafe and coffee and cake that they had come for, and once we were in the gardens it was blissfully quiet.
For me, Wisley is the plant equivalent of wandering around an amazing deli where everything is so temptingly delicious and, greedily, I want to eat it all . . . well maybe not the patés. Here at Wisley it wasn’t long before I’d said to Wellyman, “I’d love a daphne”, followed by, “it would be amazing to have a witch hazel”, and “I wonder if we’ve got space for another hydrangea?” Of course, the answer to the latter is no. I’ll often get a raised eyebrow from Wellyman or notice a slightly worried expression on his face as he works out how to point out that we’ve got no room for those sorts of plants. Seeing such a rich diversity of planting does make me want to grow it all, even if reality is a smaller than average garden and not vast acres.
Everything is so well done at Wisley; plants are properly staked, beautifully pruned and mulched. It all looks so perfect but then I suppose I shouldn’t expect anything less from the showcase of horticultural expertise. It does however make me feel quite inadequate when it comes to my own attempts at gardening. And, as the photo shows, even the sheds are temples to organisation.
Daphnes and witch hazels were the stars of the show on this visit. We could smell the daphnes before we saw them, walking around a corner to be greeted by evergreen bushes pumping out a sublime and potent perfume.
It was a pity to see a sign that said they were suffering from plant theft in particular parts of the garden. I’m not sure why I was so surprised, I suppose I think of gardeners as being more respectful but I realise this is a rose-tinted view. I’ve heard plenty of stories of people helping themselves to plants when visiting gardens. Several years ago I was lucky enough to visit Highgrove, the garden of Prince Charles, with a group from college. One of my fellow horticultural students was very keen on coming away with a plant souvenir. It was only when we were given a security briefing on the coach and told about the security cameras dotted about the gardens and he realised he may be manhandled from the gardens by Special Branch that he left his carrier bags and secateurs behind on the coach. I suppose all gardeners like to get plants for free but most of us know when this is appropriate and when it’s not.
I did come away with some plants but these were legitimate purchases from the incredible plant shop. I had planned to while away some time in the bookshop but we never even got there. The budget wouldn’t stretch to the temptation of books as well. I have got some plans for a bit of a garden redesign and I came armed with a list of potential purchases. Face with all that choice it wasn’t long before I had dispensed with the list though . Wild carrot, apricot coloured foxgloves, some euphorbia and primulas all came home with us and will hopefully add to the naturalistic feeling I want from the garden this year.
wellywoman 
Wisely is always inspiring. You didn’t mention Loncera ‘Fragrantissima? that must have been pumping out the perfume too! Christina
Yes Lonicera was flowering but it didn’t pack the same punch as the daphnes. They were incredible. WW
It appears that gardening thieves are at work here in Ireland as well. Kilmacurragh gardens in Co Wicklow http://www.botanicgardens.ie/kilmac/kilmhome.htm has also been targeted and sadly it appears the rare plants that were stolen must have been nicked by a professional as they had wrongly been labelled in order to confuse.
Sounds as if you had a lovely visit to Wisley, the perfume from the daphnes must have been amazing. I always come away with loads of inspiration and usually a few plants or books.
It never ceases to amaze me that some people think that they can just help themselves when they go garden visiting, I wonder why, all they have to do is ask for a cutting, I’m sure they would be generously given.
I don’t understand why you would pay to see somewhere and then destroy a part of it by stealing the plants. If we all helped yourselves there would be nothing to see. It’s very strange.
Apricot foxgloves. They sound good. The foxgloves I’ve grown recently have been too bulky. Same with canterbury bells. I would prefer more delicately sized flowers. The flowers, not the plants. I’m perfectly happy with bulky green plants. That way, in my small garden I can pretend I’m in a big jungle.
Hi Esther, These foxgloves don’t grow as tall as the native ones so I’m hoping they look a little more delicate in the garden. I love small gardens that are jam-packed with plants.
Stunning photo of the hamamelis 🙂
Sorry i should have given you the credit underneath. 😉
The apricot coloured foxgloves sound really pretty. I don’t have any foxgloves in my garden, I really should remedy that as they’re such wonderful plants. I can’t believe that plant theft is so rife that they’re having to put up signs, I’m so naive and like to think that everyone behaves in a respectful manner.
I’ve had a few foxgloves appear in my garden and I like them but they are quite big plants. The ones I bought at Wisley are a smaller variety so will hopefully work better in my borders. I know what you mean about plant theft. Crazy isn’t it?
Love witchhazel. Always wanted one in the garden. 🙂
Me too but they grow to be quite big trees and they sprawl quite a bit. Not suitable for my current garden but maybe one day. 🙂
Funnily enough I almost went to Wisley this Sunday as they had a demonstration of planting up winter pots. In the end I decided it was more sensible to stay home and revise, especially having been to Cambridge last weekend for the winter planting; I also knew that I would probably leave with a carful of plants and need to plan the gardens out first! I like the sound of your purchases, I’m quite drawn to apricot this year – just purchase apricot coloured sweet peas for the garden. Hopefully you’ll be able to show us the progress as you go along – perhaps in your book?
I love the sound of the apricot sweet peas, they sound beautiful. Have you got an exam coming up? Good luck with the revision. I hate revision and I’m glad I decided to go no further with my RHS qualifications. There is a real sense of achievement though when you’ve done the exam.
Just re-read my comment … I meant “I’ve just purchased apricot sweet peas”, not ordering you to!!
I too have made the mistake of arriving when it is half term. I will be visiting this Wednesday and hoping that mid week and not half term will be slightly better. We are going primarily for the butterfly exhibition but will enjoy the sight of winter flowers with their wonderful scent
Half term is all over the place now. We have friends whose kids are on half term next week so you may find it’s quite busy but during the week is definitely better than weekends. We didn’t get into the butterflies last year the queue was so long but it was really quiet this time. It’s a very impressive glasshouse and the plants are stunning.
I can identify with the shopaholic thing when it comes to buying plants and also the raised-eyebrow expression from the other half. I think as a plant-buyer, one can afford to be self-righteous about it though, after all, it’s a moral cut above shoe addiction surely? (I bought seven on Saturday and only went out for a hellebore).
Definitely better than a shoe addiction and I have no other vices so plants are my thing. I understand the going out for one plant and coming back with more. We only popped out last year to pick up some seeds or compost or something mundane from the garden centre and came back with an espalier apple tree and a pond liner.
Wisley is worth visiting year round as you appreciate, and you were lucky with the weather the day you went, which certainly makes a big difference especially at this time of year.
Plant theft has long been a problem, and it’s often really surprising to find out just who the culprits are.
Thanks for another enjoyable post. xx
Thanks Flighty. We were lucky to get a dry day. We had planned to go a few weeks ago but cancelled because it was raining.
how strange the response I left earlier is gone 😦
oops now I see that you haven’t yet read it and checked for spam etc. Happy for your delete 2nd of my responses…. but do check out this before you do so https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=280671375395673&set=a.108500699279409.6654.107578242704988&type=1&theater
Thanks for the link. It’s so sad isn’t it and how strange that such important plants should be taken. It’s even worse to think that it could be a professional.
What an amazing shed – mine wouldn’t stay that tidy for more than about two minutes! Lovely collection of plants you came away with, will look forward to seeing them settled in to their new homes. My Nan used to mortify my Mum by snipping a little bit of this, a little bit of that, any time we took her to a garden. She’d bung them in her handbag. No idea how many took, but I do know she had a lovely garden. She’d probably have viewed HRH’s security as a challenge… She used to cheat at Patience, interesting woman my Nan. But I agree, it is very wrong.
Oh I love the sound of your nan. I had to restrain my mum when I took her to Wisley because she wanted to help herself to ‘all that lovely fruit’.
Like the sound of the naturalistic feel you’re planning to create – look forward to reading about it.
Thanks Andrea. I have a shady border and a semi shady border and I’m hoping to add to the hedgerow/woodland feel. I’m not great with planting combinations though so I’m not sure how it will look but I’ll give it a shot.
I am pleased to hear all these recommendations for Wisley as now that I have rejoined the RHS I can take advantage of a visit to Wisley to visit Elder Daughter who lives not too far away – or vice versa! Good luck with your new acquisitions!
Hi Cathy, We used to live near Wisley and were members. It was so useful to be able to pop in for free as often as we wanted. We don’t live close by any more which is a pity but rejoined the RHS this year so hopefully we’ll try to visit a couple of times this year.
Hello Wellywoman! I’m mad about the RHS gardens too and really hope to visit Wisley this year. I also love the shopping hahaha!! It’s so hard to resist isn’t it and even though it wont fit there might just be a way it will.. that’s the hope that goes through my mind when I find myself bonding with a plant that deep down I know just wont work out for me but I soooo want! Very excited to see how your plants turn out. I adore Euphorbia and was admiring Harlow Carr’s when I was there a few weeks back. Your foxgloves sound lovely too as do the primulas and wild carrot! Very excited to hear more about those 🙂
Hopefully it’ll be dry enough to take some photos of my purchases over the next few days and maybe even plant some up. I can heartily recommend a visit to Wisley. The only RHS garden we haven’t visited yet is Hyde Hall but it’s so far from us. Rosemoor in Devon is lovely too. They have amazing hot borders. We visited in August a few years ago and they were incredible.
We went last summer during the school holidays – must have had a rush of blood to the head. It was baking hot and every bit of shade was occupied by mothers and buggies. It was a whole new experience.To be fair they have as much right to visit as me but it was still a bit of a shock
.I have visited when the Witchhazels and Daphnes are flowering and it is such a lovely experience. I was surprised how many different Witchhazels there were and how many shades of yellow, orange and red they came in.
I think part of thing for us is where we live is so quiet when we turn up at somewhere like Wisley it is a bit like where did all these people come from. Especially during the week when you think it might be quieter. I know it’s a bit like visiting somewhere touristy and saying all these tourists are a nuisance and not accepting that you’re one of them. They definitely need a bigger cafe area though to cope with the numbers.
I agree about the witch hazels, there are some incredible specimens on display at Wisley. Still think the vibrant yellow colour is my favourite though.
So sad about the plant theft. But then, I have heard of people who had their borders all planted up only to find the whole lot had been knicked a few days later. The foxgloves sound interesting, hope to see some photos at some time. I’m going to try making a “flower meadow” in a shady patch and have been studying what to plant, and foxgloves come recommended, so I’ll be planting all those seedlings my neighbour has kindly given me together with more meadowy things.
I love the sound of your flower meadow. I always forget to sow some foxgloves because they’re biennial. Occasionally I’ll get some pop up of their own accord but they tend to be the big pink ones you see in woodland which are a bit out of proportion with my garden. I’m hoping the apricot ones, which are smaller, will look more effective
I have been one of those mums with pushchairs at Wisley: I used to collect withering gazes from old ladies when I let the girls gallop up and down the rockery aged about 3 and 5. I’m afraid I have no patience with people who don’t like children in gardens: how else are we to enthuse a younger generation with a love of plants? I’m hoping my two girls will always cherish fond memories of giant rockeries, ‘their’ banana plants in the walled gardens, and the bamboo groves in the wilderness garden where we used to play hide-and-seek – all in Wisley, only truly appreciated to the full when accompanied by small people.
And my grandma used to take a plastic bag in her handbag to gardens too, so she could snip cuttings and squirrel them away for potting up later. Terribly embarrassing, and what’s worse my mum is at it now too. Perhaps it’s something that happens to you after you pass the age of 70…
I love to see children in gardens. My love of gardening came from childhood and I wish more children were enthused by the world of plants. It was a shame to see so few of the large number of families there actually in the gardens and a pity that the draw seemed to be the butterflies and not the amazing plants on display. There seems to be a strange hoarding instinct that takes over when some of us reach a certain age and maybe the cuttings from plants is another form of that. 🙂
I haven’t been to Wisley for years, but it is seriously inspiring – and the plant centre can be seriously expensive (I still have plants which I bought there, mind – good quality.).
I once watched someone at Wisley secateuring cuttings in a secluded corner and assumed it was one of the staff. It was only much later that I saw the woman in the coffee shop – no sign of plastic bag, she must have nipped back to her car – and realised she was just a brazen thief. Some people seem to feel they have some sort of right to take plants; I do not begin to understand. They wouldn’t (generally) uproot them completely, so why is mutilation all right?
I think it was whole plants being uprooted in this section of Wisley. I know it’s a big site but I don’t know how people get away with it.
The plants are really great quality in the plant centre but £18 for a hellebore seemed pretty extreme. I wonder how many of them they will sell.
I’d like to go back to Wisley, I’ve only been once, but its so far away for me, I keep saying I’m going to go more regularly to Harlow Carr which is about an hour’s drive from me but I never seem to get the time. Its crazy the plant theft isn’t it, I’d just feel too guilty!
My conversations with roomie are similar to your running commentary with Wellyman as you wandered this wonderland. Unfortunately, roomie tends to say things like, “Okay, let’s find a place for it when we get back!”