National Gardening Week at Hever Castle

April 13 2015 | Garden What's on

Running from 13th – 19th April, National Gardening Week is the country’s biggest celebration of gardening and is organised by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Celebrating all things green, National Gardening Week aims to help more people enjoy, learn about, and conserve their own gardens and local environments.

Now is a wonderful time for gardening enthusiasts to visit Hever Castle as the garden is alive with spring flowers such as daffodils, tulips and anemones.

According to Hever Castle’s Head Gardener, Neil Miller, April through to mid-May is “one of the best times of the year in the garden” with a riot of colour on display.

When visiting the Hever Castle gardens during National Gardening Week, Neil recommends a visit to the Winter Garden to see spring bulbs sprouting amongst beautifully coloured foliage, including vibrant purple heather.

Then continue on to the Italian Garden, which is ablaze with springtime colour. The tulips are beginning to bloom here, and provide a joyous backdrop to the Italian sculptures in this part of the garden. Seven thousand tulips will flower across the grounds at Hever Castle throughout late spring, creating a visual feast for the eyes.

Neil further commented that the ideal conditions for a prolonged display of spring colour are “cool and not too hot” as excess heat results in the plants dying off too quickly. So let’s hope for sunshine with mild conditions to lengthen our enjoyment of beautiful English gardens in their spring glory.

From Monday 13th – Friday 17th April the Hever Castle gardeners will be running ‘Plant a Sunflower’ workshops as part of National Gardening Week. These drop in sessions are running from 11:00 – 15:00 near the Courtyard Shop.