222 GARDEN VISITS & LECTURE PROGRAMME Company no. 2498049 May to August 2019 DGT Events Committee LECTURES & VISITS TO GARDENS — CONTACT: Mrs Alice Zourzi Tel. 07971 298 326 Email [email protected] DGT Website http://www.dorsetgardenstrust.co.uk Booking for these events will be online only through the DGT website, starting on Friday 26th April 2019 (see booking instructions below) There will be no refunds on tickets however tickets can be passed onto other members only. Due to the popularity of garden visits, tickets are for members only. Lectures and study days are open to all. To help us make arrangements in advance we have introduced a surcharge for “on the door” tickets over those bought online. For more information on membership please see the DGT website http://www.dorsetgardenstrust.co.uk Committee: Annie Atherton, Carol Carsley, Wendy Cartwright, Henry Digby, Sandra Woods, Alan Eason, Phil Broomfield Monday May 13th VISIT 10:30am Fonthill House Gardens, Tisbury SP3 5RZ By kind permission of Lord Margadale We will be meeting at the gardens at 10.30am for coffee and the tour begins at 11am. This is a rare treat as entrance to see this garden is limited annually. It is the home of Lord Margadale of Islay and his family. We will be given a guided tour of the garden. The current house was built in 1972, and its predecessor was built between 1903 and 1922. However there have been at least eight major houses around the Estate since the 16th century. With the help of the new head gardener, Erwin Kraan, and two renowned garden designers, Tania Compton and Marie-Louise Agius, they are building on the legacy left by previous generations of the Morrison family to continue with new innovations and improvements. There are formal gardens, an ornamental and organic kitchen garden, mixed planting of shrubs and herbaceous perennials, bulbs and annuals. There is also a selection of old and new sculptures including a water feature by William Pye. To the north of the house there are wonderful woodland walks with azaleas, magnolias and camellias and an oak house made from young saplings. To the south of the house there are panoramic views over the countryside, the deer park and Fonthill lake. The River Barn in Fonthill Bishop at one end of the park is nearby for lunch as is The Beckford Arms at the other end or you can bring a picnic to enjoy in the gardens. Cost: £25.00 Including refreshments. Monday May 13th VISIT 2:00pm Old Fonthill Abbey, Tisbury SP3 6SP By kind permission of Mr and Mrs Stephen Morant Fonthill Abbey was designed by James Wyatt for William Beckford. It is now called Old Fonthill Abbey as the later neighbouring Fonthill Abbey is currently being rebuilt. Bonnie Morant will give us a short history of the Abbey and landscape. We will walk through the grounds which are not normally accessible to the public, through bluebells and rhododendrons, around Bitham Lake, the American Garden and also see what remains of the Abbey (which is part of the north wing). Distances between points of interest are considerable and the American Garden and the lake are only accessible to the sure footed and well-shod. Tickets are sold out. Monday June 10th VISIT 10:30am Tarrant Abbey, Tarrant Crawford, Blandford, Dorset DT11 9HU By kind permission of Clare and Stuart Slatter Stuart and Clare Slatter have invited us to visit their garden at Tarrant Abbey, which is listed Grade II* and dates from the early 15th century. The original Abbey, a Cistercian Nunnery, was in the grounds of the present house and was destroyed during the reformation in 1537. Stuart and Clare have lived here for 25 years during which time they have developed the garden. They have planted trees and enlivened borders within the walled gardens to include many roses, salvias and geraniums. There is also a wild garden, a pergola, ponds, a collection of barns (only viewable externally) and the 'Colonel's Walk'. The River Tarrant runs along the western edge of the garden. About 500 yards to the north of the house is the mediaeval church with recently restored wall paintings which are worth seeing. To the front of the house is an expanse of grass where you are welcome to picnic and there are also a few tables and chairs dotted around the garden. Cost: £10.00 Including refreshments. Monday June 10th VISIT 2:30pm Keyneston Mill, Blandford Forum, DT11 9HZ By kind permission of Mr and Mrs D. Bridges We will be given a guided tour around Keyneston Mill, which is the creative and experimental home of Parterre Fragrances. Uniquely, they grow, harvest and distil the key ingredients for their luxury Parterre perfume brand on the 50 acre estate which is dedicated solely to aromatic and scented plants - over 2000 varieties are currently in cultivation. The formal Collection Gardens feature plants from the principle perfume 'families' such as floral, fougere, spice and citrus and, like the wider estate, is open year round. All limited edition Parterre perfumes are created around the key ingredients produced at Keyneston Mill, by Grasse-based Master Perfumer, Jacques Chabert. The first perfumes were launched at Fortnum & Mason in 2017 and are now available at selected retailers and at Keyneston Mill.There is also a small perfume exhibition, gift shop and cafe/bistro which serves delicious meals made from fresh, fragrant ingredients. Cost: £15.00 Including refreshments. Sunday June 16th VISIT 10:30am Poundbury Gardens behind the Scenes To coincide with the biennial Open Gardens we are visiting Poundbury. Although the gardens are small and behind high walls , they are very varied and interesting works of love by owners who have often come from much larger properties. There will be access to all the open gardens, but we will highlight on a map those that may be of particular interest to DGT members and where owners will be particularly pleased to talk with you. The visit will also feature a special guided tour round the Damers First School garden (who are in receipt of a grant from DGT) and a visit to the Poundbury Garden Society garden plots where members grow vegetables trees and flowers in an attractive walled enclosure Cost: £12 Including refreshments on arrival, tours, an identifying badge and a map (donation to charity). Wednesday June 26th VISIT 11:30am Ordnance House, West Dean, Salisbury SP5 1JE By kind permission of Terry and Vanessa Winters Ordnance House is a private domestic garden created from an entirely blank canvas starting in 2011. It is an open site, south facing, sharp draining and chalky, with an interesting design. Many plants thrive especially Alliums in Spring and Lavender in Summer – both have become signature plants in the garden. There is a productive ornamental vegetable garden and a soft fruit garden. There are many seating areas from which to enjoy the garden and the greater landscape beyond of rolling fields and the splendid backdrop of the wooded slopes of Dean Hill. Cost: £8.00 There is no coffee on arrival, however there is a beautiful village green by the river with benches about 150 yards away where you can park and picnic. Arrive at the house by 11.30am for an introduction and an optional tour. WC at house. Wednesday June 26th VISIT 2:30pm Down Farm near Wimborne St Giles, Dorset SP5 5RY (chalk down wildflower meadow, archaeology, beautiful wildlife pond, museum ) By kind permission of Dr Martin Green Dr Green is a Dorset farmer and renowned amateur archaeologist and naturalist. He will guide us around his farm pointing out the beautiful and interesting plants peculiar to the chalk soil of the wildflower meadow which surrounds the fascinating prehistoric features on the farm - such as the Dorset Cursus, a rare pond barrow, Mesolithic burials and a field shaft. ( Maximum walk distance 1.5 km taken at an amble). We will also visit the beautiful large pond. You are also welcome to visit his museum containing an extraordinary collection of artefacts found on the farm (you may handle Neolithic hand axes!) and in the area. There is no picnicking at the farm but a suitable place would be at Martin Down Wildlife Reserve signposted off the A354 about 3 miles east of Down Farm. There is also a pub in Coombe Bissett on the way out from Salisbury Cost: £12.00 to include tea and cakes taken on the lawn if the weather is good. A donation will be made to the local Cherry Tree Nursery (a mental health charity) Tuesday July 2nd VISIT 11:00am Pugin Hall Rampisham DT2 0PR Please do not arrive before 10:45am By kind permission of Mr and Mrs Tim Wright Coffee, tea, squash & biscuits on arrival. The garden at Pugin Hall has been developed by the Wrights over the past 5 years and is very much a garden that is work in progress. The main element of the garden that they have been working on is the walled vegetable garden and surrounding flower borders. The areas for further development include the one and half acres of woodland behind the property and the large front lawn and borders. The garden is currently four and half acres, longer term the Wrights hope to buy the cottage at the rea of the property which would give another one and a half acres of garden and help to restore the gardens to their former glory as the cottage was originally owned by the main house. The whole garden is overlooked by the wonderful Grade 1 listed house, designed by Pugin in 1847 as the rectory for the Reverend Rooke.