Geoff Hamilton's Garden is an Inspiration to All

The late Geoff Hamilton's Barnsdale Gardens in Rutland, made famous through the BBC Gardeners' World programmes, is one of the latest additions to the Royal Horticultural Society's list of Free Access Gardens open to RHS Members. The RHS 285,000 Members now have free access to over 60 gardens throughout Britain and Barnsdale Gardens will be a popular addition.

Since Geoff's death Barnsdale Gardens have been managed by his son and daughter-in-law, Nick and Sue Hamilton. Perhaps best known for the Cottage and Paradise gardens, it also contains other themed areas such as an ornamental kitchen garden, a Japanese garden and an alpine house.

The gardens are open every day from 10am-5pm, 1st March-31st October 2001. Last entry to the gardens is 3pm. The cost of entry to the gardens is £5 for adults & a group rate of £4 per person (groups as classified as more than ten adults). Children under 16 are free.

Barnsdale Gardens will also be the inspiration for one of the many Courtyard Gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May (from 22 to 25 May 2001, ticket hotline 0870 906 3781). Thames Valley Horticultural Society will stage a garden entitled 'Time for Reflection' and will be inspired by the late gardener's passion for cottage garden-style planting. As Geoff did in his own garden, reclaimed materials will be used for the framework of the garden, complemented by four planted areas demonstrating the diversity of planting styles which can be achieved in a small space. One area will be planted in a traditional cottage-garden style using such plants as aquilegia and digitalis and a trellised mirror will support clematis and other climbers in the second area. Height is achieved in the third section by using architectural plants such as cordyline, pieris and astrantia while the fourth area, that which is adjacent to a water feature in the garden, will be planted with hosta cultivars, arum lilies and tall grasses with underplanting of Festuca glauca and Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'.