RHS Garden Autumn Festivals
In this blog we cover four RHS gardens that are specifically famed for the grandeur and variety of their autumn events taking place this weekend, and these are Wisley, Harlow Carr, Hyde Hall and Rosemoor.
This year the Wisley festival has been entitled ‘A taste of Autumn’ which, as you might presume, is indicative of its food-based frivolities, which will include appearances from the likes of Pippa Greenwood and Cleve West who will be discussing his whirlwind since striking gold at this years Chelsea Flower Show.
Pippa will be on hand to offer advice from her new book ‘Veg Growing Made Easy and Fun’ and also signing copies during her 1pm slots on Saturday and Sunday, which supplements nicely the ‘5 a day’ stall which will be offering similar tips throughout the weekend. If that wasn’t motivation enough, you also have ‘The Big Chef’ Peter Osbourne, who is returning to Wisley for seasonal cooking demonstrations at 11.30.
Celebrities aside, there are still the myriad of stalls, produce and advice to sample, not to mention the mountainous numbers of apples available to taste, orthodox and obscure alike, which are available at Wisley.
Now, a common element of all the autumn shows is the presence of advice stalls that offer tips and guidance on how to rear your own vegetables and Harlow Carr is no exception as it will also be featuring a guest appearance from broadcasting personality James Wong, in case you missed him earlier at Wisley. Joe Maiden, BBC radio presenter and affluent horticulturalist, will be picking up on the finer points of autumnal garden care and from 10-4 the Yorkshire Rotters will be giving advice on how to reduce food waste at home.
For the kids, Harlow is also sporting a trinket-based side event to their annual woodland walk, as they’ve now introduced the ‘Crown Building Workshop’ wherein youngsters and their families can amalgamate any detritus they’ve found along their walks, into an arts and crafts masterpiece that they can even wear on their way home!
Speaking of family fun, Hyde Hall is this year offering a miniature farmyard for children to enjoy alongside barrel organ maestros, craft activities and apple tasting events. Similar traditional events are in full swing at Rosemoor too, but better hurry – they all kick off this weekend!
By Josh Ellison
