Ollie Pike will discuss his experiences working on historic landscapes and gardens across the country, emphasizing their importance to communities and the environment - as well as the need to preserve these precious sites. Ollie will highlight his work at Broomhill Community Library in Sheffield, where he is working alongside Broomhill Community Trust to revitalise the historically significant Percy Cane designed garden into a new public library space.
This month the tour will take us along some of the lesser known routes; the 'desire' and ‘ghost’ paths to historic areas.
Join Gerry talking about some of the surprising things that plants do, their behaviours and hoping to make people think about plants in a different light, not only exotic plants but some of the UK plants too. Posing the question "Do Plants Think?"
Join us as we walk around the Gardens and learn about some of our magnificent, rare and unusual trees.
Ethiopian black banana (or Abyssinian red banana)
The tropical style planting in front of South Lodge on the Thompson Road drive this year extends round the cottage, giving an even more spectacular effect. The most dramatic plant contributing to this is E. ventricosum ‘Maurelii’, with its huge paddle shaped leaves, olive green with red midribs and rich burgundy developing on the undersides. These don’t shred in wind as the other banana related plants do. It is a fast-growing herbaceous perennial which can reach 3m by 2m.
Join us for our Halloween special exploring poisonous and magical plants in the Gardens.