Spring at Wakehurst Place
Sat 20 & Sun 21 April / Sat 27 & Sun 28 April 2013
Celebrate spring at two special weekends at Wakehurst Place, the country estate of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the heart of the Sussex countryside.
A series of guided walks are being held on the weekends of April 20/21 and April 27/28 to enable visitors to savour the glories of the season.
Volunteer guides will be leading a variety of guided walks each day from noon onwards, ranging from 45 minute walks on level ground, to longer two hour walks covering a greater distance around the gardens at Ardingly, near Haywards Heath.
Wakehurst is renowned for its spring flowers and, with formal gardens and natural woodlands, there is always a wealth of natural beauty to enjoy around the 500 acre estate.
The array of flowers in bloom on the spring celebration weekends will depend on the weather over the coming weeks - but it could include a host of daffodils, bluebells in Horsebridge Wood and Westwood Valley, rhododendrons, wildflowers in The Slips valley and the water gardens, plus flowering currant, Forsythia, and Erythronium in the spring border near Wakehurst's Mansion Pond. (Picture attached showing a previous year's display of bluebells, please credit RBG Kew. More images can be downloaded from the website, see notes to editors)
Chris Clennett, Garden Manager, said: "Our guided walks are a great way to see nature bursting into life and enjoy the very best of the sights and scents of the seasons around the gardens.
"The cold start to the year and the recent snow has held back our spring flowers, but we are hoping it will lead to a spectacular display which makes it worth the wait."
The programme of guided walks will start from 12 noon each day, with walks going on throughout the afternoon. Normal admission prices apply, the walks are free and no booking is required.
For more details ring 01444 894067 or visit http://www.kew.org/visit-wakehurst/whats-on/wakehurst-place-spring-walks.htm