Putting on a Show

Jane Dickens unapologetically loves colour.

 

As Head Gardener at Lord Wandsworth College, this is evidenced across campus. From the vibrant tulips at School House Roundabout (inspired by Sarah Raven’s ‘Fruit Salad’) to the clusters of spring yellow and blue, tumbling out of borders at the top of Main Drive.

 

“You’re putting on a show,” she explains “and trying to create a story.”

 

When asked what she wants to achieve in the gardens at LWC, the answer is simple. “You want people and especially children to engage,” she beams. “I want horticulture to exist in children. It’s great for mindfulness and it’s brilliant when you can get a Junior sniffing a rose, or a Sixth Former saying they think it all looks lovely.”

 

For Jane, gardening is a passion that more than twenty years in the industry have failed to dampen. “I’m dyslexic,” she explains “and so I didn’t fit into mainstream schooling at the time.” The lure of being able to exercise her artistic streak, beyond the confines of four walls was too much for Jane to turn down. “After starting with a year’s work experience, I studied Amenity Horticulture, did a sandwich year in America and then got an HND in Amenity Management. I’ve been working in schools ever since; in Norfolk, at Ludgrove and now here.”

 

 

With 1200 acres at her disposal, the prospect of taming one of the largest school campuses in England may seem daunting, but Jane takes it all in her stride. “I have a free reign here and you don’t get that everywhere. When the Flowers Science Centre was finished in 2023, we were able to use our own design for the borders, which now bounces from one season to the next.”

 

Mention of the Science Centre, brings about a wry smile in Jane. She knows the grounds like the back of her hand, to such a degree that each part has almost assumed its own personality. “The Science Centre is a bit like a teenager,” she grins. “It’s permanently flexing and doesn’t always want to behave how you’d like it to. It’s a difficult site because it’s shady in parts and gets weedy because it’s new, or the grasses don’t always want to grow. But one of my gardeners said to me the other day that he loves that bed, which is a huge compliment.”

 

LWC is opening its grounds to the general public on the 12^th and 13^th April, as part of the National Garden Scheme’s Open Garden Season. Visitors will be able to observe the ‘troublesome teenager’ for themselves, along with its much more obedient South African sibling which sits nearby.

 

“On the left hand side of the Flowers Science Centre, we have the South African border,” Jane continues. Inspired by the gardens at Wisley, she decided to try something different. “It gets the sun there and so instead of filling that border with lavender, I decided to use South African-style plants.”

 

The main College campus is set around formal lawns which frame its mix of traditional buildings (designed by renowned architects Sir Reginald Blomfield and Guy Dawber) and its more contemporary additions. Mature paper bark maples, cedars, cherry trees and magnolias provide bursts of texture and colour, alongside well-designed borders boasting a heady mix of herbaceous plants and seasonal favourites such as tulips, daffodils and alliums.

   

But these gardens far from look after themselves as Jane explains. “The soil is very cold here. It’s a clay soil, full of either clay or chunks of flint. Some of our plants are only just coming into flower that were out elsewhere, six weeks ago.”

 

This is no deterrent though. Visitors to the 1200 this spring will see an array of colour. “They’ll be able to see the daffodils, narcissi, tulips”, Jane lists. “The herbaceous is on its way, there’ll be cherry blossom, magnolias.” Added to this and as part of the National Garden Scheme event, there’ll be entertainment for younger explorers with an Easter egg hunt on Saturday 12^th, whilst music fans can enjoy jazz on the lawn on Sunday 13^th. There will also be an opportunity to sample LWC’s hospitality with refreshments served in The Orangery on both days and a chance to take home a piece of the 1200, with a plant sale offering the fruits of Jane’s labour.

 

“Last year’s National Garden Scheme event was lovely,” Jane concludes. “It was a really great weekend. People were able to stop and talk to us about what we have here. It’s all easy to access and quite fluid with all of the paving. There’s a lot to see.”

 

Nothing is quite as good as a personal recommendation though and when asked about her favourite part of the campus, it’s conceivable Jane may view the question as akin to choosing her favourite child. But her answer is quick-fire, confident and somewhat ironic. “I love the area around the Science Centre. But plant-wise, tulips, irises, geraniums are all terrific…anything with big colour. I love creating colours that weave their way around.”

 

And we end where we began, with colour underpinning the perfect horticultural love story.

 

The main campus at Lord Wandsworth College is open to all as part of the National Garden Scheme Open Season on Saturday 12^th and Sunday 13^th April, between 11am and 3pm. Pre-bookings can be made here.