Sowing the Seeds

LWC’s Head Gardener, Jane Dickens puts a great deal of thought into what she puts into the ground.

 

When hundreds of visitors descend on the College for next weekend’s National Open Garden Scheme event, the colour-rich borders, intricate textures and vibrant open spaces will bear the hallmarks of years of planning.

 

“I want to inspire a love of horticulture in children,” Jane explains, as we take a stroll around campus, days before the gates open to those who rarely catch a glimpse of LWC’s 1200 acres.

 

What Jane has developed, together with LWC’s talented Gardening and Grounds Teams, is a feast for the eyes. Deliberately designed to be ‘permanently interesting’ to LWC’s 700-strong student body, springtime generates a kaleidoscope of colour cocktails and tumbling textures that almost reach out and grab you from every border, pathway and curated container.

 

Here, Jane explains the thought behind some of our most popular parts of campus…

 

We begin our walk at School House Roundabout, a perennial favourite.

   

It may face tough competition in curb appeal from the Grade ll listed boarding house gazing over it, but in the warmer months, it more than holds its own.

 

A heady mix of springtime favourites in the central bed provides the real showstopper, as Jane explains:

   

Exotic-sounding tulip varieties including Mistress Mystic, Merlot, Elegant Lady and Mystic van Eijk will all play a part in the National Open Garden Scheme event, to be replaced, as Jane explains, by a further explosion of colour in the summer months.

 

A short walk from School House Roundabout finds us in the immersive shadow of the impressive Flowers Science Centre. The key to this space, explains Jane, is not to compete with the building itself.

   

“Fritillaria adds height,” she reveals. “They begin flowering at around 20 centimetres tall and continue that way until around 80 centimetres. They sit with a Turkish tulip called Lipstick, which opens up as the day gets warmer until the flower is flat. These then blend into the yellow Honky Tonk variety of tulip. The building is a ‘wow’ building, so we wanted to complement this, rather than drawing attention away from it.”

   

Unlike their generous cousins sitting alongside the Science Centre, the plants bordering the drive to Main Car Park are not content to occupy such a deferential role. This border is often a focus for the LWC community and as Jane explains, has been deliberately designed to make a statement:

     

Jane and her team take their inspiration from many quarters, including sustainable landscape designers such as Nigel Dunnett, known for creating natural-looking spaces that work with the environment, both visually and in the longer term.

 

Jane’s aim of encouraging a love of horticulture in the young at LWC should see her legacy live on for many years, and, all being well, safeguard breathtaking spaces such as the 1200 for generations.

 

Lord Wandsworth College will open its gates to the general public as part of the National Open Garden Scheme on Saturday, 18^th and Sunday, 19^th April from 11am until 3pm. Entry is in return for a small donation to the National Garden Scheme. Also on offer is an Easter egg hunt for younger visitors, a 5km bluebell walk for those happy to venture further afield, a plant sale and refreshments, sold in aid of the Lord Wandsworth Foundation. More information and tickets are available here.