03/02/2004 Entry: "Year of Gardening in Britain"

More Year of Gardening Highlights
This is the “Year of Gardening” in Britain, with many events planned. The Marquess of Bath, the Duchess of Norfolk and Benjamin Bunny are among those marking the occasion with garden events and new attractions.

The highlights include:

~ An exhibition inspired by the children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter will tour the UK. Beatrix Potter’s Garden includes a display of Benjamin Bunny artefacts, some of Potter’s original artwork and a ‘virtual walk’ through the English Lake District.

Its unifying theme is her love of the natural world and the characters she developed from garden wildlife such as rabbits and mice. Dates include the Reading Museum in Berkshire (February 21 – May 30) and Portsmouth City Museum on the South Coast (June 20 – September 26).
Website: www.peterrabbit.com

~ Longleat, the Wiltshire home of the Marquess of Bath -- well known for its Elizabethan stately home and gardens, which include the world’s longest hedge maze -- is building a Mystical Garden Experience. The attraction includes living sculptures and water features.
Website: www.longleat.co.uk

~ Gerry Kelsey, head gardener of 11th century Arundel Castle in Sussex will lead eight conducted tours of the castle’s superbly restored Victorian garden (selected Friday mornings, May to September). Both Gerry and the Duchess of Norfolk, whose ancestral home it is, have tackled the restoration over the last ten years, combining the best of Victorian design with a shared love of unusual planting schemes. The tours cost £7 including refreshments.
Website: www.arundelcastle.org

~ The historic Pavilion Gardens in the Derbyshire spa town of Buxton – at the heart of the Peak District -- have been restored to their former glory at a cost of £4.5 million. Close to the world-famous Crescent, the 23 acres of well-kept lawns with formal flower beds, bandstand, miniature railway and the River Wye with its waterfalls, became the social rendezvous for the Victorian upper classes from 1871. Nearby is a spa-water swimming pool and a well where you can sample the renowned Buxton water free of charge.
Website: www.highpeak.gov.uk