Escape the winter blues and come on a journey inside the Glasshouse at RHS Garden Wisley to search for more than 40 LEGO® brick sculptures on The Great Brick Safari, from 26 January to 3 March 2019.

The life-size LEGO® brick creations can be found nestled amongst the lush foliage in both the temperate and tropical zones of the cathedral-like Glasshouse. Sculptures include animals such as an elephant, lions, meerkats, turtles and a gorilla. Beautiful LEGO® brick plants created especially for RHS Garden Wisley include a Venus Fly Trap, Golden Barrel Cactus, Bird of Paradise and Water Lilies.

As each magnificent sculpture is discovered, visitors can learn all about the animal and plants, such as the natural habitats they are found in and conservation efforts taking place around the world.

During half term (16 - 24 February 2019), head to the Glasshouse Gallery for a LEGO® brick making workshop, where visitors can purchase their chosen mini animal to take home. As a fun souvenir, visitors can have their photo taken sitting in the LEGO® brick Jeep.

The Glasshouse is open from 10am-4:30pm daily during the event. Normal garden entry applies; events and activities are suitable for all the family. For further information, visit www.rhs.org.uk

Tags: What's on, RHS, RHS Garden Wisley, LEGO, Glasshouse

The Surrey Sculpture Society (SSS) will be staging its 21st Sculpture Trail at RHS Garden Wisley from 18th August - 23rd September - one of the most popular exhibitions of sculpture in the country.

Visitors to the sculpture trail will discover a diverse range of works, from abstract to traditional pieces, thoughtfully positioned throughout the RHS garden’s 240 acres, within 25 inspirational garden settings. Sculptures created by the Society’s emerging and professional sculptors will be placed around the garden’s iconic Jellicoe Canal feature, through the woodland walk at Battleston Hill and the Mediterranean Terraces, Bowes-Lyon Rose Garden, Alpine Meadow, Exotic and Cottage Gardens.

Henriette Van der Does, Chair of the SSS commented: ‘The Arts Council recently compiled some interesting figures on the increasing numbers of people visiting sculpture events. Last year the Surrey Sculpture Society experienced higher visitor numbers to all of our events resulting in our most successful year since we began. We are hoping that our 21st annual Sculpture Trail at RHS Garden Wisley will attract even more visitors, as there seems to be a growing desire for people to get outside to reconnect with nature and discover art in beautiful settings.’

The range of styles by these talented sculptors creates affordable and original pieces that can form eye-catching focal points in gardens, conservatories or interiors. Sculptors work with a broad range of materials including stone, metal, bronze, resin, glass, ceramic, wood and found objects. All sculptures are for sale.

Renowned Sculptor invited as guest exhibitor
To celebrate the 21st sculpture trail at RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey Sculpture Society has invited renowned sculptor Michael Speller, official artist for the London Olympics, as a special guest exhibitor. His beautifully balanced slender sculptural figures are often impressed with emotive words. One of his most recent commissions combined 210 figures to form a huge open bronze sphere for The Crown Charity, Greenwich Hospital, London.
Michael’s work has also formed the centre piece of gold medal winning show garden at RHS Chelsea.

Henriette Van der Does commented: ‘We are very excited about having such an accomplished and highly respected sculptor as Michael Speller exhibiting with us in our 21st year at RHS Garden Wisley,’

Belinda Betts, Head of Site at RHS Garden Wisley, said: “The Surrey Sculpture Society Trail is a popular attraction for many of our visitors. Now in its 21st year, the trail continues to showcase a diverse variety of sculptures within the beautiful setting of the garden in late summer. Look for the sculptures as you wander through the garden and discover an exciting new perspective.”

Admission to the Sculpture Trail is included in entrance to RHS Garden Wisley.

The exhibition opens on 18th August and will run until 23 September.
Opening times: Monday to Friday 10am – 6pm, Saturday – Sunday and Bank Holidays 9am – 6pm

RHS Garden Wisley, Wisley, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB
Tel: 01483 224234 or www.rhs.org.uk/wisley for details of entrance fees.

For information on Surrey Sculpture Society visit www.surreysculpture.org.uk

Tags: Wisley Gardens, RHS, RHS Garden Wisley, Sculpture

Fun-packed event runs from 26 May to 3 June

To celebrate the start of the warmer months, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Garden Wisley is hosting a fun-packed Family Gardening Festival, from 26 May to 3 June 2018.

Running during May half-term, the family event has a ‘Get Set, Grow!’ theme, with a wide variety of activities taking place throughout the week. Kids can get hands-on with garden themed activities and crafts, such as sow and grow workshops, potato and spoon races, face painting, and tree climbing. There will also be puppet shows, storytelling sessions, a ‘Vegetable Olympics’ and a ‘Mole Hill’ area with pedal-powered tractors. Additionally, fascinating Birds of Prey demonstrations will take place on Seven Acres at 11am and 2pm on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 May.

As visitors walk around the Festival and take in the horticultural highlights of the season, they can gain expert advice from the RHS Science Team. Exhibitors include the National Vegetable Society and Surrey Bees, who will provide honey tastings, bee-themed activities and have a variety of wax products for sale.

While at the Family Gardening Festival, families can go on a garden adventure trail, sponsored by Honda, to look for the hidden Miimos - Honda’s clever robotic lawnmowers – along the way.

Take a break to refuel during the Festival with a tasty bite to eat, including ice cream and barbequed treats. There is also plenty of room to enjoy a family picnic in the great outdoors.

Normal garden entry applies; events and activities are suitable for all the family. For further information and to view the daily programme of activities, visit www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley.

Tags: What's on, Wisley Gardens, RHS, RHS Garden Wisley, Family Gardening Festival

Delight in the joys of spring and treat Mum to an inspiring day out at RHS Gardens and Partner Gardens this Mothering Sunday

Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 March 2018 At the four RHS Gardens and dozens of RHS Partner Gardens around the country, there are plenty of ideas for spending quality time with Mum in beautiful surroundings this Mother’s Day. Seek out cheerful signs of spring around the gardens, take part in inspiring workshops or indulge in the sweet tradition of tea and cake and give Mum a day to remember.

At RHS Garden Rosemoor, mums can enjoy a special Afternoon Tea on Saturday 10 March, including cakes, sandwiches and a traditional Devonshire cream tea, served to a table in the small Garden Room. The Garden Room will also host a demonstration of paper flower-making and everyone can take home a free gift of a beautiful paper peony. Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea is £20 per person and must be booked ahead online. On Sunday 11 March, the award-winning Rosemoor Garden Kitchen will be serving its famed Sunday Carvery menu, packed with the finest locally-sourced and homegrown produce – booking is advised.

Don’t miss one of the biggest celebrations of spring-flowering plants at the Spring Flower Competitions on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 March, with classes including camellias, early magnolias, rhododendrons, daffodils and hyacinths. Enjoy a sensual feast of colour and scent examining some of the finest specimens from growers across the country before taking a stroll around the garden to see Rosemoor’s own camellias, rhododendrons and daffodils bringing the garden to life.

RHS Garden Harlow Carr will be a welcoming sight, awash with beautiful spring colour as many varieties of early-flowering bulbs including daffodils, tulips, muscari, hyacinth and iris burst into flower. Stop by Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms for lunch to enjoy home-cooked dishes with a Swiss influence, or a traditional afternoon tea of sandwiches, cakes and pastries for £19.95 – or for £27.95 add pink Champagne to make it an extra-special treat for Mum.

Over in Essex at RHS Garden Hyde Hall, explore the garden as the spring season bursts into life before rewarding mum with a delightful afternoon tea for £12.95 per person (booking essential) on Sunday 11 March. Alternatively, book Mum onto the ‘What Now? Your Garden in March and April’ workshop on Saturday 10 March and inspire her to get into the garden. RHS experts will guide attendees through staking, planting, lifting and dividing of seasonal plants with practical techniques demonstrated in the garden from 11am to 1pm.

Meanwhile, at RHS Garden Wisley the Terrace Room will open specially for Mother’s Day, with either a two-course lunch or a sumptuous afternoon tea available at £25 per person (book in advance by emailing preferred time and numbers to wisley@companyofcooks.com), including a complimentary gift for Mum. A walk around the garden to see the beauty of early spring blossom and bulbs in flower is the perfect way to work up an appetite.

In addition, Saturday 10March sees the Orchid Society of Great Britain Spring Show in the Glasshouse Gallery at Wisley, where experts and growers will be on hand with advice and quality orchids to buy. A treat for any orchid fans, this show offers an opportunity to learn about more unusual species and see beautiful displays created by OSGB members.

Elsewhere around the country, many RHS Partner Gardens have exciting events planned for the Mother’s Day weekend, and RHS members can visit for free on selected days. On Saturday 10 March at A Weekend for Mum at Penshurst Place in Kent, kids can make special cards for Mum, and adults can learn to make scented gifts on Sunday 11 March. In Norfolk, Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden’s head gardener Ian Guest will take families on a guided tour of the garden after which each mother will receive a primrose.

On the outskirts of London, take a stroll around the grounds in search of spring beauty at Osterley Park before tasting wines, juices, jams and curds in the Brewhouse coffee shop. Meanwhile, at Compton Acres in Dorset both RHS Members and mums can enjoy the gardens for free, and there’s a potted plant gift for every mum who is treated to Sunday lunch.

Other RHS Partner Gardens open for free to RHS Members on Mother’s Day include:
• The Dorothy Clive Garden, Shropshire
• Tatton Park, Cheshire
• Kilver Court Garden, Somerset
• East Ruston Old Vicarage Gardens, Norfolk
• Larch Cottage Nurseries, Cumbria
• Tylney Hall, Hampshire
• Waterperry Gardens, Oxfordshire
• Batsford Arboretum, Gloucestershire
• Godinton House and Gardens, Kent
• Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire
• Scone Palace, Perthshire

For more information about Mothers day and other events at RHS Wisley please visit >>> www.rhs.org.uk

Tags: What's on, RHS Garden Wisley, RHS, Mothers Days

Hosts Surrey Sculpture Society Trail

22 August – 27 September 2015

RHS Garden Wisley welcomes the Surrey Sculpture Society into its beautiful grounds for the annual Surrey Sculpture Society Trail. This event brings together unique art works created by some of the most renowned artists, both established and emerging, from the South East.

The sculpture trail will open to the public on 22 August and run until 27 September 2015. Visitors to RHS Garden Wisley will discover a wide range of sculptures located throughout the grounds. The sculptures are made in stone, metal, bronze, resin, glass, ceramic, wood and found objects, and will be available to buy for a range of prices.

Teresa Martin, Surrey Sculpture Society’s exhibition manager for the event, said: “The Sculpture Trail at the RHS Garden Wisley in 2015 will echo some of the surreal aspects of the Alice in Wonderland garden with a diminutive ceramic merchant’s house and highly magnified plant forms on the Rock Garden that play with your sense of scale. There are intriguing and enchanting modelled forms cast with durable metal resins and some glorious celebratory shapes carved in stone, while the glass sculptures are stunning this year. The sad and the joyful aspects of our world are touched on by the artists, and some will definitely make visitors smile as they wander through the trail and find another piece round a corner in these magnificent gardens.”

Stephanie Fudge, Head of RHS Garden Wisley, said, “The Surrey Sculpture Trail at RHS Garden Wisley is an extremely popular event. The art is so beautifully presented and visitors can enjoy the garden setting at its best with the Mixed Borders in full flower. We enjoy seeing the sculptures change each year, and we love working with the Surrey Sculpture Society.”

Enjoy the delights of the trail when you visit for the floral extravaganza of the late-summer RHS Wisley Flower Show, 8 – 13 September, and the creative inspiration from spectacular colour of the the spectacular colour of the varied late-summer plantings throughout the garden.

Normal garden entry applies. For more information visit www.rhs.org.uk

Tags: What's on, Surrey Sculpture Society Trail, Wisley Gardens, Sculpture, Surrey, Surrey Sculpture Society, RHS Garden Wisley

Summer Adventures in Wonderland at RHS Garden Wisley 22 July – 31 August 2015.

Don’t be late for a jam-packed summer of Adventures in Wonderland at Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Garden Wisley, Surrey. Join the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with free family activities every day.

In the same year that plantsman and former President of the RHS Edward Augustus Bowles was born, Lewis Carroll created the nonsensical and magical world of Wonderland. EA Bowles, too, harboured a passion for the weird and wonderful, and famously had an area in his garden devoted to his botanical curiosities. Bowles’ Corner at RHS Garden Wisley pays homage to this great plantsman with a selection of ‘interesting’ woodland plants.

This summer, discover a world of wonder at Wisley inspired by the logic-twisting tale of Lewis Carroll, sponsored by Witan Investment Trust. Enjoy horticultural highlights come rain or shine, outstanding mixed borders, fragrant rose gardens and sensational panoramas creating a feast for the senses. You’ll be welcomed to Wonderland with an Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Top Terrace bedding scheme. Admire the wacky and wonderful design. Clashing colours and the White Rabbit lead you from reality to Wonderland, where you’ll find a 3-D sculpture of a caterpillar relaxing on a mushroom. This design was created by Wisley second-year horticulture Diploma students.

Explore, cook, play and plant your way to the perfect summer with gardening-inspired activities for all ages. Free activities include gardening, arts and crafts, music, theatre and puppet shows. Have an ‘un-birthday’ with a session of Eat Me, Drink Me cookery, or face painting on Tuesdays (payable and bookable in advance).

Follow the clues for curiouser and curiouser encounters throughout the garden with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, the Caterpillar and the Cheshire Cat – and, of course, Alice herself. Discover the many bronze sculptures by the renowned Robert James Workshop around the garden. Take on the adventure, explore down the rabbit-hole willow tunnels, play flamingo croquet… you’ll be grinning like a Cheshire Cat this summer at Wisley.

2015 is the Year of the Sunflower, and this summer you’ll spot lots of them around the garden. From single blooms to multi-headed, toddler-sized to several metres tall, sunflowers are diverse. The giant flowers will be just like being in Wonderland. All over Europe many gardens as well as trials gardens will be celebrating the wide variation and uses of sunflowers. At RHS Garden Wisley you’ll see dwarf sunflowers in containers, agricultural, border and cut sunflowers for an RHS Award of Garden Merit trial. Be sure to vote for your favourite in the RHS People’s Choice during the summer months.

Eat the Queen of Hearts’ jam tarts at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Picnic
Join Alice and her friends for fun and entertainment at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Picnic. Wear your most creative hat and gather your friends! Pick up a picnic including your jam tart. Seating is limited: pre-booking and pre-payment will be required. For more information visit www.rhs.org.uk. Normal garden admission applies.

Bring your family along for a full day of fun every day of the holidays. Activities each day, some bookable in advance, visit www.rhs.org.uk for what’s on when.

Tags: What's on, Wisley Gardens, Surrey, RHS Garden Wisley