Garden Tour: RHS Wisley

Several years ago my partner and I went on holiday to England. Our goal was to visit as many of the gardens that had inspired us in our own gardening. For sure we were beating down the well-worn tourist trail, but the gardens we visited have become iconic for very good reason. As winter trudges on and daylight hours begin to increase minute-by-minute, I find myself revisiting these gardens, looking to them for inspiration I’ll apply to my garden this spring. Over the next few posts I’d like to share some of the gardens that continue to inspire me--especially when it's cold, grey, and wet outside! 

I’ll begin with RHS Wisley, the flagship–and longest held–garden of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Gifted to the RHS in 1903, Wisley is located in Surrey, England and serves as one of the exhibition and research gardens of the RHS. The RHS is probably the premiere horticultural research, education and preservation organization in the world. It publishes a monthly magazine, The Garden, dedicated to everything gardening, operates and maintains four exquisite gardens, puts on (among many others) the coveted and much publicized RHS Chelsea Flower Show. For many gardening enthusiasts, visiting Wisley is something of a pilgrimage. 

Many of the ornamental plants we grow in our own gardens had their coming out parties in Wisley’s trial garden plots. Every year, plant breeders send seeds from new varieties they hope to introduce to the public to Wisley. Wisley grows these plants on, and by the end of the season, decides whether or not to give them their stamp of approval. When visiting, it’s always a treat to see what’s on trial and to see firsthand how the varieties compare with one another.

Wisley houses a series of ‘model gardens’, to showcase different gardening styles on a scale the average homeowner could execute in their own yard. The model gardens are interconnected and vary in style from traditional to modern, monochromatic to riotous color. 

The alpine house is reserved for those plants which naturally grow in more extreme conditions or are so small that they need to be grown in a location that can do them justice. Just outside the Alpine house is one of my favorite features: a blooming wall. Stone walls are ubiquitous in Europe, but in the US, they are more of a luxury and to my eyes, a stone wall bursting with plants and color is the greatest luxury of all.

Rhododendron and Azalea enthusiasts will find much to marvel at if they plan their trip in May.

All around Wisley, topiary abounds. Most often in the form of hedges delineating and framing spaces, visitors also come across more extravagant examples, like the Hornbeam arch pictured below.

The gardens at Wisley are constantly being evaluated and evolving. The apple orchard is particularly impressive. If visiting in the fall, the garden holds tastings of their apple collection. A working vineyard exists where bottles of Wisley wine are put into the cellar every year. Almost one million visitors make their way to Wisley each year, aren’t you curious?