Events at Hill Close Gardens

Spring 2012

Monday - Friday, 6 - 10 February and 13 - 17 February, Special opening of the Gardens to visitors
10.30 am to 3.30 pm, normal entry charges: Adults £3.50, members free
For the first time, the Gardens are open to the public for these two weeks, Monday to Friday only, in the run up to Snowdrop Weekend (see entry below below).

With the mild weather, the snowdrops and spring flowers are well advanced. If the weather is kind, come and enjoy a winter walk through the Gardens and see the increasing number of snowdrops, crocuses and other spring flowers growing throughout the gardens.

A special Snowdrop Walk is available so that you can admire the early snowdrops flowering now, such as ‘Lady Beatrix Stanley’, ‘Merlin’ and some of the Greatorex doubles. Others including ‘Straffan’, ‘S Arnott’ and ‘Wendy’s Gold’ bloom later and will be amongst those on display on the Snowdrop Weekend. Winter is always a good time to admire the structure of any garden when the silhouettes of the fruit trees give different vistas in the gardens and over the racecourse.

Visitors can purchase plants from the plant nursery. However named snowdrops will only be on sale at the Snowdrop Weekend. Hot drinks available in the Glasshouse.

Thursday, 16 February, Children's Workshop: New Life in the Gardens
10.30 am to 12 noon or 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm, £3.50 per child, accompanying adult free.
Come and look for signs of new life in the gardens as spring approaches. Enjoy some hands-on craft activities and plant some seeds to take home. Booking essential. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

To book your place call the Centre Manager, tel: 01926 493339.

Saturday and Sunday, 18 - 19 February, Snowdrop Display and Garden Visit
11.00 am to 4.40 pm, normal entry charges apply
A rare chance to view a display of unusual snowdrops in the warmth of the Lammas Room in the Visitor Centre. The landscaped display is mounted at waist height so visitors can get a close-up view of individual snowdrops.

For the more hardy visitors, take a stroll round the Gardens to view the displays of snowdrops in their normal habitat, followed by a hot drink and a slice of delicious cake in the cafe where light refreshments will be on sale.

Snowdrops and other winter plants will be available for purchase.

For other children's events and information about the children's trails more>

For a list of all the events this season more>

Weekend openings 2012
The gardens will open on Friday, April 6 until Sunday, October 14, 2012.

Groups of 10 and over can visit the gardens at any time throughout the year for guided tours. The charge is £7 a head to include entrance, a guide and tea and cake in the Centre (minimum charge £70). This is an opportunity to learn about the history and restoration of the gardens with their rich variety of Victorian fruit and flowers, the design and building of the sustainable Hill Close Centre. For further information contact the Centre Manager on tel 01926 493339 or email Centremanager @ hcgt.org.uk

Apple, apples, apples.....

Autumn and Apple Day always bring visitors to see the historic apple collection
Since 1856 apples, pears and plums were known to have been grown in the Gardens as well as soft fruit. Now there are more than 60 different varieties in the Gardens. By the 1990s, the trees were totally overgrown with swags of ivy and brambles. Noreen Jardine, assisted by Geoff Croft and many volunteers, started a programme of clearing and restoring these trees to bring them back to growth and fruit bearing.

The next task was to identify them and this was pursued with energy and persistence by Noreen and eventually most of the trees were named. There is one which has yet to be named. More varieties were planted in 2002 and subsequent years.

The season starts with the earliest dessert apple ‘Beauty of Bath’ 1864, followed by the small deep-red ‘Devonshire Quarrendon’ 1676. The early cookers include ‘Arthur Turner’ 1850 and there is the dual purpose ‘James Grieve’ 1893.
Some of the mid-season apples are ‘Queen’ 1858, ‘Newton Wonder’ 1870 and ‘Peasgood Nonsuch’ 1853, a very large dual purpose apple.  'Lord Derby’ 1862 and ‘Wyken Pippin’ 1703 are late in the season, which finishes with the russets ‘Golden Knob’ 1600s, which last well into the New Year.