The concept of the Pleasure Garden at Stowe is landscape gardening on a grand scale. Team members from Clumber Park, led by Pleasure Grounds Gardener Jack Pitt, headed down to Buckinghamshire on a glorious autumnal day to learn and gather inspiration. How to make an impact with flowers in such a space? Plant 335,000 bulbs perhaps? With the right funding, garden team and a whole host of partners: companies, schools, charities, volunteers and families (not to mention a hired in bulb-planting machine) why not?
Hopefully this big-picture thinking will produce a riot of colour next Spring, Summer and Autumn (and for years to follow). Firstly visitors will walk through glorious bluebell woods along Bell Gate Drive (the main pedestrian approach) where 125,000 bulbs have been planted.
200,000 snakeshead fritillaries will make a rare and delicate meadow in deep purple lining the approach to the Rotunda and there will be two types of cyclamen in the Lamport garden beyond the Palladian bridge.
This great bulb plant will result in a fitting floral compliment to a monumental programme of restoration at Stowe which will reach completion in 2019.
The team will now bring back ideas to feed in to Clumber Park Revitalised and look at the potential opportunities to host a similar project in the near future. If you are interested in learning more or want to get involved please contact jack.pitts@nationaltrust.org.uk
Slow-Cycle 