Dozens enjoy walled garden party

More than 100 people enjoyed tea and cakes to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the creation of a special learning zone in the Walled Garden at Hughenden Manor.

Volunteers and former staff who worked on the innovative restoration project a decade ago were invited to the celebration earlier this month to see how the zone has flourished.

The project was the work of Buckinghamshire Adult Learning and the National Trust who created a unique area in which students could study gardening courses. Several have since gone on to run their own gardening businesses as a result.

The one-acre walled garden was built in the 1750s by Charles Savage who turned the original farmhouse on the site into a gentleman’s residence. Walled gardens were built for security to stop people and animals taking the food.

The walls also provide a series of microclimates depending on their orientation – for instance a south facing wall will absorb the sun’s rays in cooler weather and radiate the heat back allowing you to extend the growing season. It enabled ladies to enjoy ripe fruit at their table in November.

The gardening courses at Hughenden began in 2003 from an agreement between Lindsay Engers, Horticulture Tutor and the then Gardener in Charge, Frank Parge. The courses are based in the Walled Garden and also benefit from access to the wider estate – formal gardens, countryside, woods.

Lindsay Engers, who remains as tutor, said: “Our celebration was a well-attended success and I planted a tree watched by about 105 people. Thank you to students and staff at Buckinghamshire Adult Learning and the staff at The National Trust who have worked so hard to make the Walled Garden so enjoyable and valuable.”

For more information about gardening courses with Buckinghamshire Adult Learning, phone 01293 382403 or visit www.adultlearningbcc.ac.uk