Green Island Gardens

Reviews about Green Island Gardens

• 5 / 5

  By Ralph P
  It was a beautiful May day and my group spent over 2 hours on a tour with Fiona Edmond as she took us through the history of how the gardens were established and the different areas of soil and planting decisions. I am not a gardener and learned a huge amount in terms of types of soil and planting for leaf shape, colour and smell as well as all the pretty flowers which I naively assumed are the main basis of gardens. If you ever get the chance of a tour take it, even the gardeners in my group learnt a lot. She shared her years of experience e.g. don't believe what the books say about growing acers, how trees behave to try to preserve themselves when challenged by health and the environment. It was refreshing to hear an experienced gardener say she could not grow plants in certain areas (soil issues), so many come across as being able to grow anything anywhere I always feel doomed to fail. As a non gardener I came away inspired and felt I could achieve. I now want to grow a burnt sugar smelling tree and a stand alone wisteria tree! The colour was impressive with the different flowering azaleas and rhododendrons, but I want to go back in the autumn and see the leaves on the trees. These are not stuffy formal gardens but a personal journey of her private gardens attached to the family house which has been opened up to the public to share. The wooden sculptures and good for both young and old who are young! Oh yes, and the cafe was great for light snacks.
  May 17, 2017