An Introduction to Bramdean House

We are delighted to be holding our first talk of the year in the Memorial Hall, at 7.30pm.

The Trowels and Tribulations of taking on a Historic Garden

Talk by Maggie Tran, Head Gardener at Bramdean House

On Thursday 19th January, we'll be welcoming Maggie Tran to give a talk on The Trowels and Tribulations of taking on a Historic Garden - An Introduction to Bramdean House. Maggie is the current Head Gardener at Bramdean House and brings a wealth of experience to share with us on the rare and unusual plant collection and mirror borders there. You can read more about Maggie in this interview with Women in Horticulture here. A summarised excerpt is below:

Bramdean House Garden is a "plant lover's garden" in Hampshire covering 5 acres. The house itself dates back to the 1740s but the garden has been established since the 1940s by the present owner, Victoria Wakefield, and her mother. The garden is very diverse with rare and unusual plants from all over the world; Victoria was a Kew trustee and part of the RHS judging panels. However, rather than being a botanical collection, the aesthetics of the garden have been carefully designed, most notably double mirror image herbaceous borders, for which Bramdean is famous. The garden also features a kitchen garden and a wild orchard area where established roses ramble up and over old gnarly apple trees. The garden has been passed down to a newer generation - Victoria's son Teddy and his family along with Maggie want to bring it forward to contemporary times and practices.

This event will also be an opportunity for members to renew their subscription for 2023, and for new members to join us!