Coach Trip to Beth Chatto Gardens & Nursery

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The date: 5th October; the place: a crowded pavement in front of Sheffields in Abbots Langley village. Picture the scene: lots of smiling people , eagerly awaiting the arrival of the coach to take us on what we hoped would be a nice day out. 

All safely on board and counted we set off on our trip organised by ALGS to Beth Chatto’s Plants and Gardens, home of Ecological & Sustainable planting situated at Elmstead, outside of Colchester. The quiet murmur of conversation; the making of new and re-establishing old acquaintances; an occasional gentle purring registering the early start for some and the excited chatter with thoughts of what the day might bring. Sweets? Yes there were sweets. The now customary bag of delights being passed around to help pass the time as we threaded our way along busy roads taking us out of familiar Hertfordshire and into Essex.

And finally, after what seemed to be ages, we had arrived. First up, a visit by some to the toilets to freshen up then for most taking the opportunity for an early lunch, culinary delights were laid out before us, whilst others who possibly had had a good breakfast or who could not contain their excitement any longer made off into the gardens without anymore delay. 

Our appetites sated and duly revigorated we set out to explore the beautiful Beth Chatto gardens: the gravel garden, the water garden, the woodland garden, the reservoir and the scree garden. One visual delight after another. 

Beth’s work at the gardens began in 1960. She took an overgrown wasteland of brambles, parched gravel and boggy ditches, transforming it using plants adapted by nature to thrive in different conditions: right plant, right place. An inspirational informal, garden has developed, which opened to the public in 1972. There is an extensive range of over 2000 different kinds of mainly herbaceous plants, with smaller ranges of herbs, shrubs and succulents. 

Whether it was just the day of the week or the timing of our arrival but there were few other visitors at the gardens. This meant we had the winding paths, long vistas and the cosy corners practically all to ourselves.

The gardens were not as big by comparison with some more formal showy public gardens but they proved quite enough for the time that was available to us. There were lots of wonderful plants to admire, blooms and fragrances to savour and included several secluded peaceful areas offering an opportunity for a moment or two of quiet reflection by one’s self or to sit down and have a chat with others. 

Then, the tour of the gardens complete, came the trial by plant sales as the route to the exit was through an extensive collection of all that which we had only just been admiring and of course available to purchase. Not surprisingly, credit cards came out and were swiped whilst some, perhaps the more hardy perennials of our number and who refused to be tempted, and looking straight ahead refusing to be distracted by such things, aimed directly back for the tea room.  

Was it a nice day out? Well, the sun shone, the gardens were lovely, there were plant sales – what more could one ask for? Did we enjoy ourselves? You bet we did.  It was another great trip organised by Sue and Antoinette for the ALGS. Thank you.

Richard Gabriel

ALGS

An amateur gardener