Perfect Pashley

Abbots Langley Gardening Society’s

Spring outing to Pashley Manor Garden’s Tulip Festival

Ticehurst, East Sussex

Saturday 26^th April 2014

We took a gamble on the weather, organising an outing so early in the year, but were rewarded with a beautiful warm spring day to visit Pashley Manor Gardens situated in Ticehurst, East Sussex, where they were holding their annual Tulip Festival.

The overall grounds were not huge, which made it very easy to spend a few hours gently wandering around the beautifully kept grounds and admiring the displays of planted tulips alongside the more permanent planting. The facilities for pit stops were really well set up for both inside and outside seating and were of excellent quality with good service.

In fact the tulip planting was quite spectacular with examples in pots and urns as well as in the boarders, complimenting the swaths of colour combinations in long borders and colour schemes, under planted with colour complimenting pansies or forget-me-nots of similar colour.

Pashley believes that they have the largest display of tulips in a private garden in England and each year more bulbs are added to the gardens. This year the planted displays boasted over 25,000 tulips with about 100 different varieties and specialist tulips planted throughout the gardens with further display of cut flowers by Bloms Bulbs in a marquee.

The gardens also provide the prefect setting for a permanent exhibition of sculptures set in a blend of romantic landscaping, imaginative plantings, fine old trees, and fountains all set in exceptional views over the surrounding countryside.

Just over 40 members came on the trip and feedback suggests that everyone had a very enjoyable day.