Chelsea Physic Garden Closed => Ranelagh Garden Tour

20 Apr '05 5:18 am

I left the house this morning intent on a day of London garden exploring. I jumped on a couple of buses and travelled for 40 minutes to find that the Chelsea Physic Garden is only open to the public on wednesday's and sundays. What a Doofus Razz

And to make matters worse I publicised the fact by calling the website manager and telling her so she knows the garden wasn't open now too.

I really must get some business cards and letterhead organised for the website manager to smooze me into gardens on non-public days. Either that or pay a bit more attention to opening times:)

Anyway I'm nattering. The Chelsea Physic Garden is very close to the site of the Chelsea Flower Show. The weather was getting a bit dodgey but some spring english meadow plantings and scattered camellias and rhododendrons showed promise.

I was determined not to come home empty handed so I walked around to the London Gate Entrance and headed thru into Ranelagh Gardens. There was nobody about - A few builders doing up a block of toilets and a few groups of schoolchildren, a stark contrast to the 150,000 that will pack into the Chelsea Flower Show in a months time.

The weather, as you will see from the photos, was extremely uncooperative. Although I note that since sitting down to type this post it has become sunny again! typical english spring weather. I hope this is not a precursor for the Chelsea Flower Show proper, cameras simply don't work in the kind of water that fell out of the skies this afternoon.

I will try and take some photos from same locations at the show - They'd make a great before and after series. I might pop back tomorrow and get some video after I visit the Chelsea Physic Garden.

In the end it was a good thing I didn't go to the physic garden. Its had a good soaking today for a bit of extra springness and the weather WILL be good tomorrow Smile

On with the photos from The Royal Hospital Chelsea and
Ranelagh Gardens...

20 Apr '05 9:24 pm

The website manager has 'suggested' that my photos from yesterday go into the English Gardens section on the main site and into our coverage of Chelsea 2005 I agree with her.

Off to the Chelsea Physic Garden today. The weather isn't what was promised though - overcast and grey. I hope the clouds thin out a little for the photos.

Here are a couple of sneaky previews. Has anyone else ever seen WHITE HOLLY before?

26 Apr '05 6:09 pm

Your latest garden visiting - oh dear, from West Melton the autumn gum tree leaf burning capital of southern hemisphere gardenland, I am so envious!

The white holly is amazing. Have some of the leaves just lost all their green-ness my mistake, or is the whole bush white?

I wish I had heaps of money and could just appear in person, randomly, and tag along. Hmm...