A few VDHS members took the opportunity for a garden tour of the Russell-Cotes museum gardens from volunteer, Phil Broomfield.  The gardens are protected from the sea breeze by a cloud-pruned holm oak hedge.  This creates a micro-climate within the gardens making it noticeably warmer.

 

Phil gave us a history of the house and garden, and described how Merton and Annie Russell-Cotes travelled the world collecting curiosities for the house, and plants for the gardens.  The garden layout reflects the globe-trotting owners with a Japanese garden, sunken tropical garden and grotto.

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Given the hot weather recently, the flowers on display were fantastic - with beautiful white roses, the impressively tall blue and pink flower spikes of the echiums, everlasting sweet peas and some spires of Acanthus Mollis.  Phil explained there's no additional watering of the plants to keep them looking their best - just a good layer of mulch in the spring.

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The group enjoyed the tour and some of them visited the art gallery and museum afterwards to complete the outing.