About our Gardening Experts
Martyn Davey is Head of Horticulture and Design at Easton College, an agricultural college in Norfolk, close to Norwich. Easton College teaches vocational courses for modern countryside industries, ranging from agriculture, animal care, gamekeeping and veterinary nursing, to bee-keeping, floristry and sport.
To find out more about Easton College, visit www.easton-college.ac.uk
Alan Gray lives at East Ruston Old Vicarage, in north-east Norfolk, just over a mile away from the coast. When he first arrived in 1973 it had been empty for two years and there was no garden to enjoy. Since beginning the transformation on two acres back then, extra land - and hard work and creativity - has taken the garden to over 32 acres.
The Old Vicarage is open from March 25 to October 27 in 2012. You can visit 2-5.30pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. Standard entry is £7 for adults, £1 for children (ages 3-14). Dogs are not allowed in the garden.
Further details at www.eastrustonoldvicarage.co.uk
Diary:
- Alan Gray will be giving guided tours of the garden each month, from May. Cost is £40, to include a light lunch. You can explore the garden after lunch too. Book on 01692 650432.
- The Old Vicarage will be staging a garden event and plant fair on Saturday June 9, 2012, with a variety of nurseries attending.
- Alan Gray and Graham Robeson will be hosting their annual Summer Party on Tuesday July 10 from 6pm to 9.30pm giving visitors a unique opportunity to enjoy the garden on a summer’s evening. Drinks and canapés will be served in the garden throughout the evening. Tickets are £22 per person, to book please contact 01692 650432.
Will Giles has had a passion for plants of a tropical nature since he was a boy. His one-acre Exotic Garden in Norwich, close to the city's train station, was purchased in 1982 when it was waist-deep in brambles, tree saplings and rusty rubbish. But now it will transport you to the tropics with palms and gingers, inspired by travels around the world.
You can find it off Thorpe Road in the city centre. Visiting times for 2012 are every Sunday afternoon, 1-5pm, between June 10 and October 21, as well August bank holiday Monday and some evening openings. Admission is £4.50 per person.
Further details at www.exoticgarden.com
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