Memorable visit to Royal gardens (From Malvern Gazette)

Memorable visit to Royal gardens

11:52am Wednesday 16th April 2008

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MEMBERS of Malvern Civic Society had a memorable outing when they visited the gardens of Highgrove House, Prince Charles's official residence in Gloucestershire.

The grounds the society members saw are only open to the public occasionally, with a waiting list of up to five years.

The gardens and farm make up a 37-acre estate that Prince Charles uses to promote his interest in organic farming and gardening.

It is believed that he spent £500,000 on the gardens, which were virtually a blank canvas when he went to live there.

"There were many aspects of the gardens that we will remember, not just for the collections of plants and trees, but also for the attractive displays of interesting and unusual walls, buildings and other structures, not to mention commemorative busts and statues of people the Prince admired and artefacts that were gifts from friends and acquaintances all over the world," said Denise Preston of the society.

The visitors admired features such as the carefully-managed four-acre wildflower meadow, a section of plants and trees from the southern hemisphere, and the arboretum.

They also saw the Prince's personal commemoration of the millennium, the Sanctuary, made entirely of natural materials with earth walls and a Cotswold stone roof.

After the tour, the group was offered refreshments in the Orchard Room, and visited Cirencester and Painswick.

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