The annual summer evening walk gave us an opportunity to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Friends, with nearly a hundred Friends and guests gathering at The Savill Garden Visitor Centre.
The weather was kind to us, allowing two large groups to make their way around the Garden, ably led by Jeff Brooker, Team Leader and John Anderson, Keeper of the Gardens. Our group heard much about how the Garden is being regenerated in many areas.
The entrance beds now link the outside banks to the Garden, incorporating drought tolerant planting; and later this year we should see an expansion of the winter planting with early spring bulbs and flowering trees.
The Summer Gardens
In the Dry Garden, the pot donated by the Friends looked as though it had been there for years, rather than a few months.
The dioramas were impressive after being cut back last year; and we were introduced to the diminutive Chilean guava, said to have been Queen Victoria’s favourite fruit.
The guided tour in the Herbaceous Borders
Standing at the gates to the Golden Jubilee Garden, our eyes were drawn by the neat rows of lavender to the recently renovated fountain which was murmuring away.
On our way back we admired the Hydrangea Serrata, which are doing particularly well this year, and saw the improvement of the Orchard Lawn following the recent drainage improvements.
The buffet
The walking groups returned to The Savill Garden Visitor Centre to join our invited guests for a buffet provided by The Savill Garden Kitchen which was enjoyed by all.
A very successful raffle was held, and several Friends took home some wonderful prizes donated by The Savill Garden Gift Shop, The Savill Garden Plant Centre, The Savill Garden Kitchen, and members of the Friends Committee.
A slide show of the Friends donations to Savill Garden was shown. As many Friends didn’t have time to see this it will be shown again at a future coffee morning.
The 40th anniversary cake
Speeches
Following our meal Diana, our Chair, welcomed everyone and invited Paul Sedgwick, the Deputy Ranger, to cut our 40th anniversary celebration cake, which was baked by one of the Friends.
John Anderson then recalled his first encounter with the Friends when we visited Exbury Gardens in 2005, when he was Head Gardener there.
He said that since his appointment as Keeper of The Gardens 8 years ago, the Friends could not have been more friendly. Paul Sedgwick then acknowledged the importance of the teamwork between the Gardens and Friends over the years and wished us many more years of partnership.
John Anderson, Keeper of the Gardens, Diana Bendall, Chair of the Friends of The Savill Garden, and Paul Sedgwick, Deputy Ranger and Managing Director for Windsor & Rural
Friends continued to socialise late into the evening, until the last few were gently invited to leave. Our thanks go to Paul, John and our other guests for joining our celebration, and to all the staff who made our evening so enjoyable.
Written by Maggie & John Elkin, Friends of The Savill Garden Events Co-ordinator & Friend
