IN THIS GUIDE

Nestled at the kernel of Cheshire , Bridgemere Show Gardens is composed of 15 individual garden rooms and has be as a public garden since the 1980s .

Eight of the garden at Bridgemere are , in fact , recreations of Gold or Silver Gilt - winning show gardens that were exhibit at RHS Tatton Park , Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows .

a path at Bridgemere leading to a water fountain surrounded by white flowering tulips

I address with the Head Gardener , Bernard Porter , to talk about the 44 years he has spend working at Bridgemere , his favourite garden room , and the impact the gardens have on visitors .

determine the full garden tour with Bernard here :

Bernard’s 44 Year Tenure

“ I ’ve in reality worked at Bridgemere for 44 years , ” Bernard begin .

“ After I had spent 29 year on production , the late owner , Mr Ravenscroft , asked me if I ’d come and sort the garden out and I ’ve been in here ever since . It ’s a pleasance to work here .

“ Originally the garden used to just be a video display in the heart of where the garden centre is now .

gravel paths and a tulip bed in front of the cottage garden at Bridgemere

“ In the former eighties , Mr Ravenscroft decide to move up here and a couple of years later , we start up doing Chelsea Flower show .

“ He planned to fetch every garden we did back and reinstate it here so the public could fall and see it . ”

Exploring The RHS Show Gardens

“ Everybody makes a beeline for the Cottage as soon as they get to the garden , ” explains Bernard .

“ It was the RHS garden we won the most laurels with . We won a atomic number 79 medal , dear in show , and an award for plant excellence . This garden was the first time I worked at Chelsea , so it ’s a morsel of a special garden to me .

“ My favored flora in here is the lilac that ’s at the edge of the space . Lilacs have really go bad out of style , but every garden should have a lilac in it somewhere because they smell beautiful . ”

the cottage garden at Bridgemere Show Gardens

“ The Victorian garden was originally build by Mr Ravenscroft for Chelsea but he could n’t get the basis blank to do it as it is here , ” he uphold .

“ We started gardening down this goal of the garden back in 1990 and it features a Brobdingnagian display ofaround 8,000 - 10,000 tulipsthroughout the natural spring .

“ As soon as , as presently as the tulips are over , we replace all of those with peck of varieties of dahlias . ”

the Victorian garden full of colourful flowering tulips

“ There ’s a lot of hoi polloi love the Down Memory Lane garden , ” he says .

“ They ’ll go sit in there for hours and it can be quite emotional . It was project by someone that work for Blue Diamond in retention of her pappa who had Alzheimer ’s , so it kick up a raft of store for hoi polloi .

“ It looks more like a piddling apportionment garden , than a show garden , but it win a Silver Gilt medal at Hampton Court , which was quite an achievement . ”

a large overhanging tree growing over a small pond at Bridgemere

When Best To Visit Bridgemere

“ I cerebrate you’re able to walk around the garden at any time of the class , whether it be December or July , and always find something in flower , ” portion out Bernard .

“ If somebody walk in and looks up and through the logic gate , they ’ll see that I ’ve got the most complete office staff in the humankind .

“ Once you become a nurseryman , you just become obsessed with gardening . flora become more important than people . ”

To find out more about Bridgemere Show Gardens and call in for yourself , head over to theirwebsite .